The host of “The Middle Row,” a social video series where artists break down music videos, is a pop culture trend forecaster, “probably in a movie theater somewhere,” an AMC stubs member and movie fanatic with more than 1.1M TikTok followers at @cocomocoe.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Dylan Wells: You were on the red carpet at the “Wuthering Heights” premiere and part of the press tour, interviewing Charli XCX. How do you see the role of creators in this new era of film promotion?
Coco Mocoe: I think what the journalists are doing is something that will never be replaced. I studied journalism in college, so I really appreciate how actually difficult it is. And I think now what we’re seeing with creators being involved in that, I actually think that they can exist really cohesively.
Creators are making it more accessible, making it more bite-size. And I do think that even though they are making it more accessible, it can sometimes feel maybe diluted, but I think that’s okay. Audiences are smart, and they can explore more where they want to explore — but sometimes audiences don’t always want something that’s super heavy-handed. I think creators are bringing a more accessible perspective to the average person.
DW: Where do you see the value of content creators now for the film industry?
CM: I think creators — in general for film, but also any niche that creators kind of exist in — can just move a lot quicker on their feet. I think that even though we are getting paid pretty well, we usually are, comparably, a lot cheaper than creating a commercial and airing it on cable television — or, any product that they’re selling, a lot would go into creating commercial assets, which they’re doing as well. Creators are just so much faster and nimbler and scrappier when it comes to creating content.
I wanted to tap into the movie world, because, transparently, the most money that I make from brand deals is from entertainment deals, getting paid to talk about a movie coming out.
DW: Can you share what kind of money they’re offering for something like attending a movie event or helping promote a film that might be coming out?
CM: It would be five figures. Sometimes it’s like one third of what I was making in a yearly salary at my corporate job for one video.
The film and TV industry is just throwing money at creators — and not only that, but also TikTok specifically has a lot of push around wanting people to make film and TV videos. They’ll add a movie link — like if I’m talking about “Wuthering Heights,” within an hour of my video going up, it’ll be like, “We added the ‘Wuthering Heights’ movie link to your video.” And, to me, that’s a signal that they’re probably going to be pushing that video on the “For You” page, because they’re adding these movie links to it. So there’s algorithmic push as well.
DW: What is your trend prediction for what’s next for creators and film?
CM: One thing that I’ve been thinking is going to happen, and I’m surprised it didn’t when Jimmy Kimmel got booted off — he got in trouble and was off-air for a few days when he talked about the Charlie Kirk assassination. I was so shocked that Twitch didn’t come in and be like, “Keep your same set, keep your same staff, let’s just live-stream. Let’s just live-stream on our platform.”
I’m so shocked something like that didn't happen. I think we’re going to see some sort of late-night television — which is like the ultimate I think right now, traditional interview media, all of these late-night hosts — I’m surprised one of them hasn’t started streaming yet. I think we’re going to see that happen and really move the needle.
It would have also introduced [Kimmel] to a Gen Alpha audience, but maybe he doesn’t want a Gen Alpha audience. He’s probably like, “I’m set. I don’t care.” I don’t know. Obviously we see Kim Kardashian is streaming on TikTok. So I think like live streaming, but in a controlled setting, like on a set, or like a predetermined program.
I could see a Jake Shane doing that. I could see SNL maybe going in that direction eventually, if they want to capture a younger audience. Twitch and the streaming world is so sort of alternative right now, and it does attract a lot of crazies. But I think if they want more of that, traditional media to come in, it can [lead to] a cohesion like that.
DW: What's your pick for best picture?
CM: I think “Sinners” is going to win. And I predicted “Anora” last year, and they won.
DW: What’s your favorite platform to post on right now?
CM: TikTok, always TikTok. Also I do like Substack, because I think my most loyal audience is [on] Substack.
DW: Who’s a creator you think deserves more attention right now? Is there anyone who you’re looking at for inspo?
CM: There’s one guy who’s blowing up right now. His name is Charles Hsu. He's this creator who does comedy skits, but he's blowing up right now. I think he’s gonna be on SNL or something. I’m calling it right now. He’s going to be massive.
This Q+A is part of Verified, a newsletter is published by WP 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 WP Creator.
