Serena Kerrigan didn’t wait for a network to hand her a show. During the height of the pandemic, the former Refinery29 video producer and host went live on Instagram and blind-dated her way into a breakout internet moment: 50 virtual dates, thousands of viewers, and a movement built on confidence and radical self-worth. That show became a card game, and the card game became a brand. And SFK, both her alter-ego and philosophy, became a fixture in the creator economy.

This year, she joined the Webby Awards’ Creator Weekend for a conversation on the future of creator-brand partnerships, making the case for long-term collaborations rooted in authenticity over one-off deals. And somewhere between panels, we grabbed her for a few questions. The book, the username, the underrated creator she can’t stop watching — she delivered on all of it.

What’s one thing you think the internet gets wrong about creators?

That they’re lazy or it’s an easy job. It’s pretty intense. It’s a wonderful job and it’s amazing to be able to create, but there’s really no break. And I think you really have to be self-sufficient. You have to be disciplined. You have to trust yourself. You have to be okay with people not liking what you make. And obviously so much of what we do is dependent on views, likes, clicks, shares, and that can get really into your head space. So it’s about being able to have like a really strong sense of self and confidence in what you do. But it’s a difficult job. It’s not, you know, the hardest, but I think people should just try it for a day and see how it goes.

How would you describe your voice?

Sexy. Actually, it’s funny you asked me that because when I was 12, I was the voice of a character on Go, Diego, Go! Alicia. I did that voice for a couple seasons and then I got fired because I went through puberty. But I’m going to be doing the voice, the audio book for my book and I’m very excited to get back into the studio.

Tell us about the book.

My book is called Let’s F***ing Date and it’s out in September. It’s a dating guide — a dating bible for women who are done settling and want to be the prize.

What was your first username online?

Cheeky Pop-Tart. I had big cheeks and I love Pop-Tarts and it felt like it was just very on brand for me.

Who is a creator you think is really underrated right now?

Ben Jenkins. He went to Egypt and he got stuck there with his dog Croissant. And he really kills me. I think seeing someone — it’s kind of like, it was giving like the Simple Life 2.0 — like seeing someone in an environment that you know they weren’t planning for is always really fun content because it doesn’t feel produced. And he’s really funny…It’s hard, especially when you’ve been doing this for so long, you feel like you have to constantly produce, and then it gets to a point where it doesn’t almost feel natural. So I think when you sometimes come across content that is so spontaneous it’s really like, oh.

What does excellence on social mean to you?

Enjoying what you do, loving it, and taking breaks. But really, just at the end of the day, everyone should do what they love. And if you get to do what you love, that’s the best gift ever.

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