I was lucky enough to interview YouTube’s newest rising influencer Jackie Amoako. Since starting her channel on the 25th November 2018 Jackie quickly blew up and captured the hearts of viewers. From uni advice, lifestyle and her experiences as a young black woman Jackie’s content is relatable and inspiring to her 3.6K subscribers.
Read on to see my interview with her on her Youtube success, inspirations, future goals and so much more.
R: Hello, first off how are you doing with this lockdown and all the craziness going on right now?
J: It was hard to adapt to at first but then I got a routine going which was great! During these unprecedented times, it’s hard to keep motivated but with a consistent routine and self-care, it’s gotten so much easier.
R: That’s great to hear! 100% agreed, self-care and a routine have definitely helped me too from not losing focus. You run a very successful YouTube channel, how has your life changed since starting it in 2018?
J: Well, I blew (up) very quickly without realising what I had gotten into and I’ve loved it ever since I began! I’m currently on 3.6K subs which isn’t a great number, however, with all the support and love I received I’m beyond proud of myself. I have roughly 90 videos since I began and have been consistent weekly, sometimes even dropping twice a week. I began and have been consistent weekly sometimes even dropping twice a week. Since growing a greater platform for myself I have inspired so many of my subscribers, made new friends, gained a support system and as of current I’ve been in contact with several businesses and working towards many collaborations in the future. It’s got me growing all my other social media for the better and I’m just continuing my journey to becoming a black British influencer and potentially an influential YouTuber.
R: That’s amazing! 3.6K subs is an incredible amount, you should be so proud of yourself! You have achieved a lot in such a short amount of time and a good support system is definitely a great foundation in keeping us focused and feeling loved. Your work ethic and passion are what is already inspiring a lot of your viewers, so who in your community do you look up to and why?
J: Thank you so much! Nella Rose, also another black British YouTuber was honestly a huge reason why I started my Youtube journey in November 2018 to begin with! She’s such an inspiration as she’s been through so so much and yet whilst being a uni student she was creating such creative content for us all to watch and her rapid growth was phenomenal. After so long of considering starting a channel I did and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Even as of current, she’s had some backlash, as well as such upsetting family issues, yet the way she carries herself and held her hands up when she was wrong without making any excuses is exactly the person I want to become as I grow. Of course, there are so many amazing other women in the Youtube scene such as Jackie Aina, Patricia Bright, that I love too and I focus on these black YouTubers only because of how much more I can relate to them you know.
R: Yes definitely, I believe this generation is incredibly blessed to be growing up with inspirational Youtubers like yourself and Nella Rose, Jackie Aina, Patricia Bright etc because you are representing your community proudly and giving your viewers a chance to relate and not feel so isolated. As you mentioned, Nella has had some challenges to her career but has come out stronger, what challenges do you think you’ll face as your channel continues to grow and how will you tackle them?
J: 100%! I’m aware the bigger I get the more hate will occur from individuals that just don’t want to see me win and to be honest that doesn’t phase me as they will never say it under a real account or even to my face.
'The love and support will always outweigh the negative and that’s what, no matter how hard it may be some days, I’ll have to remember.'
Aside from that, possible obstacles may include being a black woman. No doubt there’s racism in every field, but I’m just glad that at least as of recent there’s been more acknowledgement and education as to what is right and isn’t right. I know instances where black influencers are paid less even if they have a larger following and due to this I will never sell myself short or downgrade my ability due to fear of brands deciding to turn down their offer. With this mindset and being confident in my creative work, I see no room for failure, only success.
R: Definitely, I agree, you are no different than your non-black counterparts in your industry and that’s great to hear you’re going to stick to your belief in yourself, that’s super important. With this positive mentality you have to tackle these challenges, what are your goals for the near and far future inside and outside of YouTube?
J: Well my main goal is to grow as big of a platform as I possibly can, but my next big milestone is to gain 10K on both my Instagram and YouTube which I definitely see happening if I remain consistent and come out with quality content. I also have goals to work with several big brands as well as smaller businesses. I look forward to collaborating with other upcoming YouTubers in the near future also. As much as I love what I do, I also want to see all the hard work pay off and make good money, as well as inspire any smaller YouTubers and any young girls/boys to do what they love and put their all into it.
R: That’s a great goal to have! I believe you will achieve all that in no time for sure and you’re already inspiring so many young people, myself included. Do you have any words of advice you would like to share with the readers?
'Keep on working hard, timing is everything and consistency is most definitely the key to a successful future.'
R: That’s great advice, I’ll definitely be taking it on myself. Finally, how do you think we can be a better ally for the black community?
'Just support black businesses, black creatives and keep educated. No need to treat us differently for any reason.'
R: Amazing, definitely we should all be doing this. Well, thank you so much for your time and for giving me a great insight into your life, career and perspective. I wish you all the luck in the world!
J: Thank you for wanting to work with me!
I want to say a big thank you to Jackie again for being my first interview and giving up her time to give such an insightful perspective into her career and her experiences. She is an inspirational young woman and I wish her all the success in future!
Subscribe to her YouTube channel and support her social media here:
YouTube: Jackie Amoako
Instagram : jackieamoako
Twitter : jackieamoako_
Snapchat: jackiexamoako
Who would you like to see me interview next? Tweet me @roann_gutierrez and follow on Instagram @platform_blog with your suggestions/requests.
Have a story to share? DM me on insta @platform_blog or comment down below to get in touch.
Comments