9 Nominations Later: What Happens When You Take Your Content Seriously

What happens when you decide your ideas are worthy of your time, energy, and intention?

This week, I’m coming to you from New Orleans with some very exciting news: I am a nine-time Reelie Awards finalist. Nine nominations. Seven categories. Two categories where I am quite literally competing against myself, which is both wild and deeply hilarious.

But this episode is not only about the nominations. It is about what changed after I attended The Reelies last year and put myself in a room full of people who treated short-form video as a legitimate creative discipline. That room stretched me. It made me think more deeply about storytelling, hooks, pacing, editing, performance, and what might happen if I gave my ideas more time instead of treating every reel like a quick little side project.

In this episode, I’m talking about:

• Why receiving recognition can feel surprisingly vulnerable

• The ways women minimize their accomplishments before anyone else can

• How attending The Reelies changed the way I saw my work

• Why making more content helped me become less precious about every post

• What happens when you treat visibility as a creative practice, not an afterthought

• Why your weird, specific ideas may be exactly the ones people remember

• The invisible work that happens before any visible success

• Why you cannot be recognized for work you never publish

Your version of recognition may not be an award. It might be a speaking invitation, a dream client, a collaboration, a new opportunity, or simply becoming known for a point of view that is entirely your own. But first, you have to publish. You have to submit. You have to put your name in the conversation. You are allowed to change your mind about who you are and what you do. You are allowed to add a new title. You are allowed to take your creativity seriously. And you do not have to pretend your accomplishments mean nothing in order to remain likable.

Vote in The Reelies

I am nominated nine times across seven categories, including Best Transformational Reel, Most Engaging Story, Best Talking Head Reel, Best Use of Effects, Best Use of Trending Audio, Best B-Roll Reel, and Best Acting in a Reel.

Voting closes August 9, 2026: https://www.thereelies.show/voting

You can vote once in each category, and I highly recommend watching the other finalists too. I am in truly fantastic company.

Join The Verve & Vision Club

This August, we are going deep into TikTok inside The Verve & Vision Club. We’re talking trends, TikTok Lives, TikTok Shop, affiliate opportunities, content strategy, and how to use the platform to market your business.

Join through this link and receive two weeks free: www.reneedalo.com/club

Check out the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo here: https://amzn.to/4wCezgl

Connect with Renée

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reneedalo/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereneedalo

Now go publish the idea, submit the reel, shoot your shot, and show up anyway.