Hi, everybody. My name is Oorbee Roy. I'm a digital content creator and adult skateboarder.
I started skateboarding at the age of 43 so I could spend more time with my kids. My husband was already skateboarding. Once my kids started skateboarding, I knew I didn't want to be the mom standing on the sidelines videotaping my whole family living their best lives, so I took a couple of lessons. I got on a skateboard and fell immediately, but I got back up and I loved it. I became addicted.
Then in February 2021, I started a TikTok account. I don't know if you guys remember how dark that particular COVID lockdown was, but I wanted to spread some joy and positivity, so I launched this account to share my journey and [Technical difficulty—Editor].
In under four months, I gained over 100,000 followers on TikTok. That was recently verified, so I have a blue check mark. I'm a celebrity now. I have been featured on CBC, BlogTO, NBC's Today show and in many publications across the world. Earlier this month, I was on Live TV in New Zealand. That was super cool.
People DM me from all over the world and tell me how I inspired them to go back to school, to start a career as a musician or just to want to get on a skateboard again or for the first time.
Now I'm making a career. I'm planning skate trips for adults. I'm partnering with Canadian brands. I'm running other people's accounts. I'm going to movie premieres. I'm putting together an online course for adults.
So many doors have opened for me in the past year in a way that I never thought possible. It's now possible for me to earn a living as a digital creator, but honestly, it hasn't been that easy for me this whole time. Twenty years ago, I was living in New York City, and after 9/11, like everybody else down there, I had a life-changing epiphany. I quit my job on Wall Street—sorry, Mom—and I pursued a career in the arts. I bombed badly. There was no space for me in traditional media. I did not tick the right boxes. I don't know how you can say no to this face, but they did. I continued to stop and start my career over the last two decades, sometimes successfully, sometimes less so.
Fast-forward to the pandemic. I was working for my husband's company. He was very busy in the food business. He had to keep the shelves stocked, so I had to give up my job to take care of the kids and make sure they were being fed, but I didn't want to be the mom standing on the sidelines watching my whole family live their lives.
You know what? I feel as though skateboarding has given me a new lease on life. It has taught me that every time I fall, every mistake I make, every moment when things don't go my way, it's just part of my journey. If I put in the work and keep trying, eventually I will land the trick.
Translating that into my real life, I realize that it is absolutely 100% possible for a 47-year-old woman to pivot her career and earn a living as an adult skateboarder. I dare anyone to tell me different. I just have to believe in myself.
Sure, pivoting hasn't been easy. I'm definitely trying to figure out the digital creator space. I have made some missteps. Not every door is open for me. I sent my media kit to over 30 agencies in Canada, and they all shut their door on me because, again, I don't check the right boxes. But, listen: I'm a creative person. That's the very core of who I am, and I don't need anyone's help.
Being a digital creator has allowed me to stay authentic, own my own story, and find an audience without having to tick somebody else's boxes. I can finally make a living as an artist. The global digital creator gig economy is booming, and you don't have to stand on the sidelines if you put in the work and believe in yourself, because it's never too late to live your best life.
Thank you.