In 2025, content creator Gigi Bello (@okaycoolgigi) took her audience on a journey. She was determined to fix the “landlord special” — a peephole on the door of her New York City apartment that had long been painted shut. The video (and its subsequent follow-ups) went viral, landing the 28-year-old CPA a feature in People and a slew of new followers.

“Content creation kind of happened by accident after a few videos went viral, but I fell in love with it,” Bello says.

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Bello's account has otherwise been dedicated to her adventures in sourdough breadmaking and her beloved starter, Eloise. But Bello says the peephole video made her realize that "no matter what I post, if I actually care about it, other people will too."

Bello adds, "Sometimes I feel like I don't want to be stuck making sourdough all the time (so sorry Eloise, I love you), but it made me feel better about posting other things I’m interested in and trusting that people will still care."

When it comes to capturing content, Bello uses a relatively low-tech setup in her apartment kitchen. We caught up with the creator about her favorite gear, her love of sourdough, and what it took to remove all those layers of paint.

What are your content creation essentials?

iPhone 17 Pro

Bello uses her iPhone to capture both video and audio. "I need something convenient, since it's basically a one-woman show and I'm filming everything myself in my kitchen, so my phone just does it all," she says.

TikTok 

This is Bello's platform of choice and her editing software all rolled up into one. Bello says she uses TikTok for both the recording and editing of her videos.

"I find that editing in TikTok is just super convenient for me. It makes my life easier than having a bunch of random small clips in my camera roll, because I get to pause and resume recording in the same clip," she says. "And editing in TikTok is so user-friendly that I don't feel the need to use anything else if I don't have to."

CapCut 

For the times that she needs an editing program with a little more oomph, she turns to CapCut.

"I mainly use CapCut when I have to edit a video for a brand, since it makes me feel 'safer' that my video won't randomly be deleted. (Yes, TikTok has done this to me before)."

LED portable selfie light

"Sometimes (especially in the winter months) my kitchen doesn't have the greatest lighting, so the portable lights help a ton," Bello says. "I find that having the LED lights directly on me looks a little unnatural, so bouncing it feels more real."

iPad 

Bello says she uses her iPad for doing research and taking notes.

"I'll use my iPad to search for inspiration for recipes or just go down random rabbit holes when I'm trying to think of ideas," she says.

What was the magic goop that got all the paint off the peephole?

Bello: CitriStrip! It's a paint and varnish stripping gel that I noticed a lot of restoration people using when trying to scrape old paint off door frames. I probably should've used a mask though; I had a headache for days after using it and accidentally breathing it in.

Safe to say you're in your sourdough era?

Mashable: Talk to us about the journey there and any tools someone might need.

Bello: Honestly, the whole "in my sourdough era" thing makes me cringe (I'm sorry!!!). I've just always been someone who loves carbs. In 2024, I was scrolling and saw a lot of people talking about how hard it was to make sourdough bread; they also mentioned how much better it was for you. I decided [that] if I can successfully make sourdough, then I must be a genius. It was honestly just a test [of] my own capabilities and a way for me to have a hobby at home.

I don't think you need much to get started with making sourdough, and you probably already have the ingredients at home. Maybe the biggest thing you'd need to get started is patience.

What is your favorite loaf pan? 

Bello: My current favorite loaf pan is made by Nordic Ware. It’s super light, unlike a Dutch oven, and my recent loaves have been made using it, and they’ve come out really good.

What do you love about what you do? 

Bello: I love that I'm able to do whatever passion project I want at the moment (Eloise being a big part of that) and share my experience with it, whether it fails or succeeds. My favorite thing is creating something from an idea, even if it seems kind of silly, and being able to make something and show it off is really gratifying.

I feel like I have a bit of a double life — my day job is more analytical and composed, but my natural personality comes out in my videos, where I get to be more creative.

Who is your ideal audience? 

Bello: My ideal audience is people who are just normal about things in the best way. Like, kind, a little nosy, and actually invested. People who enjoy the process, not just the final result, and who are okay with things not being perfect. Also, people who get my humor and aren't taking everything too seriously. I like when it feels more like we're all just hanging out versus me "posting content."

Any noteworthy achievements over the past year?

Bello: Being in People magazine for my peephole was definitely up there and something I never expected. Also, Eloise's second birthday — I can't believe I've been making sourdough for two years; it really puts it into perspective. And going to FoodiCon was something I feel really grateful for. I got to meet so many people I interact with online, and hearing that people went there to see me felt really wholesome, unreal, and a little crazy. I usually film by myself in my kitchen convincing myself none of this is real, so seeing it in real life was really fulfilling.

Does Eloise have anything she'd like to add? 

Eloise: I confess, I shoved Ophelia in the junk drawer.

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