The Screenshot: Week of October 5
Want to learn more about Gen Z?
You may have already received an email about our BIG event… now we’re giving you an exclusive look behind the scenes of our upcoming Behind The Screenshotevent – yes, it’s a little Inception!
Our first in a series of events is called “Gen Z TikTalks” — of course, we’re talking about all things Gen Z, but most importantly we’re looking at – you guessed it – TikTok. It’s going to be LITTY (yes, we still use the word ~ironically~ sometimes) with exchanges from the biggest Gen Z culture-makers, and a performance from a rising star (we’ll tell you about it below!).
You do NOT want to miss out! Spaces are filling up quickly, and we’d hate for you not to be there.
RSVP to join us on Wednesday, October 14th at 6-7 p.m. EST!
Know These Gen Z Icons
Hawwa Ibrahim is a fashion designer, who’s walking, talking and killing the inclusivity game. With their own eclectic and colour-popping make-up and fashion, she’s building a brandthat’s unambiguous about its roots and doing it in the best style. As a Black American Muslim, they’re loud and proud of who they are, and will not hide it. We can’t wait for you to hear their unique perspective!
Sienna Gomez is a social media personality who’s exploded on TikTok in the past few weeks; she’s just hit 4 million followers! The first video on her profile celebrating body positivity garnered nearly 18m views. And guess what? She’s only 16. Sienna calls herself the CEO of 🐿️💨 – find out what that means when you join us!
Amelie Zilber is a model who’s really doing the most – she founded her own digestible news platform on global issues and is busy representing UNICEF as a Young Ambassador. No issue is too remote or too niche to amplify, and she’s making sure the unheard are heard amongst her Gen Z following. Amelie has a lot to say and we’re listening – we SO think you should too.
Ant Saunders is a singer-songwriter who’s a superstar in the making. His song “Yellow Hearts”, a song he wrote on the day of his high school graduation, went viral on TikTok, eventually hitting the Billboard Top 100 and riding high with 250 million global streams. Ant’s velvety vocals and fresh sound is really the answer to all our problems (at least we think so), and we’re sure you will too when he gives you an intimate performance at our event!
Ztat of the Week
Unilever x JUV’s #ImTheVote campaign is reaching 3.5M+ young people to register to vote for the upcoming U.S. election.
With less than a month to go until the election, the political simulation is going WILD. So many moments: The debate that sounded like a dramatic reality show reunion, the Mean Girls cast reuniting to urge people to vote and the President contracting COVID then recovering. All the while we’re preparing to vote, vote, vote.
The Mean Girls cast are not the only people trying to make voting happen. At JUV, we launched a campaign with Unilever to register more Gen Zers to vote. Since Gen Z will make up 10% of eligible voters this cycle, we’re an influential bloc in an election that could again come down to a couple thousand votes. We enlisted influencers to push the #ImTheVote campaign, including the amazing Sienna. It has been astronomical with more than 3 MILLION views across TikTok, with a reach of over 3.5 MILLION young people. We’re also educating Gen Z voters about their voting power through our #GenZVotes series. Our voice is getting louder, and we’re not afraid to use it.
So, let’s TikTalk
Now that TikTok is here to stay, there’s literally NO excuse not to be in the loop with it. It’s a cultural phenomenon. So, what’s the special sauce? Part of it is that the memes and moments that TikTok brings to our lives are just pure joy… I mean this walk, or this DIY job, or just complete Sharpay moments here. Like, we’re all over Among Us, a game of finding an imposter aboard a spaceship before they kill the whole crew, so naturally there are videos all over TikTok capturing the relatable moments. What to do when you get caught as the imposter? You do this. Or the best way to catch the imposter as a team? You do this.
TikTok culture has become synonymous with Gen Z, and that’s just because there is no platform that best captures who Gen Z is with our creativity, humor and authenticity better than TikTok. We’re here for it (and also our event that will demystify the phenomenon a LOT more!).
Do you have a question you want to ask at the event? ADD YOURS HERE!
Honestly we’re stanning Among Us SO hard right now, and this screenshot encapsulates Gen Z. Respect for pronouns, but we’re still out here playing the game…
Alsoooo… Are you free on October 10th?
Don’t Miss Out on the Essence Girls United Virtual Summit
Join Essence and Host Reginae Carter at this year’s Girls United Virtual Summit on October 10, 2020, from 6-9 p.m. EST. The program includes real talk on topics like self-empowerment, voting, the act of not giving a f*ck, and securing the bag. Plus, catch the McDonald’s Making Moves Now pitch competition where (2) young Black women business owners will get the chance to win up to $10,000 in funding.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear from your faves like cast members of Power Book II: Ghost and many more like Marsai Martin, Amber Riley, and Isis King! Stream the event on ESSENCE.com, ESSENCEStudios.com, Twitter & TikTok.
Then catch us at the After Party hosted by Tina Queen! The artist line up includes Tobe Nwigwe, Donmonique, G.L.A.M., and Dj Cuppy. Be sure to REGISTER now to attend.
The Girls United Virtual Summit is sponsored by ULTA Beauty, McDonalds & STARZ.
talk to us, not about us.
Jawwad Mustafa is the Director of The Screenshot Newsletter. He’s always got a drink in hand - either peppermint tea, peach iced tea or a vanilla latte. If you see him with anything else, you’ll really need to vote for him as The Imposter. You can find his creativity on Instagram at @JawwadTheCreator.