Brooke Warne on finding her passion, what makes her tick and the food she’d never put on a plate
Brooke Warne has found her passion as a social media superstar, dominating TikTok with her ‘Cook with Brooke’ videos — revealing everything she does in life is for her dad, Shane.
Confidential
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Brooke Warne’s first job was at age 14, even though there was an unusual reason behind it.
“I actually got grounded because I had a party at Dad’s house when he wasn’t there,’’ Warne says.
“I had a whole bunch of friends over and we woke up and we said ‘what have we done?’
“We tried to clean up but didn’t do a very good job of cleaning up because we were kids. Dad said ‘right, you have to get a job’.”
Warne went down to the local cafe in Brighton and was offered a job as a waiter, where she worked every Saturday.
“I waited tables and properly worked there through high school and after school would go and help do some dishes,’’ Warne says.
“I worked at White Rabbit for seven years on and off and it taught me a lot. I was also saving for a Europe trip and I worked at a pizza shop for $13 an hour delivering pizzas.”
Warne, 26, says she never felt above any chore despite her privileged upbringing.
She says her strong work ethic was instilled early.
Her dad, late cricket great Shane Warne, wanted his kids to be happy in whatever job they did and wanted them to explore their options.
He didn’t care what job she had as long as she gave it 100 per cent.
Since those teenage years Warne has gone on to study event management at Swinburne, worked as an executive assistant to events and poker identity Tony Hachem, and at Hub Australia, a co-working space.
“I was a concierge there and it was really good,” Warne says.
“I got a sense that I’m good at organising and I enjoyed my diploma in event management.”
When Warne’s beloved dad died in March 2022, it changed everything.
Warne’s priorities were closer to home, while her family grieved and searched for a path forward.
About six months ago she realised what it was that made her happy and pursued a new career.
“Ever since everything happened with my dad I had time off work for myself and with all of our family commitments we had to prioritise that above all, as it was just non-stop,” she says.
“I actually think it was after his one year anniversary I thought to myself, ‘all right what am I going to do?’
“I need to find something that has flexible hours, to be able to tie in with my family commitments.
Also the Legacy company, all the stuff that comes with it. I couldn’t really figure it out but I started making some TikToks and I started to take Instagram a bit more seriously.”
Warne only downloaded TikTok in June last year but quickly realised she had a talent for fun and creation.
It led to developing “Cook with Brooke” food videos that quickly gained traction.
“I was very late to the TikTok bandwagon,’’ she says.
“When (my partner) Alex and I were on our Europe trip last year I started doing little videos and I was really enjoying it.
In April/May this year I started making proper videos, doing ‘get ready with me’ videos, little vlogs and not really thinking anything would come from it.”
Warne then met with One Daydream talent agency founder and director Pru Corrigan via Helen Nolan, Shane’s former personal assistant, and they immediately clicked.
“We hit it off and it took a few months to figure out contracts and all of that,” Warne says.
“I had some serious thinking time and I thought why not give it a go. It’s been so much fun and I’ve been connecting with people I may not have had the opportunity to connect with otherwise.
“I love talking and I’m a people person. Since everything happened with Dad it was hard to go back to 9-5 roles and customer facing roles because all everyone wanted to talk about is my dad.
“I don’t want to be sad at work because then I won’t get anything done. So I thought ‘what can I do where I talk to people and connect, but still have my boundaries’.
“It’s so much fun and I love food and making food and it’s always been my passion.”
Warne joined Corrigan’s young influencer stable in August and hasn’t looked back. She’s attending events, continuing to cook, showing her flair to followers and loving her job.
“Everyone is really welcoming, no one is snobby or stuck up,” she says.
“I think sometimes people give content creators and influencers and social media people a bad wrap because people think they’re snobs and that isn’t true. People like to think negatively sometimes. It’s been cool to meet some different people.”
Corrigan says she identified Warne as someone with a big future.
“I just loved her energy,’’ she says.
“We didn’t stop talking in that first meeting with lots of laughs in between – something that is so important in this industry and especially in a talent/manager relationship. The communication lines must always remain open – it’s the only path to success.
“To be successful on social media, you need to be engaging, entertaining and educational. Brooke has all three elements, so we began getting to know each other and discussing the possibilities in the TikTok and Instagram space.
“Brooke is well beyond her years in many ways, she has the world watching and that’s something that I also had to adapt to. She loves fashion and her “Cook with Brooke” segment is going to be massive – she loves food, gives great tips on cooking and has a lot of fun along the way as she shares her days with her audience. We’ve only just begun with Brooke and there’s plenty more coming soon.”
Warne’s daily aims are simple: she wants to share her passions, particularly for food, with her audience.
“Food is that one thing everyone comes together on,” she says.
“A dinner party, or lunches or having an Aperol or a cheese board. I love having dinner parties, I love hosting people at our house. It’s just the best and my favourite thing ever. It’s good I’m making a career out of something I love. You only have a certain amount of time here on this earth and it’s important to do something you love.”
Just like her dad, some of Warne’s favourite foods are spaghetti, baked beans and pizza.
She has acquired an appetite for burgers, as well as jacket potatoes “with sour cream, coleslaw, carrot, cheese, spring onion, a little bit of bacon” but will never use coriander or parsley: “It’s like chopped up grass in your food.”
As she shows people her personality and more of who she is, Warne says she always thinks about her dad’s wise words.
“Every single day, every decision I make and continue to make, I have his little voice in my head telling me to try harder and give it 100 per cent,’’ she says.
“If you don’t give 100 per cent to something it’s not worth doing. Dad always loved how hard I worked and how I wanted my independence. He always said I don’t care what you do as long as you give 100 per cent and you’re happy. That’s what I’m doing.
“I’m trying to develop as well, make people understand me and get to know me as Brooke. I’m really enjoying and loving doing it and getting to do it through food.
“I think people are liking me so far. There’s always going to be the haters but I just think they’re negative people who are very sad and must be going through a lot in their life to pick on people for their own benefit.”
Warne knows there’s no smooth passage to success but she’s found “a sense of purpose again” and isn’t afraid to declare she’s found her dream job.
She says her parents are always at the forefront of her mind and so are her siblings, Jackson and Summer, who inspire her daily.
“I love talking about my dad, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my mum and dad,’’ she says.
“I’m so proud of my mum and my dad, they’ve taught us so many incredible things. I’m so grateful and very proud of where I’ve come from. I love talking about Dad, he was the best.
“Us Warnes are very strong, we’re resilient, we’re independent, we’ve got a very good work ethic. We give our best and we’re generous, we’re good people.
“Jackson and my little sister are inspirations. We are all so different but also so the same. Our morals and outlook on life are very much the same. But Jackson for me is also a mini Dad. “His opinion to me is like Dad’s opinion.
“We’ve always been a Warne, it’s now just making people understand more of who we are. Who is Jackson, or Brooke, or Summer. It’s nice we are having that opportunity to teach people more about us.”
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