Influencer
Leah White: How A Former Climate Science Major Became A Digital Comedy Star
Leah White is a Canadian actress and creator who has built a following of more than 210,000 on TikTok and amassed over 50 million views with sketches of everyday absurdity and sharp social commentary. Known for her expressive characters and offbeat humor, she has built a viral “girlfriend who hates you” series that has become a hallmark of her online identity, earning her a place among a growing wave of actors using social media as a creative stage.
Before her skits began circulating across TikTok and Instagram, however, Leah was pursuing a career in environmental science.
“I was a lifeguard and a swimming teacher,” she says. “Then I went to university for climate science. I thought I was going to work in government, or something in a lab, or as a field surveyor.”
After graduation, she accepted a remote position at a tech company, a practical choice that quickly revealed itself as the wrong fit. “Every interaction felt really superficial and just not for me,” she says.
That realization set the stage for a creative shift. While living in Victoria, British Columbia, she began modeling on the side. But it wasn’t until she moved to Toronto in 2021 and reconnected with comedian Laura Ramoso that she found the confidence to experiment with her own sketches.
“Laura started posting skits online, and it totally blew up for her,” Leah recalls. “She told me, ‘You should try it. Just post online, see what happens. What’s the worst that could happen?’”
Inspired by Ramoso’s success, Leah began uploading short, comedic videos that mixed relationship satire with subtle character work. “I started just posting anything and throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks,” she says. “Then I thought, ‘Maybe I should take acting more seriously.’ I got an acting agent, and it just kind of snowballed.”
Crafting a Digital Persona
Leah describes her comedic voice as “comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously.” Her sketches often blend the absurd with the relatable, leaning toward what she calls “Tim Robinson-style” humor.
“I want to get a little more strange, because that’s what I enjoy,” she says. “I’d rather just do the persona of the actress who does weird comedy stuff that you sometimes don’t understand.”
Her “the girlfriend who hates you” series features vignettes of doomed relationships told with uncanny realism and quick, expressive timing. “That character is just an accumulation of all the torture that we’ve experienced in relationships put into 30 seconds of pain,” she says with a laugh. “Of course it’s not realistic, but if you can summarize all the crazy that’s happened to you and put it into a single video, it’s going to be wild.”
Behind each performance is a deliberate creative process. Leah jots down ideas in her phone throughout the month, then dedicates specific days to filming multiple sketches. “Sometimes I just set up my phone and film,” she says. “Other times, when I’m working with a group, it’s more intentional. We’ll hash out ideas and take turns filming.”
Her editing process, done on an iPad, is fast-paced but precise. “I don’t use fancy software,” she says. “I just sit on my iPad and do it myself.”
Algorithm Lessons and Audience Realities
As her following grew, Leah became increasingly analytical about what worked. “People have very short attention spans,” she explains. “You have to have a hook in the first part of your video; someone’s face coming right up, or something crazy happening right away.”
She tries to keep videos under two minutes, use fast cuts, and maintain energy. “When I started, I wasn’t consistent in the kind of stuff I was posting,” she says. “Now, I know what to do when it comes to the length of the video, how fast to make the cuts, what the first thing should be.”
Although she started out on TikTok, she now reports that Instagram gives her “way more” engagement. “Even though I have almost double the followers on TikTok, the engagement’s in the toilet. I’ve been seeing a lot of creators complain about that.”
Instagram’s “Trial” feature, which allows creators to post test versions of videos to non-followers, has become one of her favorite tools. “You can post two versions of a similar video, see which one performs better, and then use that one when you officially post it,” she explains. “I wish TikTok had that feature.”
While Leah’s workflow is organized, she still embraces spontaneity. “Sometimes the videos you put no effort into just take off randomly,” she says. “I took a lot of improv classes, so I like to incorporate improvisation into videos, and sometimes that does really well.”
Tapping Into Creativity
Leah’s digital momentum soon translated into a growing career.
“I was happy I was able to quit my day job and just do this,” she says. “I feel so lucky.”
Her acting career has advanced in parallel with her online work. Known for roles in “Expedient,” “Psyche,” and “The Meeting,” she’s now filming a new project in Panama. “The director found me on social media,” she says. “It’s about a destination wedding, lots of beach scenes.”
Leah views social media as a natural extension of her craft as an actor. “It’s an interesting time because, as someone who wants to be an actress, it’s important to have an online presence,” she says. “It’s almost like a part of your résumé now. You can utilize it as a tool.”
But, turning creative success into a business has required new skills. “It’s surprising the budget that brands have to give to creators,” she says. “Having been on commercial sets, I understand how much money goes into production. But it still blows my mind when they say, ‘Here you go, make us a 30-second video.’”
That new business dimension also comes with ethical and creative balancing acts. “Learning how to integrate brand work into what I post without seeming like a walking ad has been a challenge,” she says. “Some brands are very strict about what they want, and it can feel too much like an ad. I always wonder if my audience is going to hate me for doing it.”
For Leah, sponsored content is a necessity, not a luxury. “In Canada, we don’t get paid for views,” the creator notes. “You have to do brand deals.”
Managing Representation and Revenue
The turning point in the professionalization of her creator business came when she sought representation.
“I had no idea when to get an agent or someone to represent me,” Leah says. “I didn’t know what threshold of followers you needed. Everyone had a different answer.”
After reaching around 50,000 followers, she began reaching out to agencies. Some turned her away, saying she needed at least 100,000 followers. Viral Nation, a Canadian creator agency, took a different approach. “They didn’t care,” she recalls. “We had an interview, and they signed me.”
With agency support came a new understanding of value. “Every company is different,” she says. “They handle the negotiations, and the amount you get paid grows with how popular you are. It starts out lower, and then as you grow, you get more, which makes sense.”
Building Engagement Through Insight
Leah believes much of her progress on social media stems from a deep understanding of audience psychology. Her followers, she notes, are overwhelmingly male – about 80% between ages 20 and 30. “It’s not ideal, but I take that into account,” she says. “If I post a bunch of makeup tutorials, they probably won’t do super well. I know they like the comedy stuff, and I like that too.”
Her long-term goal is to gradually expand into lifestyle content once her audience grows more balanced. “You have to give the people what they want to start,” she says. “Then over time, you can start to integrate the deeper cuts, the stuff you’re actually more interested in.”
Consistency remains her guiding principle. “The algorithm likes you to be constantly coming up with stuff,” she says. “Once you get to a certain point, then you can slow it down and increase the quality. But, until then, you just have to post, post, post.”
Still, she’s cautious about burnout. “Don’t sell yourself out,” she says. “If you really don’t like this and you feel like it’s a chore, I don’t think you should do it. I thoroughly enjoy it, and that’s why I think it’s working.”
Expanding Horizons
Leah’s next chapter combines her dual passions for acting and content creation. “I want to make content that’s super high quality with better lighting, camera work, and more professional,” she says. “That’s my next goal.”
She’s also looking to collaborate with more Toronto-based creators and explore scriptwriting. “I’d love to do more movies and TV, and maybe get a little more into writing; have someone else perform something I’ve written,” she says. “It would be nice to be part of that process.”
As her creative career expands, Leah remains focused on experimentation and joy. “Ideally, I’d just like to keep doing what I’m doing,” she says. “I’m happy right now.”
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