Meet Tommy Chanthavong | Food Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tommy Chanthavong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tommy, what role has risk played in your life or career?
During the pandemic, it was hard to create content as a food content creator. I had to re-strategize my brand and what can help grow my page during times like this. I started to entertain the idea of expanding my brand to an overseas market and see if it was possible. My target country was Thailand because there were many Thai restaurant in Houston and I can repurpose my content (how I did it: tagging Thailand based pages, changing my hashtags to focus in Thailand and engage with their local content creators). A few weeks into that, I received multiple collaboration opportunities to review products, visit their restaurants and even have products shipped to the USA. Once I saw the results of me consistent, I started planning my visit to Bangkok. Unfortunately, there were travel restrictions during the pandemic so I had to wait a bit longer before I could finally travel. Fast forward to the year 2023, I decided to take that leap of faith and buy my ticket to the Land of Smiles. From that moment on, everything fell into place. I am very grateful for all of the wonderful people and opportunities I received during my visits and I can call Thailand my second home.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Honing my skills as a content creator in a new market was my foundation I created for myself for my overseas brand. I love that I can converse with the locals in both Thai and English and I’m able to easily make connections by showcasing my talents and skills as a content creator. I’d say it was easy for me to grow in this market (6 months actually) because it’s rinse and repeat for me. Lessons I’ve learned a long the way was to pause and be in the moment as well. Being in a new country and seeing the world from a different perspective is such an eye opening journey. I want to let all creators know that, there’s more out there than what you already know. Take that chance because you never know when you’ll get that opportunity again.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Honestly, it depends on what my friend wants to do. In Thailand, you make the itinerary. Also there’s always something going on when you walk down a street or even in your own neighborhood.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s so many people I want to recognize and give shoutouts to! First and foremost, my day 1 BKK friend, Tata (@varihungry), I am forever grateful for our friendship and how we connected online. I don’t know how or when we connected, but it was a genuine connection from the moment we just exchanged hellos. I wouldn’t be able to navigate the Thai market or understand the different aspects of being a content creator in a new country without your help. Next is Phil, I look up to you as an older brother/mentor and you’ve kept me in check and pushed me to go beyond my talents in Thailand. Chote, Grace, Naan, Josh, Ploy, and Pete. You all also were so welcoming with open arms when I arrived to Asia. The love and support you all have shown me since my arrival has been amazing.

Website: https://linktr.ee/tastewithtee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tastewithtee

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tastewithtee

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mukbangwithtee

Image Credits
www.instagram.com/tastewithtee