Write a commentMany young people dream of walking the red carpet someday. For Marianne Natoli, that dream came true on April 15 at the Turner Classic Movies' film festival.
They rolled out the classic red carpet and invited Natoli to appear as a special guest.
Natoli was given the invitation due to her large following on multiple social media platforms, where she discusses pop culture throughout time and shares her passion for classic movies.
“My niche pretty much is pop culture and sometimes I’ll do personal things here and there. I’ve always loved classic music, movies, TV shows, things like that, so it’s very easy for me to talk about,” Natoli said. “That’s what got Turner Classic Movies’ attention, just that someone younger that was interested in classic movies since they obviously want to reach into the younger generations.”
Natoli has been part of the major resurgence in retro media that has been happening online for the Millennial and Generation Z communities, and she believes that this new (old) cultural wave comes down to a matter of comfort for young people.
“I think a lot of it has to do with sort of living in a little bit of dystopian times at the moment, and it’s so easy to look back at things like The Sound of Music or something similar and think about how picturesque and beautiful and simple things were. Even though there’s challenges and other things going on in a lot of these classic movies, it’s easy to look at the Hollywood glitz and glamor and how simple things seemed compared to how the world seems now,” Natoli said.
For Natoli, influencing is a main stream of income and she’s able to make a living talking about the media she loves and sharing that love with her large audience. She brings in money through creator funds like that of TikTok as well as brand deals from companies that reach out to her to promote their products. Reaching this goal of making influencing her full-time job has allowed Natoli time to work on other smaller projects on the side.
“On the side, I do like to make documentaries as well. That’s more of my passion project, but social media is definitely my main job. I have some things in the works, they’re not far enough along yet to share but I’m excited about them,” Natoli said.
This year was not Natoli’s first time at the TCM Film Festival, as she was actually invited last year in 2023 to make content for them on the red carpet as well. She was invited back again this year as a special guest and had a star-studded experience.
“They really liked my work, so they invited me back this year and said ‘You don’t have to make content if you don’t want to, we would love for you to come as a special guest.’ And so, I went and I had an amazing time. The opening night ceremony was a Pulp Fiction anniversary reunion, and so Uma Thurman and John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson were there. But I swear everyone was only looking at Uma Thurman, she looked so stunning,” Natoli said. “It was just so cool to be part of a big event like that, to be in the Chinese Theater in Hollywood and to walk the red carpet and everything with people that are way more famous than I am.”
Natoli’s road to influencing started early in her life in Oswego, where she performed on stage through local programs and found a love for media. She says this was an easy gateway for her to begin influencing in 2020 and how she’s comfortable both in front of and behind the camera.
“I’d always been interested in performing, I had done a lot of community theater in Oswego actually. I did a lot of plays with the Oswego Players and then at Oswego High School I did WBUC, the TV station there. I made short films there for the station when I was in high school, so I honestly had a strong base in Oswego for the things I do now,” Natoli said.
As far as making it on the internet, Natoli says that it’s possible for anyone if they can find their niche and stay consistent with it—as long as they’re passionate about their work. She never imagined herself on the red carpet before she gained her following, and she has her social media platforms to thank for that.
“I truly believe that the internet is an equalizer. It can give anyone an opportunity because what business would I have in Hollywood? But it’s because of the internet, it really puts you in front of millions of people and you don’t know who’s watching who might have these connections,” Natoli said.
The best advice for growing a following on social media according to Natoli is to just stay consistent in posting content, ideally multiple times a day if it’s something you’re really working towards. She found success online and believes that everyone else can, too, if that’s what they want to do.
You can find Marianne Natoli on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube at @hey_marianne to stay updated on her content and any other adventures that come her way.
