Understanding Danielle Dubem’s passion for relatable, authentic stories

Danielle Diana Dubem (also known as D3) started her journey in content creation during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020. Encouraged by the rise of online content, she began documenting her life because she was bored and wanted to inspire other people. During a brief chat at Facebook’s VIP hub at the recently concluded Lagos Fashion Week 2025 event, she shared how focusing on authenticity rather than perfection has powered her inspirational rise to prominence in the creative space.

Danielle is a Nigerian lifestyle content creator and recent graduate who has built a dedicated following through authentic, relatable content that showcases her personal experiences and everyday life.

Her videos of her daily life include activities like cooking, fashion, and schooling. In a few years, she had grown a significant following of young adults navigating similar life stages — from university life to entering the creative industry.

Danielle was inspired to create content because he wanted to show that one doesn’t need to have a perfect life to be on camera. “What inspired me to start creating content is the fact that I believe you can be who you are. You don’t need to be rich or have it all. You only need to be interesting and desire to connect to people”, she explained.

Interestingly, she gets inspiration for content ideas randomly, often just sitting down and coming up with them.

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Notably, she has learnt the importance of being one’s own supporter, finding one’s unique audience, and integrating personality into content. She advised aspiring content creators to be their own number one supporter and not wait for others to validate their work.

“ I will say you have to be your number one supporter. You cannot wait for other people to clap for you before you clap for yourself. Even if it looks like what you’re doing isn’t making sense, it does,” she explains.

After overcoming an initial inertia to share her creativity with the world, Danielle discovered the generative power of sharing on social media. She highlights Facebook’s supportive community and the benefits of using Meta AI for creative assistance.

“Anytime I need help, I just chat with Meta, AI. It is actually my best friend on Facebook, because I really don’t know how to use the app without its help. If I need help with captions or help with ideas, I simply ask, and it makes it simple for me”, she explains.

I asked her for her favourite Facebook feature, and she mentioned scheduled posting without hesitation. “ I also love posting on stories. It allows me to share the behind-the-scenes of everything that I do every day. This is especially useful for my new followers”, she adds.

When asked for features that she would love to see on Facebook, she asked for a draft feature to save posting ideas. In addition, she craved a collaboration tool that is similar to Instagram’s.

But the path to fame is not without challenges. Her challenges include filming in noisy environments, self-doubt, and storage issues.

Looking ahead, Danielle predicts a shift towards more authentic content creation in Nigeria. She advised future creators to focus on their journey and stay true to themselves, rather than following trends blindly. She suggests integrating personality into content to make it more relatable and valuable.

“What will really make people appreciate your value and content creator is the amount of personality that shines through your videos to your audience. So, integrate your personality into your videos, even if it is for just 10 seconds”, she concluded.

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