When it comes to her stream, @wil_wisp has been playing a lot of Breath of the Wild, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Stardew Valley, Mario Kart 8, and Words on Stream. But, this BroadcastHER Grant recipient also sometimes like to throw it back with early 2000s games like Zoo Tycoon and Wii games! You might also find her making music and performing on stream!

What is your dream as a digital broadcaster?

My dream is to make people smile and to provide a bright spot in their days!

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

I’m going to build my first PC! I have been streaming from my laptop and it has been less than ideal. I am so excited to elevate the quality of my streams and to play new games with a gaming PC!

What does being a recipient mean to you?

It means the world to me. It has made me feel like my content is valid and worth funding. It’s an absolute honor to be awarded this among so many other incredible streamers.

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

Support each other and keep pushing! Women in gaming and broadcasting are pioneers in our field. It is a daunting task. But if we stick together, support each other, demand respect, and show the world what we can do, then we can work to make the industry more diverse and inclusive.

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

Becoming more confident in myself has been the biggest and most rewarding challenge for me to overcome in streaming. In my first few streams, I spoke so softly. I was so shy and nervous. If you compare that to my streams now, I’m almost like a different person. I’m more confident; I laugh loud and tell jokes; I stand up for myself; and I’m so proud that I’ve gotten to this point.

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

If you want to try it, try it! You don’t have to have amazing equipment. I started streaming from my non-gaming laptop with the built-in webcam and have built up from there. Don’t worry about starting too late. The best time to start may have been a year ago, but the second best time to start is today!

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?

The community that I have grown motivates me to keep going! I have a collection of screenshots of lovely things that people have said about my stream and it means so much to look back on them — messages such as “your stream has kept me company through a hard time.” Whenever I feel down about my stream, I remember that it has impacted other people and brought them comfort, so I keep going!