Uploaded and Unfiltered: Conversations about Personal Growth, Mindsets, and Advice with BIPOC Creators for Creators

Authenticity in Content Creation: Finding Your Voice with CakePop

• Jermaine Pulliam • Season 1 • Episode 94

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What happens when two passionate Black content creators sit down to talk about the realities of making genuine content in today's digital landscape? Magic, wisdom, and plenty of practical insights.

CakePopPlays, a variety Twitch streamer with a love for games like Zenless Zone Zero and Baldur's Gate 3, shares her refreshingly honest journey from PlayStation camera streams to building a thriving community. Her origin story resonates with any creator who's felt like an anomaly - a Black female gamer who started streaming simply because she "might as well" share what she was already doing. The unexpected result? Finding her tribe of like-minded gamers who connected with her authentic approach.

You can follow Cake's Journey here:
twitch.tv/cakepopplays
instagram.com/cakepopplays
bsky.app/profile/cakepopplays.bsky.social https://www.tiktok.com/@cakepop_plays

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Speaker 1:

Hello, awesome listener. This is Jermaine. Just a quick producer's note before you listen to this episode. Cake's audio, immaculate, perfect. My audio, however, sounds like I'm underwater talking through a tin can, so we push forward. I couldn't figure out how to fix it, so next time I'll just triple check my audio before I do a podcast. But other than that, enjoy the episode.

Speaker 2:

Welcome, welcome back to another episode of Uploaded and Unfiltered, the podcast in which I, your host, Jermaine, interviews another content creator in regards to their journey thus far. Today, I have a special guest and, before I get her on the line, I'm going to read her bio and provide you with a little bit of information before we get this conversation started.

Speaker 2:

Big Pop is a lifelong gamer and a variety streamer on Twitch. Maybe you've seen her playing fantasy and sci-fi RPGs like Xenolazone, Zero, Love in Deep Space and Baldur's Gate 3. Or maybe you caught her hero shooter shenanigans in Overwatch or in Marvel Rivals. Perhaps you're new to the bakery and looking for a relaxed, positive space where everyone plays what they love and has a good time. Either way, welcome. It's nice to meet you and with that I'd like to introduce my guest for the evening. Welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Speaker 3:

I'm doing great. I am happy to be here. Very, very cool to invite me.

Speaker 2:

Hey, I'm glad you're able to, and you know what. I just thought of something, and this is so random and I do this. I apologize, but as I was looking back like I met you through the homies uh, jedi, ox, probably somebody else, that's how my friend group has grown. But when I first saw you being like I didn't know you knew them. I just saw you like on instagram or maybe I. You got raided by somebody, but I was like cake's a cosplayer and in my head, cosplayer like for some reason. I was like you don't want to talk to me, I don't know why, and so I was just like, in the far being a fan, I'm like yo, that's just dope, alright. And then I found out Boxne. I was like hold the fuck up yeah, we're all here, we're all.

Speaker 3:

There are like three or four different Venn diagrams of Black Twitch that we all end up in yes, I love it.

Speaker 2:

It's so cool. Also, that's a lesson to anybody out there Don't doubt yourself. Just stop being scary and talk to people.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, no, I mean, hey, as far as perceiving me as a cosplayer, that's wonderful.

Speaker 2:

I've posted probably like three cosplays total, but Wow it might be a jerk cosplay, I don't know why.

Speaker 3:

Hey, if the cosplay is fire enough to be that memorable, I'd appreciate it.

Speaker 2:

Facts. All right, let's get started. I took us off course already. We just began. But, cake, what is your origin story in regards to content creation? How did you get started?

Speaker 3:

So it's crazy to think it's been this long, because I do it so lightly. I guess Was it 2017 or 2018? Whatever year it was that Detroit Became Human came out. People were watching Twitch streams more and more and I started checking it out myself and I was like this is really cool. This is such an interesting way to share what you love, because, as a gamer especially as a female gamer coming up you may not necessarily know a lot of other female gamers. You may not necessarily know a lot of other Black gamers Outside of my family. I didn't really know any right.

Speaker 3:

And so, getting older and being like, hey, wait, I think that's something that I could do. I could get online and just play the game. I'm doing it all the time anyway. I might as well just stream it, sure. And so, literally with my little $30 headset and PlayStation camera, I went live and I remember Detroit Become Human was the first game that I streamed and it was.

Speaker 3:

So it was such a good choice to stream that game because it sparks so many conversations, and so I had so much fun immediately with like a few people in chat who had shown up and, you know, my best friend was like I have another friend who's a gamer. Because she's not a gamer, she was like my friend who's a gamer wants to watch you play Detroit, and so I was like okay, and so so her friend was in the chat. It was a really good time and other than that, I was really heavily playing Overwatch and so that became aside from the story games that I was playing. That became kind of my bread and butter and like what I sort of became known for, and so the cosplay that you probably saw at the time was that Sombra cosplay.

Speaker 2:

Yes, that's what it was.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it kind of went, not viral by any means, but there, I don't know, a lot of people saw it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, and I just I just went from there, but it's really been a great hobby for me and such a fun way, like I said, to share what I love, because I could yap about video games all day, every day.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome and it's always like yapping to somebody who else is going to yap back. Love it, it's so good.

Speaker 3:

Yes, and there are so many passionate people in the gaming community, and so it was so thrilling to me to discover this entire section of all of these black gamers, black female gamers, black grown adult gamers because of the misconceptions about gaming that it's you know, especially in certain circles, that gaming is something that, like, just kids do or whatever, when the reality is, being a nerd doesn't get good until you're an adult with adult money, exactly, exactly, cause.

Speaker 2:

Then it's like, oh, I can get two games.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it was like, oh, okay, well what game am I going to ask for for Christmas? No, I don't have to do that now, right.

Speaker 2:

He's like no, I'm just not going to eat tomorrow and I'm getting this game.

Speaker 3:

Right right right.

Speaker 2:

You mentioned something that I think I want to call out. That is an awesome just life lesson. When I was growing up, my past was in the military, so we moved all over the place a whole bunch of white centric places. So I too, didn't know outside of, like my brother and sister, that people that looked like me played games. But the crazy thing is like even when I grew up, like I knew I played games for some reason, I didn't connect it like there are other people out there, I just haven't like I knew I played games For some reason, I didn't connect Like there are other people out there, I just haven't found them. Yet I was just like I'm an anomaly, I'm the only one that does this. It's fucking crazy.

Speaker 3:

Well, I think, especially when you're, I'm going to go out on a limb and say our age, millennial age. We came up without internet for the longest time and it didn't become a thing where everybody had a MySpace page until for me at least, until high school, when everybody was getting their vlogs and their social media and stuff together. So up until that point, unless they're in front of you, you don't see people. And so, years later, to see Twitch pop up and all of a sudden I was like, okay, well, you know, I'll make a gaming Twitter and I'll make an account on Twitch and I'll make like a gaming Instagram and all of this stuff, and then to just see almost people like popping out of the woodwork like everyone is here, it was crazy, yeah, yeah. And it's like even for me.

Speaker 3:

You know, growing up knowing boys who played video games, I did know a couple of other girls, but it wasn't that many. I remember, my God, it was the most bizarre. I understood what they were getting at. It was a backhanded compliment to other people, but it was like when I was in college and I had brought my PlayStation and like all of my games and everything, we were all having a game night and I had brought my PlayStation and, like all of my games and everything, we were all having a game night. This guy was like you are the most normal girl who plays video games the way that you do. Wow.

Speaker 2:

Wow, he thought he ate with that bro.

Speaker 3:

I mean it was, I understood what he was getting at, because I knew not to shade to anyone, but I knew the not normal girls who played video games, and by not normal I just mean maybe a little bit more awkward, or you know whatever. I laughed. I was just like that is hysterical. But he was like, yeah, like normally to be as good at games as you are, this is not the personality that comes with it. Exactly, I was like okay, sure, I was like right, all right, I'll just take that, I'll take that at face value and move on. A cake pop, yeah, well, okay.

Speaker 3:

So there is, just just as a background, another thing that I'm really into, another thing that I enjoy drag shows, right.

Speaker 3:

And there's this drag queen named Trixie Mattel who was talking one day about, like you know, going to the airport and buying like every cake pop available at the Starbucks in the airport and just going ham and all of these things, and the whole conversation was really about indulgence and at the time, like I had a different PSN, like gamer tag or whatever, but at the time, for whatever reason, that quote really spoke to me and it was really about living your fantasy and indulging in the things that you love and enjoying them unapologetically.

Speaker 3:

Yes, we will eat all of the maybe not necessarily from starbucks, but, yes, we will eat. We will eat all of the cake pops we will have. We will not save the things that we like for a rainy day. It won't be living for the weekend. Do it now. Now, you know, I don't know why that just really sparked like a whole thing for me. But yeah, so I like switched my socials and when I made my gaming account and my Twitch account a little bit later, I was like you know what? Why don't we go with Cakepop?

Speaker 3:

So that just became cake pop plays, yeah, and and so, and so that was it. It's really just about like enjoying yourself man, I did not see that coming at all like right, no, that's dope.

Speaker 2:

I like that. That, uh, that jives with how I've been living my life for the last few years. Like enjoy what you enjoy when you can. Don't wait till the weekend or all the way till the summer, where we have more time. Fuck all that. Find some time now.

Speaker 3:

Honestly, that is what makes you know the weekly grind. If you are in the weekly grind, that is what makes it better. You can't spend five days nose to the grindstone working and taking care of the rest of your life or whatever. For two days of weekend that don't even really count, because the Sunday scary is kicking at like 3 pm. Like that is not worth it. It's not worth it at all. Like I'm not doing five and two. It's every day. If you need that little mental boost, go to your neighborhood cafe and get a latte or a croissant or a cake pop, Get whatever. Get that little boost to your day and then keep going. You have to sprinkle in moments of joy and indulgence all the time. The world is too fucked up to not do that. We're not doing five and two anymore.

Speaker 2:

Oh, no, no.

Speaker 3:

Sorry, you can't, you just can't.

Speaker 2:

Technically, yeah, I'm like, not like, not really I'm here, but I'm not here yeah, it's, uh, well, it's.

Speaker 3:

It's interesting too because, well, side note, uh, I am not currently on the weekday grind. I actually got laid off from my job in january, so it's been, um, a really interesting couple of months, like having more energy to to stream, stream and do all of these things and be able to do it at the time that I actually prefer, which is in the middle of the day, right. But I actually took a while off of streaming Mm-hmm A couple well, not even a couple years ago. For a couple of years it was just like a stream here and there whenever I like could get the urge to do it, and so I was like you know what I miss? Like having that outlet and streaming is fun. It's just that, like all of my energy and motivation was just like whatever. So I actually just came back last november. Yeah, right, yeah, I have noticed. Yeah, and I've been consistent since November. It's been like twice a week, whatever.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, congrats on that, because that consistency, even if it's one day, two days a week, is the hard part to do, but once you get in the flow of it, then that's what you do.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Speaker 2:

That's dope. All right, cake I'm. I'm gonna transition, switch gears here and ask you about your current mindset in regards to what you're doing.

Speaker 3:

Which content now and where do you see your content in, like three to six months yeah, well, the thing that was really huge for me me in coming back was that I needed to find a pace and an amount of streaming and an amount of content creation that would work with my motivation levels, my energy levels. I have ADHD and it's very difficult to maintain routines and like do things strictly, like, okay, well, I stream every Tuesday and Thursday at whatever, which that was the old, uh, the old schedule, um, you know. And so for me, mindset wise, it's really just making sure that I am doing it when I want to do it and not having it be a slog and not have it be like, oh well, it's streaming day, but today's just mentally not that day.

Speaker 3:

And now I'm online anyway. Now it's like okay, well, all right, Put in like two hours and then dip Like no, yeah, so my mindset is to do it when I want to. But that said, you know, remaining consistent as I have since November, rather than setting a streaming schedule, make it a streaming quota. It doesn't need to be specific days per week, but it needs to be twice.

Speaker 2:

I like that.

Speaker 3:

And that for me, is like the perfect sort of Goldilocks zone of not too much streaming, because I think originally I was doing it like three days a week or something Not too much but not too little. If you missed me earlier in the week, you can catch me later to give people more opportunities to catch the stream, but also for me to be like you know what? Oh, I haven't gotten a stream in this week. Oh, I really want to. It's helped me to maintain the feeling that I really want to do it and it's a beyond me kind of thing.

Speaker 3:

The rational understanding that I enjoy streaming has nothing to do with executive dysfunction and lack of whatever, going on with ADHD, right, yeah, but I've been able to maintain with this. It's a rough schedule. It's like a Wednesday, saturday or Wednesday, friday thing, gotcha, and with this rough schedule, but really more of a do it twice thing, it's helped me maintain. Just, really just going along with how I am feeling has helped me be actually more consistent, which is counterintuitive, because you would think if it was just going off of vibes, you know, that's how your schedule falls apart, right, but this is actually what works for me to maintain everything, and I started that when I still had a job, and so the fact that I've been able to do that it's just easier now.

Speaker 2:

But the fact that that was what was working when I was, you know, logged in from nine until five tells me that, like that's what works that's what I can roll with so and that's the beauty of content creation like you could do it at your own pace and finding what works for you, because there's a lot of people out there and I'm like, and then also it depends on what your aspirations for streaming is, but like you don't have to stream five days a week. Seven days a week no, like I think the most I ever streamed was I think I was up to four days a week back in the hey. No, like I think the most average stream was I think I was up to four days a week back in the heyday and I was like this is stupid, why am I?

Speaker 3:

and that was, but that was your schedule at the time. Was four right?

Speaker 2:

yeah, it was. So it was monday, wednesday, friday, and then I would do saturday because, like at the house, like nothing, it was really like we would go out during the day and then we get home and we'd be done by like nine. I'm like whoop, guess we're having a night stream. But now I'm almost doing what you're doing, except for I didn't add the quota, which I'm going to do starting this week, like a two a two stream quota but I'm like I really want to play this game and I'm going to be playing this game anyways.

Speaker 2:

I might as well boot up the stream and, yeah, people come through.

Speaker 3:

So but yeah, I think more uh intentional with that? Well, you've also been doing the co-working streams as well, so that's pretty cool. I that was something that I thought about. I was like I wonder if I could get away with like popping off a daytime stream but make it a co-working stream.

Speaker 2:

So everybody, I'm just sitting here quietly yeah, I mean try it like I did it, because some of the stuff I was working on is stuff I want people to see it. For me, this is how I play, edit the podcast or do my youtube thumbnails, and plus I'm doing it anyways, like so I might as well have the camera on, get some watch hours in, but they've been fun.

Speaker 3:

Well, the last one I caught you were I think that's exactly what you were doing. You were like editing maybe some podcast stuff.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's fun, and like finding use for the things that I need to do. Like finding use for the things that I need to do, like finding another alternative, like another reason to do. It has helped me, uh, when I don't feel like editing, because this will be, you're gonna be on episode 93. That's 93 weeks straight.

Speaker 2:

I haven't missed an episode yet and it's because, like, either I'll batch do episodes, like sometimes I'll have four interviews in a week and so that's four weeks of content, sometimes I'll bust out two or three solo episodes, but I'm constantly editing it and because I do it on an iPad, I could be wherever doing that, like with the girls watching TV or helping with homework while editing, I just find another alternate route to do what I need to do and that's so great.

Speaker 3:

And the the batch content thing is something that has always been like top of mind for me, and then I just like never managed to do it, but I love that of just yeah, I'm gonna edit like five tiktoks and then they all you know for years.

Speaker 2:

I've only really started doing this, maybe the last six months.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, okay I would say I've been creating content. I'm not even gonna put a number on it, but I was too like the eyes. I know that would be dope if I could do it, and I don't know what stopped me. But one day I was like you know what, fuck it, I'm just gonna do it and see what happens. Yeah, it was messy. But I was like, oh okay, don't do it this way, do it like this. But and every time I do it I learn something new.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, whenever you find the capacity and you still want to do it, I say just start, start, just do some shit yeah, because I want to do more with my twitch vods, because that's really my primary, like, yes, that's where I'm doing all of this, and so I was like I really could just go in here like, grab some moments, turn it into a real, turn it into this, turn it into that, and honestly, it doesn't even. That's something that I've learned. It doesn't need to be the highest quality thing, because the highest, the highest quality thing that you make is going to be the least viewed, for whatever reason.

Speaker 3:

Yes, yes so just get the content out there. Honestly, it doesn't even need to be. It needs to hit an algorithm, not like three Michelin stars.

Speaker 2:

I have a Tekken 8 video that is. I almost didn't post it because there's still a tiny part of me. I'm trying to burn that part out. It's like this is not a certain quality. I'm not putting it up. I don't want to. I like the person, I don't want to be like that anymore. And so with this I just threw that shit up and that thing got a thousand views on youtube shorts and I was like, yeah, I'm done giving a fuck about like the funny part. You heard the funny part and you can see the funny part. Yeah, it was a little blurry. Who gives a shit?

Speaker 3:

honestly, people do not. People do not care, and that is something I've noticed. People do not care at all and I, while I love being able to edit and um create something that is higher quality, and you still want to do that.

Speaker 3:

It's not like you just want to vomit a bunch of content, exactly. You still want to do that, but don't be afraid to just post. Like and that's that's my current thing is I'm like, oh well, I don't have anything to post. I'm like you've got a three-hour stream from like, whatever, just grab something, just post it. I think that's that is my current mindset goal to get into. Just to be like, you have the content, you have all of these Twitch bots, just start chopping them up.

Speaker 2:

Have your community clip shit, because when I was like heavy in the streaming, a lot the clips that come like you're not going to. Maybe you set up a short key you can hit but you're not going to be really thinking about it. Yeah, having your community do it, you'll end the stream with like four or five clips and you can just post all them shits.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I have had people you know clip here. It's not necessarily like a consistent thing that happens, but every time someone does like I love, I'm like yes, there we go.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, you're supporting the stream for free.

Speaker 3:

You know the people who are just like very present, present and accounted for. When you're supporting a streamer, it does not I say this as a as a currently jobless person it doesn't need to be a subscription. Subscriptions are fucking great, tips and tips and subscriptions are great, but if you can't support or if you need to monetarily I mean there are so many different ways to show up for someone that aren't money and so I appreciate that stuff. Just being present, clipping things For anyone who is just a viewer of streams, who is listening, we appreciate all of that we do all of the twitch streamers out there.

Speaker 3:

If you're clipping things, if you're helping us make content showing up in the streams like it doesn't even need to be, even if you're a lurker like it doesn't need to be, oh, I'm gonna drop a dono and I'm gonna do this, and I, I'm going to do that. Right, you know so?

Speaker 2:

yes, that is awesome. All right, I think. I think we're going to switch gears here, because you've already dropped a bunch of gems. Now I'm interested in how you're going to answer this. Sure, lessons learned? What is a lesson that you've learned because you started creating content?

Speaker 3:

So the main thing is to I mean it kind of goes back to the whole cake pop thing but stream what you love and your passion for what you love is fee to content creation. I need to get a PC set up and I need to upgrade my PC so I can stream at whatever and I need this and I need these lights and I need whatever. When I started streaming, my light was literally like my bedroom lamp, with the lampshade off for maximum light, propped up behind my camera, like propped up behind my camera behind my laptop on a TV stand, and I was streaming from the PlayStation camera with a $30 headset and mic, straight from my PlayStation, but enjoying myself.

Speaker 2:

How long did you have that set up?

Speaker 3:

but enjoying myself. How long did you have that setup, god? At least the first, um, I mean honestly, the entire kind of the entire time that I was streaming, the first chunk of my streaming during. So, like those first couple of years when I was doing it probably so like for two years, I'd say for sure where I was either streaming directly from from my PlayStation or from my not at all equipped for streaming laptop that I had it running. I don't know what the bit rate was or whatever, but it was not super high quality. It was, you know, from a technical aspect. It was me being very into the games that I was playing, and passionately playing Overwatch and doing all of these things. Play what you enjoy and not what you know. Oh well, here's the hot game. If you don't enjoy the hot game, don't play the hot game, because it's going to show.

Speaker 2:

If you're not having fun.

Speaker 3:

It is so apparent.

Speaker 2:

The energy can be felt through the stream.

Speaker 3:

The energy. You are setting the vibes, you are curating your own stream. And if you go in there playing something or not even necessarily for game streaming, whatever content you're creating, if you do cooking streams, if you do crafting streams, whatever it is if you are not enjoying yourself, it shifts the tone of your stream. It is going to show even if you don't have a camera on. It's in your voice, it's in the energy you're putting out. So you have to do what you love in that content creation, because that is going to bleed into everything that you do surrounding it. You have to enjoy whatever it is that you're doing.

Speaker 2:

Yes, how long did it take you to learn that lesson?

Speaker 3:

I would say well, I think it was something that happened fairly quickly, but it wasn't necessarily something that came about because of me trying to play trendy games or anything like that, because I've always been a person who's just going to do what I'm going to do. It happened to be that the game that I was passionate about was in its heyday at the time.

Speaker 2:

Overwatch.

Speaker 3:

And so there was a lot going on surrounding Overwatch content creation, and so for me, it was really just a matter of you know, I pick up the games that I want to play. I don't pick up the ones I don't want to play. I don't care if Elden Ring just came out. I don't care about Souls games.

Speaker 1:

I'm not interested.

Speaker 3:

I don't care if everybody is streaming Monster Hunter. I don't like Monster Hunter either. So here we are. I'm not necessarily going to dump my energy and of course, games cost money. You going to dump my energy and, of course, games cost money. There are financial things involved with streaming games, of course, because games get more and more expensive. But, that said, I'm going to stream what I enjoy because that is going to help me guide these streams in the way that I want to. And more recently, it's something that's become super apparent with Zenless Zone Zero, mm-hmm, because I would say right now that's the game that I stream the most, followed by, like Marvel, rivals, and then there's still Overwatch streams here and there, but also RPGs and all of that.

Speaker 3:

But, yes, any given week, you you can find me playing Zenless Zone Zero, and I'm so into the game that it's just. It helps me. I can fill that space. It doesn't need to be, you know, the dreaded. Oh. No, I'm sitting here silent. I don't have anything to say about this. If you're playing something you're really interested in, you usually have something to say about it. So that's going to help you fill that that. Well, not dead air, but like that silence, it's going to help engage. You can just talk to yourself about the thing, so that's part of the reason. Other than the energy that you give, your ability to entertain and to stream is tied to how much you enjoy what you're playing.

Speaker 2:

Exactly. Try playing something you don't like and keep entertaining.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, mm-hmm, because when I go back and I watch those VODsods, if it gets to a point like in a game that I'm not enjoying.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it's so for me. I'm like, oh god, because I can feel how much I'm not enjoying it. You know what I mean? Like there was a man I was playing near Automata and the game is brilliant, right yeah, but the final boss on that first run took me out of it and I was so. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I because I had gone into the game fully intending to do some of the other endings, right yeah, and that final boss took me out of it so much I sat that game down for like a year and I still haven't. I still haven't finished any other play, any other endings, because it just and then when I went back and I like looked at that vod, I was just like, oh god, this is, yeah, I'm not going back I was like oh no, so many good things about that game and that's my type of game, the one that's like.

Speaker 2:

I love things that are like for lack of a better word insane, like this thing has a bunch of endings and they all mean something, like I was, like I'm in, but when I got, to the end of it I was like I don't, I don't, I don't think I'm doing this again, I'm not playing this fucker three more times I'm serious I was like you know what, if I never have to see that particular boss again, maybe, but it, it just.

Speaker 3:

But that was one of those moments where I was like, yeah, not streaming this after, because it just really like I said it. Just the only way I can describe it is that it just left such a bad taste in my mouth that I just like didn't want to do it again. But fortunately, um, because I am very clear about, like games that I'm interested in and not interested in. I haven't really played a ton of things that were like, oh, I not played. I've not streamed Okay, how's that? A number of no, I've definitely played some games that I never want to play again, but I haven't streamed a ton of things that I wouldn't want to play again.

Speaker 3:

That's good, and that's.

Speaker 2:

That's why I no longer do the free keys, because typically when you get, a free key from an indie developer or a big-name developer.

Speaker 2:

They want you to play that shit on stream. And if it's a game that I'm not into, it's hard for me to be I'm not going to talk shit about it, but it's hard for me to be. I can't like I'm gonna talk shit about it, but it's hard for me to be like man, this is so fun, I love this, so I just don't do it anymore yeah, yeah, yeah, I, that's the thing.

Speaker 3:

If it's, if it's free, it's like, well, I'm gonna say what I'm gonna say about it by that same time, it's like if it's a sponsorship, yeah, I can imagine that being different, but, but I say that I've never been sponsored to play a game. Which, oh, I'm curious about your opinion on these new sponsorships on Twitch. Which ones, so that new sponsorship hub.

Speaker 2:

So here's the thing. That thing has been there for me for like four or five years.

Speaker 3:

So what they did? I know they've just revamped it, though they just updated a lot of advertising things with with twitch that are very interesting it's the weird thing.

Speaker 2:

It looked like so stream labs used to have a sponsorship section and it looks almost like ui, but as far as the sponsorships they're giving, it looks almost identical like factor, interesting mobile games, games, and so I'm it's. I'm like did y'all just partner up with streamlabs or are you actually going out to get the sponsorship? So it's it's nice that for those who their journey to whatever the fuck they're trying to do on a strip stream, like that's an avenue to go, because most of those games are like pretty popular. But I I tried it once with a kingdom rush or one of those demands kingdom games and I just I'm not a salesperson per se, of course other people should so I could be like, hey, go download the game and play the first 10 levels and get 500 gold and beat the boss so I could get a dollar it's.

Speaker 3:

It's so funny because at a certain point, most of the YouTubers that I watch game content-wise. There are like four sponsors that everyone gets sponsored by.

Speaker 2:

It's like there used to be one of them. They're gone now.

Speaker 3:

No, oh God, no, no, no, not even them. It's one of those merge mobile games. Factor Squ. Squarespace and then like bomba socks, they're this like comfort brand. Maybe it's just because I watch like there are certain I watch a lot of like sims content right, and there are a number of sims creators. Cozy creators yeah, who were not cozy creators in general?

Speaker 3:

sims creators but, and a lot of them I've seen at the start of their videos. They're sponsored by this company that makes really, you know, like comfy clothes, but they're also very there's a lot of charity, like they match and then donate and it's all. So it seems like a cool company. I'm not sponsored by them.

Speaker 2:

This isn't me right yeah, yeah, no, but it's, I don't know. But there's a consistency to I'm not sponsored by them. This isn't me Right, yeah, yeah, not that you're not sponsored by this company, but maybe one of them, no, but it's, I don't know.

Speaker 3:

But there's a consistency to Gotcha. You know everybody's sponsored by kind of the same or the other. Alternative is like Disney Dreamlight Valley. True true, a lot of Sims creators sponsored by that, because it's kind of that same. You know, build your own world, cozy type of.

Speaker 3:

Thing but no, I was curious as to what your experience had been with that, because I'll see sponsorships here and there and I did go through and I like read all the terms and I was like, okay, um, but I was curious if you'd had any experience with those the ones that I've done in the past.

Speaker 2:

Luckily, one day I got sponsored. Okay, so this sponsorship was weird, because EA reached out to me through my DMs for Apex because at the time I was playing a silly amount of.

Speaker 2:

Apex, yeah, and so it was me and a real esports commentator. We were watching gameplay of high-level Apex players. But they set it up NDA's probably gone, that was years ago. It was set up like have you ever heard of Gladiators? So basically, gladiators is big, tough athlete people and normal humans going against them in athletic challenges to see who would win. Okay, they did that in Apex.

Speaker 2:

So let's say, you had somebody, an elite sniper. It was up to the regular people to run across the field and get to the other side to kill him while he's sniping with the best sniper in the game. And it was up to me and a commentator to commentate it. Like it was like a game show and we did a pilot for it. They sent me equipment, they me 250, wow, and like I couldn't say anything for it and what ended up happening? Like something happened with apex, like in the, in the media it's like social, like that was bad, not like anything crazy, but like oh, the server wasn't working for a week or some shit like that, and so they scrapped that no, they could have done it after the server was back up, that's what I said and I was like um, so that was fun, like getting to be part of that process and seeing how that worked.

Speaker 2:

I don't know what that would look like to have it gone but everything else has been like one-offs, like stream this game for an hour and get paid this.

Speaker 3:

Or.

Speaker 2:

I need somebody to come through. I want to check it.

Speaker 3:

Well, it's so funny. There are a couple of things that I would love to be sponsored by and I'm always just like, okay, how do I put out enough content for that For me to be like, hey, will happily, I will happily promote xyz I will say this I reached out to a controller company and this was before this was what I was mostly doing youtube.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I reached out. I my numbers were not shit. I just said, hey, I love the product. Yeah, and it's happened. I had one previous, so I talked about why I love that one. I was like I would love to make content, um, for this device, and like six months later I forgot I sent it. They ended up reaching back out and they're like oh, what's your address? We'll send out. I think they said like a press package which ended up having a controller in it and so like I would say, just like, ask I think okay, I'll have to like figure out what you want to do and just be genuine, like, yep, these are my.

Speaker 2:

I didn't even lie. I didn't lie, but I was like these are my numbers this is what I'm passionate about. But yeah, I really fuck with this controller and I was making awesome video and I did so that's, that's been my.

Speaker 3:

I think that's part of my hang up is just like I don't necessarily have like a huge channel, although I got an email from like stream labs the other day that was like you're in the top 25 because because most people don't get above 10 concurrent viewers that is true and so I got an email from stream labs that was like, oh yeah, you're in, it's the top 25 because you have, you know, this many concurrent viewers.

Speaker 3:

And I was just, oh yeah, you're in the top 25% because you have, you know, this many concurrent viewers. And I was just like, oh, what? So there, I think I think something for everyone to remember is that if you're thinking that, oh, everybody else is doing these numbers, they're not, I swear they're not. The people that you're seeing are such a small percentage of the amount of people who stream, the amount of people on Twitch every day, so don't get caught up in that, because I got that email and I was like, oh word, exactly like I honestly like.

Speaker 2:

If you have five people in your stream, just imagine you would sit in the room playing a game. There's five people behind you.

Speaker 3:

That would be fucking crazy and that is the thing, especially when you are like an affiliate right. Yes, that is so many people you don't understand, like the amount of people streaming to zero, and sometimes you're going to have those days where maybe it was just an odd day and your usuals maybe not be there. Whatever, you can always have like a low number stream day and that's okay.

Speaker 2:

Exactly.

Speaker 3:

Every day of streaming is different. Very, that's okay. Whatever, every day of streaming is different, very so. Just, I would say to anyone with a quote-unquote smaller channel like, don't worry about it being one person, two people, three people like you are engaging with those three people like that, that is. You know, that's, that's the key. And a lot of people, according to stream, a lot of people are not streaming to a lot of people.

Speaker 2:

Yes, exactly, exactly.

Speaker 3:

So you know that's a huge thing, but yeah.

Speaker 2:

I'll have to reach out to them then. You have dropped already. Jim slept in right here. I don't know if you knew this, but I don't know if people are listening.

Speaker 3:

I just yeah, people are like and I'm just yapping. I just yeah, people are like and I'm like, I'm just talking, I'm just talking.

Speaker 2:

I do. Well, let's do this. Let's give one specific piece of advice to whoever has been laid on your heart to give advice to. Who do you want to give advice to, and what would that advice be?

Speaker 3:

Hmm, I would say to anyone who is building their not that I have a super strong brand, but, like to anyone building their brand, building their channel you have to be you, you need to be the most authentic public self that you are because, regardless of authenticity, you know this is a public version of your private self. Right, and that's okay. That is totally okay for you to be a, you know, private person and have things that you do not share with your chat, that you do not share with strangers. All of that said, you have to be you and you need to trust that by putting that version of yourself out there, you will find your tribe and you will find the people who really connect with a version of yourself that you can sustain. Because the thing about maintaining a persona, if you're streaming as yourself not necessarily like vtubers, notwithstanding you are a, an anime character, that you have a, you have demon lore or whatever going on, which is I side note shout out to vtubers. I think they're so cool but, anyway.

Speaker 3:

Anyway, I know, I was like damn, I need it.

Speaker 2:

They're pricey. I'm not usually I.

Speaker 3:

The price is crazy. I'm not on camera most of the time anyway, so I was like, well, maybe.

Speaker 1:

I need a little.

Speaker 3:

But anyway, not necessarily those of you specifically streaming a persona, whatever. If you are streaming as you and you are honest and doing what you enjoy, people will find you, because passion is infectious.

Speaker 2:

Yes, very much, so I couldn't have said it better. It's funny you mentioned that because this morning in my little 20-minute live stream to TikTok, that's exactly what I was talking about. Somebody asked me about building communities and do I have any advice? And I was like show up as yourself, authentically. Therefore, you don't have to waste energy trying to hold up this fake persona and watch the people around you and see how they act Like some people get themselves away quickly.

Speaker 2:

Yes, personally, who I am on stream is who I am in real life. Mine is like maybe the dad vibes, because y'all don't get dad wise, that's for the kids. But like who I am, personality wise is who I am, so I don't have to like. If I see you at a con, you're going to get that same person. I've seen people who are different and that shit's scary.

Speaker 3:

It's very and that is what kills me about it. Something I have loved again, finding your tribe, something that has been so incredible for me in becoming a streamer as an adult right, is meeting all of these different people who I have now been friends with for wow, going on like, I guess, yeah, going on like seven years now. People who I have met in person multiple times, have gone to cons with and we've chilled. I'm going to go hang out with one of them later, like after this. Shout out to Source Dumal, everybody's favorite weightlifting bra connoisseur. Shout out to Source.

Speaker 3:

But anyways, you will meet people who, like you said Crip, like there are people who man that persona, that energy is just not there in person, right. Fortunately, though, the people who I have connected with are very authentic, and the first time we all met up, we all commented on that it was like wow, this is exactly like being in the Discord, this is like everybody is the same. It is the same vibes and anybody who was weird. We don't really talk to them anymore, you know whatever, but like you, especially nowadays where it's not just okay, now this is who you are online and you never meet these people.

Speaker 3:

We're in an age where you do meet people you've met online obviously. So like when you show up on stream and you show up in the discord and then you show up at the con, those three, those three images right there, they kind of they need to match, they need to be. You know what I mean. And obviously are you gonna chat more and be more entertaining on stream, probably, but that doesn't mean that you are just this completely other cartoon character from who you are yeah, because people pick up on that and it's weird.

Speaker 2:

Just imagine you thinking you know spying. They show up and they're total opposite in real life. You're like whoa hold on man.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it's, it's, and the thing is I mean it's, it's scary and there is always that chance, because these are people you meet on the internet, but but something that is fortunate about streaming is that that energy carries over as opposed to people who you've only known on twitter and maybe haven't interacted had that like personable interaction with, I guess yeah when you're, when you're streaming, it carries over a little bit, a little bit more.

Speaker 3:

Of course, some people can be whatever on camera, but, yeah, just be. Anyway, back to the actual advice Be you, just be you. Be you, play what you love. It will absolutely shine through there you go I can't say it better than myself.

Speaker 2:

Appreciate it. Good, we nailed it. Body that question. I think this has been super fun and I can go for like another hour. I know you got things to do and then I'm like yo, I got math. Come help me cake. Where can the people find your content, and are you doing anything in the next week that we need to be aware of, or tomorrow, because this is when this is going up?

Speaker 3:

Sure, well, you can find me primarily on Twitch, blue Sky and Instagram, all at CakePopPlays. One word my TikTok exists and will have more content on it, but that one is CakePop underscore plays. I don't know who has the full tag, but whatever, it's CakePop underscore plays on TikTok, but otherwise everything is at cakepop plays. Just one word, and then this week there will be more streams. Speaking of my usual, we do have a big new content drop happening in Zenless Zone Zero, so I should be streaming either tomorrow night when it goes live, so Tuesday night when it goes live, and then as well later in the week for more of that content. Excellent, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And, as always, you can find all of her links in the show notes of this podcast episode. And if you haven't already subscribe to the podcast, upload it and unfiltered I'm on your favorite podcast catcher of choice and share it with a friend who also makes content, because this is for them. Black, if possible. I made this podcast.

Speaker 2:

I didn't have a target audience until things started happening in the world and my eyes started being open to the way things kind of move in media and content. So I decided to dedicate this to Black creators, because we are some powerful human beings that are sitting on a lot of like pent up creative energy and I'm hoping more of us start making more content, start putting up those shorts, start putting out those YouTube videos.

Speaker 3:

Yes, yes, and you don't know how many of us, how many more of us are out there looking for the rest of us Exactly.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Like I make fidget videos because I love fidgets and so many people come on like man, I didn't think anybody else played with these things. It's crazy, I'm like yo, yes, why did I freak? Anyways, okay, this has been super dope. Yeah for doing this. Um, I'm probably gonna have you on again at some point on a panel I'd absolutely love to, absolutely would love to hell yeah, other than that y'all.

Speaker 2:

thank y'all for listening, appreciate y'all as always, and uh, until next time, protect your mental, keep creating content and I'll talk to you in the next one, peace.