Did You Quit Your Job? Black Creators Leaving Corporate

Welcome to the second edition of Joy's Black Creator Breakdown, a digest of the Black Creator Economy from a Marketing Manager turned Digital-Creator-Voice-Actor-Creative-Executive.

And when I say turned, I think it's earned. Click on the video above to see exactly what I mean.

*Breathes deeply into a bag*

A re-introduction: My name is Joy Ofodu and I'm fully leaning into my Black creator talent, which is making people laugh in a way that inspires them to heal. I considered quitting my job at Instagram to serve my dedicated community of 200,000 and floating monthly audience of 1-2 million with the long-form dating show they've been begging me for, and deserve.

How did I get here? Let's break it down:

• I produced and shared at least three dating-themed, comedic short-form videos every week on Instagram for two years
• I started a TikTok to share much of the same, letting my non-existent hair down to get even more candid and irreverent
• I re-launched my YouTube channel with an original webseries mentioned in Refinery 29 and the New York Times
• My presence attracted paying brand partners, executives, press and meaningful speaking and talent engagements. My portfolio and connections also enabled me to re-activate my childhood dream of professional acting and lend my voice to games, indie animation, one feature film (whoo!), a major music album, audiobooks and more.
• The unseen: I've spent almost every night and weekend since 2020 building my business after work or school. I have an incredible community of support. I have no agent, financial angel or manager. I invest my personal savings or earnings into editing, executive assistance, travel and production.

If you read the first edition of this newsletter, you know that ethically navigating the Black Creator Economy has been top of mind for me, both as a marketing manager and as a creator. I realized that the best way for me to charge my worth, empower my network with business opportunity and grow my business (up 150% YoY) was to leave my role at Meta.

You can re-visit the caption to find out how to support me, but this isn't all about me. "Quiet quitting", "quick quitting" and the Great Resignation are all the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Black creators actualizing their talents in the U.S. economy. We've heard the Forbes stat: "The creator economy is estimated to be worth?more than $100 billion, and more than 50 million people worldwide consider themselves creators, but the vast majority are amateurs." (Forbes) Black creators are not new to this, but true: We invented or popularized the music, choreography, fashion and beauty trends that allow this creator economy to exist and scale. Now, we're cashing in by leveraging our corporate-grown talents, ditching the commuter desk and putting our education to work under our own labels.

Remote work enabled this shift into full-time creativity for me and a few of my favorite Black creators, highlighted below:

Ariel Belgrave-Harris

The Burnout Whisperer we know and love was my colleague at Meta as a Senior Program Manager. Now, her tenacity has taken her to TODAY, UnderArmour, Project Rock (with Dwayne, The) and Women's Health Mag.

DeAndreBrown

The "Corporate Baddie's" elite attitude is infectious. His proud navigation of corporate America as a gay Black creator (and Global Consumer Banking Full Time Analyst at Citi) inspired me and so many others to laugh at the ambitious balance.

Obi Arisukwu

Nigerian-American artist Obi bravely left his job to pursue art full-time, after growing his audience on Instagram. His humor is unmatched, as is his generosity -- a two-hour phone call with Obi last Fall helped me take a deep look at whether or not it was time to leave my job. His upcoming series, OBI, will hit HBO Max soon and will be produced by Michal B. Jordan.

Tori Bell

Another Metamate: Tori now leads her start-up Inclusion unpacked, and was previously the founder of Black Women at Facebook, a valuable ERG which boasts more than 2,500 members. Inclusion Unpacked has partnered with Dove and The Female Quotient to empower women and girls.

Bri Springs

Bri famously left her role in Communications at Meta while on Matt James' season of The Bachelor, risking it all for the potential of love. What I personal adore about this decision from an early career peer is her trajectory afterward: After taking some time out and bouncing roles, Bri is now supporting creators at Lumanu. She is proof that corporate America will always be there to welcome you back in.

Mark Clennon

NY based photog Mark Clennon serves as both creative and career inspiration for me; his eye landed him gigs with countless top brands across commercial and editorial photography. I was lucky enough to be shot by him at CultureCon (see below) and can tell that his decision to leave Advertising as a Senior Publishing Partner pre-pandemic has majorly paid off.

These Black creators set the mold; now it's my turn.

Are you working and creating full-time? Did you quit your job for a creative freelance role? Comment what you've learned. I'll be sharing more weekly via video and podcast every week in October and November on YouTube. Digest and?let me know how it goes.

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