Simply put, Lottie Bie is everywhere.
With her TikTok numbers attracting millions of followers, likes, and views, Lottie is a bona fide social media superstar.
Her skits—dialogues and scenarios dosed with humor and sarcasm that somehow the young and old alike can relate to—are comedy gold.
Lottie wears many hats: content creator, director, and NFT (non-fungible token) artist.
She even has a line of perfume under her name, and is now a published author busily promoting her book titled, Crumpled Pages.
Recently, Lottie was seen in the Cinemalaya entry When This is All Over.
With that said, get to know more about everyone's favorite funny girl on TikTok.
@lottiebie Ha? Ha?
? original sound bie - lottie
"LAGI AKONG TULALA"
For starters, the name Lottie Bie is just a nickname pertaining to her signature curly locks.
"Lottie Bie po kasi 'Kulottie' and nickname siya from college," she told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in a recent interview at the Summit Media office in Mandaluyong City.
Lottie is an only child and since her early age, her parents had encouraged her to explore the arts.
She said, "Yung mom ko, lagi po akong ini-enroll sa mga workshops. Nag-theater ako nung bata ako. I did play Gabriella Montez in High School Musical, mga ganun.
"I did acting also. Painting din po. Then mahilig ako sa poetry, anything creative. Pero ang hina-hina ko sa math."
Believe it or not she is an introvert who would as a kid entertain herself at home to fight off boredom.
Shared Lottie, smilingly, "Only recently na-diagnose ako ng ADHD (attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder)
"So that explains my childhood na hindi ako ganun ka-focused in class, kasi lagi akong either tulala or lagi akong may ibang iniisip."
She elaborated, sounding both amused and perplexed, "Hindi ko kaya yung matagalan na mag-sit down in one place.
"So in my childhood lagi akong may imaginary friends dahil wala nga akong kapatid.
"Kung sinu-sino kinakausap ko o kahit mag-isa ko, and dapat lagi akong may laruan kasi sila yung mga characters na I play with."
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JOINING THE WORK FORCE
After finishing high school at Dominican College in San Juan City, Lottie moved to Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila where she took up Communication Arts.
Lottie took on various jobs after she finished college, "Ang first job ko po is events coordinator. After that nag-editor ako, writer, nag-English teacher din ako."
She added, beaming, "Hindi lang halata sa content ko pero, yes, nag-English teacher ako."
She became an assistant director trainee at ABS-CBN, then moved to Secret Menu (formerly Globe Studios) where she currently works as a director after being part of the creative team.
Lottie directs commercials, music videos, and other types of short-form content, a job she enjoys so much that thoughts of quitting have never crossed her mind.
She said, "In terms of financially lang, kaya na kong mabuhay ng content creation, pero hindi ko maiwan ang directing.
"Hindi mo kasi masabi. It’s always nice to have that [fallback].
"May passion po kasi talaga ko with directing, creating stories. Basically, creating stories that make people feel.
"I wanna be part of that so hindi ko po makita na maiwan ko yung directing."
TAKING SOCIAL MEDIA BY STORM
Lottie, who fancied herself a Disney Princess as a kid, started uploading videos of herself on TikTok towards the end of 2021.
In 2022, Lottie Bie went viral for her skit that garnered millions of views.
She recalled, laughing, "Mega viral talaga, 17 million views yung TikTok ko about yung 'sobrang yaman,' yung sobrang yaman yung problema ko.
@lottiebie Pano ba to?
? original sound bie - lottie
"Pero before that, nag-start ako mag TikTok, I’m telling people na parang I’m a long lost princess, na Magindale, yun yung dapat kong country.
"Tapos may mga naniwala for some reason. Tapos ako, parang ang saya pala mag-trip, gumawa ng mga stories, tapos ibi-bring mo yung mga tao into this different reality.
"So yun, dun po nag-start tinuluy-tuloy ko na lang nung nakita ko yung feedback."
Lottie's success in the social media world didn't happen overnight.
Like in the case of many creatives, be they writers, musicians, or poets, there were hits and misses before Lottie found her voice she felt naturally comfortable with.
She looked back, "Yung mga unang-una na nagke-create ako ng mga scenario na parang lalake ako.
"Personally, hindi ko pala siya branding. Yung medyo Wattpad kasi yung ina-attempt ko nun.
"Mas dun pala ko nagwu-work sa comedy. So medyo nahihiya akong balikan yung mga dati kong skits, cringe yun sa akin."
If anything, Lottie eventually learned that being yourself, even in the make-believe world of social media, was still the best way to capture an audience.
@lottiebie Ayan kasi ginalingan niyo! #Satire #Sarcasm #DoNotTakeSeriously ? original sound - lottie
"Ganito na po kasi talaga ako in person. So kung ano yung personality ko sa TikTok, yun talaga ako in person.
"Na-realize ko na hindi ko pala kailangan lumayo sa kung sino talaga ko.
"So yun po yung branding ko, someone na medyo sarcastic, medyo stupid minsan, and nilalabas ko po siya."
Lottie's humor, particularly her skit dubbed the "common sense teacher," has even caught the attention of the country's longest-running gag show, Bubble Gang.
@lottiebie COMMON SENSE TEACHER IS BACK
? original sound bie - lottie
Lottie was invited by the show to appear in two episodes last year, with Lottie assuming the role of a strict teacher inspired by her skit.
She recalled receiving a call from writer-director Caesar Cosme and initially thinking that she was being pranked.
"Sabi ko sa mommy ko, 'Ma, may nang-i-scam yata sa akin!'" laughed Lottie.
But the invitation to grace Bubble Gang was real, and Lottie shot her scenes in one day.
@gmanetwork Favorite class this year ???? #lottiebie #bubblegang #gmanetwork #fyp ? original sound - GMA Network
The shoot, recalled Lottie, was "masaya" especially for someone like her "na lumaki sa Bubble Gang."
Lottie added, "Sadly nga lang wala doon si Bitoy (Michael V.) nung nag-shoot kami.
"Siya yung nilu-look forward ko [na ma-meet].
"Pero ang saya rin naman ka-work nung mga cast mates.
"Talagang ipa-pat ka nila on your back when you do a good job, ganun sila ka-open."
Read: Bubble Gang producer explains show's revamp, smaller cast
LOTTIE'S CREATIVE PROCESS
Lottie gave us a peek at how she would conjure up her skits—drawing inspiration from conversations with friends and people she has randomly met—including the actual process of recording her videos.
"Pag may naisip ako bigla, kailangan masulat ko na siya dun sa app ko. Yung process ng [recording the skit] is ilalapag ko lang yung phone ko.
"Tapos, wala, salitan na ko ng character. Continuous roll lang siya kung ano yung lumabas sa bibig ko on the spot, yun na yun."
@lottiebie Uyyyy uuuuyyyy
? original sound - lottie
According to her, she has never followed a particular plan or schedule when recording her content.
"A lot of other creators, good for them, na parang meron silang content plan, content layout. Ang nele-layout ko lang po yung mga brand deals.
"Pero yung sarili kong content, meron lang akong notes app tapos dun lang nakalagay yung mga gist, kung ano lang yung mga idea.
"Pero wala na pong parang, 'O, ganitong oras ako dapat mag-shoot.' Pag na-feel ko lang na okay na, dun na ko magsu-shoot."
@lottiebie "Wait hanap ako ng maayos na pic"
? original sound - lottie
And she has always shunned retakes, "As much as possible, hindi po. Walang retake, unless yun nga po, kapag branded. So iyon, medyo mas strict sila.
"Pero pag sa akin lang, hindi ako masyadong strict sa sarili ko kasi baka mapagod ako at tamarin na ko."
What are her considerations when accepting brand tie-ups?
"Anything po for me as long as I do personally use it. Kung hindi ko pa man siya ginagamit, it’s something that I see myself using.
"Pero hindi po ako pumapayag ng smoking, vaping, and anything with liquor.
"I want to maintain that image lang po kasi maraming mga bata ang nanunood sa akin."
Lottie chuckled, "So kid-friendly as possible; GP, GP lang po tayo," meaning general patronage.
Interestingly, there were skits that Lottie opted not to share on social media simply because she was not happy with the outcome.
She explained, "Parang sa akin pa lang kasi hindi na siya pumasa.
"Minsan kasi gagawa ka ng content, in your mind, ang funny niya pero pag na-execute mo na siya sa TikTok, parang hindi ko nagustuhan.
"So dapat ako pa lang mismo natatawa na ako."
ACTRESS AND BOOK AUTHOR
Lottie's success as a TikTok content creator has opened doors of opportunities she never imagined.
She had her big-screen debut in the movie When This is All Over directed by Kevin Mikhail Mayuga and top-billed by singer-actor Juan Karlos Labajo.
The movie was part of this year's Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, and there are plans to make it available on streaming platforms soon.
View this post on Instagram
Lottie enjoyed the experience of acting in front of the camera and she would love to do it again given a chance.
She said, "May mga nagtatanong po kung interested ba ako sa certain roles. Pero up until may nasa-sign ako na contract, hindi ako umaasa.
"Kasi alam ko naman po ang takbo ng prod, last minute pag may nakita silang mas fit dun sa role. So hindi ko po talaga ma-confirm.
"Pero, yes, gusto ko po siya gawin [ulit] kasi iba yung feeling when we were shooting that film, and ang sarap po talaga pag pelikulang Pilipino."
Another project that Lottie is currently busy with is promoting her book, Crumpled Pages.
The book has taken years in the making and even predated her Lottie Bie persona.
In a nutshell, the book contains a collection of random, discarded letters, given new life through the eyes of the readers.
View this post on Instagram
Lottie described her book as "a bunch of different letters na na-pick up mo from somewhere."
She elaborated, "So like may nakita kang letter in your bag, may nakita kang papers somewhere, or may nakasulat sa ganito, and those little things, they all have individual stories to tell."
Being a book author, Lottie gushed, has been her "number one dream."
She giggled, "Baka maguluhan na nga rin sa akin yung mga tao kasi, 'Walanghiya, ang dami mong pangarap.'
"Pero basta, hindi ko kasi nililimitahan yung gusto kong gawin as long as may nagagawa ako na makakapagparamdam sa mga tao ng iba’t-ibang emosyon, anything goes.
"Mamaya baka magulat kayo, chef na rin pala ako!"
Crumpled Pages is available for purchase on Shopee and Lazada, and will soon hit bookstores nationwide.
If there's one thing that Lottie has discovered about herself: she has always been quick to the draw.
"When I think of something, ginagawa ko na siya agad. Kasi kilala ko yung sarili ko.
"When I think of something long enough, tatamarin na ko.
"Yung psyche po kasi natin pag iniisip mo nang iniisip na gagawin mo, feeling ng katawan mo ginagawa mo na siya kahit na iniisip mo pa lang.
"So parang I had to act on it dahil kapag na-feel na ng katawan ko yung parang nagawa ko na, magiging fulfilled na ko, hindi ko na siya iisipin."
FAME AND GRATITUDE
Success has consequences, good and bad.
In Lottie's case, being famous on social media has afforded her the same trade-offs that celebrities commonly experience.
Lottie is still in the process of getting used to being recognized and approached in public settings.
It can get overwhelming, sure, but Lottie is treating it as a positive.
"Ngayon po, which is good, nahihirapan ako lumabas na walang nakakakilala kasi nga po ang TikTok, siyempre yung mukha ko run dikit na dikit sa screen, so alam talaga nila. Tapos plus yung kulot," she smiled, pointing to her hair.
"So yun, hindi na ko nakakalabas na walang nakakakilala, which is a good thing for me."
As for the first time she realized she was famous, she cited an incident in Pampanga during a shoot with pilot and content creator Chezka Gonzales, known to netizens as Filipina Pilot Chezka.
"First time na parang lumabas ako for a collaboration dahil ever since before, nun dahil nga pandemic, safe in my home lang ako. So all I can see are the comments.
"Pero hindi ko na-realize na, 'Oh my gosh, may mga nanonood pala talaga sa akin,' and nag-a-ask sila ng pictures.
"Pero until now hindi pa rin ako sanay kahit na magtu-two years na siya. Nakakataba pa rin ng puso everytime."
There's also this misconception that Lottie is "24/7 akong nakatawa at 24/7 akong nakangiti."
She stressed, "Hindi po. Kaya kinakabahan ako in public pag makita ako na medyo bugnot o makita man ako na medyo pagod. Tapos akala ng mga tao hindi ko kaya magseryoso."
Lottie added laughing, "Minsan magpu-post ako ng TikTok, tia-try ko maging serious or sa Story, try ko maging serious tapos ang comment 'Luh, seryoso ka pala!' Wala nang sumeseryoso sa akin."
Lottie said people were surprised to see her "tahimik in general" and actually 29 years old going 30 this year.
"Akala rin kasi nila na parang bata pa ko. Hindi ko binubuhat yung bangko ko, pero yun yung akala ng mga tao, dun sila pinaka-surprised when they find out na magti-thirty na ko," she smiled.
Turning serious, Lottie confided that there's pressure to come up consistently with content that people would love.
"Lagi akong kinakaban na baka lahat ng ito ay short-lived," mused Lottie.
"Kaya lagi akong grateful kapag may mga opportunities na dumarating kasi iniisip ko na hindi siya ganun kadali i-maintain. Ang dami kasing creators and everyone will come and go.
"So ako, as much as possible, hangga’t dumadating, hangga’t may nagtitiwala, I milk and milk it. Dahil hindi ko alam kung baka mamaya malaos na ko or hindi na matuwa sa akin yung mga tao. Yun yung nafi-feel ko—may pressure po talaga."
On a lighter note, Lottie feels blessed and takes comfort that she makes people happy, her parents included.
Lottie said, "Proud na proud po sila kasi nga only child lang ako.
"Akala ng mommy’t daddy ko noon weird kid lang talaga ko na nagsasalita mag-isa, hindi makapag-focus.
"Buti naman pala may patutunguhan."