Creator Gigi Bello on the simple gear setup she relies on for capturing content

In 2025, content creator Gigi Bello (@okaycoolgigi) took her audience on a journey. She was determined to fix the “landlord special” – a hole on the door of her New York City apartment that had long been closed. The video (and subsequent follow-up) went viral, earning the 28-year-old CPA a feature. People And many new followers.

“The creation of the content happened by accident after some videos went viral, but I fell in love with it,” says Bello.

Please use these two blurbs in the coming weeks, thanks!

---

Mashable 101 Fan Favorites: Nominate your favorite creators today

---

Bello’s account is otherwise dedicated to her adventures making sourdough bread and her beloved starter, Alois. But Bello says the peephole video made her realize that “no matter what I post, if I really care about it, other people will care about it too.”

Bello says, “Sometimes I feel like I don’t want to be stuck making sour dough all the time (so sorry Eloise, I love you), but it’s made me feel better about posting other things I’m interested in and trust that people will still care.”

When it comes to capturing content, Bello uses a relatively low-tech setup in her apartment’s kitchen. We talked to the creator about his favorite gear, his love of sourdough, and what it took to remove all those layers of paint.

What are your content creation essentials?

iPhone 17 Pro

Bello uses her iPhone to capture both video and audio. “I needed something convenient, because it’s basically a one-woman show and I’m filming everything by myself in my kitchen, so my phone does it all,” she says.

tiktok

It’s Bello’s platform of choice and his editing software is all-in-one. Bello says she uses TikTok for both recording and editing her videos.

She says, “I find editing in TikTok very convenient for me. It makes my life easier than having a bunch of random short clips in my camera roll, because I get a chance to pause and resume recording in the same clip.” “And the editing in TikTok is so user-friendly that I don’t feel the need to use anything else if I don’t need to.”

capcut

For those times when she needs an editing program with a little more excitement, she turns to CapCut.

Mashable Trend Report

“I mainly use CapCut when I have to edit a video for a brand, because it makes me feel ‘safe’ that my video won’t get randomly deleted. (Yes, TikTok has done this to me before).”

LED Portable Selfie Light

“Sometimes (especially in the winter months) I don’t have the best lighting in my kitchen, so portable lights help a lot,” says Bello. “I think it feels a little unnatural to have the LED lights directly on me, so bouncing it off feels more real.”

ipad

Bello says she uses her iPad to do research and take notes.

“I’ll use my iPad to find inspiration for recipes or go down random rabbit holes while trying to think of ideas,” she says.

What was that magic that removed all the paint from the hole?

Bello:Citristrip! This is a paint and varnish stripping gel that I’ve seen a lot of restoration people use when trying to remove old paint from door frames. Although I probably should have used a mask; I had headaches for several days after using this and accidentally inhaling it.

Is it safe to say that you are in your sour era?

Mashable: Talk to us about the trip there and any equipment anyone might need.

Bello: Honestly, the whole “in my sour age” thing bothers me (I’m sorry!!!). I’ve always been a carbs lover. In 2024, I was scrolling through and saw a lot of people talking about how hard it was to make sourdough bread; They also mentioned how much better it was for you. I decided [that] If I can successfully make sourdough, I must be a genius. Honestly, it was just a test [of] My own abilities and a way for me to keep a hobby going at home.

I don’t think you need much to get started making sourdough, and you probably already have the ingredients at home. Perhaps the biggest thing you’ll need to get started is patience.

What is your favorite loaf pan?

Bello: My current favorite loaf pan is made by Nordic Ware. Unlike the Dutch oven, it’s very light, and my recent loaves have been made using it, and they’ve turned out really good.

What do you like about what you do?

Bello: I love that I’m able to do whatever passion project I want at the moment (Eloise is a big part of that) and share my experience with it, whether it fails or succeeds. My favorite thing is creating something from an idea, even if it seems a little silly, and being able to create something and show it off is really gratifying.

I feel like my life is somewhat dual – my day job is more analytical and organized, but my natural personality comes out in my videos, where I get to be more creative.

Who is your ideal listener?

Bello: My ideal audience is people who are casual about things in the best possible way. Like, kind, a little goofy, and really invested. People who enjoy the process, not just the end result, and who are okay with things not being perfect. Also, people who understand my humor and don’t take everything seriously. I love it when it feels like we’re all just ganging up against me and “posting stuff.”

Any notable achievements in the last year?

Bello: to be in People The magazine was definitely there for my peephole and something I never expected. Also, Eloise’s second birthday – I can’t believe I’ve been making sourdough for two years; It really puts it into perspective. And going to FoodiCon was something I feel really grateful for. I got to meet a lot of people I interacted with online, and hearing that people were there to see me made me feel really healthy, surreal, and a little crazy. I usually film alone in my kitchen and convince myself that none of this is real, so seeing it in real life was really gratifying.

Does Eloise have anything she would like to add?

Eloise: I confess, I put Ophelia in the junk drawer.

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platformsThe gear they swear byAnd what trends they see coming next. Read more about our manufacturer coverage, Meet The Mashable 101 To discover the Internet’s most exciting voices, and tell us about your favorite creators today.

Updated: April 22, 2026, 3:02 pm EDT Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the Nordicware pan used by Bello. This has since been fixed.