- 2 weeks ago
Join acclaimed Twitch creator Zoe Spencer as she explores how the platform is revolutionizing the way we engage with content and connect with audiences. Through live gameplay and candid discussions, she'll’ll share insights into how Twitch is reshaping the future of streaming, building communities, and elevating interactive entertainment to new heights.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hey, Q Creators House.
00:01Hey, hey.
00:02I'm really excited for this conversation because it's truly for everybody, the girls who are
00:07corporate, the girls who are creators.
00:09This is a very robust conversation.
00:11So take notes, listen to what the girls got to say, and let's get into it.
00:15So, Zoe, my first question is for you, my girl.
00:17So streaming live means that people see the unfiltered sides of you, the wins, the awkward
00:23moments, the losses, the hard days.
00:25How has showing up in real time shaped how you see yourself as a creator?
00:30Well, so as a Twitch streamer, it's where I get to be my authentic self.
00:36I get to be who I am, you know, without, you know, anybody.
00:42I'm sorry.
00:42I got a little nervous, guys.
00:44Don't be nervous.
00:45Don't be nervous.
00:45A lot of people in this room love you, girl.
00:48Don't there's nothing to be nervous about you.
00:49I love you.
00:49Hold on.
00:49I got to say something.
00:50Isn't it so funny?
00:51They be Twitching for 500,000 people.
00:54I know, but it's different because y'all all looking at me and I'm looking at y'all and
00:57y'all right here.
00:58Girl, you won't Twitch at this point.
01:01Okay.
01:02Twitch live.
01:03Give it to me again, girl.
01:06You're good.
01:07How has showing up in real time shaped how you see yourself as a creator?
01:11People are able to see all sides of you.
01:14Yes.
01:14Like she just said, you're streaming kind of constantly.
01:18And so there's really no room to hide your personality.
01:20But truly, how do you, you know, just show up as yourself?
01:24Well, it's the time where I get to be confident, genuine.
01:29It has built me up to be connect with people, create a family.
01:35Because basically, like my chat, the people that's in the chat with me and live looking
01:42at me, they're like a little family.
01:44So it has definitely boosted my confidence.
01:47It has made me feel so much more genuine and get to just like really tap into like myself.
01:52Like it's like even made me love myself way more, period.
01:56Exactly.
01:57I know.
01:59And so switching gears, I told you it's a little something for everybody.
02:02Nandi, you built your name in this industry by being bold and unapologetic.
02:06And Nandi is my coworker.
02:07Nandi will tell it like it is.
02:09She does not sugarcoat.
02:11But how, you know, standing out in this space isn't easy, especially when you're working
02:14for, you know, a legacy magazine.
02:16So how do you intentionally carve out your own lane as a black woman, a young black woman
02:21in media?
02:22Yeah.
02:22I mean, like she said, I'm very unapologetic.
02:25And, you know, sometimes my coworkers have to level set me a little bit.
02:28But I think it's just like being your authentic self no matter what.
02:31And like as long as you handle it with grace and you own up to the things that you're doing,
02:35right?
02:35Like we're not all perfect.
02:37But like when you come into this corporate space, you have to be yourself.
02:40Like I'm not really a co-switcher.
02:42This is how I act at work.
02:43This is how I act with my friends.
02:44This is how I act with my mama and my family.
02:46So it's very much just like, I think, being your authentic self in all places, especially
02:51in that corporate world.
02:52And people will gravitate towards you and just give yourself grace.
02:56And if your boss says you shouldn't have said that, then you shouldn't have said that.
03:02And that's what she meant.
03:03She meant what she said.
03:04So Zoe, back to you.
03:06So for creators who are used to short form content, I feel like for a long time that was
03:10pushed.
03:10But streamers have really come in and really kind of changed up the format.
03:14But it can feel intimidating for people who, you know, who want to do it or are coming
03:18into it.
03:19But what's one myth you'd bust about going live or entering the streaming space?
03:23And what advice can you give creators who want to ease into it?
03:26OK, so one myth that is super in the Twitch world is being perfect.
03:33You do not have to be perfect.
03:36You do not have to be on your P's and Q's.
03:39People are like really scared of streaming.
03:42And I don't know why.
03:43Well, I mean, I do understand why because I'm up here and I got scared.
03:47So but it's just you don't have to be perfect.
03:50It's somewhere where you can be yourself.
03:52The chat, the people that are in there, they want the raw.
03:56They want to see the bonnet.
03:57They want to see the hoodies.
03:58They want to see all of that.
03:59So it's just a space where you can just be completely you and they love you for who
04:06you are.
04:07And I think you guys can relate on that level as Nandi's talking about how she doesn't
04:11code switch and like you're bringing your full authentic self.
04:14People always talk about like how they love your accent.
04:16Like everywhere you go, you are authentically yourself.
04:19So I find it cool that there's just kind of that same crossover, even though you two occupy
04:23spaces, there's that overlap.
04:25And I think, you know, that's a little something from that.
04:28And so my next question is community is such a buzzword in the digital era, but I'd love
04:34to you to get candid about your experiences finding your circle.
04:38Do you feel seen and supported or is it still a fight for space?
04:43Um, so I can get really into this question.
04:46So it's definitely a fight for space, especially being a black woman in this space.
04:51Um, Twitch is a very male dominated.
04:55The platform was, it was only like gamers playing on there.
04:59So it was only guys.
05:00Now that there's women on there now and it's intertwining, I can say that males get a little
05:07bit and no, they get intimidated.
05:10You know, it's a, people get intimidated, you know, and also being pretty.
05:14So it's just like, you know, I've got a lot of pluses over here, but, um, it's definitely
05:18a space where you do have to create your own lane, which I have.
05:23So that's where I'm very blessed about because, um, I have a lot of black other women and creators
05:29who look up to me.
05:30So, um, it just feels good that I'm able to create my own lane and encourage others to
05:36do that as well.
05:37Bringing them on the ride, girl.
05:39I love that.
05:41And what about you, Nandi?
05:42Um, I think community is important.
05:44Like it's when you're in the corporate world, you have to have that community.
05:47That's like not in the corporate world.
05:49Like one of my friends is here just like chilling in my hotel room, one of my homegirls.
05:52And it's like really nice to like decompress with her.
05:55We were eating pizza last night and not talking about essence.
05:58So I think it's like finding your community when you're in the corporate space, like finding
06:02your community that's not in the corporate space that honestly maybe doesn't even know what
06:06you do, but they just love you for you and your personality.
06:08So that's helped me a lot through my journey.
06:11Yes.
06:11And I'm really glad you said that too, because even when discussing this panel and the curation
06:15of it, thinking about this question, we didn't want to make it come across as community automatically
06:20means network, network, network, work, work, work.
06:23Building community can be genuine and it can cross over into both spaces.
06:27Like I love seeing your friendships be very much authentic, but still you guys can do business
06:32together.
06:33And I think that that's so crucial to have.
06:35So you got to make money with your friends too.
06:37Exactly.
06:38Everybody can eat.
06:40Yes.
06:41And so kind of going into the sense of community and being in the public eye, you know, what
06:46you guys are doing are so, you're so visible.
06:48And so you've had big wins and tough public moments.
06:51So, you know, especially with Nui Nandi having to navigate the magazine, you guys, there's
06:55something you don't like about essence.
06:56You guys will say it and you will let us know.
06:58So, but how do you both handle negativity and criticism online while still showing up
07:03for your audience?
07:05Whoever wants to go first.
07:08I'll take it.
07:09Okay.
07:09Um, I think, you know what, like, I'm so passionate, like, you know, this, I'm so passionate about
07:16the work that we do.
07:17So I will like transparently and authentically say it really does hurt my feelings sometimes
07:22when I see people on the internet, like talking about essence, because I'm just like, we work
07:26so hard internally and people don't know the things that we go through internally.
07:30But I understand.
07:32And I always say, we're not above critique.
07:34And, you know, I just, when I look at it, I make sure, you know, just to say like, okay,
07:38how can we do better?
07:39Like actually the panel after this, that's happening, the girls weren't too happy with
07:43the article that we did.
07:45And we were able to get on the phone with them and talk to them about it.
07:48And now they're here booked at essence festival.
07:50So I'm really big on like, if somebody is talking about the brand, I will DM them.
07:54I will figure out their publicist.
07:55I'll call them and be like, how can we like just work together, you know, make sure that
08:00you all look at essence, like, you know, uh, we're collaborative and we want to do better
08:05and we want to work.
08:06It's all about uplifting the black experience, period, point blank, no matter who you are.
08:09So like, I don't like when black people come on the internet and talk about the brand.
08:13So it's like, how can I make sure that like, we're working with them?
08:15So at the end, they're like, okay, essence really did right their wrongs.
08:18They really did make sure that like, we felt supported.
08:21What about you?
08:23Yes, of course.
08:25So, um, you know, how are, how do you kind of handle that criticism?
08:29And negativity online, um, especially as you're trying to build your community.
08:33And I think with streaming as well, as we, again, talk about how consistent it is and
08:39you can't really chop up and, you know, everything you kind of take, it can be taken out of context.
08:44So how do you, yeah, how do you navigate that?
08:47And then kind of also communicate with your community and, you know, something like a straight.
08:51Um, so I'm honestly still learning.
08:56Um, sometimes I don't take criticism, criticism well.
09:02Sometimes I cry in the bathroom, but then I come out of the bathroom and I'll be like,
09:08girl, what are you crying for?
09:09Um, so it's a, it's definitely a battle I can say because it's like, you can't, you're, you're
09:19basically trying to fight the world and you can't fight the world.
09:22So it's just like, you can't really care.
09:26You know what I mean?
09:27So, um, criticism is kind of, it's something.
09:35Can I say something about you?
09:37Yeah.
09:37I think, you know, you recently had some criticism on the internet and I think like how you handled
09:42it is why you're here.
09:43I literally told Danielle, I was like, we have to book her because I think like you're
09:48young, you're trying to figure it like on the internet is a nasty place.
09:51Those stans are crazy and especially Twitch, but I think how you just addressed it, how you
09:55went on your Twitch and you was like, look guys, I'm me, I'm here.
09:58Like, I'm just trying to do the best that I can.
10:00I was like, she's going to go far.
10:02And right after that, you were at the BET Awards.
10:04You were here, like the way you handled that was so gracious and I really commend you.
10:09And I think that you're doing a great job.
10:10I don't, and in the middle of all of that, to be honest, I was like kind of crashing out.
10:16Like I was a little scared.
10:17I'm like, oh my God, is my reputation.
10:18Like, am I done?
10:19I was like, am I done?
10:21God, am I done?
10:23But I wasn't done y'all.
10:25I'm right here.
10:26Can we get a clap for that?
10:27Can we get a clap for that?
10:28And you know what?
10:30I always say like delay is not denial because, you know, like I feel like there was, you
10:35know, a college thing that was happening.
10:38I won't say exactly, but you know, you, you weren't there, but then like now look at you,
10:42like look, you were at the BET Awards.
10:44You were, I saw you were in the culture class at the BET.
10:46Like you're just doing so many great things that I think you didn't need any of that
10:50because you're your own person.
10:52Thank you so much.
10:54And can I can continue the gas real quick?
10:56She also hosted our GU kick back yesterday.
10:59Did phenomenal.
11:00So many compliments just about your energy and your authenticity.
11:03And it really radiates both online and real person.
11:07So I really, you know, we really appreciate you being here.
11:10And I think, you know, you talk about your hard times and it's okay to be emotional.
11:13It's okay to cry.
11:14You don't necessarily have to bounce back from it immediately.
11:17But I think the important thing is that you can't let other people's perceptions of you
11:20affect how you feel about yourself because you know yourself.
11:23So I'm really happy.
11:24We love you over here.
11:25Literally.
11:26In conclusion.
11:28So kind of moving on to that, some of the most, and this is for you, Zoe, some of the
11:32most unexpected content is the one that really resonates.
11:36Has there ever been a stream moment that blew up and you were surprised how people connected
11:40to it?
11:42Absolutely.
11:42Absolutely.
11:42So there's this like, there's this voice I do.
11:49I don't think I'm going to do it for y'all.
11:51But can you?
11:52Yeah.
11:54Y'all really might look at me like, ooh, y'all might want to leave.
11:58Yes.
12:00No, seriously.
12:01So it's like this, it's this like alter ego that I have.
12:05His name is Jamal.
12:06I'm like, I have a deep voice, y'all.
12:08So I can like really sound like a grown man.
12:11Do y'all want to hear it?
12:14I'm going to turn on the face.
12:16I don't see me.
12:16Why am I scared?
12:21Hello, everybody.
12:24Oh my God.
12:26Is this a man?
12:27No, it's not.
12:28Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:33So yeah, everybody knows him.
12:36Everybody knows him.
12:38Everybody loves him.
12:39I have my own fan base.
12:42Zoe Spencer and Jamal.
12:44When people come up to me, they say, let me hear Jamal.
12:47Let me see Jamal.
12:49Yes.
12:50I'm a girl.
12:51She's scared.
12:54No, so that blew up.
12:56That blew up.
12:58I mean, bad.
13:00See, and that's what I mean about like, you truly are yourself.
13:05Like, you can't fake that.
13:07You truly are yourself.
13:08You cannot fake that.
13:08I bet you were probably like on a stream one and just did it and it just took off.
13:12Like, you just never know.
13:14So again, testament to just you, girl.
13:16You in the space for a reason.
13:18And I like got spooked a little.
13:20I'm like, what?
13:21You turned around.
13:22I said, who's that?
13:24So moving on from Jamal.
13:26Jamal got to come.
13:27Jamal might have to make a reappearance.
13:29But Nandi, over to you.
13:30So going back to content creation and being in corporate.
13:33And one thing I really love about your profile is like you you'll post something.
13:37You'll be like not a work post and like really make it known that you are separating kind of your professional life from your personal life.
13:43But it is still OK to blend the two.
13:45But what is your advice to someone navigating both spaces without compromising their identity?
13:51Get your work done at work.
13:52Meet your deadlines so they can't say nothing.
13:54OK?
13:55No.
13:55I just show up.
13:58Like I at work, I just try to make sure like I'm just on my shit.
14:02You know what I'm saying?
14:03Like I just try to make sure I get my stuff done and I'm going to mess up sometimes.
14:08But like I think people can't people know that my work ethic is really strong and they know I mean well.
14:14So it's like if I show up as myself at work, if I get my stuff done, then I can go outside and have fun and have a ball and turn up with my friends.
14:21You know what I'm saying?
14:21So that's the thing.
14:23Like I was in Paris Fashion Week and like nobody knows.
14:25I was getting probably like two hours of sleep.
14:27I was like waking up, going to shows.
14:29We had festival in a week.
14:30I was working at festivals on calls at 12 p.m.
14:33Midnight out there, going out with my friends, coming back in at 5 a.m., doing it the same thing.
14:37And that's just sometimes a compromise you have to make.
14:40Like I want to show up at work, but I also want to like live my life and have fun.
14:43And that's even inspiring for me as I continue in my journey.
14:49I think we all kind of are rooted in this perfectionism.
14:52Jobs are scarce.
14:53You really are kind of nervous to have fun sometimes.
14:56So I think learning from you of like you can navigate it both.
14:59And, you know, sometimes you are tired or like you said, my girl was literally impaired at a Louis Vuitton show right before festival.
15:07Front row.
15:07Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:08Yeah, clock it.
15:10And so it really is just kind of special.
15:12And I love your transparency about it.
15:15It's like you're not necessarily pushing this like, I'm working.
15:19I don't know time for fun.
15:20Because like, who is that going to serve?
15:22Like, who are you really doing that for?
15:23So that grind era is over in a sense of like we're grinding, but I'm not about to put on the Internet like grind, no sleep.
15:30Like we not working.
15:30We not having fun.
15:32Like boo, tomato.
15:352025 is like the year of like the fun, hardworking girls.
15:39Like we work hard, but like we want to have fun too.
15:43And so kind of speaking to that consistency for you, Zoe, growing on Twitch takes more than just being live and going live.
15:50It's about strategy, consistency and connection.
15:53What practical advice would you give for someone trying to grow their audience from, you know, zero to 100?
15:58Okay, period.
16:00So, believe it or not, I'll be doing like 10 hours sometimes on live or like, I stream for a week before.
16:09I'm aiming to stream for a month.
16:11I'm going to do a subathon.
16:12I don't know when.
16:14I need a little bit more media train for that, but you know.
16:17You got the right team.
16:18I do.
16:18I do.
16:19So, I would just say to start small, meaning start on Instagram.
16:27Maybe go on live on Instagram or start on TikTok because as you go, you have to start on a different platform just because Twitch is like, you have to tell people when you're live or when you're going live.
16:41You have to create a community, you know, your chat and everything like that.
16:46So, I would say just start small and build from there.
16:50Maybe start one hour, two hours on Twitch like that because I be doing like eight to ten.
16:56Ooh, that's a long time.
16:58It's a full-time job, girl.
16:59It's a full day.
17:00No, it's more than a full-time.
17:02Full-time is eight hours, right?
17:04Yeah, you be on there.
17:05I be past.
17:06I be putting in extra hours.
17:08No, but seriously, just start small.
17:11Start somewhere else and then bring it to Twitch or just go do it on Twitch.
17:17Just pick up the camera.
17:19Everybody can do it and anybody can do it.
17:22I swear.
17:23And thank you for touching on like how hard you work too because I think when people hear social media, they equate it to like, oh, well, you just post them, blah, blah, blah.
17:32It really is more than that, especially when you want to grow intentionally and actually build an audience that matters and loves you back because you can have a million followers off of some random content, but that doesn't mean they're about to show up for you in real life.
17:45Right, exactly.
17:46So I think it's really important for creators to make that note of like, you're not about to downplay how much work I put into what I do because it's not easy.
17:54It's not.
17:55And, you know, I really respect what you guys do, what you're trying to build.
17:59And I hope you, I don't hope, I know you'll go far.
18:04Absolutely.
18:04And so kind of one of my final questions is, and this is my favorite question because I think this conversation is a little tired about how people always question creators being in these mass media spaces.
18:16So when you see a red carpet, I'm sure you see chatter online of like, why are they on the carpet?
18:21Well, there's a reason and we're going to get into it.
18:23But how do you both think that content creators are reshaping entertainment from your perspective and, sorry, and from your perspective, what do you think traditional media could learn about what's happening in the digital space?
18:36I mean, I always say like some of the essence competitors aren't the magazines anymore.
18:42They're like Zoe.
18:43Like, you know, like I feel like it's like the newsletters and like the like podcast and like not the magazines.
18:52I don't look at the magazines anymore when I'm like, what are people talking about and doing?
18:55I look at her.
18:56I look at all of the other like streamers, TikTok.
18:59I look everywhere but a magazine at this point.
19:03And so I feel like traditional media, sometimes we have to kind of like adapt some of the things that they're doing if we want to stay relevant.
19:11Like I was like pitching to our like owner and Kirk or CEO.
19:14I'm like, we need to put the essence office on Twitch.
19:16Like we just need to put like a camera here and like put it on Twitch.
19:19But I mean, like who wouldn't want to see some of the essence office on Twitch, like working and in our meetings and things.
19:24So it's just about adapting to like kind of like new age media.
19:28And it's crazy that I'm saying this because I feel like my leads tell me this.
19:32Like Nandi, you got to open up a little bit.
19:35But they're right.
19:37And essentially like this is our competitor right here.
19:40It's no longer a magazine.
19:41It's the girl who can get on the Internet and have 20,000, 30,000 people watching her go to the grocery store.
19:46You know what I'm saying?
19:49So for that question, I would definitely say with traditional media, they need to stop being so serious.
19:58It's not that serious.
19:59It's not that serious.
20:02You know, traditional media versus basically me.
20:05I can go in front of my platform and my camera and I can say whatever I got to say.
20:11And it's going to be sent out, shipped out two point seconds because I have clippers in my chat.
20:15So as soon as I'm done saying whatever I'm saying, it's up in five seconds versus traditional media.
20:22You have to wait.
20:23Oh, man.
20:24Sometimes months.
20:25Magazines, sometimes months.
20:27You know, you have to wait to get feedback.
20:28I can get feedback in the same moment because they're texting me as I'm talking to them.
20:35So if they don't like it, they're going to tell me they don't like it right there versus traditional media.
20:39They have to wait, you know.
20:40It's a lot more corporate.
20:41It's just a lot more clean, corporate, pretty nice.
20:46And it's like whatever, you know, but I think it's like whatever.
20:49But I think I think like what what I've been seeing some traditional media who gets it, like even Essence, who's like bringing you on stage.
20:58And, you know, we just launched our app, the Essence 360 app, which has like you could post pictures.
21:04And it's kind of like this own social media channel.
21:06Like, I think it's important that brands do try to like meet their consumer and their marketer with where they're at.
21:12And like she said, it's just not that serious.
21:14Like, yeah, maybe we want to create an app and we could post funny pictures on there.
21:18So I think I'm really happy with what Essence is doing.
21:20And I think these conversations make it better.
21:23Exactly.
21:23Oh, I love that.
21:25And so my final question is, and you kind of touched on it really, but what is truly one thing in your respective spaces that you want to see change, you know, in the next couple of years?
21:35So with you in the creator space, in the Twitch space, what do you want to see change?
21:39I would definitely love to see women more on the platform that I am on because there's not many women.
21:50And it's just like with the woman, it's not, there's no togetherness, I can say, because I do feel alone sometimes in this.
22:05But I'm still finding people and meeting people and stuff like that, don't get me wrong.
22:10But I don't know everybody yet, you know what I mean?
22:13But right now, also, I live in New York still.
22:17There's like no one there.
22:21So it's like, you know what I mean?
22:22They're all moving away too.
22:23They're all moving away.
22:24Going to the south, all of that, yeah.
22:26But I want to turn up where I'm from, you know what I mean?
22:29Everybody always leaves home.
22:31I don't want to leave.
22:31I want to turn up my city, you know what I mean?
22:34So, yeah, I just want to see women come together more and big each other up, just like how the males big each other up.
22:43Because they do.
22:45And with women, there's like, sometimes there's like pickiness at each other.
22:51And it doesn't need to be that, because we're all here to do the same thing and just kill it, you know?
22:57So I would just love to see women come to the app, stream, do what they got to do, be themselves, and also be more together.
23:07And I think that's when you kind of get out of that scarcity mindset too.
23:12It's like, again, everybody can eat and we can all have a seat at that table, build more seats at that table, create our own tables, and go from there.
23:21And then, Nandi, what about you?
23:22Yeah, it's kind of really similar to what you said, but I think it's about, I like hiring people that aren't in New York and L.A.
23:29Like, I would love to see the industry hire more girls from the South and more girls that, you know, just, you don't have to move to New York or L.A.
23:37to be in the industry or make it at this big company.
23:40And I'm from Houston.
23:42I'm a Houston girl.
23:43Frankie, who's hosting, is from Houston.
23:44Last year we had J. Mulan, who's from Houston.
23:46We have two Houston girls.
23:47I mean, I'm not biased or anything like that, but I just think it's, like, really cool to see, I think it's really cool to see just different women.
23:57And I try my best to hire different girls who are, like, you know, not necessarily had a connection in the industry or, like, I didn't have an aunt or anything like that.
24:06I moved to New York in two weeks and was just, like, grinding and begging everybody for a job, child.
24:11And so, you know, I think it's just, I would love to see more girls like me from the South who necessarily don't have any connections and see them kind of rise up in the industry.
24:21Well said.
24:22All right, y'all.
24:23That wraps it up.
24:24And before, yes, give a round of applause.
24:28And where can everybody find you both?
24:31You can find me on every app.
24:34I'm Zoe Spencer.
24:36Find me at Essence and download that Essence 360 app.
24:39Please.
24:40Another round of applause for these ladies.
Comments