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Mercedes Blanche: Advice from a Viral TikTok Influencer and Actress
Sailfin Sessions
Mercedes entered the studio with a bright, genuine smile and contagious vibrance. She warmly introduced herself to each member of the crew before taking a seat for the interview. The entire time we spoke with Mercedes, we were captivated by her. She offered a unique perspective on the social media landscape, sharing her own experiences going viral, following her dreams and breaking into the entertainment industry.
“Growing up in Budapest was rough. Especially if you wanted to work in creative arts or social media,” she said. “I had my first photoshoot when I was 16, advertising gardening products as a pinup 50s girl. It was my first paid gig and I knew I want to do this for the rest of my life.”
"If you're really passionate about it, just do it. No matter what. No excuses. Do the auditions. Go meet people, collaborate with people and eventually it will get you places."
Not long after, Mercedes moved to Canada, where she began working a corporate 9-5 job. During her breaks, she’d sneak away from her desk to record TikTok videos, sometimes posting around 10 times a day, Mercedes found a niche in producing dancing and humorous video content that when viral on the app within weeks.
“I always felt so alive making TikTok’s whenever I had the opportunity,” she said. “Part of me always wanted to please people and have a normal corporate job, so I tried my best to fit in. I just couldn’t.”
With a current audience of 7 million social media followers, Mercedes has become a well known and influential social media personality.
How did you go viral?
Mercedes Blanche: When I started TikTok, I posed seven to ten times a day. I wanted to blow up and it happened eventually. Another really important thing is your niche. For example, if you do cooking videos – don’t switch to dancing videos. The algorithm puts you in categories, so you can’t really jump in between content.
How do you deal with negativity online?
Mercedes Blanche: There was a year, I think it was 2020 during Covid, when depression hit me so hard. I had a therapist, I had to be on medication because I just couldn’t cope. That’s when I blew up (on TikTok) too.
There was a lot of hateful things also happening on my social media. It was very hard to overcome for roughly a year. Then I said to myself: if I want to do this, I need to get myself together and not let this destroy me. Other people far more famous get through it, so can I.
Mercedes didn’t stop at TikTok. She quickly expanded her career into the acting industry after landing a speaking role on a project. How? The director loved her Hungarian accent!
“I was literally a background extra, and they called me over and gave me a line because the director liked my accent,” she laughed. “I thought that was so cool, because I’ve been told I wouldn’t be able to be an actress because of my accent, but my accent was eventually what started me on this road.”
What do you love about acting?
Mercedes Blanche: It is very challenging for me to show a lot of faces of myself and I think that’s the beauty of acting. If you can only do one thing, I don’t really call that acting. You should be more flexible and open-minded, right? Even if they told me I needed to get five tattoos if I wanted to be casted, I’d say sure. I could get them removed after. Or go completely bald, which I’ve done. That’s the best part of it.
What advice do you have for aspiring influencers?
Mercedes Blanche: If you’re really passionate about it, just do it. No matter what. No excuses. Do the auditions. Go meet people, collaborate with people and eventually it will get you places.
I always wanted to give my powers to good stuff like helping shelters. I still do that now. I love raising money for people. I was fascinated by how much a person could change and I just wanted to be one of those people. It’s worked out, seven million followers is pretty good. I’m very grateful I started this whole journey.
For more information about Mercedes and her work, you can visit her IMDb page. Make sure to follow her on Instagram and TikTok to stay updated on her latest projects.
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Written and Produced by:
Eric Osborne
