Today we’d like to introduce you to Toni Pop.
Hi Toni, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
How I did you start? I tend to think at times there was bound to be a hotdog endeavor. We all have our quirks and sometimes they go unnoticed by ourselves. I am originally from Clovis, New Mexico. I moved to St Louis in 2018 with just my weenie dog Jack & my hatchback full of stuff. When I settled in, I started working at Atomic Cowboy in the Grove.
Late nights on the weekend, there is a hotdog cart ran by a man named Larry. I would clock out and go straight there and order 2, sometimes 3 hotdogs and GO TO TOWN. A lot of my coworkers would crack jokes abut how much I loved hotdogs and I never thought much into it. But I continued to devour a glizzy anytime I could get my hands on one. Then summer of 2020 I went to visit one of my very close friends in Chicago. While sitting on the couch (eating a hotdog of course) he says “You should start talking about hotdogs online”. I came back to St. Louis with the idea that I was going to just utilize Facebook and Instagrams live features.
Have some drinks, have some hotdogs and let chaos ensue until people on the live stream grew bored. Someone I met through my time working at AC reached and said they wanted to help produce this so instead of live streams, I just went straight to YouTube.Amazed by the outpour of people encouraging me to start a youtube channel I took the offer to have assistance and thus the hotdog review channel “Between The Buns” was born.February we shot a tester episode and it went well.
My YouTube channel now has 183 subscribers. I review hotdogs at local restaurants/stands, etc. Then other episodes I talk about other hotdog related content. The support I have received from friends, family & community members have been amazing. If there’s a hotdog to be had, I’ll be there…
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am thankful to have so many supportive people. St. Louis has a community like no other. Overall things have been great and I can’t really complain. I didn’t go into this thinking I’d be an “influencer’ and that it would soon become something near and dear to my heart. Sometimes there are creative blocks when planning an episode, but my close circle has always been there to help inspire me. I thought I was “hip” and pretty well rounded with my knowledge when it came to social media and tech. I was WRONG.
The internet and social media are constantly changing so it’s been an adjustment learning new apps or trends. I wouldn’t call it a struggle, but more of a learning opportunity. There’s always going to be ups and downs. I just hope I can continue to grow from my downs and create content that people enjoy watching and engaging with.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Between The Buns is a channel dedicated to finding the best hotdogs and taking a look into all things hotdog related. Each week I find a restaurant that specializes in or features hotdogs on their menu. A few places I’ve been to are Steve’s Hotdogs, T-N-T Wieners, Woofie’s. Other times I talk about things like the history of mustard, veggie dogs, hotdogs & alcohol pairings. For each review episode at a restaurant, I speak with the owners usually and talk to them about their business and learn about their start.
Afterward, I’ll order a few hotdogs and rate them on things like: buns sturdiness, toppings, bun to meat ratio, and other things of the sort. I love being able to showcase these great local businesses that some people may not have otherwise known about. I think the owner features are something that people really like seeing because they see the heart of the business, I have a loud personality and I know that it can be entertaining.
A couple of beers, couple of hotdogs and you’re in for a treat. I am never anything other than my true self on camera, my viewers see it and note that’s it’s something they appreciate. Sometimes creators tend to hold back in fear or judgment and it shows at times, I have no reason to be anyone else because Between The Buns is for me to enjoy, I am just lucky that there are other people who want to be along on the ride.
What matters most to you? Why?
Happiness and good/healthy relationships means the most to me in life. The two sometimes coincide and other times they are separate things that I hold value to. We all want happiness. 2020 was a hard year for a lot of us and happiness was lacking for myself personally. When I started BTB I realized it had been a while since I did anything that truly brought me joy. Prior to the shutdown would work 2-3 jobs at a time to get by. Things reopened and I was having so much fun with YouTubing & learning new things.
While I know money is needed, it took a toll on my happiness and relationships with others due to the insane amount of time I spent working. I stayed at my full time job as a hair stylist but let my other jobs go to focus on my channel. t has been a blessing to do something that brings me pure joy & have time to spend with loved ones. So many people in my life that I have been able to re-connect with more because this is a project I want to be built not just by myself but by my loved ones who constantly inspire me.
Contact Info:
- Email: Betweenthebuns21@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/betweenthebuns.tv
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/betweenthebunstv
- Youtube: www.YouTube.com/betweenthebunstv
Image Credits
Bourbon and Blondes Podcast
T-N-T Weiner’s Woofies Hotdogs
