Meet Allison Mertzman | Content Creator & Travel Agency Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Mertzman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, how do you think about risk?
I love this question because I think for a really long time, I didn’t take risks. I was afraid I wouldn’t succeed. I was actually supposed to go to college for musical theater but instead decided to pursue a career in education. I loved working with kids and knew it was safe and I would always have a job. But the truth is, I’m a creative. You cannot take the creative out of a person no matter how hard you try. I became pretty unhappy because I always felt like I was missing something. I ended up out in LA because my brother needed a roommate and I needed a change of scenery. I had just watched him (my brother) book the lead in a major motion picture and thought to myself, if he can do it so can I. I didn’t actually end up as an actor and no matter how hard I tried to stick with teaching, I kept coming back to the camera. And that’s how I ended up on social media. I get to create content, I get to be in front of the camera, and I have a job I really love.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Content Creation is really interesting because many times it’s a platform built on your real life. I started on Tiktok in 2020 like many people just to pass the time. Ironically, I had been on social media as a Disney/theme park focused content creator since 2016 and built a modest following (2500 followers on youtube and 2500 followers on instagram). I remember just before the pandemic I thought to myself if I never got another follower I would be happy. The community I built was kind and thoughtful and I had a loyal base that was willing to watch my content! I was and still am proud of what I did there. But at that point, I had spent four years trying to build my platform. It was very slow and that was hard. I was also a travel agency owner and obviously with the shut down, not much travel was happening. It made me rethink what I was creating and decided to just try something different on TikTok. My wife and I started answering questions about life, love, and family. A series called “Hey babe” was born and nearly a million followers later, here we are. The biggest lesson I learned was find your story and tell it authentically. When I started sharing that I was a multi-faceted person, people started to connect and resonate with my platform and that’s how we grew.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
OOOO this is fun! I normally plan Disney trips but would love to plan a little jaunt around LA. Favorite places to visit: The Grove, Descanso Gardens, Upright Citizens Brigade, Hermosa Beach, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop, and El Capitan Theater (I had to throw in some Disney).
Favorite places to eat: Miceli’s, In N Out Burger (cheesburger protein style, animal style, well done fries, extra sauce, pink lemonade), Jinya, Rustic Spoon, and Tam O’Shantner
But, I really believe LA is the greatest city in the world 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shoutout my wife Leanne, my kids Ruthie and Rosie, my parents Mark and Susan, and my siblings Aaron, Zack, and Hannah. They have supported me in every single thing I’ve done. I literally wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them.

Website: www.adventureswithallisonwonderland.com

Instagram: AllisonMertzman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllisonMertzman-102991718979984

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AllisonWDWGirl

Other: TikTok: ThirstyonMain