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Why is being a woman gamer so hard? A look into the sexism on Twitch

So I’ve dabbled in a few different video games throughout the years. Back in the day I was playing World of Warcraft and I’ll admit openly — my PVP skills were pretty terrible.

It’s true. Although I didn’t have the right equipment and setup, it was no excuse for how abysmally I played my hunter during a one-on-one duel.

Yet, my WoW friends encouraged me to start a Twitch account. I remember one of them in particular saying, “BlackSesame, I’ve seen some players who don’t just suck, but they suck ass, and they’re still getting thousands of views.”

Now, what would drive a person who “sucks ass” playing games to get thousands of Twitch views?

According to some Twitchers, the answer is obvious.

The past couple days have been hot and heavy with debate regarding women gamers who choose to stream their sessions.

It started when streamer “Trainwreck” was slapped with a five-day suspension after his lame-ass rant went viral.

“This used to be a goddamn community of gamers, nerds, kids that got bullied, kids that got fucked with, kids that resorted to the gaming world because the real world was to fucking hard, to shitty, to lonely, too sad and depressing,” bitched the sponsored gamer, “Now it’s ran by the goddamn same sluts that reject us, the same sluts that choose the goddamn fucking cool kids over us, the same sluts that are coming to our community, taking the money, taking the subs, the same way they did back in the day- fuck that, I am the goddamn reality check.”

Well I, for one, can’t possibly imagine why those “sluts” chose another guy over you.

https://twitter.com/evepeyser/status/930542337251577856

After his display of butthurtness, the gaming community certainly reacted… Well, the way they normally would: Gamers are pretty pissed.

Although I believe Trainwreck deserves a much longer suspension for being lame AF, fellow streamers believe otherwise.

This issue actually came into light a few years ago, when Sky Williams, popular League of Legends and video-ranter posted a Youtube video called, “Dear Female Streamers,” that has since garnered over 1 million views.

To be honest, Sky made some (I repeat, some) pretty good points.

First, he points out the influx of cam-girls that have taken over Twitch.

Women who literally have their breasts or bottoms as cover for their videos, or who are simply on Twitch to make money and get views set a standard for the audience that female Twitchers attract.

“What about the female streamers that aren’t about that life… If another female is streaming, playing in non-provocative attire with her attention on the game, she will be subject to the same torment that you get when you flaunt your body. You are creating a standard for the female streamers who want to continue.”

These cam girls seem to make up the majority of females on Twitch. Sky talks about how this affects all female gamers, regardless of what you’re presenting in your Twitch videos.

“I was in Natsumii’s stream and she rolled up her sleeve to itch her arm and someone called her a slut… And they were serious!”

Female streamers have spoken up. Taken from Kotaku, a live show featuring popular female gamers went up.

The takeaway? Women gamers are beautiful and sometimes show off their skin, get the fuck over it.

On top of that, there are only 8 out of 100 women on the top of Twitch right now.

Take for example, MOBA Dota 2’s streamers page. Do you see any female gamers showing off their tits? ‘Cause I sure don’t.

Guess we’ll just have to wait for this one to pass.

As for Trainwreck — please, shut the fuck up.

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How Winnie Harlow found true self-confidence by embracing who she is

Winnie Harlow has become a global star in the fashion industry.

Winnie has grown from model to spokeswoman and activist, openly speaking about her battle with body image issues and her skin condition vitiligo.

Making my way downtown 🎶

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In a recent feature by CNN, Harlow recalls her past and being teased in school growing up. As a kid she was called things like “cow” and “zebra.”

“The bullying was so bad that I was forced to drop out and be home schooled.”

Things worked out in the end, though.

Harlow has since become the face of Desigual, has gained a 2.7 million followers on Instagram, and been featured on the covers major magazines, like France’s L’Officiel and Elle’s February 2017 edition.

In 2011, Winnie released a video titled, “Vitiligo: A Skin Condition Not a Life Changer,” and opened up on her past struggles with vitiligo, and the peace she’d reached with it.

“I’m not a monster. I’m a a sweet girl who likes pink. It’s not at all a big deal… People have eczema and stuff like that and are afraid to show their skin… It’s you, embrace it.”

Harlow has always been open about the obstacles she’s faced in the past. During high school, because she was bullied so often, Harlow ended up dropping out.

But instead of being held back by this decision, Harlow was empowered it. She told CNN in a 2016 interview,

“I learned to love who I am despite what anyone would say about or to me. This gave me the courage to really stand up to anyone or any obstacle in my life.”

Harlow was first discovered on Instagram by Tyra Banks and has since been apart of other projects, including appearing in Beyonce’s Lemonade visual album and appearing on Tyra’s America’s Next Top Model.

Before that, her first modeling job was with British photographer Nick Knight. For someone who hadn’t been considering a modeling career, Harlow has come a long way.

🍪on 🌊 word to @nickiminaj

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But the most beautiful thing about Winnie is who she is on the inside.

We feel the pressure to meet our “standard” of beautiful in so many areas in life, it’s refreshing to see how at peace Harlow is with herself, and just how stunning she really is. She’s become a reminder that no matter who you choose to be, be yourself with confidence, because that’s the only quality that will shine through in the end.

Winnie has remained the same carefree girl she was when she first rose to prominence, and she will no doubt continue to slay with the power of embracing who she is.

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Rihanna says the key to success is only sleeping 3-4 hours a night

The internet is pretty shocked and impressed by Rihanna’s recent claim that she only sleeps 4 hours a night. While I’m not shocked, I am of course impressed by RiRi’s dedication.

Most productive people sleep only 6-7 hours according to this article “The Sleep Routines of Successful People” from the Huffington Post. Here’s a few:

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX: 6 hours per night (1 a.m. – 7 a.m.)
Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft: 7 hours per night (12 a.m. – 7 a.m.)
Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group: 5-6 hours per night (12 – 5/6 a.m.)
Jeff Bezos, Founder & CEO of Amazon.com: 7 hours per night (10 p.m. – 5 a.m.)
Ellen DeGeneres, TV Host: 8 hours per night (11 p.m. – 7 a.m.)

Rihanna is a busy woman with many things to do throughout the day. She’s a singer, a multi-business owner, the face of her Fenty Beauty collection, Harvard’s Humanitarian of the Year… There’s no way to fit her entire schedule in a day.

#STUNNA drops TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT EST!! @fentybeauty @sephora @harveynichols #SephoraInJCP

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There are split opinions about less sleep. Some say it’s a necessary path down to success and that sleeping less is better for you, others say it has more negative effects on the body than it’s worth.

I get my full 8 hours of sleep, so I’m not talking down on those who choose to participate in the lifestyle, but sleep is a “coveted enterprise,” as Forbes contributor Alice Walton describes. Nas has described it as “the cousin of death.”

But is it true that less sleep is better for you in the long run?

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Rihanna’s lack of sleep seems to come from the fact that she is stays up watching shows if she does get home early. She told Vogue Paris,

“I have a lot of trouble switching off. Even when I get home early, which means before 1am, I start binge-watching shows or documentaries, which I love. I can’t go straight to bed. As a matter of fact, I only sleep three or four hours a night.”

What Rihanna reminds us is that if you want to reach your highest potential, you need to set your priorities straight. Often times, sleep is worth the sacrifice.

Of course, only you know your body and what lengths you can reach in success, but the more you want to do throughout the day, the more concentration you’ll need to give things.

The most important part for a successful day and a successful sleep schedule is keeping a consistent time for sleep. If you’re sleeping between the hours of 2-6 a.m. everyday, the lack hours snoozed can be made up by the fact that your body is running on a consistent cycle.

Music Video Work GIF by Rihanna - Find & Share on GIPHY

I seriously strive for the day where I don’t need 8+ hours of sleep anymore. 4 hours a day is an impressive feat, and definitely achievable.

Although, Rihanna, I sincerely hope you get a break in your schedule once in a while and sleep in, though you always be looking fresh-faced and energized.

Keep up the inspiring superwoman work!

How Syracuse student Julia Haber started her company WAYV in college

Despite growing up just outside of New York City in Westchester, Julia Haber adopted the hustler mentality at an early age. Born a go-getter, she’s had the idea of working for herself in her head since she was a child.

It wasn’t until college when she became a student at Syracuse University, where Julia studied advertising, new business and found her passion for entrepreneurship. This allowed herself the room to flex her creative brain while simultaneously learning how to create, operate and expand her own business.

By the time she was a sophomore in college, she already had internships lined up. She held positions at big-name companies, Snapchat and Spotify, helping work their internal and external creative systems.

At each of these jobs, Julia was able to purpose herself as one of the youngest creative strategists working on the brand. Through her experience, she found that one thing lacking in the industry was the way advertising was submitted and perceived.

Julia Haber Wayv

In a recent interview with Kulture Hub, she explained,

“I’m a designer, and I found that I loved working with brands that didn’t want to be part of an agency. I found that there was a real need to change the way people engage with advertising. We learn a lot about the impressions and all the things that comes with that, which actually means nothing, so I’ve always had a little fire in my belly to think about how to change the way brands are engaging with people.”

When she was just a freshman in college, Julia gave us a glance at her first experience as a true entrepreneur. Building a pop-up shop out of an empty storage space on campus, she began selling products from other student entrepreneurs at Cuse.

“I knew no one would go if they’d never heard of the companies before, so I invited a couple of corporate companies like Lululemon, Treat House, and a couple of other brands to come be part of the experience and lay the ground work of what was going to happen.”

Through constant networking and pitching, Julia managed to get AT&T to fund the idea. Inviting these big name companies to sell their merchandise contributed to the pop-up’s success by capitalizing on their existing, active engagement.

By the time the pop-up had run its course, Lululemon had made a profit they hadn’t expected to make on the campus of Syracuse. Julia told us,

“Lululemon killed it, they made a tremendous amount of money in sales that they’d never anticipated in making before. I knew I had to do some more digging and see why they did, and it was because the brand had never been on campus before. People don’t like to leave, so when brands come on campuses, the real bread and butter is to engage with it.”

Then, WAYV was born.

WAYV takes an experiential approach to all things involving marketing. In other words, rather than going out and seeking the shop you’re looking for, WAYV brings it to you.

“We work with the brands to create the experience they want. Whether it’s to drive subscriptions or make sales, we give them the opportunity to provide what’s important to them. We craft the experience around that, whether that’s more interactive, like opportunities to ask questions, photo booths that they can get content for, etc. We completely recreate the container to represent those brands and then pick up the shipping container and we put them on college campuses around the country.”

Collaborations to bring the pop-ups to life start with the partnerships made. Julia cites an exposition in an empty storefront that “brought 760 kids in 5 hours,” through the appearance of an Instagram model that they’d worked with.

Back in April, WAYV partnered with Rent the Runway on a successful, several-month project pop-up which featured food, fun, and fashion all-in-one. Students were met with photo booths, delicious doughnuts, colorful wall art and hands-on experience with Rent the Runway’s clothing.

“The Rent the Runway pop-up shop really gave us market validation from the consumer side, from students and also from the brands. We worked for about 5 months before we executed the rent the runway pop-up. We had to work with their goals, budget and completely change the experience multiple times to make it match what was possible. There were a lot of elements we had to overcome to create this, which was really telling for how we will run that on a scale for the future. Because we had such a positive response from students and a really positive response from the brand, it was really big catch and something that we can use to approach other companies.”

Aside from working with other campuses, WAYV plans to connect with content brands like The New York Times, Elite Daily, and Wired. In addition to retail brands such as Revolve and Hershel and Coach.

Plus, technology brands such as Uber, Lyft, and Netflix; beauty brands like Cover Girl and Color Pop, and finally, experiential brands that bring the entire experience to life. Just like photo booths and multi-media companies.

WAYV plans to formulate success through a simple strategy, utilizing storage units and melding their aesthetics by drawing inspiration from two to four different brands at the same time.

 “We’ll have two to four brands in a space at a time, all having a synergic relationship like Vans, Vice, Refinery 29 and Revolve, all brands that have the same demographic but do a different thing. So, with thinking of pairing content creators, journalistic with retail brands and technology brands, even doing a Spotify pop-up shop.”

Love these lips!!💋

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Last year, after pitching the idea in 5 competitions, WAYV won $20,000 in equity free cash.

“We have a formula for success: Tons of visuals, engage with your audience and be a human and not a robot. Having the ability to be conversational when you compete against a lot of people who aren’t comfortable talking around others. It’s really easy to a part if you can pitch well.”

Julia’s advice for those starting out on their own venture requires a little bit of soul-searching. She advises knowing your role well before taking a stand on what you want to do. 

“It was always in my blood to be a doer and an operational person. Some people are the idea people, some people are operators, some people are lazy, so before you start creating something, think about the role that you’ll personally play and how you can do further business, knowing your role in the business development is important. Knowing your strength and your weaknesses and finding people who can help you do that.”

If you’re looking to start your own project or idea, Julia advises you talk about it with as many people as possible to get as much feedback as possible. She finished our interview with some solid advice for young entrepreneurs out there saying,

“It’s a myth to not talk about it. You should talk about your ideas with as many people as possible. It’s so smart to get people’s feedback and opinions. It can help boost your confidence, but can also be challenging if you get too many opinions. Definitely write all your ideas down, test it with different people and try to find mentors in that industry. It’s always good to bounce it around with people with that experience.”

Belle Knox

How adult star Belle Knox is putting herself through law school using porn money

Let’s remember the name that once upon a time caught all the headlines, Belle Knox. The 25-year-old Miriam Weeks carried a pseudonym all the way to the West Coast, supporting her attendance at Duke University, and using an alias to disguise her identity.

The former X-rated starlet is now attending New York Law School, and people are losing their fucking minds.

For some reason, a porn star doing things that regular people do on a daily basis is too much for the internet, and the community, to handle.

Instagram

While at Duke, Knox was seen as such a threat for peace disturbance that a security guard was considered for her to “keep her safe” from the harassment she was receiving.

Page Six couldn’t find anymore information on her, so they quoted an unknown, but thoroughly reputable source, of “A man who met her at a dinner at the San Remo Cafe in the Village said, ‘She was really loud and wouldn’t stop talking about herself.'”

Annoyingly, a spokeswoman at New York Law School wouldn’t give out any information as to whether or not she is even attending, which sucks for us, because it makes it that much harder for us to snap and send pictures of her studying in the library or eating lunch in the cafeteria to The Times.

Luckily, we still have From Straight A’s to XXX, the intrepid documentary that focused on Knox’s journey and the BS she went through to get her education.

“The movie chronicled the vicious bullying she endured at the mercy of classmates who discovered that she was leading a double life as college student and XXX star.”

Though her porn days are long behind her, mad people are still dumbfounded at the revelation that she’s going to actually partake in the law.

She even had to defend herself in an essay posted by XO Jane,

“I’ve been called a hypocrite and mocked for daring to talk about empowerment if I have also not kept adequately hidden away my enjoyment of rough and dirty, nasty and filthy, saliva-dripping and name-calling-filled sex.”

She has dreams of becoming a women’s rights and/or civil rights lawyer. Maybe we’ll be seeing part 2 of her documentary, From XXX to Sentencing?

Rihanna is low key building an empire with her Fenty Beauty line

Rihanna released her highly anticipated Fenty Beauty line last year, adding yet another powerful business to her growing empire.

Fenty Beauty is available online in over 150 countries worldwide and reaches an inclusive audience like no other product line has before. In the first 40 days, the company made over $100 million.

In other words, Rihanna has changed-up the makeup industry.

Liquid eyeliner comin’ on July 6th!! #FLYLINER

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The star’s net worth is about $245 million, according to Money, but after the launch, her net worth is sure to “skyrocket,” again.

Rihanna has said her love for makeup started young. She wanted to make this available for girls and women worldwide.

Per Refinery 29, Rihanna spoke about Fenty,

“I wanted things that I love. Then I also wanted things that girls of all skin tones could fall in love with. In every product I was like, ‘There needs to be something for a dark-skinned girl; there needs to be something for a really pale girl; there needs to be something in-between.'”

Foundation for all. 40 shades. What’s yours? #PROFILTR #FENTYBEAUTY

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Almost immediately, darker-shade foundations were bought and sold out everywhere.

“There’s red undertones, green undertones, blue undertones, pink undertones, yellow undertones—you never know, so you want people to appreciate the product and not feel like: ‘Oh that’s cute, but it only looks good on her.'”

The makeup company hasn’t passed its first financial quarter, but Rihanna has already announced the holiday collection in Paris last month, and officially dropped October 13th.

Sneak peek for the holidays. OCT. 13 @sephora @fentybeauty #sephoralovesfentybeauty

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Up until now, stories have been pouring in from all kinds of news outlets. By focusing on the social and economic leak in the makeup industry, Rihanna surely hit a goldmine.

With over 91-SKU products available, products range between $20 – $39, and were highly anticipated before the launch.

https://twitter.com/MEENAVOGUEE/status/905825879825285120

Since then, Rihanna has taught us all the importance of inclusivity in the makeup industry.

The line was launched in over 1,600 stores across the US, at the best time possible. The beauty industry saw a 6% growth the past year, marking it as one of the “fastest growing industries in the U.S.”

Since the launch, the line has partnered with other industries; starting trends at Spring 2018 fashion shows, partnering with Puma for the Fenty x Puma collection, and accounted for increases in LVMH’s perfume and cosmetic sales.

The brand, named after the singer’s last name, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, opens up new avenues for other prospective partnerships. Before the line was released, Rihanna was already receiving great reviews from beauty bloggers and makeup artists who swore by her product.

What’s more, it’s not just the inclusivity of the shades of makeup foundation, but other matching tools too, like “mini brushes that can be tucked in a purse as easily as a tube of lipstick” and Match Stix that magnetize your makeup, “light-as-air shimmer formula to highlight, blush, enhance, and bronze in 10 colorful shades that let you play.”

By releasing the line, Riri also launched product history. After 2 years of Fenty Beauty development, the products have shifted the makeup industry’s game, prompting other companies to take the same steps Fenty has.

Fenty beauty has gained over 1.9 million followers on Instagram so far, and has been successful in targeting its main audience: Women everywhere.

Here for this 🙌🏾 Tag a friend who NEEDS to see the sneak peek of our #GALAXY holiday collection.

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We’re sure to see an influx of Fenty products in the future, due to its huge success as a start-up conglomerate so far. A spring collection, perhaps? Summer? The Galaxy Collection just came out, but the excitement for prospective products is still there.

RiRi, you’re doing something right.

#JusticeforJunior: Shocking murder of Bronx teen is a big wake up call

If you’re on social media at all, you’ve probably heard of or seen the support for Junior, a 15-year-old boy from the Bronx who was stabbed to death by a group of five gang members outside a bodega on 183rd street on Wednesday night.

Lesandro Guzman-Feliz told his mother he was going to be right back, and that he was stepping outside to hand his friend $5. He never made it back home, but instead met the face of his killers just minutes before making his way two blocks over to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he took his final breath before collapsing out front.

Gruesome images and video surveillance of the scene has caught wind all over the internet. Celebrities like Cardi B have been in observance of the tragic events and used their own platforms to spread awareness of the injustice.

Reports have surfaced now that the gang has purportedly apologized to the family,  claiming that they’d “gotten the wrong guy.”

Social media has also unearthed the video that might have started it all; a young woman and a young man having sex, with a third guy filming it. The girl may have been related to one of the members that went after Junior, who resembled the cameraman which caused his untimely death.

While the surveillance is sickening on its own, a much larger issue can be seen caught on camera, from the bodega to the hospital where Junior fled.

In the store, before he was taken outside and slashed and stabbed, were grown-ass men who watched as the young boy was dragged by his hair, “like a dog,” according to his sister, Genesis Collado-Feliz, and did nothing to stop the events from unfolding.

In the article first reported by the New York Post, the witness said,

“He tried to run into the store because he thought he’d be safe. They dragged him from the store like a dog. He is not a criminal.”

But even more disturbing is the reaction of the community at hand. Those in the bodega were not the only witnesses of the crime, nor were they the only ones who did nothing.

The entire block seemed rampant and alive as they watched the young boy die before their eyes. A couple walking hand in hand, ignoring the scene, passerbys yelling “run to the hospital,” after the killers had fled, woman filming from her balcony and shaking her head rather than calling the police, and the NYPD who stood and did nothing, watching him bleed out outside the St. Barnabas Hospital.

Chief Terence Monahan of the department said that the murder was one of the most “brutal crimes” he’d seen in 36 years of his career.

Last week’s death of XXXTentacion also unveiled the brutal reality of the chase for social media clout. XXX’s slumped, lifeless body was put on display for the world to see in a matter of minutes after his death.

As witnesses awaited the cops, one man could be seen weakly checking for XXX’s pulse, while the others stood above him with their phone camera’s out, contributing nothing to the preceding events.

This misfortune really sheds light on how society seems to prioritize the principals that are most important to us. Have we really become so consumed in technology, so blinded by our world’s computerization, that we whip out our phones to take a video, rather than calling for help?

What’s going on here? While no one is expected to throw their body in front of a machete for a stranger, could it be argued that this adversity could have been prevented, had those at the scene worked together to drive away the murderers? Called the police earlier on? Covered his wounds and taken him to the hospital, rather than watch him use what adrenaline was left in his body to run two blocks down?

While nothing can erase horrific and unjustified nature of this story, a lesson can surely be extracted — if you see someone in need of help, pick up the phone and call for some damn help.

For those looking to help Junior’s family during this time of sorrow, a GoFundMe page is up and currently accepting donations, a small token to help quell the suffering that his family is no doubt enduring.

#JusticeforJunior

How Kelsey Davis built CLLCTVE, the multimedia agency taking over the east coast

When Kelsey Davis first founded CLLCTVE just a little over two years ago during her freshman year at Syracuse University, the first thing she noticed was that the agency’s success was causing her GPA to slip.

The Atlanta, Georgia native began pursuing video production back when she was still in high school. By the time she had started her college career, clients were already lined up. In an interview with Kulture Hub, she said,

“I was a freelance videographer on campus. In high school I had learned how to do video production. I was doing a lot of paid work, already had clients, and when I transferred to Syracuse, I started learning about equipment, how you couldn’t monetize off of it and how the university can’t pay students to produce. I was like nah, man, I need to find a way to get around that. So I created a company.”

The Television, Radio and Film major found that one of the biggest obstacles she faced was balancing her coursework and her company. When all of the absences from meetings, photo and video shoots, and conferences started to catch up to her grades, Kelsey decided to do something about it.

Rather than taking the traditional entrepreneur route and skipping all of her classes, Kelsey decided to argue with the administration at her school over accrediting her work. She explained her thought process, saying,

“My minor is in Innovation, Design, & Startups, I can’t be penalized for starting a company. A lot of the time I’m able to use my coursework, or manipulate my courses to identify specifically with what I’m doing in the company.”

CLLCTVE started on a much smaller breadth than the assembly it is today. Originally, it was Kelsey and her friends getting together to shoot, film and produce content.

Fun and simple, it has since garnered attention beyond the proximity of SU. Today, Kelsey bodies the role of CEO, with a team that has grown from a duo to a unified institution that operates between New York City and Atlanta.

Alongside Kelsey is her partner and co-founder Ryan Williams, a certified personal trainer who specializes in health and wellness coaching. While Kelsey focuses on expanding the agency, Ryan executes the title of COO by keeping the engine running through strategizing operations and managing the scaling team.

“Even that in and of itself, figuring out how to work within systems and create and strategize is a lot of what CLLCTVE does. It’s cool how Ryan and I are both able to do that, even in a classroom.

A lot of CLLCTVE’s team includes students. Utilizing clout and targeting social media, CLLCTVE helps build brands and teams for those looking to start their own project or seeking to monetize their work in the freelance market.

“Because we’re freelancers, we know what kind of direction we need, what kind of resources we need. Everyone who works for CLLCTVE has free access to master class, free access to Adobe and creative cloud. Because we’re a startup, we don’t have the financial resources that bigger companies have, but through our access of the industry, we can offer them things like that. A lot of times students in college need these things more than a check.”

Most of their clients’ work occupies a musical space. CLLCTVE has worked with visual artists, musical artists, music festival productions, personalizing video content for major corporations like Coca-Cola. Plus, other creative consulting agency brands such as Native North who they’ll be touring with this summer to Dallas, LA, and Jacksonville.

The work that will be put in the next two months is meant to prepare the team for their last year at the university, as they expand into a larger team of different skill sets.

“In the fall we’re starting a program, partnering with Syracuse University regarding our ancestry program in the school. Giving students the ability to not to sacrifice academic credibility to follow their passions. I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t have to choose. I believe doing everything to satisfy your major and your company should be mutually exclusive.”

While it’s beginning to reach other locations in the United States, CLLCTVE plans to extend its mission all around the world. Their goal – “being the central hub for young black millennials creating original digital content, telling their stories and partnering with people who look like them”. Kelsey spoke about CLLCTVE’s plans for global expansion. She said,

“Eventually CLLCTVE will expand globally and partner with different universities in different markets. We want to be the catalyst for that new system, especially since school and classrooms are structures that have been the same for hundreds of years. As people are innovating, as companies are innovating, schools have to as well.”

For budding entrepreneurs and risk takers seeking their own ventures, Kelsey offers advice that may not be easy to digest but it contains the hard truths of success.

“A big thing is to just go do it. So many times we try to clean ourselves up first, or say we need to get our shit together. Nah, you’ve got to do it. Go out, release a product — it’s probably going to suck. Pray that it sucks, pray you get feedback, pray that you go figure out how to make it better. The first product you put out is never going to be your best product. If you wait forever to put out the first thing, it’s going to prolong the process. Put things out, go do it, make mistakes. The quicker that you fail, the earlier you’re going to succeed.”

5 ways to be a boss bitch and empower your fellow woman

What do all of the trailblazing women of the world have in common?

The women we admire most who have risen above, pushed past the hardships only to come out through the other side? These are the women that are natural born leaders, the women that set trends and turn over lessons for the rest of us to learn from.

There’s one thing these women similarly share in their approach on how they regard each other: They empower one another.

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But being a woman around other women isn’t always easy. In our femme culture, we have a natural competition going on that is linked to biology. For years, scientists have been trying to figure out why women aren’t always the nicest to one another.

As per a NY Times Op-ed, evolutionary psychology has told us that this hostile behavior is bred from the need to “protect” ourselves, our wombs, and our partners. While women aren’t naturally inclined to be physically aggressive, their “indirect aggression” is what’s used to feel safe while “lowering the stock of other women.”

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Women who feel possessive, catty, competitive, or some similar emotions react on their own insecurities by putting down others. And of course, there’s a more aesthetic-focused pressure to act, talk, and react a certain way.

While we have so many endearing qualities in our relationships together, there’s a problem with the way we women address each other, and it needs to change now.

Always strive for independence

For an empowered woman, independence should start with your thoughts and spread to your emotions and entire lifestyle.

An empowered woman knows what she wants, and doesn’t need anyone’s opinion to guide them. Empowered women make their own decisions and base them on no one’s ideas but their own.

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Independence also means independent happiness. These women know who they are and what they stand for.

This means detaching any attachments or engagements that may hold you back from progressing forward and doing what’s best for your future and your future alone.


Appreciate your female friendships

I think we can all agree that female bonding feels so good for your brain. Girl time is unsurmountable in its compassion, something we take for granted with our best girlfriends.

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According to the Huffington Post, it’s been scientifically proven that women particularly crave fellow female energy when their stress levels get too high.

“One landmark study by Laura Klein and Shelley Taylor on the relationship between friendships and stress discovered that women react to stress differently than men… Taylor contends that women, on the other hand, are genetically hard-wired for friendship in large part due to the oxytocin released into their bloodstream, combined with the female reproductive hormones.”

If you never understood why girl time felt so good before, now you do. When the going gets tough, the girls get closer.


Leave the pettiness at home

Empowered women don’t have time to point, judge, and laugh. They are too focused on themselves and their futures to notice anyone else in a negative manner.

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The NY Times Op-ed brings up a good point on how rare female-friendships are, and  therefore more exceptional when successful.

“It’s considered exceptional, or at least noteworthy, that famous women like Amy Schumer and Beyoncé and Taylor Swift acknowledge that other women are talented, and frequently work with those other women without, in most cases, being catty about it. This makes them feminist heroes.”

Working with another woman is hardly deserving of being lumped in with feminism or heroics. There should be nothing admirable behind the notion, just acceptance and bequeathal of same-gender bonding, aid and cooperation.


Love your body

Your body is your vessel and your tool.

That is not to say your body must only be used for your sex appeal, but the approach in which a woman treats her body is her key to living a fulfilling life.

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From fitness to childbirth, a woman should embrace her curves rather than critique them at every imperfection. Work out, eat right, and seize the love you have for the body you were blessed with.


Expanding your mind and learning to lead

Most importantly, empowered women love to learn and help one another.

Devex discusses the three L’s of women empowerment; learning, labor, and leadership.

“It is true — and it is understandable, given the bias that exists — that women sometimes lack confidence to match their competence. But they need to change that mindset and reset the narrative in their favor. So it is essential that women be ready to “dare the difference” — to take risks and step outside their comfort zones.”

You should never stop learning, but wisdom breeds patience and understanding. As you learn, it’s important to remember that in order for our entire gender to progress, we must help one another, not chip away at one another’s self-esteem.

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Female leaders aren’t made over night. It takes a scaled balance of compassion, emotions, and leadership skills to make a strong woman leader.

There is nothing more beautiful than an entire community watching one another grow, helping out your fellow sister through guidance and empathy.

For empowered women everywhere, this is your time to shine, to share your knowledge and seeds with us all, because if we don’t have each-other’s back, who will?

5 business savvy hip-hop couples who make each other more powerful

Despite what many rappers may preach about their player lifestyles, they’re realistically cuffing just as much as everyone else.

In fact, hip-hop seems to breed something even bigger than just relationships — I’m talking about power couples.

With most rap artists being hustlers, they’re naturally attracted to women who are of the same mindset; women who will make them even stronger.

From appearing in each other’s songs to boosting one another’s business investments, these power couples remind us that no matter what’s been going on, there’s nothing a strong foundation can’t overcome.

Jay-Z & Beyonce

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Bey and Jay have sat on their power thrones for a few years now.

In 2016, Beyonce came out with Lemonade, insinuating that she and Jay were going through a rough patch, and possibly breaking up. However, their relationship persevered, with Beyonce recently giving birth to beautiful twins Sir and Rumi.

HOV came out with 4:44 last summer and blessed us with bangers like “The Story of O.J.” which is heading for the 2018 Grammys, nominated for Record of the Year.

Beyonce and Jay-Z have always held each other down, it seems. No matter what they’ve been going through, this couple has focused on benefiting each other’s careers.

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When Beyonce’s On The Run album hit, Mr. and Mrs. Carter performed together, collaborating both their songs on stage.

Jay has confirmed joint music that has yet to be released, so maybe we’ll be seeing another tour with them very soon?

The answer is most likely. When it comes to empowering one another, these two know how to do it.


Offset & Cardi B 

Even though there’s been intense drama between Offset and Cardi as of late, this couple reigned their way at the top of 2017.

Offset proposed to the hip-hop queen at the Powerhouse Concert in Philadelphia back in October.

Cardi and Offset have collaborated on a few successful songs since her summer single, “Bodak Yellow” took off. Bangers like “Motorsport” and even “Lick” have fans gushing over the couple’s love for one another while twerking to their hits.

Cardi has been open about their relationship, mentioning that being with Offset has certainly helped her in many ways.

“My dude changed me for the better,” she said in an Instagram live video last year. Even when these two aren’t on a song together, you can be sure Cardi is mentioning Offset’s name in her lyrics somewhere.

Now with a baby on the way, the two will be bonded forever.


Gucci Mane & Keyshia Ka’Oir

The Wopsters 🎄🎁

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Gucci Mane and Keyshia Ka’Oir got married this year, making headlines all over the place.

Keyshia has been around to hold Gucci down since day one. She started off as a model for one of his videos, becoming his main woman shortly after.

In an interview with Page Six that she and Gucci started to take their relationship to the next level after she “bathed” him.

“I went on tour with Gucci in 2010 — that is when it really started to get serious. I fell in love with Gucci when I bathed him… I put him in a shower and just bathed him. I just did things to him and he looked at me and said, ‘Wow, no one has ever bathed me before.’ I am a traditional Jamaican lady, that is what you do. You take care of your man.”

In Kanye West’s new “Cruel Winter,” track Gucci talks about bribing Keyshia to stay faithful to him with millions of dollars. Not that Keyshia needs the money since is she the owner of businesses worth over $30 Million.

Keyshia has proved to be a keeper, marrying Gucci and starring in The Mane Event with her husband which aired on BET. Nothing but love and support for this couple.


Kim Kardashian & Kanye West

Happy Holidays

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Though Kanye is known for being one of the top moguls of the hip-hop game, and Kim the queen of reality TV, it seems that Kim was his missing puzzle piece. No one can deny the power that these two exude.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are the spouses who transformed the world of fashion into something of their own fairytale.

They are regular attendees and participants in fashion week and biggest fashion shows where they’re often seen modeling their own exclusive pieces. Last month, Kanye’s limited “Blue Tint” 350 YEEZY’s were being sold for over 133% of their premium retail price, that they had to be restocked for resale.

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Kim supports Kanye in his fashion ventures no doubt, and Kanye cares equally about his wife’s business ventures, gifting her thousands of dollars worth of different stocks for Christmas.

Kim and Kanye have worked together wonderfully so far, launching The Kids Supply back in September, where they unleashed an entire collection of clothing for infants and children.

These two celebrities-turned-designers will continue to soar with their creations for years to come. For now, their fans will keep waiting for the next trend.


Fetty Wap & Yaya

I give her everything like she had a 🔫 to me ❤ #newcoupe

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The “My Way” singer hasn’t really been too into the spotlight lately but he is always ready to support his girl, no matter what she does.

Fetty Wap’s girlfriend Yaya launched her Omaj by NoiR clothing line last month. Fetty was one of the people in attendance and surprised her by investing $100k in her business. 

With support like that, who can deny a prosperous future?

Fetty’s next album is in the works at the moment as he prepares for his mixtape tour that’s coming up soon. Whatever he has in store for us, you can be sure that Yaya will be there to hold him down throughout it all.