Courtesy of Zainab Jiwa
Zainab Jiwa (@zeewhatidid) is a UK-based creator, presenter, and interviewer known for her method dressing on red carpets. After starting as a fan attending premieres, her film and fashion breakdowns during the pandemic built a dedicated community and caught the attention of major studios, like Disney.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Shruti Singh: Talk me through your creator journey. I know you wear a lot of different hats, so I'm curious about how you got here and how that came to be.
Zainab Jiwa: I was someone that started off in film and TV as just a fan. At university, I was studying fashion, creative direction, styling, hair and makeup, and looking at costumes in film and TV. During lockdown, I realized I loved to create content that mixed both my degree and my hobbies.
I was talking about films and TV shows on social media, talking about fashion and costumes inspired by them, and doing monthly roundups. It built this huge community of people who were fans like me. Once I started growing that fan base and showing that I had the knowledge for it, Disney reached out to ask if I wanted to help promote “Moon Knight” because I seemed to know stuff about Marvel. I did it — terrified as hell — and I loved it. The studio loved it, and it just went from there through word-of-mouth, networking, building a showreel, and just never giving that mic back.
SS: There was discourse surrounding “The Odyssey” about how “influencer screenings” weren't done this time around. How does that invitation process work for film events, and how much notice do you get?
ZJ: A lot of films already don't do influencer-specific screenings, so that was actually not something new for us. But that doesn't mean select creators won't be invited to the main premiere. I like the fact that they prioritize the cast and crew for red carpets.
Invites usually come from the studios themselves or PR companies working with them who get certain allocations. For example, if Sony has seven allocations for “Spider-Man,” they'll pick the right people for them. Brands like Meta get allocations, too. Invite lists sometimes get chosen four days before, sometimes three weeks before — it depends each time, which makes it difficult to pick an outfit! A lot of creators also reach out directly to studios or PR companies asking for early screenings if they know their audience is excited about a film.
SS: You've been described as a journalist, presenter, creator, and correspondent. What do you call yourself, and does that title change the access you're given?
ZJ: It completely changes what access you're given. There is a certain hierarchy when it comes to premieres and red carpets, and that's totally respectable. I am not a journalist, and I will say that with my hands up. I'm not, and I'm not aiming to be, because we have two completely different roles.
I always say that I'm a creator and presenter, or interviewer. In all honesty, a lot of these titles intertwine because we get similar levels of access in certain areas, but our purposes are very different. On a red carpet, studios might place you in a specific area to capture content they know your audience will like, or if you're fashion-based, they'll make sure you get a photo moment because your outfit will be great for marketing. Studios and PR agencies are becoming very aware of what will help them market the film best.
SS: When conducting interviews or creating content, what is your strategic approach, and how do you decide what value you're bringing to a project?
ZJ: It's different every single time depending on who's inviting you and what the film is about. Even when interviewing, I take it differently each time. Am I going with "let's make a fun viral moment that's entertaining," or am I going with "let me get deep into the root of this film's core," which film lovers will love? Depending on what the audience or studio wants, it changes.
SS: A common criticism is that studios prefer creators because they expect positive reviews rather than real critique. How do you handle maintaining audience trust versus brand relationships?
ZJ: Trust with our audience is the absolute most important thing as a creator — it's number one. I dish out a one-star when I need to dish out a one-star! I'm not going to promote something if I'm not personally a fan. While the anxiety of managing brand relationships is always there, we have to remember why we are here in the first place.
SS: There is a lot of ongoing debate about creators getting access over traditional entertainment journalists. Do you think competition is being created, or is it anxiety about change?
ZJ: There's always anxiety about change in general. I would never frame it as "creator versus journalist" because that creates a false binary. We have totally different purposes. Traditional journalists have years of training, research, authority, and critical expertise. I love them and grew up watching them. Creators bring personality and an immediate, direct, intimate relationship with talent that journalists sometimes aren't able to get in a short space of time. We are operating in different lanes. There is space for both.
This Q+A is part of Verified, a newsletter that is published by Washington Post Creator, a new business outside The Washington Post’s newsroom that is focused on the creator economy and content partnerships with independent creators. Learn more about Washington Post Creator.
