Due to the drastic implications of the Covid 19 pandemic, many find themselves still facing harsh lockdowns in cities across the United States. Like most industries that have been affected by the pandemic in some way or another, the entertainment industry has found its fair share of challenges operating during such stressful times. Live performances such as concerts and comedy shows have been put on hold, as well as most in person auditions. While other comedians and performers have come to a standstill in their careers, SAG actor and comedian, Megan Nager, has doubled down on her digital content creation in order to keep her audience engaged, entertained, and inspired.
Megan moved to Los Angeles in 2012 in order to pursue an acting career. Within six months, she had secured several roles in short and feature films on networks such as TruTV and Amazon. When she wasn’t auditioning or in acting classes, Megan began to perform stand-up comedy at venues such as The Comedy Store, The Hollywood Improv, Flapper’s Comedy Club, and more. From there, Megan combined her love of comedy and filmmaking and began to create her own original, comedic digital content. Within three years, Megan grew her social media following to over a combined 100,000 followers, spanning Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Megan’s digital content expertise landed her jobs working with major social media platforms such as Firework and Triller, and film production companies such as Steve Carell’s Carousel Production Company.
Despite Megan’s success, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck the U.S., she – along with her colleagues in the entertainment industry – began to panic. Comedy clubs were forced to close and in-person auditions were put on hold. How could she continue to reach her audience and expand her career in what felt like a total stand-still? That’s when she began to brainstorm with good friend, creative partner, and fellow comedian, Erin Darling. The two had previously written a short film together, and knew they wouldn’t be able to film such a large production while everything was shut down. Unsure of how to continue, the two took some time to brainstorm. That’s when they came up with a television concept that they couldn’t ignore: Conspiracy, Seriously, a pop culture conspiracy theory show that would be hosted by them, and involve a lot of comedy. Sure, there were other shows that broke down conspiracy theories, but none that focused solely on pop culture ones.
In order to test their concept, Megan and Erin headed to TikTok and began to create pop culture conspiracy videos. Despite the fact that the two knew very little about the platform, within two months, the comedians grew their joint account to over 160,000 followers and counting. Their videos regularly go viral, and are plastered with hundreds of comments from very interested fans.
“What Erin and I love about these videos and this concept in general, is that they aren’t focusing on the really heavy, disturbing conspiracy theories that we usually hear about – such as 9/11 and Q Anon. Instead, we have a much lighter approach to the whole subject matter. Our videos cover topics such as ‘Finland May Not Actually Exist’ and ‘Stevie Wonder Possibly Isn’t Blind’ (all theories that people on the internet whole-heartedly believe are true). Although Erin and Megan may not have expected such an overwhelmingly positive response, they aren’t complaining. Their videos are seen by thousands of people daily and they continue to put out three a day, seven days a week.
Thanks to their success, Megan and Erin are now teaching TikTok growth workshops, continuing to pitch their project to large production companies, and looking to create even longer episodes – whether that be in TV or podcast format, they’re still deciding.
Despite the fact that the pandemic has brought about a sense of fear and uncertainty to most people, Megan and Erin continue to use their gifts to bring back smiles to people’s faces and get them to think critically. “In an era when there is SO much information online, it’s important to really evaluate what you’re reading and believing. That’s what Erin and I hope to do with our videos,” says Megan.
You can see more of Megan’s content on her personal Instagram and watch her conspiracy videos on her TikTok.
