Red Deer’s Tori Ginter recently quit her job to follow her dreams as an entertainer.
After two years of building an online following while working part-time jobs, the 20-year-old woman decided to become a full-time social media influencer and music artist. She currently has 180,000 followers and has received 15 million likes on the short-form video platform TikTok.
“I always posted videos to make my friends laugh and never really expected anything to come from it,” recalled Ginter.
“It was actually my graduation night, I posted a video of an impression challenge. I’ve been doing impressions all my life – I grew up watching The Simpsons and I would just impersonate the characters constantly.”
That video ended up going viral, receiving more than 400,000 views. Ever since, she has continued posting videos featuring comedic impressions, music and vocals, and lifestyle content. Some of her impressions include Ariana Grande, Winona Ryder and Billie Eilish.
In addition to her TikTok success, Ginter has also released music, which can be found on Spotify and Apple Music, and her Instagram page has nearly 16,000 followers.
“I just love making videos and music so much. I don’t know if there’s anything else that I could do with my life that feels as right as doing this. It felt like almost a big of a relief to quit my normal job and step into this world of ‘strangeness,’ I guess you could call it,” she said.
Creativity is something that runs in Ginter’s family.
“My mom was in a band while I was growing up and my dad owned a flower shop for 37 years. I’ve always been surrounded by very creative people,” she said.
Ginter struggles with anxiety, which she admits is a challenge for someone who performs on stage. She added that she wants to inspire young people who have similar struggles.
“There are a lot of young people who are suffering with anxiety. I want everyone to know that despite anything that happens in your life or what you’re feeling, you’re capable of doing anything. There’s always a way to feel better and get better. We’re a lot stronger than we think,” she said.
Recently, Ginter was named Miss Personality Central Alberta and will compete for the national title at the Miss Personality Canada pageant this August in Calgary.
To see Ginter’s TikTok page, visit www.tiktok.com/@tori.ginter. Her Instagram can be found at www.instagram.com/tori.ginter.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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