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Popular streamer IShowSpeed isn’t afraid to turn down lucrative deals. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, IShowSpeed is a dedicated streamer who made various sacrifices to focus on his craft. One of those sacrifices included moving into his father’s home after receiving an ultimatum from his mother: quit streaming or leave her home. “Once I start something, I’m not stopping,” he mentioned on “Club Shay Shay” at the time. The decision has paid off, and the streamer holds no ill feelings toward his mother. In fact, he later bought a home for her after earning his first $1 million at 16. Today, IShowSpeed has 33.8 million subscribers on one of his YouTube channels alone, as well as an additional 27 million followers on Instagram (at the time of this writing). He also just won Streamer of the Year at the Streamer Awards 2024. While it is unclear what his exact earnings are, he confirmed on Complex’s “360 With Speedy (Morman)” that the $10 million net worth that comes up in a Google...
In an industry that thrives on creativity and innovation, Black-owned marketing agencies are making a significant impact by offering fresh perspectives and culturally relevant campaigns. These agencies are not only shaping how brands communicate with diverse audiences but are also fostering inclusivity within the marketing world. Here are seven Black-owned marketing agencies that are leading the way in creativity, strategy, and results. 1. Burrell Communications Founded in 1971 by Tom Burrell, Burrell Communications is one of the pioneering Black-owned marketing agencies in the United States. With a mission to redefine how brands communicate with African American audiences, Burrell has worked with iconic brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Toyota. The agency blends cultural insights with powerful storytelling to create campaigns that resonate deeply with consumers. 2. BLKBOX BLKBOX is a digital marketing agency that specializes in developing strategies tailored to multicultural...
ImDavisss’ interest in technology was ingrained in his childhood. During an exclusive interview with AFROTECH™, the streamer and content creator , originally from Atlanta, GA, reflected on the early support and exposure to technology he received from his father, who built websites. “I grew up playing a lot of video games, but in my spare time, I think my first interest in technology came from my dad. He built websites—that was his job when I was a kid. So, I used to mimic what he was doing. The software back then was called Dreamweaver. It was a really, really old-school program, but that’s kind of how I got into technology. I would fake-build websites in my spare time,” he explained. Rise As Streamer/Content Creator ImDavisss, who had a strong interest in basketball, also developed a passion for streaming and gaming. His parents supported his newfound enthusiasm — his father bought him a green screen, while his mother provided a PlayStation, controllers, and microphones when he was...
Popular streamer and creator IShowSpeed made his first $1 million at 16. Also known as Darren Watkins Jr., he currently boasts an impressive 33.5 million subscribers on one of his YouTube channels alone, as well as an additional 26.9 million followers on Instagram. His early motivation to keep creating content as a freshman in high school also stayed with him, he explained on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast with Shannon Sharpe. “My sophomore year, I kind of gave up on school. I kind of gave up on everything that I had in my old life and just put everything on my stream. I streamed every day. I didn’t care about nothing else except Youtube streaming,” IShowSpeed said on the podcast. His mother initially had hesitations about streaming, even after his first viral clip garnered 30,000 views. She gave him an ultimatum: quit streaming or leave her home. With 2,000 subscribers at the time, he chose the latter and moved in with his father in Detroit, MI. “Once I start something, I’m not...
Students can now lean into Google’s AI assistant for college application readiness. According to a blog post from Google, it has launched Gemini to streamline tasks for users such as researching new topics, providing advice, planning events, and generating ideas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Google Gemini app (@googlegemini) It can be connected to apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Maps, and YouTube and is available in English and Spanish, with the company planning to expand to additional languages. The feature is also a helpful tool for those who are looking for guidance as they prepare for the college admission process, and particularly first-generation college students. According to Reality Changers, these students often do not receive college readiness or familial guidance and have less financial stability. This could later result in lower self-esteem and make the transition to college more difficult. “The college application process can be daunting: There is...
The Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit over alleged discriminatory practices related to the appraisal of a Black homeowner’s property and the cancellation of her mortgage refinance application. Filed Monday, Oct. 21, in U.S. District Court in Colorado, the lawsuit accuses Rocket Mortgage , Solidifi U.S. Inc., Maverick Appraisal Group Inc., and Maksym Mykhailyna of actions that violate the federal Fair Housing Act. “This lawsuit is part of our ongoing efforts to bring an end to appraisal bias which prevent Black communities and other consumers of color from accessing credit and benefitting from homeownership,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement . “Appraisal bias exacerbates the racial wealth gap, and runs contrary to the principles of fairness, transparency and equity that we need in our housing market today,” she added. “The Justice Department will continue to hold appraisers, lenders and others...
Nicky Saunders has tips and tricks to scale your digital presence. Saunders, a content strategist and CEO of Deeper Than The Brand since 2018, understands firsthand what it takes to build online. Called “the voice of content branding,” her platform offers helpful content creation suggestions that can be beneficial to businesses and content creators. Of late, she has heavily geared content around the various ways technology can be a resource, such as using an iPhone to edit live photos or artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT or Opus Clip. The latter allows users to repurpose long videos into shorter clips with one click, per its website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nicky Saunders | The Voice Of Content Branding 🏁🦁🏁 1 of 1 (@thisisnickys) Thanks to her expertise, Saunders has built an online following of 12,000 subscribers via YouTube while impressing on Instagram with 187,000 followers at the time of this writing. Screenshot taken via Instagram /...
When considering the “It Girl”, Kirah Ominique is top of mind. She had no intentions of being a full-time content creator. In fact, she had first envisioned attending an Historically Black College and University, potentially Howard University or Texas Southern University, to obtain a pharmaceutical degree. Although that did not become a reality, her Plan B was to always be involved in the beauty field. “I was supposed to come become a pharmacy tech first. Girl, I failed pharmacy math like, ‘Yeah no let’s go to P lan B.’ Now Plan B is Plan A, doing something in like the beauty field but a mix with the medical. Or maybe a traveling nurse wouldn’t sound too bad either,” she explained in a YouTube video posted in May 2024. Ominique has stayed true to her interests in diving into the beauty world through content creation, which also encompasses fashion and lifestyle and has led to a strong social media presence. @kirahominique Get Ready With Me For Dinner In Thailand , Its Giving...
Will.i.am sees great value in the upcoming AFROTECH™ Conference. The breeding ground for tech professionals who are looking to learn and be submerged in a collaborative atmosphere is making its way to Houston, TX, for the first time, and it will be held Nov. 13-16 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFROTECH™ Conference (@afrotech.conference) Among the panels announced, so far, is the Women’s Summit Stage, which will uplift women in their professional journeys. For the first time, the conference will also host the Health & Environmental Equity Summit in addition to the AI Stage. It is the activations being held this year that have the interest of will.i.am as he sees various changemakers across the industry coming to the conference. Haven’t purchased your ticket yet? Click here now. “Getting things off the ground and bringing people together, inspiring people to come, travel, and be a part of something and belong to something,...
For anyone who gets frustrated with their partner’s gaming habits, Tee Grizzley may have some news to change your mind. During an appearance on the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast , the rapper and gamer pro shared that he has “made millions” from simply playing video games. “The way to make money, you gotta know how to repurpose things,” Tee Grizzley explained, detailing how he generates income through Twitch. “Boom, you got subscribers, you got ads, you got people that can donate to you — and the sky’s the limit with all that stuff.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by VSG Entertainment (@vsgent) He continued, “With your videos saved, so you can take those videos [and] you can make content out of them on your TikTok, your Instagram, YouTube. You can [even] get a bag off Snapchat.” This isn’t the first time Grizzley has highlighted his lucrative gaming ventures. As AFROTECH™ reported, in a 2022 interview with the “Million Dollaz Worth Of Game” podcast, Grizzley shared that...
Clarke Peoples had a “formulaic” road map that was disrupted by content creation. Columbia University Student Peoples was a student at Columbia University in New York, NY. It had been the only school she applied to, and she placed all her energy into perfecting her application, she shared with Business Insider. “I put in a lot of work to earn enough scholarships to get into Columbia. I spent months writing my application essay and did whatever I could to make myself a more competitive applicant. It was the only school I applied to, and soon I was in New York living out my dreams,” she said. Putting all her eggs in one basket ultimately paid off as she would be admitted into the school. She proved herself to be ambitious — pursuing an American studies degree — with an overarching goal of becoming a lawyer and launching a startup company. Peoples also had other backup plans including becoming a finance intern for a wealth management asset firm. Early Career Opportunities By her...
By capitalizing on her status as a leading beauty influencer, Jackie Aina has built the foundation for a prosperous business empire. How It Started Aina, a Nigerian-American born in California’s San Gabriel Valley, came from humbling beginnings. BuzzFeed News mentions she has six siblings, with an even split between brothers and sisters. She recalls “growing up with nothing” at times, bouncing around shelters with her mother and siblings. “Growing up, I had no leverage, I had no rich uncle,” she said, per the outlet. “We got kicked out of a shelter, we couldn’t get to another one quick enough. And when you’re a mom of seven, It’s not easy.” To change her outcome, Aina studied medicine at the California State University, Business Insider reported. That route did not pan out for Aina, and she made the decision to serve in the Army in 2008, after being convinced by her then-boyfriend. They would marry — although they later divorce — and she moved to Hawaii to live with him where she...
Google is awarding Black and Latino startup founders who are disrupting the artificial intelligence (AI) space. The tech giant established the Google for Startups Founders Funds to ensure Black and Latino entrepreneurs receive financial assistance and necessary support to influence multiple sectors. According to information provided to AFROTECH™, each recipient will receive $150,000 in non-dilutive cash awards and $100,000 in Google Cloud credits. Recipients also receive mental health resources and mentorship from Google’s experts across AI and sales. This is Google’s fifth year in funding, and it has allocated more than $50 million t o 570 Black and Latino founders. Moreover, founders who received funding support have later secured more than $590 million in additional investments. Google has unveiled its latest round of recipients, whose work encompasses using AI in preventative wildfires, keeping fast fashion out of landfills, and education. The 2024 Google for Startups cohort...
Former Atlanta Hawks player Dominique Wilkins is attaching himself to a winning cause. According to a news release, the NBA Hall of Famer is now committing his focus to Roots, an Atlanta, GA-based real estate company that offers a model benefiting investors and renters. Per its website, the company will purchase, manage, and rent homes to renters. From there individuals can become investors, and the renters can also opt in if they comply by paying their rent on time and maintaining the property. Since Roots’ launch in 2021, it has raised $33 million from over 6,000 investors to support its mission. Wilkins is now among its investors and also serves as the company’s partner and spokesperson. His intention behind supporting the brand is to create more opportunity in real estate for those frequently marginalized. Looking ahead, Wilkins’ work with the company will include using his likeness in videos and at gatherings to promote Roots and its “Live in it Like You Own it®” proprietary...
50 Cent claims his social accounts fell victim to a cryptocurrency scheme. Fox News reports the rapper’s X account had been hacked to promote a cryptocurrency token called $GUNIT. The token’s name suggests his former Hip-Hop group G-Unit. On Friday, June 21, 2024, the scammer allegedly wrote on 50 Cent’s account, “$GUNIT for winners only…” Complex reports 50 Cent’s Instagram account included screenshots of the $GUNIT crypto, which showed under $1 million in market value, and that number quickly increased. The message gained popularity, accumulating 57,000 likes on June 22 and drawing hundreds of users to the comments section, with some even making purchases. Despite this, 50 Cent stated he was not associated with the venture, and his accounts were later locked, Fox News notes. 50 Cent claims the hacker made $3 million within 30 minutes from the scam. It’s not possible to verify 50 Cent’s assertions, nor is there a way to confirm if the hacker earned the alleged $3 million. “My...