Celebrating Black Content Creators
Black History Month is nearly over for 2021 however, that does not mean brands should stop amplifying Black voices. Within the space of the marketing influencer industry, there seems to be a lack of prominent Black voices and a lack of amplification on that front. While this month is a good month to reflect on the history and the advancement of the Black community, it is more important to collectively support and collaborate with Black-owned businesses, content creators, and communities year-round.
Today, we turn our attention to one of our favorite content creators — Tanya DePass aka cypheroftyr.
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/921979339
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cypheroftyr
Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers, attendance at the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make it better and more inclusive for everyone.
The programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX, Tanya often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique have appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, among other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press).
You can catch her fantastic streams on Twitch that run the gamut of everything from playing DND to streaming Baldur’s Gate. She’s also part of the Rivals of Waterdeep live play stream on twitch, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions.
Q: What can brands do differently to be more inclusive when working with Black creators?
A: Reach out to us for all opportunities and not just during February (in the US, in October in the UK), and include us in campaigns, hosting ops, etc. Make us visible in your ads and events. Also, look at quality over strictly a set follower count. A lot of brands miss out on great creators by adhering to a must-have X follower count before even talking to creators.
Q: What advice do you have for Black creators breaking into the influencer industry?
A: Don’t let people convince you to tone down your content, your Blackness and who you are. Enjoy what you’re making and be unapologetically Black & joyous. Tag brands and companies to show what you can do and learn to collaborate with other Black folks. There’s plenty of opportunities out there, and hoarding them for yourself once you get your foot in the door isn’t helping anyone at all. Also, reach out to creators that you like, and ask if they’ll collaborate with you, especially if you both like the same things, brands etc.
Q: What are your thoughts on Black representation in the gaming industry? How can it improve?
A: I’ll repeat what I said to the first question, with the added caveat of giving Black creators a chance to show who they are, why they are great, and again, including us from the beginning. Not just in the last week of BHM, and following through on having Black Lives Matter statements and special products. Inclusiveness, not just checking off a ‘we had a black person on our site for BHM, we’re good till next year’ and calling it done. Incubation and mentorship programs that are not one-and-done deals will also go a long way to slowly leveling the broken playing field we’re on.
Black History Month is the main focus of many corporations, brands, etc during the month of February. However, the fight for equality does not and should not stop once the month has ended. Lift up Black voices, highlight Black content creators — do what you can to support, uplift, and embrace, throughout the rest of the year.
