22-year-old digital creator, model and dancer Alana Lintao’s success story has been built on a combination of hard work and positive vibes, and we’ve loved watching her thrive.
The New York City-based talent began her career as a model before shifting into content creation during the pandemic, finding her community through comedy and lifestyle videos that highlight who she is as a human being. Today, she has more than 1.2 million followers on TikTok and another 1 million on YouTube, working with major brands while highlighting the authentic connection she’s built with her ever-growing audience. She’s also started building a scholarship fund for young women pursuing educational and creative careers. We had the pleasure of getting to know Alana as our Woman Crush Wednesday. Read our full interview with her below.
(Photo credit: Melanie Gosman)
Name: Alana Lintao
Hometown: New York, New York
Birthday: May 4
1. Alana’s been passionate about content creation since the beginning.
Alana Lintao: I honestly don’t remember a version of my life without a camera. I started making YouTube videos when I was 5 years old alongside my siblings. We’d spend hours creating skits, parody videos and little comedy sketches just because we thought it was fun. Looking back, it’s funny that comedy is still such a huge part of what I create today, it feels like I’ve somehow come full circle.
Things really changed during the pandemic when I started posting consistently on TikTok. One morning I woke up to 10,000 new followers overnight, and it completely shifted what I thought was possible. What started as something I loved doing for fun slowly grew into a career I had only dreamed about!
Since then, I’ve had opportunities I never could have imagined growing up, working with brands I’ve always loved, appearing in Vogue and Teen Vogue, speaking at events and building a community that’s now millions of people across platforms. But underneath all of that, my favorite part hasn’t changed. I’m still just a girl who loves making people laugh, storytelling, and creating videos that hopefully brighten someone’s day!
2. She says that community is the best thing about her job.
Alana: There’s something really special about knowing people are showing up because they connect with you. I could post myself in a clown costume and they’d still show up for me, and honestly, that’s one of the biggest compliments I could ever receive. It reminds me that authenticity lasts longer than perfection.
The content I’m most proud of is my Dream Fund, a scholarship initiative I created to help young people take the next step toward the lives they’re dreaming about. My goal is simple: to remove the barriers that keep someone’s dream feeling out of reach. Whether that’s providing a creator with their first camera, helping an artist get a new computer or giving someone the tools they need to pursue their passion, I want to invest in people.
One of the most rewarding parts of my career is realizing that when I win, my community gets to win too.
(Photo credit: Lauren Cassot)
3. Her favorite movie of all time is a classic musical.
Alana: The Greatest Showman will always have a special place in my heart because I’m such a dreamer. I love stories about people who take unconventional paths and build something beautiful despite what people say. That’s a mindset I’ve always connected with! (And the soundtrack is amazing).
I’m also a huge Marvel fan, so Thunderbolts* instantly became one of my favorites. I love superhero stories!
Also read about: Everything You Wanted to Know About ‘Home’ Artist Sarah de Warren
4. Her favorite things about herself is her heart.
Alana: Everything meaningful in my life starts there. The way I love people, the projects I choose, the goals I set, even the way I define success, it all comes back to genuinely caring. I hope that when people remember me years from now, they remember how I made them feel more than anything I accomplished.
5. The last celebrity she got starstruck over was a big one.
Alana: I don’t get starstruck very often, but meeting Rihanna definitely did it. I had the opportunity to be part of her Puma campaign and getting to meet her in person was a very surreal moment.
I also saw Grant Gustin at the Tony Awards and my brain started glitching.
6. Haters are her biggest pet peeve.
Alana: People who make hating a personality trait. I feel like it’s become trendy to be like “I’m such a hater,” and I’m like…. we need to retire that, girl.
Life is already hard enough. Why not spend your energy building, creating and cheering people on?
7. The Flash is her favorite superhero.
Alana: I grew up watching The Flash on The CW, and I was completely obsessed. I had multiple Flash T-shirts growing up and never missed an episode. Spider-Man is a very close second.
And if anime counts, Bakugo and Deku definitely deserve honorary mentions.
Also read about: The Voices of Deku and Bakugo Gave Us the Inside Scoop on My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising
8. She’s closer to her siblings than anyone else.
Alana: They’ve been there for every version of me. Before social media, before anyone knew my name and through every milestone since.
9. She thinks she’d be terrible at any job that requires sitting still in silence.
Alana: Five minutes in and I’d be color-coding spreadsheets for aesthetic purposes or decorating everything.
(Photo credit: Lauren Cassot)
10. She’d love to live in the fictional worlds of any Disney princess universe or Pixie Hollow.
Alana: I’ve always loved stories that are hopeful, whimsical and full of magic.
Also read about: Everything You Wanted to Know About ‘Act of God’ Artist Linney
11. She says dancing has always been one of the biggest parts of her life.
Alana: I’ve been dancing since I was 5 years old, and growing up homeschooled, it became my creative outlet. I love that dance sits at the intersection of athleticism and art. You’re pushing your body physically while telling a story emotionally, and that is why I’m so passionate about it.
12. Alana says that at her core, she’ll always be a lover girl.
Alana: I know that sounds simple, but it’s truly at the core of who I am. Everything I do comes from a place of love, whether it’s the content I create, the people I work with, the dreams I chase or the community I’ve built.
I’ve always been someone who feels things deeply. I get excited, I care a lot and I find so much joy in the little moments. I think that passion is what has carried me through every chapter of my life. I’m able to love my job so much because I genuinely love the audience, the creators I get to work with, and the people who inspire me.
I also think gratitude is such a powerful thing. It’s hard to feel unhappy when you’re constantly reminded of how much there is to be grateful for. At the end of the day, I hope people know me as someone who loved deeply, dreamed boldly, and always tried to bring a little more positivity into the world.
For more on the creative minds who inspire us, click HERE to learn all about trilingual singer-songwriter GIULIA BE.
