When Kameron Monet uploaded her first YouTube video in 2014, she had no idea she was about to change her life. At the time, she was a student at Kennesaw State University. Following the advice of her academic advisor, she signed up for some pre-law classes and was hooked. She enrolled in Cumberland School of Law in 2016 and began to use her YouTube channel – which was initially about hair and makeup – to document life as a law student.
Three years later, Kameron was an employment litigation attorney by day and – thanks to her YouTube channel — a social media influencer by night. Kameron’s YouTube channel has more than 80,000 subscribers and she boasts more than 40,000 followers on Instagram. She’s worked with big-name brands like Google, Dove, Dyson, Ulta Beauty, and more. In 2020, she quit her 9-to-5 to be a full-time content creator but continues to put her law degree to work by helping other creators navigate the legalese of brand deals through her Influencer Contract Consulting service. We’re excited to welcome our newest FACE of Birmingham, Kameron Monet.Â
What do you think has been the key to your success on YouTube and on Instagram?
It’s cheesy, but I really think it’s just the authenticity. I pride myself on being real and honest — sometimes too honest. I’d rather just keep it honest and give the raw, real truth of what’s going on than sugarcoat it. I’ve cried in a vlog after an exam. I didn’t want y’all to think law school is glamourous. [And as an influencer] I try to show a healthy balance of reality and a little bit of the glitz and glam. I love what I do, but it’s still stressful. Life happens. Personal stuff happens, but you still have to get online and show up and show off no matter what.
Why did you decide to quit your job as an employment litigation attorney to be a full-time content creator?
I was not being healthy, and I wasn’t being realistic. I was trying to give 100 percent on both. It got to the point where I was not sleeping as much. I could tell I was constantly draining myself. I had to make a decision.
I loved what I was doing in employment litigation but no matter how fulfilling that felt, content creating always reigned supreme.
RELATED:Â Meet This Birmingham Social Media Sensation
You’ve said that by working as an influencer and content creator who helps other creatives with legal contracts, you’re living the best of both worlds. How so?
I love that I’m still able to utilize my law degree but in a way that I want to. I don’t have to work at a desk every day. I don’t have to ask for time off. I don’t have to only work with certain clients that someone else told me to work with. I’m able to craft and mold whatever I want to do with my law degree – ethically, of course — without having to go the traditional route and still be successful with it.
How does your law background help you as an influencer?
I love public speaking, and I love interviews, and I love hosting masterclasses and events. A lot of those opportunities came because of my audience and following, but I have an extra level of confidence when I’m speaking, an extra level of professionalism when I’m negotiating brand deals or talking to other creators that I think I learned during law school.
Is there anything you think most people don’t understand about being an influencer that you wish they did?
We wear so many hats, so brands never come to you with the right price. I try to give my clients the confidence to negotiate what they deserve by explaining to them what they do. You are the hairstylist and the makeup artist and the creative director and the photographer and the editor, and you just reserved space at a studio – all these things are why you’re asking a brand for more money. All they see is the post on Instagram, but they don’t see what happens behind [the scenes].
Brands need to understand: You’re going to pay more for a billboard or a commercial or a magazine article, but you’re going to have a more targeted audience with me.
Do you have any negotiating tips – not just for influencers, but for all professional women?
We need to start at the root and know that negotiating isn’t a negative thing. It’s a positive thing and a common business practice. Always just ask and come with your credentials. Create an angel folder with praises from your boss, compliments from clients, reviews, or testimonials.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate something outside of income. Maybe you negotiate benefits. Or for creatives, maybe you negotiate deliverables so that you feel you’re being adequately compensated for the work you’re doing.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I like to work out. I like cycling. I started cycling at Ignite Cycle. I love them, and now I have a Peloton. And I like trying different workout classes at places like Battle Republic and True40.
I love happy hour at a rooftop bar, and I love a brunch – Sunday brunch, Saturday brunch, any type of brunch.
Any time I’m around good food, good people, [and] good drinks, I’m pretty much happy.
What are your favorite brunch spots?
Ruby Sunshine, Big Bad Breakfast, and Trattoria.
And where are your favorite rooftop bars?
Elyton Hotel, Redmont, and Bar Sebastian.
RELATED:Â 9 Birmingham Rooftop Bars to Enjoy This Summer
What was your last best meal at a local restaurant?
Roasted duck curry at Shiki in Homewood.
What’s your favorite hidden gem in Birmingham?
Where did you go for your last vacation?
Rosemary Beach on 30A. We stayed at The Pearl.
What’s on your bedside table?
My Google Nest Mini, my Yeti water bottle, Olly sleep gummies, my devotional – which is called Grace is Enough – and my current book read, which is The Big Leap. I also have a pen and notebook, because sometimes I get random ideas in the middle of the night.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Throughout my whole life, whether I was studying for the bar exam, or studying for the LSAT before I got into law school, or just making any type of transition, my mom would say, “This too shall pass.” When I was trying to decide if I was going to quit my job or not, she would say, “This too shall pass. No matter what you decide, it’s going to be fine. You’re going to make a way. You always have.”
Aside from faith, family, and friends, name three things you can’t live without.
Coffee, dessert, and my phone.
Thank you, Kameron! All photography courtesy of Kameron Monet.
**********
To meet more inspiring Birmingham women, visit our FACES archives.
