It is not uncommon for black creators to face unique systemic barriers across the creator industry, including but not limited to disparities in compensation and attribution, and toxic experiences. Snapchat believes that one of the ways the platform can help remove some of those barriers is to provide mentorship and financial resources to emerging black creators in the early stages of their professional careers.
Last week, Snapchat was thrilled to announce its first accelerator programme focused on supporting 25 emerging, undiscovered black creators on their journey to make content creation a full-time career. The successful applicants will be selected in early September, with applications closing on 12th August.
In order to boost the programme even more, Snapchat has partnered with Google Pixel, UNCMMN, and Westbrook Media to support participants with some of the best devices, industry mentors, hands-on learning experiences and financial backing. Snapchat itself will provide funding of $10,000 per month per creator for 12 months to assist their creative goals.
The successful creators will be selected based on their unique voices, and alignment with Snapchat’s values. These creators will also have the exclusive opportunity to Beta test new features; leverage Snapchat’s content offerings like Stories, Spotlight, Maps; and attend educational webinars and SnapSchool to ensure their success on the platform.
The future of Snapchat content
The launch of the accelerator programme is just the start of Snapchat’s broader, ongoing efforts to ensure that content on the platform reflects the diversity of Snapchatters and their interests.
With over 80% of the US Gen Z Population watching a Snap Original last year, Snapchat continues to elevate voices and topics that matter to our community. Over the past two years, over 50% of leads or hosts in Snap Originals have identified as BIPOC or LGBTQIA+, too.
This is just the beginning of Snapchat elevating its community’s voices and it will be exciting to see what is created and developed thanks to the programme.
