Dayna Carney
“I just enjoy scrolling on my own, not scrolling for anyone else. Just me and my algorithm.”
Welcome to Truth Serum, Antonym’s new interview series featuring the most brilliant and creative people we know. Like Dayna Carney, who began her journey as an executive producer at Vogue magazine, developing content franchises such as Beauty Secrets, Get Ready With Me, and Diary of a Model.
Under her leadership, her videos garnered more than 12 billion impressions, translating to millions in revenue.
Dayna's ability to find unique stories, matched with her robust multi-platform storytelling approach, inspired her to launch Dayna's House. The Dayna's House team collaborates with luxury brands, such as Farfetch and the St. Regis Hotels, to develop ownable content franchises boosting brand awareness to build equity and loyalty.
“I'm constantly picking up information, just saving it and clocking it in terms of how people are actually influenced, then how we think people are influenced.”
What’s a trend in visual media production that people should be paying more attention to?
I see a lot of creators, or just people on the internet, trying to shake up the monotonous routine of the beauty tutorial. I think people feel a little tired of that model. They don't want to steer way too far from it, but they also want to have their spin on it. Creators and influencers are experimenting with graphic design in their content. It's a little bit more gamified, almost, and a little bit more fun.
Now I'm seeing girls doing more routines where they explain the beginning, middle, and end of their process, versus just standing in front of a mirror and doing the beauty tutorial. For instance, it's fun seeing people go through pre-travel rituals, so you get a little bit of everything as people get ready to go on a flight, versus a girl in her room just putting on makeup before she goes to the airport.
What’s a method of storytelling you think is overplayed?
My team and I are the unboxing brigade. We are just tired of people filming themselves unboxing something. Storytelling isn't unboxing, but people seem to think that it is. It's pageantry, it doesn't feel authentic. You don't really get to see someone use something.
It is fun to watch someone unboxing something very fancy and extravagant. But take something like lip gloss. If everyone has a nude lip tint, I don't need to see that unboxed all the time by different brands. Use it, don’t just show it! Unboxing turns us off in a way that doesn't feel authentic. There’s no connection to real life other than the moment of discovery; they just toss it aside and go to the next box.
Vogue - 24 Hours with Liu Wen produced by Danya’s House
Who or what do you find to be an unlikely source of creative inspiration?
I talk to anyone and everyone about how and what they're buying. What inspired them to buy something? How did they discover something? I'm constantly picking up information, just saving it and clocking it in terms of how people are actually influenced, then how we think people are influenced.
Sometimes in this space, we're in a kind of echo chamber. We assume everyone is on the platforms buying stuff and knows what we're talking about. When we talk to someone who’s not in this space, it's like a foreign language to them, and that's even more interesting to me because then I have to think differently. How could I target this person who doesn't give a shit about Instagram? How can I potentially convert this person to tap into what I'm doing?
Even this woman who just joined our team mentioned her fiance is someone who would never get influenced to buy anything. I said, “Really? Tell me more! Nothing interests him to buy something?” She was like no, never. I was immediately curious about how he makes consumer decisions. So I’m always taking notes on how other people shop.
What’s one book you recommend to everyone?
The Pixar book Creativity Inc. is really great. It's the story of building a business, selling a business, trusting another company to take over your business, and then creating something so groundbreaking.
The early stuff on Steve Jobs and Toy Story was fascinating. They probably need a part two because things have changed so much, but it's such a great insight into how a creative business is run and how it's able to scale. Even if you're not in the creativity business, thinking like a creative and approaching things differently is really valuable.
Do you have a daily ritual?
In the morning I try to give myself 30 to 40 minutes to do anything. I’ll watch a housewife show, or I'll scroll mindlessly, but not for work, just for my own enjoyment. I will shop online, read articles I saved, and generally allow myself to just kind of unplug.
I mean, it's hard when you're constantly plugged into media, and I try to keep it not work-related. Of course, if something sparks an idea, I’ll make a note of it. But I just enjoy scrolling on my own, not scrolling for anyone else. Just me and my algorithm.