Joe Vitrano

Who are you and what do you do here at IllFonic?

My name is Joe Vitrano and I am the Social Media Coordinator here at IllFonic. I’ve been here for almost a year now and I’m having a blast! If you’ve posted on our socials in the past year, I’ve probably interacted with you at some point.

What is it like day to day as a social media coordinator?

We have over 9 different social platforms and everyday is unpredictable because you never know what is going to happen.

I typically start the day talking to you all through the IllFonic social media accounts, which is easily one of the best parts of my day. We have one of the coolest communities out there, filled with a diverse group of people. Another big part of my day is working on planning out the future content such as contests, community highlights, memes, and much more. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t know about, but it keeps each day fresh and exciting.

What are some difficulties you face working with social media?

Social media work definitely has its tough days, especially when it comes to trying to please everyone. Sometimes, there are people who are just having a bad day and end up bringing that into a constructive or positive conversation. At the end of the day, you can’t make everyone happy, but I do my best to make our social channels an informative and engaging break from reality.

You have a past in working with a YouTube group before this, how was the transition into social media?

I previously worked for two YouTube channels that were called The Creature Hub, and Cow Chop. I did a variety of things back then such as filming, editing, gaming, and most importantly social media. It was a ton of fun and I really liked connecting with the community via positivity. I felt that our social media had become another world that people could go to and interact with other members of the community.

We used to play games and talk to various game devs in order to do a good job in producing videos for our channel. Now I’m on the other end of the industry and it’s honestly really cool! I feel like I’ve gone full circle as I am now working with content creators as a dev.

Do you still use social media in your personal life or are you burnt out from work?

I do occasionally use my personal social media, but since I spend a big portion of my days on social media for work, I tend to engage in other hobbies in my free time. You’ll still catch an occasional post from me on my own profile, but I like to keep people on their toes.

Has working in social media changed your outlook on social media at all?

Working in social media has shown me that people come to social media to learn more about the story we tell. If you can tell a story and make others feel welcomed then you are doing a great job in my opinion!

Do you like gaming outside of work? What are your favorite games?

I love video games! Even though I’m older now and I don’t have as much time to play games, I will still make time to binge the newest games in the Legend of Zelda series. I also play a lot of Switch games as it’s a super convenient console to pick up and play whenever I have the free time. However, my favorite game of all time would probably be Luigi’s Mansion!

How do you feel about working from home instead of going into the office?

It’s super cool being around my family and seeing them more than I would if I were in the office full time. Being able to work in PJs and having full access to my kitchen is also a pretty big benefit. On the flip side, there can also be a lot of distractions. I have my TV with Switch docked right next to my work setup and it’s quite tempting at times. Sometimes it can be difficult to separate my work life and personal life, but I feel it’s something you get used to over time.