In our April digital cover story, SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne talks to content creator and actor, O’Neil Thomas, about his passion for content creation, acting, fashion, mental health. and more. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Kevin Bourne: I have a lot of questions. Obviously, there’s a lot of accomplishments. I want to go back though. I was reading your bio, the fact that family is so big for you. Let’s talk about your upbringing and how your family has contributed to where you are right now with your success.
O’Neil Thomas: So my parents, they’re Jamaican. They came in from that country years ago, and I’ve witnessed firsthand seeing how hard they work, how hard my mom works, to make sure that we had everything that we needed. Not so much what we wanted. She would always work harder to get what we wanted, but she just made sure that we had a roof over our head, meals in our bellies and everything.
So witnessing such hard work with very little really motivated me and really drove me to be able to provide and give back as much as I can. So it kind of stemmed from seeing all that hard work. I’m really inspired by them, and I want to be able to do something like this so I can give back to them the way they can give back to me.
Kevin: Now, knowing Caribbean parents, they have lofty expectations. Maybe you’ll end up in finance or medicine or something. Your education is very important. What were your parents’ reactions to you wanting to be a content creator.
O’Neil: So funny enough, acting was, and is, what I aspired to be from a very young age. I found that love in the third grade so when I told my mom I was like, “Hey, I want to be an actor”, she was like “That’s adorable. So when are you gonna be a lawyer or a doctor?” You know, so I definitely got the Caribbean parent treatment firsthand.
And at first, they were really hesitant because it’s something that they’re not really experienced with. They’re not used to seeing that be a reality, let alone a sustainable reality. So they met that with a lot of pushback until they realized that I was not stopping. They were like, “We can’t get this kid to go anywhere else. He keeps coming back to this years later”. So after a lot of hard work and results and them seeing me on TV screens and everything, they’re like, “Wow, okay, so he knows what he’s doing” And they’re now nourishing that.
DIGITAL COVER | APRIL
Kevin: So when did the whole fashion part come in? Because fashion is a big part of who you are and what you do.
O’Neil: I’ve always had a love for fashion, especially men’s fashion. I think from a young age, I would see red carpets and I would see the Met Gala and everything, and I just love being able to see clothing; being able to tell a story, and seeing so many different structures and designs. I’m so drawn to that, it’s kind of like costuming for shows, but in a store.
Whenever we’re watching a good Broadway show and then somebody just comes out with a crazy cool piece, you just can’t stop looking at it. So I’ve always had a love for it. I didn’t really know where to start up until I got older. Now, I’ve been able to kind of play around more with shapes and designs and everything, and it’s been so much fun since.
Kevin: So, are you styling or do you sew?
O’Neil: No, I’m styling myself. I’m finding pieces from different brands and designers that I can put stuff together.
Kevin: Now, you recently appeared at New York fashion week. First off, was that your first experience with it? And what was it like for you being at such a big iconic event?
O’Neil: God, it was my first fashion week ever, and it was beautiful chaos. I think that’s the best way I can put it. I’ve always heard from friends talking about how hectic fashion week could be. So, I definitely went with that going into it. I’m like, “Okay, I know I have a lot of things coming up, and I know it’s going to be crazy, but I’m just going to go on with my best fashion foot forward and just have a good time and be as present as possible”. So it was crazy. But once we finally got to sit down and enjoy the show, oh my God, I was blown away.
I’ve always had a love for fashion, especially men’s fashion. I think from a young age…I didn’t really know where to start up until I got older. Now, I’ve been able to kind of play around more with shapes and designs and everything, and it’s been so much fun since.
Kevin: Now, aside from fashion, mental health is also big for you as well. Can you talk about how mental health ended up becoming such an important topic for you?
O’Neil: I feel like in the world of what I do, in the entertainment industry, it’s very easy to always be known as the funny friend, or the friend I can always go to for a good laugh. A lot of those times, I want to say 90, almost 99.9% of the times, your funniest friends are going through a lot of mental health issues. I’ve had my spin with a lot of depression, anxiety, and things of that nature that stemmed from childhood that has kind of evolved as I’ve grown into the man that I am today.
So I always try my best to make sure that I remind my platform, my followers, anyone around me, my family, my friends, to always check in with yourself. You only have you, you know? So I always want to make sure that you’re good. If you’re not good, that’s okay. Take a day, take two days if you can, but always take time to learn yourself, speak to yourself, and come back.
Kevin: It’s so true that a lot of people that are the funniest people…I mean, Robin Williams is a prime example. He made millions of people laugh, but he was struggling in private. I see that so much in the industry where it’s the people who are the ones that make other people laugh are sometimes the ones that are having those dark moments. So, it’s nice that you’re kind of raising this because in the Black community, I think we’re talking more about mental health now, but in the past it was always something that our community didn’t talk about enough, and still don’t talk about enough. So, I think it’s so it’s important that you are bringing that topic to the forefront.
O’Neil: For sure.
Kevin: Now, let’s pivot to talk about one of your recent accomplishments. You were one of Instagram’s Creators of Tomorrow for 2024, as reported by Teen Vogue. What was that like to get that kind of nod from Instagram?
O’Neil: It was a dream come true. It was really insane, to say the very least. Super unexpected. And when I got that achievement, I just felt like what I was doing was right. It was definitely a moment for me to finally sit down, because in this world, it’s very fast-paced. And it’s like, Okay, I did one video. What’s the next? What’s the next? I’m always thinking about the next. So when I was able to be recognized for such a huge accomplishment like that, it allowed me to actually sit down with myself and be like, “Dude, you did it. You’re doing it. Congratulations, pat yourself on the back, and what you’re doing is where I keep going”. So it was a huge, huge accomplishment for me.
WATCH: INTERVIEW WITH O’NEIL THOMAS
Kevin: For you, obviously with the amount of followers you have on different platforms, you’ve done a good job of connecting with people. Like, what is the secret, like, when it comes to just the ability to connect and resonate with people?
O’Neil: Integrity. I always lead with integrity. I want to make sure that I’m proud of what I’m producing and putting out first. And because of that, I’m able to share that with the right community of people who also love what I do. You know, I know everyone has their own kind of tastes. So I’m happy to be able to create what I thoroughly enjoy and it spreads to the right people. And that’s an easy back and forth communicating with my followers that way.
Kevin: I was reading that for you, authenticity is a big thing. So I guess that really is authenticity.
O’Neil: You can definitely tell in the span of this new medium that is social media and content creating that there are a lot of people who go into it for the wrong reasons. And I mean, because I’ve been doing it for such a long time, since I was a kid, you kind of understand if you’re here for a quick cash grab, or you’re here for something else. But I can tell that this isn’t your passion. You don’t really care too much for storytelling. So when you find people who do love it for it, the purpose of storytelling, you can tell that it’s easier for them to connect with their followers that way.
Kevin: Now I was reading that when you’re not creating content, you like sitting down with your favorite comfort TV show or comfort film. What are your go-tos?
O’Neil: Oh my god, Abbott Elementary. Dude, that’s my favorite, favorite show of all time. Every episode’s a banger. I love Abbott Elementary. I love what Quinta’s been doing with that show. What else? I love Squid Game. I know that just came out. And I’m so excited for the third season coming out in June, which is super quick. I’ve been really into true crime stuff, Shameless, a lot of cool ensemble TV show characters where you just live vicariously through so many different ones.
Kevin: And what about music? You seem like you might be a music guy. When you’re trying to sit down and just vibe, what are you putting on?
O’Neil: So lately, I’ve been really into Doechii. I mean, actually not lately. That was a lie. I’ve known about Doechii for such a long time, but her recent work, Alligator Bites Never Heel, has been just so monumental. And I’m just so proud of her and her artistry and how she’s just so unafraid to stand out and be bold. It’s super inspiring. And of course, album of the year, Cowboy Carter.
I always lead with integrity. I want to make sure that I’m proud of what I’m producing and putting out first…I’m happy to be able to create what I thoroughly enjoy and it spreads to the right people.
Kevin: Since your background is Jamaican, are you into any dancehall, any island vibes at all?
O’Neil: Lately, I’ve been getting into Afrobeats and dancehall for sure. My mom, she puts me on to as much as she can. Recently, I was able to take her to Jamaica for her birthday. It was a dream come true because we haven’t been able to go in over 17 years. It’s been a very long time. I’m very happy and blessed I’ve been able to get to a point where I’m able to give back to her. And one of the things I wanted to do for her was bring her back to her home country. So we got to do that. We went there and it was just everything we needed and more, the music, the food. It was just all good vibes.
Kevin: And before we go, looking forward, where do you see the career going in the next five years or so?
O’Neil: Definitely still auditioning. I’m working with a lot of indie directors, and I’m just super excited to see where my career goes in that direction, as well as for comedy and creating. I am actually in the works of writing my own comedy show and trying to do some material. It would be a cool little tour at the end of this year, early next year. I’ve done standup and it was a lot of fun. I’ve always had really good feedback afterwards, but since creating has been super busy for my schedule. I’m making time now.
Kevin: And last but not least, a lot of people are trying to create content, but maybe it’s not going well. Do you have advice for the content creators who are trying to get where you are, and they’ve started, but things maybe aren’t resonating or hitting how they’d like?
O’Neil: I say continue to put the best version of you forward. I think at the end of the day, we’re constantly consuming people we’d want to be like, we’d want to aspire like, and we keep forgetting that they’re their own individual person and you’re your own individual person. So keep your heart, keep your integrity in mind when you’re creating all the content. I guarantee you someone’s going to see it. I mean, when I first started out, my very first video, which I thought was going to be a banger, it flopped really bad. Nobody watched it, but I kept watching it and I kept laughing every time. So as long as you love what you’re doing, and as long as you’re laughing, if you’re feeling what you were able to deliver from that, your job is done and the right people will follow you.
Kevin: Do you remember that first moment where you’re creating and it’s not working? And then that moment where it started to resonate? What was that feeling like?
O’Neil: It happens overnight. For me, the feeling was like no other, because it was like a moment of…finally. When I first started back in 2020 creating on TikTok, I was making funny videos here and there that I loved. I thought it was funny, but I guess it didn’t hit the right people yet. So, when it finally happened a few months later, and I’m starting to see that traction, it was just so exciting. I think the best way I can put it was it’s exciting, because people are now seeing you. They’re learning you. I’m able to connect with them in the comments, and they’re just learning more about you. And it became this huge snowball effect.
Kevin: That’s awesome. It that’s very inspiring to see look at the journey and where you are right now. We’ll definitely be looking at for your appearance on Abbott Elementary. We’re speaking it into existence. And we’re looking forward to seeing you shine in the industry.
O’Neil: Thank you so much, Kevin. You’ve been awesome.
To follow and learn more about O’Neil Thomas follow him on TikTok at @oneilthomas97, on Instagram at @oneilthomas, and on YouTube at @oneilthomas.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s Toronto-based editor and Senior Entertainment Reporter focusing on Black music and film & TV. He was named one of 340 international voters for the 81st and 8nd Golden Globe Awards and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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