Snapchat is typically used as a means of communication for many, but for some, Snapchat is a lucrative canvas for artistic expression.
Web designer Cyrene Quiamco uses Snapchat to showcase her natural gifts while also making bank on her Snapchat stories, which usually receive over 35,000 views apiece.
The 26-year-old Snapchatter has worked with big-name companies including Samsung, Disney, 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate and Burger King. She creates sponsored stories that often involve a series of photos or videos. For her latest Snapchat project, the artist raked in $25,000.
Quiamco told Tech Insider that she earned about $500 per snap when she first began using the app in January 2014:
“When I first started about a year ago, my average was $1,000 to $10,000 per Snapchat Story. Each story would contain around 100 seconds of videos, drawings, and interaction with the audience.”
“My very first paid Snapchat gig was drawing two Snaps for NBC’s ‘The Voice.’ It was super exciting seeing the screenshots of my snaps posted on social media by thousands of people.”
Her clientele list has since grown as more and more brands have approached her. Quiamco believes producing interactive content is an important factor to her success with Snapchat. She often creates games and drawings of popular characters from movies such as “Frozen.” She explained:
“Most of my Snapchat stories involve audience participation. The audience is an active part of your story while you are creating it live, and not just passively watching it.”
According to Quiamco, each project with a company requires a good amount of work:
“It starts with a rough storyboard, drawn, written or both, and then it goes back and forth with the client until we agree on a storyline. The drawings take one to two hours to draw depending on the details. Taking the video, even though it looks casual and spontaneou, takes anywhere from three to ten retakes.”
Fans can check out her masterpieces on Snapchat by adding her username, CyreneQ. Among her most popular works is a series of “Celebrity Selfies,” which feature her favorite celebrities drawn next to her.
