How Blair Imani Gets Ready for “Smarter in Seconds” — Interview

Tuesdays are usually my filming days — when I film “Get Smarter with Blair Imani” videos for my YouTube channel and IGTV. Sometimes I film longer videos, like around 10 minutes, for content where I can get more in depth, and I can’t cover everything in 30 seconds.

I’ll do new makeup and switch outfits [for each video] so it looks like I filmed on different days. It takes around 30 minutes to film, edit, and publish my “Smarter in Seconds” videos — but I actually take two to three days to workshop the actual script and talk to experts beforehand.

Allure: What does it look like on the opposite side of your camera while you film?

BI: Behind my camera, it’s usually a mess of wardrobe changes. On the couch behind where I’m filming, there are like three outfits ready to go. People love the colors, so I match the color of the caption to the color of my hijab. Ren is usually behind the scenes to feed me lines. I write all the lines for myself unless it’s a sponsored video that needs approval. Even if I write it out, I still try to be more concise when I actually film. The ideal time for the “Smarter in Seconds” videos is 27 seconds, so I have time for the jingle which was created and written by Katie Cronin.

Allure: You recently posted a video crediting all of the different people who contribute to making “Smarter in Seconds” possible – including the people who made the logo, the intro song, and came up with the name. Why is it important for you as an influencer to build together with a team?

Sometimes creators do it all themselves – but that’s so stressful! If I’m being paid, I want to make sure others are being paid. It’s the way that I practiced something called Ujamaa or the Afrocentric socialist methodology of cooperative economics. You can’t cherish people unless you’re also helping them take care of themselves.

I could be way more exhausted and have slightly more money, or I could invest in other people who can then take care of themselves by working for me – and then we can all make money.

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This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

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