IN CONVERSATION WITH ALYSSA MCKAY

interview by JANA LETONJA

Content creator, actress, entrepreneur, and the co-founder of Beyond Lost NYC, Alyssa McKay, is known for her vibrant personality and strong connection with young audiences. Through her endeavors she continues to captivate and inspire her ever-growing fanbase.

Alyssa, you’ve achieved incredible success across various platforms. Can you tell us about your journey from the beginning to becoming a viral sensation?

Growing up in foster care, I was always a super creative individual and loved having creative outlets such as theater and choir. As I got older, and realized I wouldn’t have the time to be in so many extracurriculars in college, I started producing content for social media as a form of self expression and as a creative outlet. I never started with the intention of becoming a full time content creator. In 2018, when I started going viral, I had only known about YouTube as a way to earn a living creating content. All the success came to me out of my pure love for creating content, and I’ve been lucky enough to sustain it as a full time career for the last 5+ years. It has also opened so many doors in the acting world for me, which is my biggest passion in life.

What inspired you to start creating content and pursue acting? Was there a particular moment when you realized this was your calling?

There wasn’t one moment where I decided “I’m going to start creating content”, it’s just something I had always loved doing. I realized this was going to be a big part of my life when I saw the impact I was making. Even when I just had 1 million followers on TikTok and I hadn’t diversified elsewhere, I was getting countless comments from kids who were growing up in foster care or less than ideal households on how my journey online was giving them hope. That’s when I knew that no matter where life took me, content creation would always be in the forefront.

With over 15 million followers on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, how do you keep your content fresh and engaging for your audience?

I am lucky enough to have transitioned to being a creator with a heavier focus on lifestyle, so I really get to take my viewers along with me on my daily life/routine, no matter how mundane, which is pretty cool. TikTok and Instagram are fun because the content that works is constantly evolving, and I get to regularly try out new styles.

How do you approach maintaining a strong connection with your followers?

Authenticity. I show my followers the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes to a fault. My Snapchat followers in particular tell me all the time how my stories feel like they’re FaceTiming a friend, which is the best thing I can hear. You connect with your audience by being a real person.

As an actress, you’ve starred in projects like ‘The Royals of Malibu’, ‘Shrill’ and ‘Leave No Trace’. What attracted you to these particular projects, and how did you prepare for these roles?

‘Shrill’ and ‘Leave No Trace’ were the very first projects I had ever done, so as a high schooler when I found out I booked these jobs, I was beyond excited. For ‘The Royals of Malibu’, I felt such a strong connection with Ella, as we had shared similar struggles growing up and I could really relate to her on a personal level. Preparing for Ella was something that was difficult for me because I had to unlock parts of myself that I’d rather keep tucked away. There were multiple scenes where I would burst into tears in the studio because of how deeply I felt for her. I put a little piece of myself in every character I play and vice versa. I carry Ella with me to this day and channel her when I need her.

How do you balance your work as a content creator with your role as an actress when you are filming?

The great thing about working on sets is that it makes for great content. Not a lot of people get to experience movie/TV sets and I’ve been lucky enough to work on some productions with open minded cast and crew who allow me to be a content creator in a strategic way that benefits us both, and makes amazing content. My behind the scenes content of being on set has always gone insanely viral and gotten so much interest from the public and my audience.

As the co-founder of Beyond Lost, what inspired you to start this business, and what are its core values?

My team and I wanted to create a clothing company that was more accessible than other streetwear brands while maintaining the highest terms of quality. We put our hearts and souls into the pieces we make and we also incorporate feedback and design ideas from our audience, so they’re part of the brand too. This I find incredibly special and rewarding.

What challenges did you face in launching and growing Beyond Lost, and how did they empower you to strive for success?

From a design perspective, the challenge for our team is to always remain 6-12 months ahead of the curve. Every single Beyond Lost drop has its own unique style, color palette and drop date. In a lot of cases, the drop could be just 1 style and color. We also give each drop and collection its own name and its own creative and content. As the creative director of Beyond Lost, I am always working on creating unique ideas and content strategies to reflect the vision. It is super important to us that each drop is its own unique experience.  

How do you envision Beyond Lost evolving in the future, and what are your long-term goals for the brand?

What we talk about all the time is building a new and “true social shopping experience”.  When we hear the words sales funnel, we feel it is incredibly antiquated. Someone buying Beyond Lost should not feel like they are in a “funnel” where the end game is always $$. For Beyond Lost, it is all about the audience and involving them in every step of the process. We constantly involve my Snap Audience in constant feedback on designs, colors, looks, feels, etc.  It is super important that we interact and talk with them, not to them, which most fashion brands do. We also lean very heavily into our SMS Early Access global community, where you can shop our drops half an hour earlier than everyone else. The “true social shopping experience” is building real time conversation, community and commerce. We love every minute of it.

What can you share with us about your upcoming projects, and what makes you particularly excited about them?

I have quite a few upcoming projects in regards to both acting and Beyond Lost that I can’t necessarily spill details on yet, but trust me when I say, you guys are going to be obsessed.