This Tita loves you

His real name is Mark Averilla. He has more than a million followers on Facebook and he is popularly known as Macoy Dubs. He created his Macoy Dubs video page way back in December 2017 and shortly after, created a character named Aunt Julie. He got the inspiration to call his character Aunt Julie since he was the president of the Jolina Magdangal fans club, Cavite chapter way back in 2001.

Aunt Julie was born from Macoy’s experiences going to numerous reunions with his mom and observing all the “Titas of Manila” with their distinct accents and similar way of squinting! He wanted to portray a progressive Tita, one who is decked in south sea pearls, sports a ring with a huge stone, and supports her niece/nephew all the way. This tita loves you dearly, accepts you for who you are, hands out thousand peso bills to pamangkins on Christmas day, and has a say in socio-political issues. In short, she’s an empowered, multi-faceted lady.

Because of Aunt Julie, Macoy got more engagements and a platform to take a stand on social issues and advocacies like mental health and sex positivity. Brightlight Productions also noticed his talent and influence, and invited him to be part of its noontime show Lunch Out Loud on TV5. Macoy is grateful for the opportunity, which allows him to work alongside veteran hosts Billy Crawford, Alex Gonzaga and many more.

But Macoy takes his vlogging seriously and responsibly. Before he uploads anything online, he thinks of a concept and makes an outline. His concepts are usually based on intuition and observation. He realized that injecting comedy is even more vital during the pandemic when people have more time to consume content. He also asks his closest friends to tell him about current trends and asks them to check his content before he uploads it.

But how did he gain over a million followers? Even he is surprised at how netizens have responded to his vlogs. He thinks it’s because it is relatable and humorous but knows that comedy is an art and that not everyone can be funny. For him, sincerity and ingenuity are important, and when people feel that you’re authentic, everything else follows. He just wanted to create content to make people happy and entertained online.

What is his advice to aspiring vloggers?

“Anyone can be a vlogger and there’s a certain amount of time that you need to allot to make it work. First, you must choose your content category. Find your top interest.

“Second, identify which platform you want to use: Facebook is for everyone and it’s easy to gain followers there so I recommend that you create your page first. If you’re craving for snackable content, then create TikTok since all content categories are there. If you’re highly visual, go Instagram. And finally, YouTube if you’re into long-form content.”

But Macoy cautions vloggers: “Be responsible. We’re free to say the things we want, but always be mindful of your followers. You must protect their interests as well. As long as you stay true to your tune, and your online personality and authenticity are there, brands will trust to collaborate with you.”