About Chantel Houston
Content Director at Farm Sanctuary
For as long as Chantel can remember, she’s always had a camera in her hands. Whether it was her dad’s MiniDV, her Canon XSi, or a RED, the rush of creating something has always been the same.
Chantel formally studied Television/Broadcast Journalism at Chapman University but gained most of her media expertise during her 5 ½ years at BuzzFeed.
Since leaving BuzzFeed, she has worked with Refinery29, ATTN, the Biden/Harris Presidential Campaign, Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. As a director, Chantel believes her role is to blend diverse ideas into a unified vision rather than imposing her own or micromanaging the crew.
Chantel Houston
Farm Sanctuary x Chantel Houston: Anatomy of Viral Storytelling
Episode Summary
If you watched a Buzzfeed video between 2015 and 2019, chances are you’ll recognize Chantel Houston. Whether producing viral videos for some of the biggest entertainment brands on the internet or creating mission-driven content in her latest role as Content Director at Farm Sanctuary, Chantel has learned that the best work comes from following your passions. Each pivot in her career journey has expanded her skillset and taught her to get into the mindset of a new audience. In this episode, she shares her strategies for making impactful content (which sometimes includes musical chickens), how she approaches the challenge of converting viewers to followers, and why she never regrets trying something new. Tune in to learn more about making the first three seconds of a video count and — since we’re on the theme of reinvention — Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, of course!
Key Takeaways:
Chantel shares how working at Buzzfeed taught her to think strategically about content and set the stage for her career.
We discuss the power of social media trends when making viral content — and how to make a trend your own.
Curious how far your career can take you? Chantel tells us how she got to live a lifelong dream while working at the Olympics.
We talk about developing formats for content, so you don’t have to start from scratch every time.