From Tameside to TikTok: How Ellie Craven turned a small bedroom into a big career

When 21-year-old Ellie Craven shut the door on her university halls for the final time, she wasn’t expecting to become one of Tameside’s biggest social-media success stories.

She wasn’t chasing fame, and she certainly wasn’t expecting to find herself with over 330,000 TikTok followers and more than 34 million likes just a year later.

In fact, Ellie left university for a far simpler reason: she was miserable.

“I didn’t drop out thinking, I’m going to become an influencer,” she says. “I dropped out because I wanted a job in marketing or social media. I just knew uni wasn’t making me happy.”

But stepping away came with criticism. Ellie remembers sitting in a meeting with a personal tutor who warned her that she was “never going to get a job above minimum wage.”

“I just thought, well, this isn’t working. I’d rather be happy. So, I decided to leave. I told everyone, I’m just going to do it. I’m not bothered.”

Over the next few months, Ellie faced wave after wave of rejection, around 50 marketing job applications, each one a “no,” before she finally landed a role in October 2023. Yet alongside the 9–5 grind, Ellie quietly kept posting on TikTok. Not for validation. Not for overnight virality. Just because she enjoyed it.

“I’ve never really blown up from one video,” she explains. “My growth has always been gradual because my content isn’t trend-led. It’s personal, and consistent. I think people follow for a reason.”

A Tameside creator in a world of sky-high apartments

While many social-media stars flaunt expansive dressing rooms and skyline apartments, Ellie’s bedroom tells a different story.

“It’s literally slightly bigger than a box room,” she laughs. “Sometimes I think, I wish I had more space, but honestly, it proves anyone can do it. You don’t need a mansion. I filmed in that tiny room for years.”

Growing up in Tameside, she says, grounded her.

“It’s not a particularly rich area,” she says. “But people here are friendly. Real. I think that comes across in what I post. I’m not pretending to live some luxury lifestyle. Until recently I was still driving my 2009 Fiat 500.”

And people relate to that. She’s the girl-next-door with a ring light in her bedroom, laughing with followers like they’re on her private Snapchat story.

“I don’t see 300,000 followers as real people,” she admits. “On TikTok I can sit there with spot cream on, chatting rubbish, and I don’t think twice. Instagram scares me more, if my hair’s out of place I’m like, Oh my God! But TikTok feels like Face Timing friends.”

The power of influence

Ellie’s viewers don’t just scroll, they buy.

“I remember someone telling me they bought a face mask because I used it,” she says. “And it hit me; most things I know about are from TikTok too. We skip TV adverts now. But you don’t skip a creator who pops up on your For You Page. Social media is massive for businesses. Some of them wouldn’t exist without it.”

That influence has fuelled Ellie’s desire to help others. Earlier this year, she released her own e-book, aimed at people wanting to enter the digital world or those thinking of leaving education but unsure of their next step.

“I get messages every single day - people saying they don’t like uni, or they want to start social media. And I can’t reply to everyone with a long paragraph. So, I wrote the e-book. There’s nothing else out there from the perspective of someone who actually dropped out to pursue something unconventional.”

She’s now planning an online masterclass, offering more in-depth teaching for aspiring creators and small businesses.

“A lot of them already have the product, the price, the potential, they just lack awareness. I want to help them get seen.”

What’s next for Ellie?

Ellie’s future is already looking busy.

She hopes to step back into modelling, combine it with content creation, and secure more partnerships with hair and beauty giants like L’Oréal, Matrix, and Redken.

“I already work with some of them on a gifted basis, but I’d love paid partnerships. And I’d absolutely love a brand trip abroad!”

Long-term, she dreams of launching her own fashion brand, though she’s realistic.

“I want to do it properly. And I’m very busy right now,” she smiles.

The girl who never stopped doing what she loved

Ellie’s journey hasn’t been without bumps. In school, her childhood YouTube videos were mocked publicly. But the same people who once laughed are now asking her to promote their businesses.

“I just didn’t care,” she says. “I enjoyed doing it. And if you enjoy something, stick with it. People come around eventually.”

A message to young people in Tameside

For anyone reading this, especially teens unsure about their future, Ellie offers one final piece of advice: “If something doesn’t make you happy, don’t do it. If you’ve got a place to fall back on, like family and a home, use that privilege and go for what you want. So many people would love that chance.

“If uni isn’t for you and you have another option, take it. Life’s too short.”