Virtual Chat with @kateballamy ✨

The most magical community on earth has got to be the Disney community. 

From posting Disney park pics to showing off their new Disney finds, the Disney community is made up of content creators (and huge Disney fans) simply showing their love and appreciation for the wonderful world of Disney. 

As Walt Disney once said:

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

And Walt Disney was right! Curiosity has led thousands of Disney fans dedicating their Instagram and social feeds to all things Disney and the magic that comes along with it.

With that being said, meet Kate...

Kate is a 25 year old content creator from North Wales who is a lover of all things Disney and Pop Culture! Kate started her Instagram account in 2016, mainly as a place to share some of her Disney Park and travel snaps instead of spamming them all on her personal accounts. Since 2016, Kate has become more and more obsessed with photography and creating content and boy does she do it well!

Social media is now the place Kate shares her love for all things Disney, pop culture, photography and travelling + she absolutely loves it!

Kate's social feeds are magical and inspiring and we simply love the content that she produces. As curious fans ourselves, we thought it would be a great idea to (virtually) sit down with Kate to talk about all things Disney, content creation and Pop Culture!

What/who inspires you?

Definitely fellow photographers and creators in the industry. I remember when I first created my page, I started following some Disney photography accounts and I remember just being in absolute awe of the content they were creating!

With over 21,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 50k followers on TikTok, how did you build up your following?

It's definitely not been overnight but consistently posting about things I love and good hashtag strategies have definitely helped!

What would you say is your favourite social platform to create content for?

I'm really enjoying TikTok at the moment. I could honestly spend hours scrolling on that app if I wasn't careful, it's so much fun.

What is your favourite type of content to produce?

Reels/TikToks and photography in the parks for sure. They're such beautiful places to create content in and there's always something new to see. I always get so inspired when I'm there and come home with way too many new photos on my SD cards!

How long does it take you to create content?

Sometimes a photo can be snapped in a few minutes with very little planning and sometimes a big reel can take a lot longer, maybe even close to 2 hours!

Do you have a weekly schedule to help you plan out what content you are going to create/upload?

I usually plan my week ahead on a Sunday afternoon and decide what content I'd like to creating that coming week. Sometimes it's more a spur of the moment though and I'll get a new idea and film/upload it all in the same day!

How do you maintain a work/life balance alongside creating content for your social platforms?

It's definitely hard as there's so many photography and reel ideas always buzzing through my head.. but I try to limit my hours on social media otherwise it can definitely become overwhelming and draining! 

Unless we're snapping a photo together my phone is always away when I'm out and about with friends and family too - social media is amazing but it's so important not to let it consume you and to spend more time off your phone in the real world than on it. 

You also have another account called @magicalfindsuk - what made you decide to create that account? 

I was sharing so many finds on my @kateballamy account that I just decided it was definitely time to create a separate one for those kind of posts. I never imagined it would grow bigger than my first page or go anywhere really, I just enjoy sharing those kind of posts so much and I'm so glad other people seem to like the idea too!

What has been your favourite magical find so far?

That's definitely a tough one! It's probably been the Beauty and The Beast jewellery candle from Charmed Aroma. It's so beautiful and I still have it in my room today. (I'm a sucker for some pretty subtle Disney homeware!)

With being a fan of so many different brands and licenses, is it hard to keep on top of what's new?

Yes! I'm able to keep on top of things pretty well throughout out the beginning of the year but once it hits the Halloween and Christmas seasons it becomes very very hard, haha! Those are definitely the busiest seasons for me posting wise.

With the recent push of video content on Instagram, do you find yourself needing/wanting to create more video content?

Definitely! Luckily I absolutely love creating videos and quite enjoy the change. I still really like still photography though so I hope Instagram doesn't neglect that aspect and is a place we can all enjoy sharing photography still too. 

Favourite season to create content for?

Autumn and Winter for sure! Even though I love the warmth of Summer, there's something extra special and magical about the cosy seasons. Especially Christmas.. I'm definitely a Christmas girl at heart and look forward to it every year.

Favourite Disney park and why?

Epcot definitely has the top spot for me at the moment! I love the nostalgia in that park so much and exploring the world showcase. There's always something new to see, especially with all the exciting festivals there. It's a foodie lovers dream park for sure! 

Favourite spot to take pictures in the Disney parks?

Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom is always a fun one! I love all of the pastel colours and hidden magical details. A snap by the Cinderella Fountain is a must for me each trip.

Who is your favourite Disney character?

It's impossible to narrow down to one so I'm going to cheat and give you two... Joy from Inside Out and Giulia from Luca!

If you could be any Disney Princess, who would you be and why?

Probably Elsa. I'm definitely more of an introvert so life in an enchanted forest sounds pretty perfect to me and I love the cold seasons.

Favourite Disney snack?

I'm obsessed with the Mickey Red Velvet Whoopie Pie from Sunshine Seasons in Epcot! I tried it on my first ever Walt Disney World trip in 2014 and now it's a must every single visit. Soft red velvet cake and lots of cream cheese icing = yes please!

If you could live by any Disney quote, which one would you choose?

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."  - by Walt Disney is always a classic and one that I'm drawn to the most!

Alongside being a huge Disney fan, we also noticed that you love Harry Potter too! Do you have a favourite film/scene?

Yes! I love the Christmas morning scene in The Philosopher's Stone where Ron and Harry are unwrapping their Christmas jumpers from Mrs Weasley in the Gryffindor common room. It's such a cosy, wholesome comfort scene!

As a fan of all things pop culture, if you could be any character from any TV or movie, who would you choose?

Oooh now that's a real tough question. Right now I'm rewatching Parks & Rec again and think life as Leslie Knope would be pretty cool and who wouldn't want to be Ron Swanson's co-worker?

Back to content creation...

What would you say are the pros and cons of being a content creator?

The pros are definitely the community feel and the amazing friends I've met through social media. I've made some friends for life through this space and I'm so grateful for that.

A con for me is that sometimes it's hard not to worry about the number side of things and compare yourself to others.

As we are already over half way through the year, (and it might be a little premature to ask this) BUT do you have any goals for 2023?

Yes, I would love to be able to tick some more Disney Parks off my bucket list. Really hoping I can visit the OG Disneyland in California sometime soon!

What advice would you give someone who wishes to start creating their own content?

Be yourself and post about things you love and that bring you joy. I'm sure you'll have a great time on social media that way! Try not to worry about the numbers and focus on having fun, getting creative and making new friends instead.