Southern Alberta entrepreneurs become influencers with major online followings
Global News
When you think of social media influencers, you might think 'big city' or 'celebrity' — but two Alberta men are breaking the stereotype and reaching millions of viewers daily.
Saws, power tools and an abundance of lumber fill a wood shop near Magrath, Alta.
It’s just what you’d expect to see — but this one is a little different. It’s also home to one of the world’s most followed woodworkers on social media.
“My best performing video of all time got 189 million views,” said Dusty Mitchell, owner of The Dusty Lumber Co., who is on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
His business has changed with the times.
“I would say (in) about the last three years, that’s when I transitioned from barn wood distributor/furniture builder to full time content creator and it’s a lot of fun!” Mitchell said.
As of publishing, The Dusty Lumber Co. has 3.2 million followers in TikTok, nearly 800,000 on Instagram, 1.7 million YouTube subscribers and 2.6 million on Facebook. Combined across all those social media platforms, it’s more than eight million followers.
Not only does he spend time creating videos, he plays close attention to the analytics of it all, following his likes and shares to find the best way to share content online.
