Who is Jessamyn Dodd and why is TikTok talking about her?
Jessamyn Dodd @jessydodd as she is known on social media is a social media specialist, influencer manager, writer, blogger and photographer.
“I began my artistic career at the age of six” Dodd states. “I began dancing and studying with The Boston Ballet, and then when I was 12, I was accepted to The School of American Ballet”. She trained for over four hours every day, and often performed at The Lincoln Center in New York twice daily. At the age of 17 Dodd moved with her family to Los Angeles. One evening she and a friend went to a popular night club and it was there she was scouted and given a modeling contract.
“That was a crazy time in my life. I would go on 2 or 3 auditions a day. I would be on set for 10 hours. It was exhausting”.
After settling in and starting a family a few of her friends found out that her father was a famous photographer and asked her to take some photos of them. “I had to borrow a camera. I had no idea what I was doing, but it moved me. I think I am just a creative person”. She had several phone calls with her father and took editing classes. She knew she had to improve and learn to make her visions come alive. She describes herself as having ideas that she wants to see come to life. “It just kind of took off… I’ve shot for over 20 magazines freelance”. Then the pandemic hit. She wrote a few pieces and photographed for a newspaper in Los Anges working freelance.
Everything shut down. Studios were closed. Photo shoots were on hold. Dodd was finishing up her second degree in marketing and began to blog. She made connections as she focused on social media. She began marketing herself and her services and began working with some of the biggest brands as well as small businesses. As of today, Dodd has done brand deals with over 20 companies. She also negotiates brand deals for other influencers and have helped 35 influencers secure deals with over 40 companies. It is clear that whatever she focuses on, she excels at.
“Recently I began blogging more. I write op-eds, and I submit them to publications, if the subject moves me”. She recently noticed a dangerous trend on TikTok where people were bullying and harassing each other and making defamatory statements. “I knew that this was an important subject and that I wanted to shed light on it, so I wrote an op-ed for The NY Times Blog Site. Creators that I follow were being harassed, stalked, bullied, doxed and swatted. It was becoming too much”. After the blog post came out Dodd faced her own barrage of hateful messages, threats and was doxed twice. “People that I don’t even know are continuing to make videos about me, host livestreams about me, saying they are going to destroy my life. I’ve never experienced anything like this”. She received countless messages from people with video recordings and screenshots of their own instances of bullying. She states that these responses just motivate her to continue to expose dangerous people on the app and push for changes in the safety of social media sites. Dodd says that with all of the attention her post has been receiving she has been offered interviews and jobs at 2 newspapers.