A woman walks into a bar……. A common joke intro, but for real, I walked into the new bar in Fairhope, 87 West, one weekday afternoon, killing some time, acting like a tourist in my little town. I spot a young mother with a baby stroller, and, of course, I am drawn by the motherly instinct to have a look and share some coos and goo-goos with the little baby. What to my wandering eyes appear? A baby pig, with a stuffed animal pig as its lovey, wearing a little hat. I pet it, talk to it, and fawn all over its cuteness. Mom says its name is Shrimp, and it's a social media celebrity. I have to know more.

Gemma and Dillion Will are locals who live and work in Fairhope and stroll Shrimp around town, gaining fans and followers wherever they go. Gemma tells me they got him from a breeder; he was the runt of the litter, hence the name Shrimp, and he will reach between 50 and 100 pounds at maturity. He's a specific breed, a Juliana pig, often considered one of the smallest mini breeds, featuring a lean, athletic build and colorful spots.

Gemma says he is the best pet: snuggly, playful, and he's litter-box trained, too. Not the pig from Old MacDonald's Farm, for sure. While we have our cocktails, Gemma gives him treats, lovingly smiling at him, and takes photos of him doing his pig thing. She must document it because he has 35,000 followers on Facebook; he is a pet influencer on social media. I call my pig-loving daughter and tell her to get to the bar as fast as she can, so she too can meet Shrimp the Pig. We visit outside on the patio, so I can ask questions and get a grip on social media influencers, monetization, and all the things so foreign to someone born in the 1950s.

Gemma loves animals and has several. (Her ultimate goal is to buy some land where she can have an animal rescue operation.) Dillion says that if she sees an animal in need, she will step in to help it. Because her career is in social media management, it is only fitting that each of her pets has its own Instagram account.

When Dillion gave her the baby pig Shrimp for her birthday, she posted a video of Shrimp listening to Dillion play the guitar. Did you know pigs love music and can tell different musical genres apart? Anyway, the post 'blew up' overnight with millions of views and people from all over signing up to follow Shrimp the Pig on Facebook and Instagram. "I didn't set out with the intention of making Shrimp a celebrity, but when it started happening, I decided to go with it and see if it could be monetized. A lot of influencers on social media make a lot of money." So how does one do this?

Gemma is an expert in social media management, and she and Dillion manage many local accounts, including Brenny's Jewelry, Rock Steady Roofing, Lasala's Gentlemen's Boutique and Barber, and the band Thompson Square. To have a strong social media presence so that the Meta algorithms will publish the posts to a broad range of non-followers so that you get more engagement (likes, shares, and comments), a person must post new content at least 1 to 3 times every day, at least 15 posts a week. Because viewers who scroll barely give each post 3 seconds, the content needs a 'hook' to keep them looking longer, which also helps the algorithm work in your favor. You also must hashtag everything. That's a lot of work!

Gemma explains that Shrimp's popularity is growing so fast on social media because when followers comment on a post, she responds to every one within the first hour of posting, so the content doesn't fade into cyberspace unseen. Gemma said, "I am on my phone constantly, sometimes 9 hours a day." Besides her accounts, she has to answer all of Shrimp's fans as well.

"Shrimp is like a mental health therapist; he comforts certain viewers, and they tell him good morning and goodnight each day, often sharing how he has helped them get through the day. I answer them in Shrimp's voice."

So now comes the brand partnerships, which is where the money comes in. Once the number of followers reaches a substantial number, a company's marketing representative will start sending products to include in the video content and then pay the influencer to show them. Gemma is excited that a pet company, TeloPet, has contacted her and hopes to start a partnership with them. In the meantime, she is enjoying connecting with all the piggy fans out there in the social media world.

Shrimp sits in his stroller next to the table at the Decoy Bar and Grill, where our interview continues. He sits and listens to our conversation, squealing every once in a while for a treat, and wagging his curly tail when admiring fans stop by to pet him. "He is a little celebrity, Gemma says; he is here for the people. When we post where we are going to be in Fairhope, fans show up, and the business sells." While we talk, Gemma's hand is in the stroller so Shrimp can root with his snoot, and I must admit his snoot is really cute!

Gemma and Dillion are originally from Buffalo, NY, and Milwaukee, WI, respectively, and they met online while Gemma was in Tampa and Dillion was in Fairhope. Dillion was touring as an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) DJ when COVID brought him to Fairhope because his dad had moved there. In 2024, when Gemma visited Fairhope, she fell in love with the town, and they decided to stay. Dillion has always been involved with music; he is a self-taught musician and is focusing on singing and songwriting now. Because he still has strong connections in the music industry, he's planning to record and release an album soon under the moniker Ellby. That is when he's not handling social media accounts with their PBJ Management Company.

Gemma wakes up every morning thinking about fresh new content for Shrimp's socials. Posting 50 times a week, she needs to feature Shrimp's story with a new twist each time. She loves photography and excels in all things digital, so showcasing Shrimp is a job filled with love and joy. And they have given up eating pork.

Oh my gosh, I learned so much about social media and pigs in this interview, but I also met two really cool kids, and I wish them the best of luck. And don't forget to follow, like, share, and comment on Shrimp the Pig on Facebook and Little Shrimp the Pig on Instagram.