From TikTok To Reality TV: The Journey Of A Rising Star

For Marco Donatelli, celebrity content creator and actor, climbing to the top has been a gradual but consistent effort encompassing social media, modeling, acting, entrepreneurship, and community service. But it all began with a dream and his journey into the world of TikTok, where he and his father began posting unique video content.

According to the 22-year-old creator, he dreamed he would be great, although there was no clarity on what he would be great at.

In 2020, Marco had just returned from college due to the Covid-19 pandemic and wasn’t sure what the future would hold.

Then out of the blue, Marco decided to make a video while he and his father were shopping at a Walmart store amid the pandemic. The savvy content creator got the crazy idea to make what he described as a 'stupid video,' which he posted on TikTok afterward.

The video is of Marco and his dad filming people wearing face masks during the pandemic while he and his father wore scuba diving masks. It was their first official video, which went viral immediately, exceeding 5 million views within a short time.

That was the boost and precursor for better things for the artistically-inclined Marco Donatelli, who began building a robust social media content creation career on the wings of that initial video.

After that first video, Marco teamed up with his father and continued making videos for TikTok. They churned out four more videos in quick succession.

Marco, who currently has over 100,000 followers on TikTok alone, keeps pushing himself to break more ground in the industry, establishing himself as a bona fide contender for the top spot as a social media influencer and content creator.

Of course, being popular and making videos for TikTok was a step leading to higher things for Marco Donatelli.

Along with building a successful career in the modeling space and starting his management agency – MD Management – Marco is also involved in modeling and acting. And on the side, he is building a brand in the fashion industry by starting his clothing line - MadClothing.

As a rising actor, Marco devotes significant time to honing his skills and acquiring the knowledge to advance in the industry. Marco has gone as far as hiring an acting coach to put him on sure footing as far as acting goes, and he’s been networking with knowledgeable film producers to learn from them as well.

"I've been taking classes extremely seriously," he says. "I'm doing pretty well, and I've been shooting a lot.”

For him, acting offers the sheer ability to express yourself and the freedom to be who you are without fearing being judged.

“I just think it's cool being able to claim different personal challenges, you to try to work your body, to play the role, and if you're able to do it successfully, it's pretty amazing,” says Marco Donatelli.

In line with his buoyant social media career, Marco continues to shoot videos and do photo shoots for his audience, traveling and meeting up with other influencers. As his social media following increases, Marco is confident that he has the right network around him to pull things off.

For instance, he was recently in New York, where he had the privilege of shooting with Rick Day, the number one photographer in New York City, for Calvin Klein.

“I just did a photo shoot with them, and we had a blast, and the content came out great. So now that I have that content, I have that photographer who will support me.”

Moving forward, over the last year, Marco Donatelli has undertaken numerous projects relating to the creative business and socially relevant initiatives, including a GoFundMe campaign to create awareness concerning alcoholism in the country to honor his mother’s memory who he lost to alcohol addiction.

After losing the biggest inspiration of his life, he wanted to educate people and inspire them to live better lives by being conscious of their alcohol addiction and raised $3,200 for a drug prevention and alcohol research center in Warren, Ohio.

“I helped educate my friends on the danger of alcohol and how it could take over your life. I saw my mom drink a lot ever since I was little,” Marco explains.

So far, the journey of Marco Donatelli in the creative sector has been both challenging and rewarding. Although there are miles to go and bridges to cross, Marco is content knowing how far he’s come. And he can look ahead to the future with hope and faith that there’s more success on the horizon for him.