I gained 3 million TikTok followers by talking about movies. Here's how I schedule my content so I can still work full-time.

• Juju Green, 30, runs a TikTok film account called "Straw Hat Goofy" that has 3.1 million followers.
• He got into the app after downloading it for his work in advertising.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Juju Green, 30, about how he built a 3.1 million following on his TikTok account "Straw Hat Goofy." It has been edited for length and clarity.

My background in advertising was my gateway into TikTok. In early 2020, I was working on a social-media campaign for a client, so I checked it out and quickly became obsessed.

I thought I'd start making videos, even though at that time, I had no idea what I was doing.

If you scroll deep enough, you'll find some questionable videos of me trying dances and lip-sync challenges. I think that's how a lot of people get into TikTok — they see and do what everyone else is doing.

I naturally talk about movies and pop culture every day, so it was only a matter of time before I started doing that on TikTok

I realized that TikTok was something I could do more seriously when my video breaking down "Avengers: Endgame" went viral. Then I talkabout "Hercules" — breaking down what I noticed, what I liked and what I didn't — and that snowballed.

At that time, there weren't as many people in the geek-culture space, and I think that was one of the reasons my account got so big, so fast.

Right before the pandemic, I was trying to create videos throughout the day at the office. I had to sit myself down and say, "If you're going to create videos, spend time with your family, and have time for your job, you're going to have a very rigid schedule."

When I wake up, the first thing I do is make 4 or 5 videos

Then I draft them with captions and post them throughout the day, so it seems like I'm there, when I'm actually off doing other things. This helped me to compartmentalize my time and stay organized as I still work my day job.

Five- to 10-second videos do really well on TikTok, as it's very easy to give your like and move on.

I started to notice a trend that my videos would go viral if they were about popular movies. I had a string of viral videos about Disney Pixar's "Turning Red." Each video about the movie had at least 2 million views.

I talked about things I noticed in that movie, what I liked and didn't like. Obviously, there comes a time where you have to get out of that thread and apply what you've learnt to other things — I can't become just the "Turning Red" guy.

I feel like my audience likes it when I see things that other people don't

The casual movie audience is not looking that deeply into things. They enjoy watching someone point out the hidden meaning behind certain moments. My TikToks are like DVD extras.

I do a lot of movie reviews, and I've done "my favorite movies set in space" or "actors who Hollywood tried to make a thing" — I gained a huge audience with that one.

I also change how I film the videos. With my reviews, I record movie clips with a voice-over. For other series, I use green screens to talk over movie posters and illustrate a larger point.

It means I have pockets of different types of movie lovers in my audience. Compared to other accounts that do one thing that works really well for them, I'm an all-encompassing movies guy.

I still work my day job in advertising at 72 and Sunny

My bosses and I have worked out a schedule so I can put in time for work, and then if anything comes up for Straw Hat Goofy, I just have to communicate that ahead of time. It's all about planning.

It's still very hectic, as the movie-news cycle never ends. Something like a new trailer might pop up midday when I'm in a meeting, and I'll have to make a video on it.

Discussions on TikTok can get extremely toxic. People fall into the trap of saying, "My opinion is right, you don't know anything about this."

I've watched a lot of movies, but many people have watched way more movies.

As a creative, I also try to recognize the effort that goes into making movies. I try to offer a balance, give the good, the bad, and the in-between, and it allows people to jump into the conversation and share their opinions, too.

Filmmakers are eager to see how they can improve all the time. When I create videos, I'm saying, "This is what they were going for, did it work?"

Maybe it worked for you, but didn't for me, and we can have a dialogue about it. This level of respect also helps when you're on the red carpet and talking to the people who made the movies.

Personally, I've always had a lot on my plate — I worked at Disneyland and Amazon at the same time while going to college.

I can't speak for anyone else on how they manage their time, but for me, if I want to do something, I can find a way.

I started social media for fun

In the deep recess of your mind, you might think, "What happens if my videos blow up?" I thought, "I'm gonna leave my job and get a big house," but here I am blown up, and I didn't leave my job and don't have a big house.

I had no example when I started out of how this career works, and I was fortunate enough to be approached by brands such as Netflix and Disney. Honestly, it's been weird to go from making videos for fun to hosting the Oscars' red carpet.

It all starts with the creator and how strong their content is and authentic they are. If a brand hires you for one thing — an event or sponsorship — and you do something different than what you usually do online, they will keep that in mind.