Heyyy. I know it’s been a while since I’ve sent out my last advice piece - work has been crazy, and on top of that had SUCH a busy month with my creator journey. Figured to share with you all first, my secret playbook on how my best friend and I took over TikTok during Coachella last month. 👀

Dramachella: The Internet's Favorite Coachella Drama Series

The swipe, sound, and strategy behind #Dramachella.

Here's how 2 Non-Influencers (my best friend and I) took over TikTok during Coachella 2025 by taking a reactive moment and turning it into a binge-worthy series for millions to enjoy.

Here's the 6-step playbook on how we:
➡️ Took over TikTok with 70M+ views
➡️ Won artist passes at Coachella
➡️ Was the talk of town for Gen Z
➡️ Made the internet pick sides
➡️ Got a PAID brand trip to Coachella
➡️ Applied social strategy to take a reactive moment and turn it into a binge-worthy series for millions to enjoy.

Enjoy this resource? Be sure to subscribe or share/forward this to a friend who might also benefit (it’s free)!

Cheers,
Eric Aaberg

In one of my other posts, I talked about how you shouldn’t be afraid of failure, but actually be afraid of not trying or applying yourself.

Sure, not being afraid of failure is one thing - but won’t everyone know I failed?!

Let me give you a reality check: Everyone else is so focused on themselves, therefore, they only see a glimpse of you.

Unless you have a true hater out there (or what I like to call: a fan), no one is going to know all 100% of the fails you’ve had.

• No one sees 100% of your failures

• No one sees 10% of your failed projects

• No one will remember your failed startup, they’ll remember you tried and have a strong entrepreneurship spirit.

Let me put it in perspective: Remember how on that America’s Got Talent show, they showed videos of people failing/falling down to millions? Can you genuinely name one right now off the top of your head? No…?

Exactly, and the same case is here - even if someone notices you failed, they’re going to forget (and if they don’t or treat you poorly about it, then they don’t belong in your life).

Still not convinced?

No one is going to see 100% of your wins or successes.

I’ve worked on gaming, social media, and community for 10+ years and could bet, even with a robust resume and constantly yapping on LinkedIn, that not a single person on this planet knows every single successful brand, project, or milestone I’ve made.

Genuine people are going to focus anyway on the good > the bad (of what people have done), and you can always turn a failure into a learning lesson, demonstration of skills, and even an honest case study.

I can count more businesses, ideas, and side quests that I’ve failed than fingers I have on my two hands.

I challenge you to try something new this next month and embrace failure. Or an easier challenge: I challenge you to reply back, and list a failure of yours (or multiple) and what you learned from it, how it changed your perspective, and allowed you to grow.

Enjoy this advice piece? Be sure to subscribe or share/forward this to a friend who might also benefit (it’s free)!

Cheers,
Eric Aaberg

Even with expert time management skills where every detail of my life exists in my Google Calendar, I’m still sometimes late to things.

Even with ambitious goals and keeping myself consistent, there are weeks where I get behind or more busy and don’t post, stick with my personal content creation, or get my weekly newsletter out (prime example, last week).

But… rather than worrying about the impact of being late, you should be worried about the impact of never showing up.

Some people think it’s too late to start their own business, be a creator, change their career, or whatever it is (we love to assume that the market is “too saturated” with that content or that business idea “has already been done before”). However, the truth is - starting now is better than never. Heck, you can even start next month as long as you keep yourself accountable, proactively plan so you have a consistent start, and remove excuses for never getting to it.

When you remove the pressure of anything you do needs to be perfect, it becomes easier to just try and start (even if you told yourself you were going to start sooner).

But also recognize it’s human to be late occasionally (maybe just don’t do it every time). Don’t beat yourself up for it, but rather tell yourself how you’re still going to show up.

So, sometime this week, I challenge you to sit down and write out on paper or in a Google Doc how you’re going to show up, and how you plan to be consistent with it.

So… what are you working towards or what is something you’ve been late to before? Reply back to me, and I’d be happy to chat more about it if you have questions.

Cheers,
Eric Aaberg

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If it was easy, everyone would do it.

Let me explain-

When I launched my agency a few years ago, the truth is, I felt completely lost at times. I was jumping into things I had zero experience in: sales calls, business development, onboarding team members, and accounting (please don’t ever ask me about taxes). It was all new territory, and it was tough.

Here’s a secret though: no one really knows exactly what they're doing half the time. Even though I was an expert in my actual craft (social strategy), suddenly managing all these new responsibilities pushed me way outside my comfort zone.

But even though it wasn't easy, it was incredibly rewarding. Winning six clients in our first few months, building a talented team from scratch, and putting in way beyond the standard 40 hours per week - yeah, it was a grind, but it felt damn good.

That’s the thing about taking ownership of your career or building something entirely your own. Whether it’s creating a killer LinkedIn presence, staying up late to build those extra case studies, or, honestly, just doing more work on top of your existing work to showcase your talent, none of it is easy. It’s exhausting. But it’s also exactly what sets you apart.

Whatever goal you're chasing; becoming a full-time content creator, launching your own business, breaking into your dream industry, know this: it's going to be hard. It's probably going to feel lonely, too.

But again, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

And they're not.

You are.

And the simple fact that you’ve chosen to take on that struggle is what’s going to take you further than most people ever dream of going.

Keep going.

Cheers,
Eric Aaberg

Loved this piece? Be sure to subscribe (it’s free) or share with a friend. Going through your own entrepreneurial journey? Reply back, let me know what you’re up to, and I’ll write back some advice.

TL;DR: This past weekend, I spoke at California State University Long Beach’s esports convention, and now I've got thoughts; here’s the unfiltered breakdown.

I had the privilege of joining a fantastic group of talented panelists with wildly diverse backgrounds in gaming and esports. Our nearly two-hour Industry Panel was focused on sharing real talk and tangible advice about breaking into gaming, esports, and social media careers. And honestly? I learned just as much from the other panelists as the students did.

With that said, here are the top five takeaways from this panel (plus a few bonus nuggets, because I’m feeling generous):

1. Celebrate Your Wins; Big, Small, ALL of Them

One of the other panelists said if she could tell her younger self anything, it’d be to take time to actually celebrate her achievements. When she said that, I literally felt that in my soul. I’ve definitely struggled with imposter syndrome over the years, constantly chasing "what’s next" without pausing to acknowledge what I've accomplished. But seriously, slow down for two seconds, and celebrate your wins; no matter how small they feel.

2. Authenticity Over Everything

During the panel, I was asked what helped me stand out when I interviewed at Riot Games (shameless flex incoming). My answer was pretty simple: experience, personal brand, and being genuinely myself. Authenticity is your competitive advantage. Hiring managers and teams want to work with you; not the corporate-filtered version you think they want. Trust me on this one.

3. Failure Isn’t That Deep; Embrace It

Let’s get real for a second: I’ve started (and spectacularly failed at) something like 10-12 businesses over the last decade. Yes, that’s a real number. And guess what? It was worth it every single time. Failure sucks, rejection stings, but you literally can’t succeed without risking both. What's the worst-case scenario anyway? You learn something new?

4. Your Career Starts Way Before Graduation

If you’re waiting until graduation to "officially start your career," you’re missing a huge opportunity. I see it constantly; students underestimate what they can accomplish now. Join your campus esports team, run their socials, create content, or heck, launch something entirely new. My own college experience building up UTD’s esports program directly led me to opportunities at Evil Geniuses, OpTic Gaming, Complexity, and Riot Games. Your career starts whenever you decide to start it.

5. Seriously, Enjoy the Present

I’m calling myself out here; I’ve spent way too much time obsessing over the next big milestone and not nearly enough enjoying the present. During undergrad, I wish I’d slowed down just a bit more to appreciate what was happening around me. Future plans are exciting, but your life happens now, not just when you check off the next goal. Don't miss it.

Bonus Advice (Because Who Doesn’t Love Freebies?):

• Stay Curious.
  If you’re interested, explore it. My early curiosity led me from coding Minecraft plugins at 14 to running social strategy for esports. Curiosity opens doors, trust me.

• Advocate For Yourself (Because No One Else Will).
  You’re more than your job title or your resume. Practice talking about yourself confidently. Seriously, brag a little; you’ve earned it.

• Actually Use LinkedIn (Yes, Seriously).
  I know people think LinkedIn is dry, but it’s only boring if you let it be boring. Curate your network, slide into some professional DMs (respectfully), and actually leverage it. It’s free; take advantage.

• Being a Student is a Cheat Code.
  Here’s a simple script to message professionals you admire:

You'd be shocked how many busy professionals actually respond.

• Google & ChatGPT Are Your Friends.
  I use ChatGPT daily, like, seriously daily, for work (shoutout Riot’s enterprise license) and personal life. Stop sleeping on the power of AI and Google. Free resources everywhere, people.

• Polite Stalking (Don’t @ Me).
  Obviously, I’m not talking about real stalking. But professional “polite stalking”? Absolutely essential. Research LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube; whatever. Know your interviewer, your potential colleagues, and industry leaders. Preparation never goes unnoticed.

• Rejection is Redirection.
  Rejection stings, no sugar-coating that. But every rejection redirects you to something better. Case in point: I got rejected from Microsoft and Xbox Studios a week before Riot Games gave me an offer. Trust the process (even when it sucks).

Yes, I wrote this at 4 AM because insomnia and inspiration seem to love each other's company. But honestly, I needed to get this out while it was fresh.

If you enjoyed this real talk or found it valuable, subscribe (it’s free), and feel free to share it with your friends who might need a little career pep talk.

Questions, comments, or want a virtual coffee chat? Reply and let’s talk.

Cheers,
Eric Aaberg

P.S. I’m turning this series into short-form video content soon, so keep an eye out on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

𝘐𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬?

You're not going to be perfect, so don't try to be perfect.

As a practitioner (strategist, creator, brand builder, etc.), I feel inclined that anything I post on my personal channels or a project I want to release to the world NEEDS to be absolutely perfect.

But it will never be that, and your first draft, version, or release is going to be far from it.

If you wait to try and be perfect, you're never going to start.

Easier said than done, and this was something I finally feel like I’ve learned myself recently (years into my professional career).

I’m going to be so honest: it’s going to take a lot of bravery to get over this “fear” of trying to be perfect, and it might not happen overnight (and that’s okay).

Try reciting to yourself and reminding your mind that things don’t have to be perfect.

Once you begin to embrace imperfection, you embrace your own uniqueness.

Takeaway Advice: Set a goal, set a due date, and eliminate the excuse that it needs to be perfect. What it NEEDS is to be released to the world, and you can make it better over time.

Enjoy this advice piece? Be sure to subscribe or share/forward this to a friend who might also benefit!

Cheers,
Eric Aaberg

P.S. - Be sure to follow along this series also on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

Welcome to Starting Somewhere - a blog all about advice on starting your next project, side quest, and career. ✨

Hey, I’m Eric Aaberg. 🙇‍♂️

I’m a Social Media Strategist, Storyteller, and Creator with over 10+ years of working in social media, community, gaming, esports, and agency.

At 14-16 years old, I started my own business running Minecraft Servers, building, and monetizing communities and later joined some of the largest servers back in the OG days, leading their community and product.

Present-day, I do social media strategy for one of the biggest game studios in Los Angeles. 🎮

I’ve had a very interesting career path at a “younger age,” but also have just hit my mark of working 10 years professionally.

I figured I’d write down and share some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way, as well as advice I wish someone had given me back when I was starting out my career.

So, enjoy the weekly email or two from me, and feel free to write back to me any questions you might have (I’ll write back)!

P.S. - I will be doing this series also in video format on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

Cheers,
Eric

We all start somewhere.

Whether it’s your first job at your local coffee shop, an internship at a startup, or even creating your own first indie game with friends, everyone starts their career at a different point in their life, doing something completely different than their current coworkers.

Flash forward to 10 years later, I moved across the country and now get to my dream career in gaming doing social media strategy for one of the largest game studios.

This blog is going to be all about how you figure out where to start because we honestly all start somewhere.

Sometimes, I think imposter syndrome, self-doubt, etc., gets the best of us (it does, and I still have it at times), making us overcomplicate starting that dream project/career or taking a risk on our own business. 

But at the end of the day, all you have to do is start and show up.

Cheers,

Eric Aaberg

P.S. - I will be doing this series also in video format on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.