No filter, tough job: What being a social-media manager is really like

Behind that one-minute Reel you just saw on Instagram is hours and days of work. Even a 10-second promo – the cheese-pull bread at that secret new restaurant, that slow-glide of a new lipgloss, the drone video of Himalayan sunrises – doesn’t come easy. What looks floaty and magical often involves three planning meetings, 4am calls, five checklists, arguments with stylists, light and pacing checks, hours of editing and well-timed uploads.