Clarke Peoples had a “formulaic” road map that was disrupted by content creation.

Columbia University Student

Peoples was a student at Columbia University in New York, NY. It had been the only school she applied to, and she placed all her energy into perfecting her application, she shared with Business Insider.

“I put in a lot of work to earn enough scholarships to get into Columbia. I spent months writing my application essay and did whatever I could to make myself a more competitive applicant. It was the only school I applied to, and soon I was in New York living out my dreams,” she said.

Putting all her eggs in one basket ultimately paid off as she would be admitted into the school. She proved herself to be ambitious — pursuing an American studies degree — with an overarching goal of becoming a lawyer and launching a startup company. Peoples also had other backup plans including becoming a finance intern for a wealth management asset firm.

 

Early Career Opportunities

By her sophomore year, she would secure a job with a startup and interned with jeweler David Yurman’s legal department. She was living with roommates by this time but was able to rent her own place a few months later, which cost $3,325 a month at the time, per a TikTok by Peoples.

“Neither job paid a lot, but it was enough for me to move into my own apartment after a few months,” she explained.

Content Creator

On May 29, 2021, Peoples decided to share a glimpse into her world capturing a day in the life video on TikTok, which gained a lot of attention from users. Essence GU reported the video had received 3.9 million views. It currently has more than 681,000 likes.
“I posted my first day-in-the-life video to TikTok showing my apartment and talking about my life — and it went viral. The comments were filled with people wanting to know how I was able to afford living alone in New York as a student,” she explained, per Business Insider.
In a follow-up video she did reveal her parents were providing her financial assistance.
“My parents also give me money, but because we are not rich, I still cover 80%-85% of my living costs,” Peoples said in the video.
The life of an influencer was not initially in the cards for Peoples, who had no desires to follow that path.

First Brand Deal

However, she noticed there was an interest from her followers who were wanting to learn more about her life. She embraced content creation, leaning particularly into lifestyle content. Her next day-in-the-life video went viral again, and within two weeks, she secured a $200 brand deal.
“I didn’t even really know people, that people were making money from TikTok. I don’t know what I thought, but it wasn’t that, and it was so cool,” she mentioned on TikTok.
Peoples also had no desire to choose between a job and being a content creator. It was never either or, but rather and.

“I definitely think I do want to take a year or two before thinking about whether or not I’m going to go to law school,” she said on YouTube. “I’m definitely not going to go straight through. So, in those couple of years, like whatever job I have, I think I will want to have a 9-to-5 on top of content creation.”

 

@claaaarke

bittersweet GRWM 🥹 also storytime about starting at Columbia with two broken femurs lol

♬ original sound – clarke

Following

Peoples would continue to film and edit more day-in-the-life videos but later pivoted and released more GRWM content.

“When I first started making TikTok videos, I pretty much exclusively made daily vlogs because that’s what I went viral for, but since using TikTok regularly, I really loved leaning into the Get Ready With Me content,” she explained on TikTok.

By October 2022, Peoples had gained more than 400,000 followers on TikTok, and that number has soared to 655,200 (at the time of this writing) coupled with 22.9 million likes. Additionally, she currently boasts 98,800 followers on Instagram.

“I love that I’ve built a community with so many people that are really engaged and get something out of the content that I post, whether it’s like enjoyment or you get some kind of advice,” she stated.

More Partnerships

Peoples’ platform has opened the doors to sponsored press trips and brand deals including with JCPenney, Walmart, and DSW in 2022.

Some of her more recent partnerships include:

  • KISS
  • DOVE
  • Elemis
  • Cerave
  • L’Oréal
  • Microban
  • Love Beauty and Planet

Becoming A Full-Time Content Creator

After completing college, Peoples made the decision to become a full-time content creator. However, her aspirations of becoming a lawyer are not on the back burner. She is currently studying the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and in an Instagram story shared on Aug. 16, she revealed her intention to attend law school in the future.

“I still plan on going but maybe not for 2 or 3 more years,” she wrote. “I have really been enjoying traveling for brand trips, conferences, and speaking engagements across the world this past year since graduating. I want to soak up this for as long as possible before committing to 3 years of intense school!”

Earnings

Peoples is grateful to social media as it has provided her greater financial freedom, especially post college. Her earnings so far are pooled from her brand deals, which she described as “lucrative” to Business Insider. She has earned “thousands of dollars” to market home decor, haircare products, and dating apps, and this was accomplished on her own strength, having no help from a manager at the time.

In 2022, she was not a part of TikTok’s Creator Fund, therefore she was not receiving earnings from her content unless it was sponsored by a company.

It is unclear if she is now enrolled in the Creator Fund.

Peoples did hire a management team later that year and earned $200,000 within a five-month period.
“Signing with Digital Brand Architects took my brand to the next level. Having an agency backing me and sifting through 20-page contracts has helped me tremendously as a creator. I’m poised to end 2022 having earned six figures,” she shared with Business Insider.
Today, Peoples, who is 23 years old, has revealed her earnings are now in the seven figures mark, in an August 2024 TikTok.
@claaaarke

no one knows the greatness you’re destined for quite like you do. trust yourself. GO BE GREAT!

♬ original sound – clarke