3 Content Creators That Are Disrupting The Media Industry

There were several notable moments that took place at the 2023 White House Correspondents’ dinner. At the celebration, which brings together different celebrities, journalists, politicians, and notable figures, President Biden took time to address a number of different topics. Notable moments of Biden’s talk included mention of wrongfully detained American journalists, jokes about his age, the importance of the free press and specifically, the Black press. In regards to the Black press, Biden stated “[Mamie] Till insisted that an open casket for her murdered and maimed 14-year-old son be the means by which he was transported...the reason the world saw what [Mamie Till] saw was because of another hero in this story: the Black press...Jet Magazine, the Chicago Defender, and other Black radio and newspapers were unflinching and brave in making sure America saw what she saw.”

As Biden stated, the importance of the Black press deserves more attention. Currently, the media lacks racial diversity; this is demonstrated when analyzing demographics of the journalists that are hired to work for major media companies and also examining those who own the major media conglomerates. There has been a rise in independent creators who are using the tools available to share information with the world and deliver meaningful content and commentary about current events and the state of society. This article highlights three Black creators that are disrupting the media industry as we know it today.

Lovelyti TV. Tope Stewart, otherwise known as Lovelyti TV, is the creator behind the Lovelyti TV brand, which boasts a successful Youtube channel with nearly 1 million subscribers as well as a popular podcast Tea Time Unfiltered with Lovelyti. Using humor coupled with frankness and candor, Stewart provides viewers with breakdowns of viral topics and current events. If it’s not “hot celebrity tea” being spilled, viewers can also watch the True Crimes Tea Time channel where the latest breaking news stories from around the U.S. are being covered. Viewers that desire a comical yet informative breakdown of celebrity gossip, breaking news, and current events flock to Lovelyti TV for both their entertainment and educational needs.

Garrison Hayes. Labeled as “TikTok’s unofficial history professor and documentarian” by In The Know, Garrison Hayes is the popular creator who makes videos focused on history, race and faith. The Nashville-based creator, who currently has over 300,000 followers on TikTok, was recently hired by Mother Jones as their Creator in Residence. In the fall of 2022, Hayes was chosen for Snap’s Black Creator Accelerator program where he and 24 other promising Black creators were selected to receive mentorship access and financial support. Many of Hayes’ videos utilize current events as teachable moments; Hayes also isn’t afraid to use talking points from racist trolls on his social media page as an opportunity to provide a history lesson.

A.B. Burns-Tucker. A.B. Burns-Tucker is a law student who runs the well-known platform iamlegallyhype that rose to popularity when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensified in early 2022. What drew viewers to Burns-Tucker’s videos is the way she broke down politics and global news using African American Vernacular English (AAVE). A 2018 report from Free Press Research found that “nearly half of all people in the country without home-internet access were people of color.” One of the effects of this racial digital divide is that information may be less accessible for people from racially marginalized backgrounds. Burns-Tucker recognized the need to support these populations and uses her knowledge, understanding and legal background to make news and information more accessible to the general public.