Meet WillJinkies (she/they), a BroadcastHER Grant winner!

What is your dream in gaming, esports, and/or content creation?

In the last year, I’ve become laser-focused on producing events on Twitch, finding ways to seamlessly blend the magic of edited cable TV with the technological constraints of live streaming. For cable productions, there are huge crews of people that get to spend months after the initial filming of a TV show to make it flow seamlessly — to cut dead air, to add sound effects that keep the audience’s attention, to create something advertisers are happy to sign off on, to make the TV magic that had our grandparents “turning their eyes square” and currently has babies addicted to Cocomelon.

When I helm a production, I do the work of that whole slew of people — with OBS [open broadcaster software], a 32-button stream deck, and a lot of front-loaded work.

My dream is to bring that TV magic to Twitch — to redefine the idea of live streaming to encompass all kinds of entertainment, and to make that entertainment an accessible art form for viewers, creators, and anybody who wants a taste of working on a TV set without ever having to leave their bedroom (or office!).

Please share how winning support from 1,000 Dreams Fund is important to your dream and what impact it will have on your career?

I’ve done some *big* events on Twitch. Spanning dozens of contestants, hundreds of scenes in OBS, and thousands of hours of work to put together. I’ve become a creative powerhouse. Except… my computer can’t keep up.

The 1,000 Dreams Fund has enabled me to dream bigger with my events and pushed creativity to the front of my mind — not whether or not my GPU from 2017 can keep up with my ambitious production design.

That is a gift that I do not take lightly, and cannot thank the 1,000 Dreams Fund for enough.

What advice do you have for women & femmes who want to work in gaming, esports, and/or content creation?

You need to kill the 14-year-old in your head that’s scared of being cringe. This is an industry that requires you to be shameless, a fierce advocate for yourself, and for you to embrace the parts of you that make you truly unique. You’re going to feel awkward and cringe-y and weird — and that’s all part of the journey. Embrace it. You can’t get somewhere useful without getting over your fear of being seen.