Our brains are browsers and, after Shine Away, the tabs are overflowing. From the panels that inspired us to the brands that made our tote bags 10 lbs heavier (worth it), this week’s Open Tabs is all about what we learned, loved, and can’t stop thinking about from the weekend.
Plus, we’re handing the mic to Karly, Sunnie’s social and content intern, to learn what it’s like to film and edit on the fly.
*BTW, this contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy something through them.
Between filming, editing, and chasing good lighting, our social and content intern Karly spends most days living inside the algorithm. She sat down to talk about staying inspired, pushing past perfectionism, and what it’s really like to make internet magic happen one video (and many takes) at a time.
1. You literally look at content all day. How do you keep your brain inspired?
Just getting up from my chair and making tea or doing something—or looking across the table and talking to Molly (video editor and producer)—helps me reset. It's really easy to get hyperfixated on one part of a project and not see the whole picture. So stepping out of it lets you reframe where you're going and how you're doing it.
2. What’s your editing vibe? Music on or total silence?
Most of the time, I can’t listen to music while I’m editing since it’s usually dialogue-focused. I feel like there are two different categories of video: one where you’re listening to dialogue and trying to extract the main story, and another that’s more aesthetic edits. For those, I can listen to music—but most of the time, I’m editing to the music for those anyway.
3. What’s one part of being a content creator that’s way less glamorous than it looks?
The other day, I was in a coffee shop just shooting a quick trending audio, pretending to talk to my coworkers. A few of us went to work there, but they’re not doing socials—just me. So they’re on their computers, and I’ve got my phone out, pretending to talk to them, lip syncing to the audio. But they’re not even looking at me. I’m literally talking to a wall. It can be really embarrassing. Like, I know I live in LA and people see this all the time, but still. I did maybe ten takes because it’s hard when you’re recording yourself. You can’t just say, “Okay, that was good,” when you know you can do better.
Perceiving myself—looking at myself—it’s hard. Sometimes there are two takes, and I look worse in one, but it’s objectively the better take. So I just have to close my eyes and do it. I’ve been getting better at being less critical of how I look because I have to remember there’s a larger goal at hand.
4. And what’s your favorite part of it?
That’s hard because there isn’t one specific part. I think when there’s an edit I’m really inspired by and proud of, that’s such a high. Or when I’m not proud of an edit but get really good feedback anyway. I’ll think, “Wait, have I been thinking about this all wrong?”
For example, there was one video I didn’t shoot—it was just handed to me—and I had to make something of it. I dreaded it. I thought it was boring and didn’t have what I needed. But then I sat down, locked in, and knocked it out in one go. It ended up being really good.
It felt like I’d overcome a mental block. Once you decide you hate a video, it’s hard to get over that—it’s like walking on nails to the finish line. But that one turned out to be something I was excited about, which was cool.
My other favorite thing is filming my coworkers and getting this weird side of them you don’t normally see. Like getting Alicia to rap about her day—in no other context would she do that at work. But I get to pull her aside to the main conference room and make her do it.
5. Let’s talk gear. What do you use to capture content?
I use my phone. Sometimes I use a mount with a light that screws into it. It’s funny because I went to film school and used heavy cinema cameras. That’s the world I came from.
It’s been really interesting pulling back and realizing what I can do with just my phone—and getting over the idea that you need perfect tools to make something. Once I realized I could just shoot something right away, it made the process way more fun.
6. And what’s your editing setup?
Adobe Premiere Pro. Sometimes I try to use CapCut, but I grew up teaching myself Premiere, so that’s just my thing.
Actually, I taught myself how to edit on iMovie when I was really young. I was always into video and photo editing. I’d do random things, like put Toad from Mario and replace his legs with supermodel legs. Stuff like that. Then I moved from iMovie to Premiere and stuck with it for years and years.
We’re still recovering (in the best way) from a weekend of sunshine, snacks, and slightly unhinged levels of inspiration. If you were there, you know. If you weren’t…don’t worry, we took notes. Here’s everything we can’t stop talking about:
We spent the day passing out popsicles and talking about everything coming at Sunniefest on November 15! The vibes will be sweet, cringey pun fully intended. Tickets are already going fast, so grab yours here before they’re gone!
We got to hang with Ashton Lansdell, Brooke Johnson, Morgann Book, and Dai Time all weekend, who are officially part of the 2026 Hello Sunshine Collective! Just missing Ali Riley, who is also a member, but wasn’t able to make it. We have a feeling you’ll be seeing them on Sunnie very soon (👀).
Raegan Revord stopped by to talk about their new book, Rules for Fake Girlfriends, and let’s just say the crowd was obsessed. If you missed them at Shine Away, don’t stress…you can get the behind-the-scenes on this episode of Bookmarked.
Boss Beauties CEO Lisa Mayer hosted a journaling workshop that hit way deeper than expected. Picture a room full of girls putting pen to paper, writing down goals, fears, and affirmations all at once. It was magic. You can recreate the moment at home with the Boss Beauty book (trust us, it’s worth it).
