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00:00Big shout out to one of our major sponsors, McDonald's.
00:14We have a really cool speaking segment about the under-representation of black people in
00:20the tech space.
00:21Let me give you some background here.
00:23It's no secret that black people are making big strides in the tech community while creating
00:29and paving the way for the next generation.
00:32Please join us in an energizing panel discussion hosted by McDonald's where several tech influencers
00:40will talk to you about the path to success and how they're reaching back because we have
00:46to uplift, guys, to diversity in the industry.
00:51Attendees can expect to enjoy a conversation centered around under-representation in the
00:55industry, the lack of education around careers in the community, and the opportunities that
01:01brought these game changers to where they are today.
01:06This is a lot for me, guys, because I saw them backstage.
01:09And for me, what made it powerful was the youngness and the flyness that's sitting in this space.
01:15It's not corporate at all.
01:17It's really like our culture is very much present in this space.
01:21So please give it up for Veronica Thompson, Director of Cultural Engagements and Activations
01:26at McDonald's Corporation, with Dr. Raven Baxter, STEM Educator and Afro Tech Future 50, BK Augustine
01:34Brand and Creative Strategy Director, FaZe Clan, Ian Brock, Future 22, and Computer Science
01:42Activist.
01:43That's a lot, a mouthful, which means they do a lot.
01:46They're making big waves, they're game changers, and they got all them slashes behind their
01:51names, right?
01:52So give it up for them.
01:53Thank you to McDonald's.
01:54This is a great panel.
01:55You don't want to miss it.
01:58In the world that we live in today, there are so many different opportunities to not
02:02only get educated, but to build wealth through technology.
02:05The beautiful thing about this is we get a chance to not only sit at the table, but maybe
02:10even create our own tables.
02:14Some of the girls, when I was growing up, did not think they were going to be professional
02:18gamers.
02:19Well, I can play a game, and I show that every day.
02:22That's just really important to other black girls who want to just be themselves.
02:31All right, everybody.
02:33Welcome.
02:34I hope everybody's having a good time in Essence.
02:37Yes.
02:38I am so excited for you guys to join us today to really talk about this important topic of
02:44gaming the industry, right?
02:47As we were introduced and talked about the importance of diversity in gaming, but we know
02:51there's still some opportunities when it comes to black and brown faces, when it comes to support,
02:56when it comes to just having those same opportunities as our peers, which is why I'm so excited
03:00to be joined by my lovely guest panelists today.
03:06So we have Ian Michael Brock, who is the founder of Dreamcastle Hulk, co-founder, entrepreneur.
03:13Also if you've been by our booth, which I hope you guys all have been by already, you have
03:18noticed that he is featured as one of our future 22 leaders.
03:22So super excited to have you today.
03:24Thank you so much for joining us.
03:25Thank you for having me.
03:26Yes.
03:27And next to him is BK Augustine.
03:29He is the creative, the strategy director at FaZe Clan.
03:34FaZe Clan is a media platform, lifestyle platform, helping to introduce gaming to the youth in culture.
03:42And he's also been a partner with us since 2021, really helping us amplify those diverse voices
03:48in the gaming industry.
03:49So, so happy you guys are here.
03:52I'm here with you two Titans.
03:53Yes.
03:54And really want to get, kick it off, talking a little bit about your story, how you guys
03:59got into the space.
04:01And then most importantly, how you guys are promoting diversity in the gaming space in
04:05your roles now and what you guys do.
04:07Ian, I'll start with you and go to BK.
04:09All right.
04:10So my traditional route, I'm more so in the technology and computer science space, but how
04:15I got started is I started this journey eight years ago.
04:18I'm only 17 years old.
04:19But I just graduated high school.
04:20And so it was all because of one video that my mom, this lovely lady over here recording.
04:27She came across this video called What Most Schools Don't Teach and it talked about the
04:31importance of computer science and how every kid should learn how to code.
04:34Now I'm a kid that grew up in Chicago and I looked up to Derrick Rose and Michael Jordan.
04:39I wanted to go to the NBA.
04:40Right.
04:41So also video games.
04:42I've been playing video games since I was five years old.
04:45So hearing from tech people like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg talk about computer science,
04:50it just wasn't for me.
04:51But what grabbed my attention was the fact that I saw two-time NBA champ and Hall of Famer
04:56Mr. Chris Bosch.
04:58And I heard him talk about his experiences with learning how to code and how he thought coding
05:02was cool.
05:03And so hearing from somebody that not only looked like me, but somebody that grabbed
05:07or somebody I could relate to, that's what grabbed my attention.
05:10And so for Dream Hustle Code, our motto has been if you can see it, you can be it.
05:15And so all of our work has been focused on inspiring kids, specifically kids underrepresented in the
05:21tech space and showing them that there are possibilities for themselves.
05:25Because how many of you here love playing or love sports?
05:28Raise your hand.
05:29Raise your hand if you love listening to music, love entertainment, video games, right?
05:35So in our communities, we love all these different avenues.
05:39But for kids in my generation, we believe that or most of us, not saying everybody, we believe
05:44that though entertainment, sports and music is the only way out.
05:47But my job is to showcase or my goal is to showcase that you can be successful in the tech
05:52space.
05:53One of the wealthiest black men in America, Mr. Robert F. Smith, he made his wealth through
05:58tech.
05:59And so my goal is to just inspire kids my age, younger and even older, to just show them
06:03the possibilities as well as give them the skill set necessary to be successful in this
06:07space.
06:08I love that.
06:09And representation is such a key piece of this.
06:12When you see someone that looks like you, it really just changed the game of what you
06:15think your possibilities could be.
06:17And I know you really am doing that really well with the tech summit and different things
06:20you do also.
06:21Yes, ma'am.
06:22BK, what about you?
06:23So first off, love that.
06:25I was going to start with my story of how I went from delivering pizzas to literally running
06:29brand and creative strategy for FaZe.
06:31But I think, Ian, you hit on an important point that I think I have to attribute to how
06:35I got to where I am.
06:36That's when I took the mask off, honestly.
06:38And by that, I mean there's this image online.
06:40If you Google it, it's a black bear in a white polar bear suit.
06:43And it's literally exactly what it sounds like.
06:45But in the image, the white polar bear's head is on the side and you see the black polar
06:48bear's head while the rest of his body is still as this white polar bear.
06:52And the reason why I bring that up is because the day that I decided I was going to show up
06:55and just authentically be me, a black man that works in this space, and let that permeate
06:59through everything that I do is when I started to repel people that didn't matter and attract
07:03so many opportunities.
07:04And that's how FaZe Clan honestly stumbled across my lap by just honestly being myself,
07:09owning the things that I was passionate about in all these spaces and showing a black man
07:12could do these things while still being professional.
07:14And the rest is history.
07:16Awesome.
07:17I want to get a little bit deeper into how you guys are promoting diversity in what you
07:21do now.
07:22I know you guys have some very awesome projects and things you work on.
07:25So why don't we give the audience a little more details about that piece?
07:28You want to go first, BK?
07:29Absolutely.
07:30So my background, again, I've been all over the advertising space and now working at FaZe Clan.
07:35While I've done strategy, I also have done diversity inclusion my entire life.
07:39Even when I was in Atlanta, I was running diversity inclusion for McCann World Group globally.
07:43As a 27 year old, I'm dating myself a little bit, but it was just interesting to be managing
07:50these different sort of nuances and issues that were happening across the world that I
07:54thought were only impacting us in the States.
07:57And so with that, I wouldn't be here without the opportunities that came my way from diversity
08:02and inclusion programming.
08:03So it's always been something that's been crucial to me.
08:05And so whenever we walk into any partnerships with brands, it's one of the first things I'm
08:09thinking about because again, you touched on this earlier Ian and Veronica, you've been
08:13talking about this as well.
08:14When you think about who's in front of the camera, it's stereotypically like a cookie cutter type
08:18of person.
08:19So any chance that I have to shift the narrative of who actually is creating, who actually can
08:24be a creator, I'm going to jump full speed at that.
08:26Because again, it's what got me here and it's what my career has been to this day.
08:30Almost identical to what he said, it's always been about helping others, right?
08:37Throughout my entire life, I've been taught to help others first.
08:41When I was two years old, I remember I would literally, or when I was two years old, I helped
08:45my sister sell brownies to raise funds for water wells in Africa.
08:49When I was four, my parents used to take toys from, that I used to get for Christmas and for
08:53my birthday that I wouldn't use, give it to kids at the hospital during the holidays.
08:57And so all of my life has been focused on helping others, right?
09:01That was just my mission.
09:02And so I brought that passion for helping others and also bringing solutions to problems out
09:07there in the world.
09:08Mainly the lack of computer science being taught in the school systems.
09:11And I brought those two together because look, computer science and technology is not
09:15the future as to now.
09:16How many of you have phones out here?
09:18Raise your hand.
09:19See, everybody here has a phone.
09:21And so we have all this technology that runs our lives, yet we make up less than 1% of the
09:26people that create the technology.
09:28So it's important for having more people that look like us have a seat at the table to be
09:33able to decide what that technology looks like for our future so we can write the rules of our future.
09:38And so that's what I've been up to for the last eight years or nine years.
09:42I started a computer science and personal development program in the beginning of the pandemic.
09:46I have to give kudos to teachers out there.
09:49I love you all so much because you have a certain amount of patience to deal with sixth
09:55through 12th graders.
09:56I don't know how you do it.
09:57But I was teaching kids for five to six hours a day, Monday through Friday, 16 weeks in a row.
10:02McDonald's, I mean, they were able to partner with us in the summer of 2020 to onboard 300 students
10:07to enter our program for free.
10:08That was such an amazing accomplishment just to be able to, like you said, work with partners that want to help others,
10:14that actually want to go into those communities and make a difference.
10:17And so another event we did with Teen Tech Live, first time I met BK,
10:21we had 24,000 students virtually come on to this event last year to see, again, other people who look like them,
10:28hear different stories from entrepreneurs, hear from basketball players like Kyrie Irving,
10:32Super Bowl champ Mr. Ray Lewis, people from Amazon, McDonald's, Twitch,
10:37come on and share their stories on how they became successful in tech and gaming.
10:41And so all of the work I've done, again, diversity, inclusion, including people into the conversation
10:46and showing them how they can get a seat at the table as well.
10:50I love that.
10:51It's all about bringing more people to the table, right?
10:53Opening doors, breaking down barriers, and just making it a community
10:57and a level of support that we definitely need in both of these spaces.
11:01I know we probably have some either future gamers or some future tech entrepreneurs in the audience.
11:06I would love to hear what type of advice you have for getting into the space, BK as far as gaming,
11:13Ian as far as STEM and tech career, and just how to navigate that space,
11:18whether it's an entrepreneur route or in the corporate world.
11:21Absolutely.
11:22So hopefully this doesn't interfere too much with what your answer is going to be.
11:26My biggest thing is reframe how you think about being in the gaming world.
11:31It doesn't necessarily mean you have to be the person on the sticks.
11:34Sure, you may want to, but there is so many people behind the scenes that are powering that creator
11:38or that streamer or that gamer that there's so many avenues.
11:41And so my hack has been throughout my career, find someone who is doing what I want to be doing.
11:46And look, you're not going to mirror someone's career because everyone's path is different.
11:50But if I see someone that's at C-Suite at an Apple or at a McDonald's,
11:54I'm going to look at their LinkedIn profile and see the jobs that they had to lead them there.
11:58And now it unlocks, okay, cool, if I want to be in the gaming world,
12:01it doesn't mean I have to literally sit in front of my computer screen gaming for 8, 12 hours a day.
12:06I could if I want to.
12:07However, there's also marketing roles.
12:09There's also strategy roles.
12:10There's also so many other things that you can do.
12:12And so for me, the hack has been look at LinkedIn, look at people's paths and journeys,
12:16and use as an inspiration to learn that there's so much more than just being a stereotypical gamer.
12:21Absolutely.
12:22And I know gaming isn't my first aspect, but I have to quote my guy Ryan Johnson from Community.
12:28He said this before, in fact, on Teen Tech Live.
12:30He said, think of whatever your favorite aspect of a video game is,
12:34whether it's the music that you hear, if you play 2K, the jump shot animations, the posters, right?
12:40Or even just in-game or buying in-game items.
12:44Every single piece of that part of your favorite video game, somebody, there was a job that somebody had to do to create that.
12:51And so if you want to get into a video game, just find whatever it is that you're interested in, like you said,
12:56connecting with people that have already been down that path, and just start working towards it.
13:01YouTube University is a thing, right?
13:03I've learned so much on my own on YouTube, just simply by doing research.
13:07And so for technology and computer science, the first part is having the willingness to, again, put yourself out there, connecting with those.
13:14Because along my journey, I've had so many mentors, people that have opened so many doors, people that have led me in the right direction
13:20and steered me away from wrong, that have allowed me to make so much progress in just the last nine years.
13:26But on top of that, doing the work on yourself, showing that you can get results.
13:30Like for computer science and technology, go out and build a website, learn how to do that.
13:34There's so much free access out there from Code Academy to different websites, shoot to even my program if you want to join that.
13:40But learning on your own and doing the research and then applying what you know.
13:44Because knowing is not enough, you have to apply it in order to actually get whatever it is that you want.
13:49And look, it's all really just taking that first step.
13:52Once you take that first step, it'll be easier the more you do it.
13:56Can I throw one more thing on there?
13:58Yeah, I was going to say, I love the quick plug.
13:59Yeah, I was going to say there was a theme too that I pulled from that, is don't be afraid to fail.
14:03Because honestly, like I have three pillars that have really guided me throughout my career.
14:07And one of the main ones is chase anything that scares me.
14:10And so to your point, if you take that first step, even if you mess up, that's a new lesson.
14:14And now you know what not to do the next time.
14:16People often wait for everything to be perfect.
14:19And that honestly is more detrimental than anything else.
14:21So I love that.
14:22I hate to interject one more time.
14:24So on this fear aspect, this is something that was very crucial in my life because fear used to hold me back a lot.
14:31But it was, I think, I don't know if it was Zig Ziglar or Les Brown said this before.
14:35He said, fear is just false evidence appearing real.
14:39So whatever ideas, whatever negative comments that you're making to yourself about something that you are afraid of,
14:46nine times out of ten is actually not as bad as you think it is.
14:50And it's not even real.
14:52We put these black, our brain was designed to protect us from failing, protect us from receiving or going through pain.
14:59But once you realize that that fear isn't real and you just go after it, like you said, find something to do that makes or that makes you scared.
15:06Once you do that and you start doing it over and over and over consistently, you'll be fearless and nobody will be able to stop you.
15:12Let's talk about that for a little bit.
15:14So the fear and overcoming the fear and then other barriers that you might have had.
15:19Is there something that tech industries or even other companies like McDonald's trying to get people interested in technology or STEM can do to just make it more accessible, more appealing to black and brown youth?
15:30For me, I would say it's about understanding that that whole fear aspect.
15:36It's with everyone, but I think it's almost doubled with people that look like us because we understand we have to work twice as hard.
15:43So if we mess up, it's like, oh, we're starting all the way from square one versus being able to just bounce to the next opportunity.
15:48So for me, it's brands understanding that we're operating from that mindset and setting us up in an environment that allows us to fail and still learn from it versus failing and be penalized for it.
15:58So whether that's allowing interns to jump into some of those conversations that normally would be protected with C-suite so they can get that experience.
16:05And sure, they may say the wrong thing, but now you can pull them to the side and have that conversation versus, oh, you're not ready yet.
16:10We're going to wait by the time they're ready and then they fail.
16:13Now they're knocked back so many other steps because they never had that opportunity to fail early on in their career.
16:18So for me, it's about brands giving you that opportunity to fail early and often so you can keep learning.
16:23And because my parents say this all the time, but it's easier to take risks when you're younger, right?
16:29Because you don't have to lose as much as if you had an old family or you were older, right?
16:35And so on top of that, I think it's for brands and companies to be able to connect with the youth, especially in my age range.
16:41It's just really just finding a way to bring whatever it is, either technology or McDonald's brand and combine that with their interests.
16:49As you saw earlier, a lot of people love entertainment, love music, love sports.
16:53We can find a way.
16:54You guys did a phenomenal job with the Travis Scott meal.
16:57Like that was perfect.
16:58That was a great example of finding a way to connect with the next generation.
17:01Love that.
17:02And just having numerous examples of that, finding a way to connect with the youth through their interests and making it organic and not feel forced.
17:09I think that's super important and especially with making sure that we continue this legacy for generations.
17:15Definitely.
17:16And kudos to you guys.
17:17Like one of the reasons that we partnered with you both is because you help us as a bigger brand be authentic, right?
17:23Find the way to really connect with black and brown youth in the gaming, in the tech space in a way that is appealing to them, that makes sense, that makes them want to be interested,
17:33makes them want to seek these careers and seek ways that they can get involved.
17:37And to your point, doing something that's, you know, sports is great, but something else outside of that in different ways that they can make money and be good for themselves.
17:44So definitely appreciate the partnership with you guys.
17:47I've been told we have a few more minutes.
17:49So I want to give you guys a second to, you know, plug what's going on.
17:53Tell the people where they can find you and make sure that we all know just kind of what's up and coming.
17:59What's the new project?
18:00What's hot?
18:01What's next?
18:02Talk about FaZe.
18:03I know they got a lot going on.
18:04I'm trying to think about what I can legally say up here.
18:07That part.
18:08Be on the lookout at the end of July for a new business venture from us.
18:13I'll say that.
18:14The thing I love about FaZe is we're always thinking about ways to jump into things that aren't stereotypically just gaming.
18:20Again, I talked about it before.
18:21It's not just about the streamer like Swag sitting behind a setup and gaming for hours.
18:26There's so many other elements to it that you can start to elaborate on.
18:29So for me, it's about that thing that's happening at the end of July and showing the world like we're nowhere near done and gaming was just the beginning.
18:37So super excited about that.
18:39And then beyond that, one that's more on the internal side is team strategy is still growing at FaZe Clan.
18:44So that's super exciting because, again, you think about tech, you think about gaming, you wouldn't think strategy is necessarily a career path.
18:51And now it went from just me starting it there, which was frightening, to a team of four and it's going to keep growing from there.
18:58So those are the two things I would say I'm most excited about externally and internally at FaZe.
19:02Got it.
19:03What about you?
19:04Sounds exciting, BK.
19:05I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.
19:06I'm being vague.
19:07I'm sorry.
19:08I don't want to get fired from this panel.
19:11I understand.
19:12But so with Dream Hustle Code, as I mentioned earlier, we have Teen Tech Live.
19:16We're working on Teen Tech Live version three.
19:18Got to continue the partnership with McDonald's, of course.
19:21But this December, we're working on onboarding 50,000 students onto Teen Tech Live, working with high schools and middle schools across the country.
19:29We'll have even more guest speakers, more people from FaZe Clan, more people from McDonald's coming onboard.
19:34But on top of that, Dream Hustle Code right now, we're working on creating a pipeline that will revolutionize the way technology and computer science will be taught to students.
19:44And so this pipeline is the goal is to create or take kids from having no experience in computer science to developing them with the skills necessary to be workforce ready.
19:55So that's something we've been working on and we're heavily working on with different partners right now.
19:59And on top of that, since I am 17, I did just graduate high school.
20:02I'm taking a gap year.
20:04But that doesn't mean I'm not working this far.
20:06I'm doing an HBCU speaking tour, going to four to seven different HBCUs, calling it the Systems for Success Tour.
20:12Speaking on some of the things that work for me, some of the things I've learned from a bunch of my mentors.
20:17Just on because, you know, high school kid or college kids, when you're a freshman, you get so much freedom.
20:22You don't know how to handle it.
20:23So just sharing some of the things that work with me.
20:25That's what we have going on.
20:26But I'm excited.
20:27We definitely got to connect.
20:28I mean, us three on this panel, we all look phenomenal.
20:31We're doing phenomenal things and just continuing that partnership.
20:35And all of you out there, utilize this time to be at Essence to connect with new people.
20:39I met like a bunch of people just in the back, made so many great connections, had so many good conversations.
20:44So connect, market, get to know people because you can't do it alone.
20:48It takes a village.
20:49My parents say it takes a village to raise a child.
20:52Well, it takes a village to build a brand.
20:54It takes a village to create something that will revolutionize and change the world.
20:58So use this time to market and just get to know people.
21:01That's the beauty of Essence.
21:02Can I do one more thing before we get kicked off?
21:04I don't know who's doing the timing.
21:05You better kick us off.
21:06Okay, cool.
21:07She gave me the hand wave, so either get off or say it, I think, is the thing.
21:10So one last shameless plug, I would say, speaking of taking a village, like our partnership with McDonald's has been so amazing
21:16because typically when you walk into those strategy meetings and you're figuring out how to work with brands,
21:20you're thinking, okay, these are the KPIs we need to hit, blah, blah, this, blah, that, marketing jargon.
21:24With McDonald's, the first conversation was, we want to focus on black and brown creators.
21:28Okay, that was the response.
21:30And you don't get that often.
21:31So it was super exciting to hear that.
21:33Sorry about that.
21:34I was just inspired by your comment about it takes a village.
21:36Having partners like that is super crucial to doing what we do as well.
21:39We are super happy to have you guys.
21:40Thank you, everybody.
21:41Thank you so much.
21:42Enjoy Essence.
21:45Can we just give it up for them?
21:47Pictures in the middle, guys, because you look beautiful.
21:49But can we give it up for our panelists, guys?
21:52Massive.
21:53The first thing I took away from this is these are two incredible men, completely different age gaps, right?
21:58Doing their thing and making businesses work for them, making the model.
22:02They're shaping their own model.
22:03They're shaping their own career.
22:05What an honor to have them both on this panel to speak about their direction in gaming and coding and the power of us in that space.
22:12ockets.
22:32See you next time.
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