Happy Nice Mall

When Ousman Sahko Sow and Akin Adebowale were founded black tag In 2019, they tried to answer two questions: What would a streaming platform look like for a digitally savvy Black audience? And how can Black become a target for talent?

It turns out that both answers have a lot to do with payment.

“What we are building looks at the exploitative nature of monetizing Black creativity and instead finds a way to put it into the hands of creators in a sustainable way,” said 30-year-old Mr. Sow. in a recent interview.

Over the past few years, Black creators have light a light on the inequalities they face when it comes to finding opportunities and receiving compensation for their work. Brands spent nearly $10 billion on influencer marketing in 2020. SignalFire, a venture capital firm that monitors the creative economy. But white creators make significantly more money than their Black counterparts, who tends to be given significantly less credit.

With that in mind, Blacktag, which made its official debut last week, aims to create a product in the mold of YouTube and Netflix, with a mix of produced shows covering music, travel and more; licensed short films; and original videos made by the creators. The goal is to work with Black creators and become a destination for brands looking to attract Black audiences.

Some of the app’s content can be viewed on demand, but most is only available live – a throwback to the appointment viewing era. “It’s like the old days when we gathered to watch something that aired at 9pm,” said Mr Adebowale, 33. “We want a communal experience and an antidote to the endless stream of content.” The founders said there will never be an algorithm that decides what users see.

To appeal to creators, the company plans to share intellectual property rights on series and specials with them in hopes of licensing its videos to outlets like Netflix and HBO. (This is unusual, as most social media and entertainment companies own 100 percent of creator content.) The founders are also exploring paid subscriptions; creators would receive a revenue deduction based on their views and engagement.

The company’s goal is to get a mix of original shows, licensed movies and content from creators across the Black diaspora, whether they’re in London, Nigeria or Brazil, not just in the United States.

Before creating the app, Mr. Sow was a commercial film director whose clients included Adidas, Spotify and Google. Mr. Adebowale was the creative director, composer and software engineer; Drake has worked with Kanye West and Jill Scott and sees BET founder Bob Johnson as a mentor. They were both born in West Africa and raised in the Atlanta area but didn’t meet until 2019 when they were introduced by mutual friends.

Blacktag currently has 13 employees working at its corporate headquarters in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood and 10 original shows, along with a handful of short films. The first week’s cast includes originals such as “Black Atlas,” a weekly travel series that allows local filmmakers to document the life of Blacks around the world.

Other shows include “MGMT,” a mini-documentary series about veterans of the Black music industry; one episode features Sean Famoso of LVRN Records. And later this month, Blacktag is releasing “Superimpose,” a musical performance series (first featuring rapper Kari Faux) and “What’s Your Sign?” A famous talk show where guests, including designer Brandon Blackwood, chat over astrological birth charts and tarot cards.

Video content can be as short as one minute, which is the length of “Hot Breaks”. comic parodies or feature films of the traditional commercial break. The Blacktag team hopes to have up to 24 hours of programming.

The app will also offer e-commerce: for example, if you notice a pair of sneakers worn by an artist, you can tap the shopping cart and be taken to Nike’s site to purchase them. Other plans include folding in Black-owned brands over topics discussed at the show, such as fashion, home decor, and even sex toys.

Commenting, another feature, will be limited to certain live events. Mr. Sow and Mr. Adebowale admit that this part will be difficult: “Blacktag is more of an entertainment platform than a social network, but we know users want to share an experience so you can block users and report messages to reduce toxic behavior.” said Mr Adebowale.

Planning for their global audience has some challenges. Racist shows like “African Sex Stories,” an unfiltered discussion on sex and relationships scheduled for this year, can air late and early in the night in New York City, which Mr. Adebowale and Mr. Sow call “devil time.” Morning in Europe.

“African Sex Stories” will feature a rotating cast of hosts, starring the first five episodes. Moonlight, a wellness and style content creator. Blacktag plans to pair it with other non-creator hosts, all discovered through video submissions. Topics for discussion will range from consent to psychology and gender language.

The team isn’t shy about highlighting tough issues, either, despite the risk that their app will be banned in countries that may not approve. “There are some areas in West Africa where it is illegal to be gay, but people who live in these communities and feel pressured need something to help them move on,” Mr. Sow said.

The biggest question comes down to making money.

Quibi, which also places a big bet on mobile-first content, is ultimately defective. But Mr. Sow and Mr. Adebowale were quick to point out the differences: Quibi, they wrote in an email, was “designed for an overserved demographic with huge budgets spent on overproduction relaunching old, familiar content. We wish we could make costly mistakes like our non-Black colleagues, but the vision Blacktag outlines is belated and necessary to respond to a need expressed by the community. ”

Blacktag was partially funded by an investment of $3.75 million. Connect InitiativesA partnership between Creative Artists Agency and New Enterprise Associates, a global venture firm. Blacktag also has some high profile investors and advisors, including Issa Rae and Common. These connections gave credibility to the emerging company.

“We want to partner with mission-driven founders, and that’s exactly what we saw with Blacktag – two successful and innovative entrepreneurs,” said Michael Blank, head of consumer investments at CAA. “Their vision will have a tremendous impact by providing Black artists and creators with artistic freedom while creating opportunities to monetize their work.”

Comparisons with Black media companies like BET and Revolt TV are inevitable, but Mr. Adebowale believes in cooperation, not competition.

“How can we strengthen each other?” said. “There is so little space in this space that it’s really great for all of us to be in this industry. We want to be the standard for alternative Black audiences, art and artists around the world and contribute to this community in a sustainable way.”