10 of the Most Engaging Black Creators to Follow on Social Media Today
As a minority-owned influencer marketing company, diversity and inclusivity are core components of our brand’s DNA. In fact, nearly 70 percent of the Captiv8 team identifies as BIPOC. With diversity, equity, and representation at the forefront of our principles, day in and day out, we believe in helping to build an equitable influencer marketing landscape for all. Last year, we launched the Influence Change Grant which was awarded to five minority-owned small-to-mid-sized businesses. Influence Change Grant Recipients are receiving free access to Captiv8’s SaaS influencer marketing platform, dedicated hours for strategic consulting from our internal team of experts, as well as $50,000 worth of ad credits donated by Meta to help further support and boost influencer marketing campaigns. That being said, Black History Month is a time in which many brands will support and celebrate the Black community. However, we cannot stress enough that inclusivity and diverse representation is a year-round practice that we hope all brands strive to embody. In honor of Black History Month, here are 10 of the most engaging Black creators to follow today and every day!
De’Marcus Shawn
@artbydemarcusshawn – De’Marcus Shawn is a creator who is known for producing hilariously relatable videos. From a businessman ordering Starbucks for the office to a confused parent, Shawn continues to post wildly accurate videos garnering an average of 3.52M views per video. Shawn’s content is so resonating that he has grown his TikTok following to over 5.8M followers and averages 15.29M monthly engagements!
Emmanuel Acho
@emmanuelacho – Emmanuel Acho is a former NFL football player and NY Times best-selling author who created the Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man series. Through his series, Acho hosts uncomfortable conversations with white people by removing the barriers to these types of conversations and offering them a free space to ask difficult questions as he shares his perspective and insight. With a total reach of 2.07M across all social channels and an average monthly engagement of 1.54M, Acho boasts nearly a 75% monthly engagement rate!
Amanda Gorman
@amandascgorman – As the 2021 inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman became the youngest poet ever to read at an inauguration at the age of just 23. Gorman, a cum laude Harvard graduate, largely uses her platform to share clips of poems she has recited. Through the use of her powerful spoken word, Gorman helps continue to strive for a more just society through moving wordplay!
Zia Cooke
@z.loading_ – Zia Cooke is a women’s college basketball player for the University of South Carolina. Since the NCAA’s inception of name, image, likeness (NIL), allowing student-athletes to profit from revenue streams such as influencer marketing, Cooke has pioneered what it means to be a student-athlete-influencer. Cooke has partnered with iconic brands such as Fenty Beauty, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bojangles, DoorDash, and more! Although from a follower perspective, Instagram is Cooke’s most popular channel, TikTok is where her engagement really thrives. With 15K followers on TikTok, Cooke averages nearly 42K views per video!
Mr. Patrick
@thepaperpat – As a Black man who teaches English in Japan, Mr. Patrick’s content is largely a chronicle of life in Japan. Patrick’s content varies widely from interactions with his students, being mistaken for Black pop culture celebrities in public, and the differences between life in the United States in comparison to Japan. As a wildly entertaining content creator, Patrick has amassed a TikTok following of over 1.5M!
Nicholas McDonald, Nathaniel James, and Kadeem Hemmings
@basementgang – Three friends from Mississauga, Canada; Nicholas McDonald, Nathaniel James, and Kadeem Hemmings, founded the Basement Gang. What began as three friends just hanging out, playing video games, and randomly dancing in their basement has turned into a community that now boasts over 4.8M followers. The group is well-known for energetically dancing to various genres of music, and has worked on sponsored campaigns with brands such as Spotify, Tim Hortons, and various clothing brands! With a total social following of roughly 4.93M and an average monthly engagement of 2.52M, the Basement Gang boasts nearly a 52% monthly engagement rate!
Keara Wilson
@keke.janajah – Keara Wilson is a dancer and choreographer who is best known for choreographing the viral TikTok dance to Megan Thee Stallion’s hit song “Savage.” Wilson’s original video has received over 66.1M views on TikTok and she has even generated 3.3M followers on TikTok alone! In addition to her large following, Wilson is able to keep her audience engaged as she averages nearly 1.44M monthly engagements, resulting in a monthly engagement rate of 42.23%!
Emmanuel Duverneau
@emmanuelduverneau – Emmanuel Duverneau is a creator who is best known for a combination of his cooking and dance videos! Viewers who dance while they wait for their oven to preheat will resonate with Duverneau’s content. Additionally, Duverneau also posts the recipes to all of his meals on his Instagram! With a total reach of 1.66M across all social channels and an average monthly engagement of 6.03M, Duverneau boasts nearly a 78% monthly engagement rate!
Azzi Fudd
@azzi35 – Azzi Fudd is a women’s college basketball player for the University of Connecticut and the former number 1 recruit in the class of 2021. Since the NCAA’s NIL legislation, Fudd has partnered with brands such as TikTok, SC30, and Chipotle where followers can even order her special Chipotle bowl! From a pure following perspective, Instagram is Fudd’s most popular social channel by far. However, TikTok is where her engagement really thrives. With roughly 32.2K followers on TikTok, Fudd averages nearly 49K views per video!
Glen Henry
@beleafinfatherhood – Glen Henry is a father first, content creator second, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Henry is well-known for filming everyday life with his children and wife before adding hilarious voiceover narrations and stories to his content.
Conclusion
In conclusion, here are 10 Black creators to follow. We at Captiv8 believe in helping to build an equitable influencer marketing landscape for all. One way in which we are working toward this is by helping to place the spotlight on creators from underrepresented communities like the list of Black creators to follow above. Diverse and inclusive representation is a year-round initiative that is not limited solely to Black History Month. There is never a wrong time for your brand to join the DEI conversation. However, if you are looking for a timely moment, download our seasonal marketing calendar today and start planning for the timely events that matter to you!
