Tech creator Alberta Tech likes to be prepared for an idea to strike at any time.
The former software engineer recently left Google to pursue content creation full-time, making videos that use comedy to unpack some of the internet's most complicated tech topics, from generative AI to vibe coding.
But despite the technical subject matter, her actual creator setup is surprisingly uncomplicated. "Phone and mics are all I need to be making stuff these days," Alberta told Mashable at VidCon.
The rest comes down to staying curious about what people are talking about — and being ready to hit record when inspiration strikes.
Her phone
Like many creators, Alberta doesn't need an elaborate camera setup to make a video. Her phone does most of the heavy lifting.
It's particularly fitting for a creator whose career began on TikTok during the pandemic, when Alberta started posting jokes from her New York apartment before eventually finding her audience in the tech and software engineering communities.
These days, it's still one of the only devices she needs to make something.
Rode mics
The one piece of gear Alberta makes sure she has with her? "I always have my mics on me," she said. "They actually are Rode mics. Just in case inspiration strikes wherever I go."
That habit has already paid off. "I went to an event once in New York and saw a creator that I had been following for a long time online, but we had never met in person," she recalled. Rather than scheduling something for later, they made a video on the spot. "We were able to just make a video right then and there, no planning," Alberta said. "It was completely improv, which was so fun."
They had the idea. More importantly, they had the mics.
The news
Not everything in Alberta's creator toolkit can literally fit inside a bag. Her videos depend on being able to turn complicated developments in tech and AI into jokes people can actually understand, which means keeping up with a news cycle that moves incredibly quickly.
"I would say just reading the news," Alberta said of the other things that help her make content.
That information becomes the raw material for her videos — and sometimes the setup for the next joke.
There's another place Alberta checks every morning. "Reading the top of Reddit every morning," she said.
For a creator who makes content about how people experience and talk about technology, knowing what happened isn't necessarily enough. She also wants to know what the internet thinks happened.
Which leads to her final essential.
The comments
Alberta reads the comments to "see what people really think about what is going on." That means paying attention not only to the people who love what she's making, but also the people who decidedly do not. "You have to listen to the people that are your biggest fans or your biggest haters," she said.
Phone. Mics. News. Reddit. Comments. The gear may be minimal. The curiosity is anything but.
From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage and meet The Mashable 101 to discover the internet’s most exciting voices.