She’s the redhead at the top of your Instagram feed. And she’s taking over Santa Barbara’s social media scene.
Ari from Visionari Content is telling “Santa Barbara’s Secrets” one deep-researched history video at a time. Her documentary filmmaker style, along with a playful personality, quick-cuts, and intriguing topics, has captured the attention of people on Instagram.
Ari (pronounced airee), originally from Minnesota, sits down for a nearly three-hour, wide-ranging conversation on the latest episode of the podcast Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina. Click on the YouTube link below to watch.
The podcast was filmed by Visionari Content, with two cameras. at Kiva Cowork in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone.
Ari, as she prefers to be called, explains her rapid rise to social media stardom, including her first viral video—getting the secret tipoff that Maroon 5 was performing at Validation Ale. She sprung into action, set up three cameras, and was up until 3 a.m. editing the video.
Maroon 5 accepted the invite to collaborate. She remembers refreshing the page constantly to see the views soaring every second. She gained followers and the video racked up nearly 700,000 views.
But it was her “Santa Barbara Secrets,” series that really erupted. She has told one-minute stories about the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, Franceschi Park, Elings Park, the Castillo Street Underpass, the Santa Barbara Mission, and many more—with crisp perfection.
But she was not an overnight success. She grew up in Minnesota and filmed videos as a kid. She was experimental early. On her Instagram page she has a video of her playing three separate roles, in a hilarious comedy video, where an “extremely large feline is attempting to take over our city.”
When Ari originally moved to Santa Barbara she wanted to be a documentary filmmaker. She did not set out to be a social media star. With short-form vertical, you lose so much space in the frame, Ari said. It felt confining. But she learned that the video industry was headed toward vertical, so she pivoted.
“I grew to like it,” she said. “I grew to love it actually. I don’t want to go back.”
She takes a journalistic approach to her videos. She researches and double-checks facts. She finds topics that people would be interested in, and begins with a snazzy hook. Everything she does is well-planned out; she never flips on the camera on records on a whim. The storytelling has to give people useful information.
“Social media is very me, me, me, me, me, me, me. That’s the stuff that doesn’t work anymore,” Ari said. “Like how can you give back to your community in a consistent kind of way?”
Ari said social media, just like anything, is a tool that must be used wisely.
“You can use a tool for good and you can use a tool for bad, I think,” Ari said. “And you can use a tool in a deep way to start conversations about things that matter, you can use it to start stupid conversations and fights, you know? I think some content is more divisive and I think some content unites people.”
Ari said she attempts to use content to “unite people.”
“I get discouraged when I see people using it in ways I think is just stealing people’s attention and not giving them any value back,” Ari said.
Ari also separates herself from other content creators in that she has a business where she lends her social media expertise to her clients. She said she has “10xd” her income, and she can barely keep up with all the work and requests to work with her.
Two of her primary clients, Sam Walters, founder of Sagamore Mountain and Tristen Cravens, founder of Santa Barbara Permitting, have grown their social media platform thanks to Ari’s business.
“Sam, some people think him and Tristan that they’re like, they’re copying (me),” Ari said. “It’s like, ‘no, those are my clients.’ I created the system and I said, ‘Hey, rinse and repeat. Do this with your business. Do it how you wanna do it. Tell the stories you wanna tell.'”
Ari shares more stories, including how she was hired on the spot at Jersey Mike’s because the manager told her, when she was a customer, that he wanted to see her smile on the other side of the counter. Ari also shares what it is like to get recognized on the street, how she handles people sliding into her DMs, and the ways women are judged differently than men on social medial
What’s next for Ari? The possibilities are limitless. She does know she wants to help people through quality content.
“I wanna create a company with a healthy culture, multiple shooters, multiple editors, cranking out content,” she said. “I think I wanna serve more people. I’m trying to figure out how to set up for consulting right now because there’s a lot of small businesses in need of social media and marketing help that don’t have the budget or, you know, just don’t meet our price point.
“But I wanna serve everyone and I wanna help everyone,” Ari said. “And maybe that’s the people-pleaser in me, but maybe that’s just me wanting to make the most impact.”
