She goes by @TheOGBojangles, and this LGBTQIA+ variety streamer is all about fun, laughter, interaction, and positivity. Along with streaming, this BroadcastHER Grant winner is also a video editor who works with creators to make entertaining content from their streams to put on YouTube, Twitter, and more.

What is your dream as a digital broadcaster?

My dream is to have a large, fun, interactive community. I want to meet more people, become friends with more people, and continue to grow. And, of course, I would love to be partnered on Twitch one day!

How will the BroadcastHER Grant from the 1,000 Dreams Fund help you reach your goals?

Originally, this grant was going to help with TwitchCon, but since that isn’t an option for this year, I’ll be using it to get better equipment for my stream. With the new Nvidia reveal recently, I’m going look at the new GeForce RTX 3080 or 3090. And, if not that, then new lighting or a new camera because it will make my stream quality better!

What does being the recipient of the BroadcastHER Grant mean to you?

It means the world to me. It’s crazy to think I was chosen, out of hundreds of applicants, so I’m very grateful to be a part of this — and I want to do anything I can to help out in any way.

Women are underrepresented in gaming, broadcasting, and e-sports. What can we do to change this?

Give women a chance, encourage them, and make events related to women-centric categories —and encourage them to join more e-sports events. I’m not great at any specific game, but I would still love to compete in some capacity in more female gamer competitions! It’s such a breath of fresh air to be in a space where women are leading the charge in gaming.

What are some of the challenges you have faced along the way?

As a gay woman in streaming, there are a few challenges I’ve faced along the way, including trolls in chat. They’re easy to get rid of — but they always come out at random times. They target me because I’m a woman — or they see that I’m streaming under the LGBTQ+ tag, and they target me for that, too. It’s unfortunate, but the best thing to do is to not address them, ban them, and move forward. It’s up to Twitch — or any other site/game — to take this into their own hands and to suspend and/or ban those people for harassment.

What advice do you have for women who want to start broadcasting?

If you like to stream, if you like to play video games for an audience, if you find enjoyment in it, don’t let anything stop you. Don’t let people who are negative bring you down or de-motivate you. Streaming is so difficult, especially when you first start. It’s so easy to get unmotivated and to stop streaming altogether.

So, surround yourself with good people; promote yourself, your content, and your worth in positive ways to get yourself out there; be part of communities that you enjoy. Ban the trolls and Negative Nancies and move on; you don’t need that bad energy. You do you and keep doing you.

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?

The people in my community help keep me motivated. They’re the reason why I stream. I don’t stream to show off my skill in video games — I don’t have much in that department! I stream because I want to be there for my community, talk to them, get to know them, connect with them, have them connect with each other. They make me want to continue to stream and to achieve my goals within streaming. They are the driving force, and they always have been.