I Know What I Did Last Summer: My Journey to Becoming a Social Media Mega-Influencer

How It All Started: Free Time and a Plan

This journey began with something I never expected: an abundance of free time. It was a unique opportunity to shift my creative energy toward building a personal social media brand. Social media, after all, is something I’ve done for my clients for years, but now I had the chance to turn the spotlight onto myself.

And I didn’t want to just dabble. I wanted to apply all the strategic thinking and creativity that I use in my professional life into this venture. The idea was simple: focus on something I love—LEGO—and leverage my expertise in social content creation, social media analysis, and even AI to take it to the next level.

Building ClickBrickWorks: The Focus on LEGO

My journey as a content creator took shape around LEGO because it’s something I’ve always been passionate about. But it wasn’t just about building or reviewing sets—it was about capturing the fun, playful spirit of LEGO itself. After all, LEGO is all about imagination, creativity, and play. I wanted to reflect that through humorous and character-driven content. My persona became an enthusiastic, fun, and slightly gullible character who regularly messes up storylines or build instructions with absolute confidence and gusto.?

I initially posted under the username @lego_toyboy, but as my content evolved and my strategy became more refined, I knew I had to change it. After a brainstorming session (thanks ChatGPT), ClickBrickWorks was born—simple, memorable, and made up of my initials “CLK.”

The Production Setup: Creating High-Quality, Playful Content

As someone who works in creative production, having a polished setup was a non-negotiable for me. Every video I produce involves a multi-camera, high-quality setup that allows me to stand out in an increasingly crowded space. Here’s how I do it:

Camera 1: Fuji X100vi – This serves as my main camera and is fitted with a Pro-Mist filter to create a soft, diffused look with reduced contrast. While it’s primarily a still camera, I’ve repurposed it for video content. One downside is that it overheats after 45 minutes, so I use that time to offload footage and start editing.

Camera 2: Leica Q2 – My close-up camera for when I’m focusing on specific builds. The video quality is unmatched, though it lacks the ability to connect to a monitor while filming.?

Camera 3: iPhone – Used for overhead shots, mostly in time-lapse, to capture the process of building in full view. This gives the audience a dynamic perspective of the build in action.

To top it all off, I use a six-light setup from Lume Cube to create the perfect lighting environment. The backdrop? A carefully curated credenza featuring LEGO sets and books, designed for clean lines and intentional composition—because production values matter, even in social media content.

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First Post: The Spoof That Set the Tone

My very first post was a spoof review of LEGO’s mini-scale Notre-Dame de Paris architecture set. I poked fun at the hype surrounding the set, only to have an off-camera voice (cue Rachel, my now-beloved assistant) tell me that I didn’t have the real set. This began a running gag that would define much of my content. My persona is overly confident but often hilariously wrong, and the humor comes from that contrast.

One of the smartest things I did was add outtakes at the end of each video. In social media, capturing and holding the viewer’s attention is key, and the promise of outtakes—especially when they involve the ongoing Rachel drama—keeps people watching until the very last second. It’s a simple but effective way to increase engagement and make sure viewers stick around for the full ride.

That first post was a success beyond what I expected—33,000 views and counting. It established my style, a mix of humor, high production values, and off-beat storytelling, which continues to resonate with my audience today.

Introducing Rachel: My Off-Camera, Disinterested “Assistant”

One of the most popular aspects of my content is Rachel, a fictional off-camera voice who feeds me disinformation and expresses constant disinterest in my LEGO endeavors. Rachel is everything my on-screen persona isn’t: bored, unimpressed, and always one step ahead of me. She embodies the classic Gen Z attitude, and our back-and-forth banter has become a cornerstone of the humor in my videos.?

As my character messes up storylines or builds, Rachel’s sarcastic quips come in to set me straight, and our dynamic has become a favorite with followers. I often get asked, “Who is Rachel?” whenever I meet someone in real life.

Recently, Rachel even got herself an intern—Jaxon—who is her complete opposite. Where Rachel is disinterested, Jaxon is overly enthusiastic and eager to help, always laughing at my dad jokes and even finishing them for me. Their contrasting personalities bring a whole new layer of humor to the content.

I really enjoy playing each of these characters. Whether it’s Rachel’s deadpan delivery, Jaxon’s boundless energy, or my own overly confident persona, it’s a fun challenge to bring these different personalities to life, adding depth and humor to the content in a way that keeps things lighthearted and entertaining.

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LEGO Dad Jokes: The Fun Filler That Became a Hit

LEGO dad jokes were born out of necessity—producing full-length videos with intricate scripts takes a lot of time and effort. I needed quicker content that still felt original and fun. The idea struck when my dad was reading off a list of dad jokes, and I realized I could turn that into something.?

Each joke features either a specific LEGO build or a minifigure related to the punchline. For example, I once built an igloo for a penguin joke: “How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together.” These jokes quickly became popular, especially when I added Rachel’s disdainful reactions to the mix.

One of my most successful LEGO dad jokes was dedicated to the U.S. Women’s Rugby team winning bronze at the Paris Olympics. I tagged Sammy Sullivan, a massive LEGO fan, and she shared it with her 263,000 followers. That post now sits at nearly 40,000 views.

Delving Into Data: Social Media Analysis in Action

Social media isn’t just about creating content; it’s about understanding what works and why. I’m constantly monitoring the performance of my posts to better understand my audience’s preferences and engagement patterns. Take my most popular post as an example: a little-known Legoland “Shopper’s Pass” that allows people to enter the park for free to shop for an hour. The post quickly went viral when Legoland shared it with their 230k followers.

The stats speak for themselves:

200k views to date

10,632 likes

7,118 shares

2,146 saves

139 comments?

This post continues to drive engagement, and I still gain 5-8 new followers daily as a result. Understanding these metrics isn’t just for fun; it’s part of how I apply my social media expertise to continually improve my content strategy.

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The Power of AI: How I Leverage It

In the current landscape, AI is a tool that can’t be ignored, and I’ve been making full use of it. Here’s how:

• I use AI to help with fact-checking and script writing, particularly when crafting dialogue for Rachel and Jaxon, my two off-screen characters.
• AI helps me stay on top of social media trends, character limits, and platform-specific guidelines, ensuring that I’m always following best practices.
• It even aids in translating my ideas into Gen Z-speak—seriously, AI taught me that “FR, not this again” is a Gen Z way of saying, “Please, not again.”
• I also use AI to source some of my LEGO dad jokes and generate Jaxon’s endless list of “J” names. (Shhh—don’t tell my followers!)
• Finally, AI assists with content planning and engagement strategies, including writing terms and conditions for giveaways—like the infamous beat-up LEGO Superman keychain that I gave away because, let’s be honest, LEGO isn’t sending me freebies yet.

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Building Connections in the LEGO Community

One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey has been engaging with the LEGO community. When I started, I was just another fan watching content creators share their builds and experiences. Fast forward to today, and I’ve had the privilege of building relationships with many of these LEGO “celebrities”—the very people I once admired from afar.

The LEGO community is incredibly supportive and collaborative. I’ve received so much helpful advice from these creators, who are gracious and welcoming. It’s surreal to go from simply consuming content to interacting with the people who create it.

Next week, I’ll have the incredible opportunity to connect not only with these creators but also with members of the AFOL (Adult Fans of LEGO) community from around the world at the annual LEGO fan weekend in Denmark. This gathering is intimate, with around 1,000 attendees, making it a unique experience compared to larger events like Brickworld in Chicago, which I’ve followed online. While those bigger shows offer amazing fan creations, they also have more of a commercial aspect. The fan weekend in Denmark, on the other hand, is all about connecting with fellow fans over a shared love of LEGO, and I’m excited to meet everyone in person.

Handling Hate: Staying True to Myself

Of course, not everything has been smooth sailing. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I’ve faced hateful comments, particularly about something as trivial as my nail polish. Before I started, I had a conversation with my husband about whether I should wear it on camera, anticipating exactly this kind of reaction.

Ultimately, I decided to be true to myself. In my professional life, I’ve always championed diversity and inclusion, and my social content is no different. Wearing nail polish isn’t a “statement” for me; I just think it looks good. And when I get tired of it, I’ll stop—on my terms, not because of trolls.

Despite the negativity, I’ve stayed focused on creating the content I love, and the positive feedback far outweighs the hate. And when things cross the line into homophobia, I report the comments and move on.

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Looking Ahead: What’s Next?

The next step in my journey is applying to the LEGO Ambassador Network (LAN), where, if selected, I’ll gain access to advanced sets, collaborate with other creators, and have the opportunity to give back to my community with better giveaways (no more beat-up keychains, I promise).

For now, though, I’m focused on continuing to develop content that blends humor, high production values, and, of course, data-driven insights. In just three months, I’ve tripled my follower count, and I’m constantly refining my approach based on audience feedback and analytics.

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Conclusion: Turning a Negative Into a Positive

This entire experience has allowed me to turn what could have been a period of idleness into something highly productive. I’ve created a niche that’s uniquely mine—no one else is doing what I’m doing, and that’s what makes it so exciting. Plus, it’s allowed me to tell stories, develop characters like Rachel and Jaxon, and, most importantly, have a lot of fun doing it.

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the LEGO Group , if you’re reading this—let’s talk.