Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello everyone and welcome to the And I Thought Ladies
podcast and just in case you're wondering yes I'm actually
putting up a podcast I don't know I'm putting up
like one a month right now I guess.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
I need to still say I have it, right? So
it works. Anyway, I am Wilnona.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
And I remember to introduce myself, which over all the years,
I normally don't do.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And I'm one of the undyed thought ladies.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Oh, by the way, high five to me for remembering
to introduce myself. And dang it, I did a dance,
and I know better. I know better than to dance.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Anyway.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
I said, and I thought ladies, and we wrote, we
write books, go figure an author, a writer who writes books.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Uh, there's and I thought divorce was bad.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
And I thought being riddled with these leave only are
me a memoir and verse foreign coffee, widow's web and
widow's debt. And those are just the audio books. So
you can get those wherever audio books are found.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
And then, you know, if you get bored and you
need more to read, we have 28 books in total.
So that's 22 more. Yay. You can find out everything
we're doing at www.andithoughtladies.com.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I'm going through this extra fast today because I promised
the person that it would be quick. I think that
was quick enough. Y'all could hear what I was saying
because one person complained. They were like, you did it
so fast. I was like, what?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Who?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
What? So I tried to slow down a bit. I
think that's good enough. It's clear. We made it through.
But you're not here to hear about.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Me, which is sad because I have a lot to
say about this lovely little headband here.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
You're here to hear about our wonderful guest. And you
know what I was going to say about that?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
It had a lot to do with my television show. Yeah,
I was being on TV yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah. Anyway, you're here to hear about our wonderful guest.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Wonderful guest, would you like to introduce yourself? Hi.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yes, my name is Tressany, but I also go by
Tress or Tress in the City. I am a content creator.
I love all things mysteries. I actually got this shirt
from the International Spy Museum on my birthday a couple
weeks ago. And this is the third thing about me.
I love to start new hobbies. Do I always follow
through with them? No, but I am now a Lego girl,
(02:09):
a diamond painting girl. I'm learning how to crochet. I
love starting a hobby.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Okay. So Jade does diamond painting and she does crochet.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Oh, that's new.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, yeah. Like she does. does crochet when.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
She when she gets to it she does it so
bad it ends up injuring her her wrist.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Um oh no so.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
How is crochet going because you know i have to
ask that part first now i'm.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Not the best at it but it is fun it's
a lot of fun so i i love snoopy And
so I went to Hobby Lobby, and I saw this little, like,
crochet Snoopy. And I was like, well, I have to
learn how to make Snoopy. So that's how I got
into it. And does he look great? No, no. And
I'm not finished yet, so maybe it'll look better. But
(03:00):
it's therapeutic. I like to do it when I'm watching shows, so.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
That's exactly what she did. She just did scarves, though.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Mm.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
I'm not there yet.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
But, like, you don't want a Snoopy that's actually got
stitch counts in it.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
It does. Maybe I should have started with a scarf, honestly.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
It's like, oh, no, I'm thinking about knitting. Knitting has
like the purling. She does knitting also.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Oh, yeah, I can't do that.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
She started all these hobbies at 19.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
She would knit and knit in her life, watching cozy mysteries.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I love grandma hobbies. I think it's great. I'm like, oh, no,
you can't do that at 19.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
People are going to be like, when did you retire?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Hey, you got to do what you got to do. Exactly.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Okay, so you are a content creator. How did you
get into this? Was this just a hobby that you
picked up through like crochet and.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Content creating and Legos?
Speaker 1 (03:55):
I would talk about Legos, but I hate the idea
of Legos because I tried it and then I got
mad as I tapped it through and I stomped on
it and then.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I broke my foot. So I never speak of Legos again.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Oh, yeah, no, I wouldn't either.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
So what's up with content creation?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
How did you do that? Yes, constant. So basically, I
just really love watching TV. And I started watching this
show called 9-1-1. It's on ABC. And I didn't know
anybody in my personal life that watched it. And I really,
really liked it. And I was like, I need to
talk to somebody. So I just was bored in grad school,
wanted to talk about the show I liked. And I
started posting TikToks. And I was like, nobody's going to
(04:34):
watch these. But like, it's just a fun pastime for me.
And then people did really start watching them. And then
I started talking about other shows I was interested in.
And then I was like, wait, I really like books,
and I really like movies, too. And so I just
kind of expanded from there. So this has been going
on for a little over a year and a half now,
and started off as just something random, and it's become
something really cool.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Okay, so I heard the word books, and that's an
author I have to focus in, but I was more
interested in the fact that you started skipping off of 911.
How are you not nerve-wracked in coming in your house with, like,
a splinter? It was, like, right in both hands.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Like, I am ready. I am ready.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
I don't know, honestly.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Okay, how did the conversations go over 9-1-1? What do
you mean?
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Like, because you said you started talking and you just, like,
I didn't just talk to someone. And I was like, oh,
so there had to be comments on the tech top
to make.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
It keep going.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So how did that go? Like, people were, like, gathering.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Like, huh?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Well, there's a huge fan base for the TV show.
I mean, it's crazy. And there were a bunch of
other people that were watching it and wanted to talk
about it. And so it was just this really cool
thing for a while until it wasn't. And so they just,
the show is not what it once was. I don't
even watch it anymore. And the fandom community is incredibly toxic.
And people were like sending me death threats and like
(05:57):
just all this crazy stuff. So I was like, y'all
got it. So I don't watch that show anymore, nor
am I a part of the fan community, but it was,
it was cute while it lasted. It was cute until
it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
So I just graduated in May.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
I got my master's degree in journalism.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
And so my first semester, it was kind of like, they.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Were tricking me almost because I had nothing to do.
And then the following three semesters, so crazy busy, all
these things going on. But my first semester, I only
had classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, or really just
Tuesday and Wednesday. Honestly, I only had one on Thursday.
So I just had all this time on my hands.
So I was watching a lot of TV and reading
a lot. And so I was like, I got to
talk about this stuff somewhere. Now with books, luckily I
(06:48):
had people to talk with those about, but like my shows,
nobody was really watching them but me because I just
love all the police procedural type shows.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
So of journalism. So you've got a master's degree in journalism.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
That has to have changed a lot since, like, I
don't know, I was going to school for journalism.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I needed to change subjects. But anyway, how is that?
Where is journalism today? How does it fit into this
society now?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Honestly, it doesn't always feel like it does. And so
I think that's why I originally wanted to be a
TV news reporter. I wanted to work in sports, which
is like very different from what I want now. And
so then through being in school, I was like, where
is journalism's place in this society? Because it doesn't really
feel like there is one. So I kind of switched
over to social. And then I started making my own
social media content. So I feel like I'm kind of
(07:44):
just over in that bubble now and less in the
reporting world. Because where are the ethics? Where is any
of that? It doesn't really exist now.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Oh, wait, wait. You said sports. I was like, sports
is always going to need social reports.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Yes, they do. I just feel like for me with sports,
working in sports made me not love sports anymore in
my personal life. And I didn't want to lose that.
So that's kind of why I stepped away from it
versus with like my original goal before sports was politics.
And I was like, oh, I don't even want to
touch that with a 10-foot pole. So I had to
get out of that because there's no ethics there. But
with sports, I was just kind of like working in
(08:18):
this 80 hours a week and then trying to watch
it in my personal time. I don't want to do that.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
So yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Oh, okay, that makes sense. Even when football's not on,
there's someone covering football. There's someone covering basketball, baseball, golf.
There's an entire channel on golf.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
And I'm like, I know y'all can't pick enough content
for golf.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Never.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
That's amazing to me. So I was like, hey, you're
going to have a job for forever.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Forever. But I was like, I could just really see
myself getting burned out. So I was like, it'll still
be there if I choose to go back to it.
But I was like, let me just spend some time
seeing what else is out there.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
So how have you been in the, I should not
mean anymore, but like in the space of having, it's
almost like having your own media company and social landscape
and having a journalism background behind it.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
How's that work?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I feel like it's helped a lot just because I'm
very comfortable talking on camera in a way that I
feel like a lot of creators necessarily aren't. And I'm
very used to talking just like under time constraints. Cause
when I worked in local news, when I was an
intern and just did different things, sports, we only usually
had about three minutes to cover football, basketball, hockey, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
(09:39):
So like a three minute TikTok is nothing to me.
Cause I'm like, if I can cover five sports in
three minutes, I can cover, you know, one TV topic
in three minutes. So I feel like it's definitely a,
been helpful. And then also when it comes to applying
for jobs, I may not have had to use this
skill set in an internship, but I have used it
in my own media landscaping. So it's, you know, another
skill set that I can talk up so it's actually
(10:01):
nice it's hard sometimes but it's fun you ever.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Think you'll just build out another media brand that way
you like control the knowledge of what you have in
your own journalism background and where the content that's produced.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
I definitely want to and I think that's kind of
what I'm leaning in towards right now, because the job
market is so bad. And I'm like, wait, I have
all this experience, but I can't find a job. And
the jobs that I could find, it's not really what
I want to do. So I think that's kind of
where I'm headed is like, okay, I'll just make my
own job. And I'll just have my own thing. And
we'll just see where it goes. Yeah, I really do.
(10:37):
I mean, it's really a blessing. So I'm like, you
know what, we can really make this work. If I like,
really did the grunt work. And one of my friends,
he has his own marketing agency. And he was like,
Why don't you just represent yourself and just make trust
in the city, your whole company? And I'm like, you
know what, friend? I like that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Okay, so once the camera stops, I'm going to be like,
let's talk, although you know more.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Than I do.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Let's talk. Let's do it. Let's talk about the.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Engine and making this work.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Okay, now I have to actually get to, you know,
what I'm supposed to be talking about since it is
an anti-cold lady show. And my journalism work never, ever
shows up.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Books. Books. So, you started off on 9-1-1. And then
you're like, okay, let's do some movies. And we have
now books? I mean, I heard you say that you
were talking to people.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
About books in your life anyway. And you went, okay,
content on books. How do you decide what book you're
going to do content on? How long does it take
you to get the script together?
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Like, let's get a behind-the-scenes look.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
That's a great question. I feel like talking about books
has been a lot more difficult for me than talking
about a show. Because with a show, I just kind
of like whatever's on top of the dome, I just
go ahead and talk about it. But like with a book,
I'm like, okay, I've been getting a lot of arcs recently,
which is really fun to make. Okay, got to talk
about those because they asked me to, so I'm going
to do it. But just trying to figure out because
you don't want to say too much, especially since I
(12:06):
mainly read mysteries and thrillers. So there's so much I
can say without leaning into spoiler territory. So I'm like, okay.
This is how much information is on the back of
the book or on the sleeve. I'm only going to
talk about these things. And then I'll talk about just
like overall vibe, how this made me feel, whatever. And
I try to just approach it from like, if you
and I are friends and you're like, oh, hey, I
want a book recommendation. Like, how would I talk to you?
(12:28):
Not necessarily like, how would I talk to like this
great unknown audience? But like, if my best friend was like, hey, Tress, like,
I want to read a book. Like, what do you recommend?
I'm like, oh, girl, you know, I love the Finley
Donovan series or something like that, you know? And so
that's how I try to approach it. It's amazing. I
love it. I love that series.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Oh, I'm going to sound so old and bad, but like,
have you read a Janet Ivanovich?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
I have.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
I have.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I just started the first one. I had never read them.
They're amazing.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Oh, my God. There's the one where Lula decides that
she's going to.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Be a cook.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Ooh. You haven't got to.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
The one where Grandma Murda topples over a casket. Or
the top burned down part of the funeral home or
how her cars explode.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Oh my God.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I have been there since book one and I have
read every book that she, every book.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
That she comes out with. I have read. And if
she has a coauthor, I've interviewed them.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Wait, that's great. I was going to start it because
so many people say it's basically like psych, the TV
show just in book form. And that's my favorite show.
So I was like, wait, I need to be involved.
So I will be reading all of them.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
I think, like, Finley Donovan is like Ivanovich for people who.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Are younger, much younger.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Yeah, I've heard that.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
It's like, okay, I love Ivanovich.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
I love Ivanovich so much because she solved such a
problem that was existing. When it came to mysteries, she
would get chicklet mysteries, cozy mysteries, or mystery mystery.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
And then, like, for her to put it all together,
I think, oh, we needed that.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Absolutely. But after a while, I'm like, I know they
got internet by now. I know that they have AI
by now. I know they have a lot of things
by now. But it doesn't seem to be here.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Oh, in the books?
Speaker 2 (14:28):
In the books, yes. It's like, okay. All right. This
is wonderful. Hey, can we catch up? And it's like,
is there already? Yay! Yes.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
And the kids make everything so much more fun. And Finley,
I don't know how she does it. I have no
idea how Alcatraz and Nino does that.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
That's just like, wow.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
They're magic. I love it. The new one, I read it,
I think, in three days. And it was only because
I had assignments. If not, I would have read it
in one sitting.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
I love her books. Yeah, I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I didn't know that the Finley Donovan series existed.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
And then I guess. asked to write a book. And
I was like, no idea how to write this. And
then Jay turns to me and she's like, this book
is magic. And I was like, oh, this book is magic.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
It is. It's so great.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
I was like, okay, I can write now. I just
needed a palate cleanser. I can write now.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
And now all the ideas are flowing.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Yeah. It's flowing.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
So what have you learned through content creation and doing
this on your own that you felt would be fairly
different from like the classroom.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I think just being allowed to be more creative, I
feel like journalism is very conservative and very rigid sometimes. And,
you know, everybody wants you to talk about something from
this point of view and talk about things this way.
And it's, I think there's just, there's multiple different ways
to kind of like approach things and just entertainment. And
I feel like I've approached it in a very like casual,
(16:05):
like somebody you would just want to hang out with
and watch TV kind of way instead of being a
TV critic. Cause there's so many of those. And I
don't want to be that. I don't want to criticize.
I want to be like, I love this show freaking much,
like so freaking much. And you should too. You know
what I mean? And so I think just, I've learned
like how creative I truly am. Cause I never really
considered myself to be a creative until I started making content.
And I was like, wait, that's absolutely what this is.
(16:27):
So I think that's, Good. And then just also just
how to do things on the fly too. Like sometimes
I just have an idea in my head and I'm like, okay,
let me get the phone. And I just got to
start talking, you know, like no script, no nothing, no lighting,
even like just do it. So just being flexible and
being creative, I feel like is something I've really learned
over the past year and a half that I've been
making content.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Hard question.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
And we're going to straight easy question. Okay.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Amazing.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
So how do you feel about the democratization of media
in general?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Because you have worked on the side where it is more.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Conservative and appreciate and there's that schedule and it has
to fit in certainly. Do you think to like working
for yourself where you are part of the democratization of media,
how do you feel about it from both sides, I guess?
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Ooh, that is a hard question.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
I mean, I.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
I think everything just really comes down to time and place.
I think there are certain things where you do need
to have those rules. And, you know, something I talk
about a lot is you see a lot of interviews now,
like actual official interviews where like nobody's done any research.
You're sitting down with the cast of this TV show.
You've never seen the show. You have no idea what's
going on. And so I feel like that's kind of bad.
(17:39):
And that's a situation where like a fan of the
show probably should talk to the actors if they can
handle it. You know, like I really love the rookie.
I've seen the show. So if I was to sit
down with the cast, I could ask them informed questions
about their characters because I know about it. But then
there are other situations where that would not be appropriate.
You know, if I was covering like a war or something.
I mean, like I just, you know, you really do
(17:59):
need to sit down and have everything, you know, your
I's dotted, your T's crossed. So I don't know. It's hard.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
I hope that answers your question, but. I just think
it all comes down to time and place.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I was on my final exam. I didn't, I answered
it about the same way anyway.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
So I'm perfect.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I think the only other question I could probably ask
you for my final exam. What do you have to
tell people who are sitting down and they're like watching
this and they go, you know what?
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I think I could do this. I think I could
be a content creator. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
What do you think, like, what's the learning curve like
with people who need to know what equipment must they have?
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Ooh, equipment. So when I first started, I had my phone,
I had a tripod, and then I had, like, an
external light. And I feel like those are kind of
the most important thing. I mean, maybe a microphone if
your phone doesn't have, like, great sound quality. But I
feel like you don't need, like, a CapCut Pro subscription
and all this and that. Like, you don't need to
(19:04):
spend a whole ton of money, like, The light I
bought was like $ 20. A tripod was like $ 20. And
then the phone that I had for years, so like
$ 40 on equipment. And that's how I got started. I
also think just don't overthink it. I feel like, you know,
I'd wanted to be a creator for much longer. I mean,
I've wanted to make YouTube since I was like 11.
But I was like, oh, like, how do I get started?
And what do I say? Blah, blah, blah. You just
(19:26):
got to say something because you're going to grow in
your skills as you go on. So where you start
is not going to be where you end up. So
just start somewhere. I think that's just the most important
thing because, I mean, you don't get opportunities like this,
just like being able to sit down with somebody who
also loves to write and loves mysteries or three of
my best friends in this life I met through TikTok
because they're also creators. I would have never been friends
(19:47):
with them without, you know, putting myself out there as well.
So there's just so many blessings that come with it,
but you have to just start, honestly.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Oh, so I have to ask a self-serving question before
we leave here.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Which is, do you think you're going to do more
in-depth author interviews?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Yes, I do want to start doing that. I mean,
I really don't post a lot of bookish content right now, like,
like on my page. Like I do like stories and stuff,
but like, I absolutely want to do this. One of
my favorite book talker, bookstagram people, her name is Manon
and she has this whole newsletter called The Clues Letter
and she does author interviews and it's great and it's wonderful.
And I've been learning a lot for her. So I
(20:28):
say all that to say, eventually, yes, I do want
to work with authors and just really do more in
the bookish space than I ever have. So yes, I
would love to.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
That sounds amazing. Now, where can everyone watch this content?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
I am on TikTok and Instagram. My handle is at TressInTheCity.
I do eventually want to make my way to YouTube,
but I literally just graduated a couple of months ago
and I've just been, yeah, all frazzled. But I'm hoping
soon I'll get back to like my normal cadence of posting.
But yes, TikTok and Instagram at TressInTheCity, just like SexInTheCity,
but with my name.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
So, yes.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Thank you so much for being here with us today.
I really, really, really appreciate it. And when I say us,
there's normally a J on either the right or the
left of me, but you guys got stuck with me,
the more boring person who remembers questions from, you know,
her final exam.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
I loved it. I loved it very much. Thank you
so much for having me. This is fun. I really
appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
So you guys, I'm going to wrap it up for
us over here. And again, I said us, but you
know why.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
I'm a nona and I'm one of the anti-thought ladies.
And you can find out everything that your ladies are
up to at www.andithoughtladies.com. And when you go there, go
down to the middle of the page, and you will
see the charities that we proudly support.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
We ask that you take some time and contribute to them.
It does not necessarily mean money.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
You could get your hands dirty and actually go build
an orphanage in Ethiopia.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Or maybe you have some knowledge that they don't know.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Like this lady here would definitely know how to get
them more media coverage and get them media ready. for
interviews that came their way. So maybe you could reach
out to them and see if you have some knowledge
that they could use.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
But either way, we thank you in advance for that.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Remember that wisdom is all around you if you're open
to finding it and accepting it.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
So peace and love, you guys, from Ramona and the
Missing Jane. Oh yeah, thanks for listening.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Yay!