Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational women from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Shannon Mathieu, Influencer Manager at Ignition Facility. Read more about Shannon in this interview:
 
Hi Shannon! How did you become a Partnered Twitch Streamer and which game(s) did you choose to play?

Hello! Becoming a Partner on Twitch was something else… It was a goal of mine from the day I started streaming. I applied three times, and was denied twice. My first time was when I hit the requirements due to being on the front page for charity. I knew I wouldn’t get picked up, but being able to apply just felt so good!

Then, around July of 2020, I decided it was my time. My husband and I sat down and made a plan. As most of us call it, my Push for Partner began. I streamed “RuneScape 3”, with a mixture of community based games like “Among Us”. But daily it was “RuneScape 3”. The community was amazing, and I was the first woman in America to be nominated for their prestigious “Best Streamer”! It was incredible. I became a Twitch Partner in November 2020, just a couple days after my birthday! Becoming a Partner was realistically just the beginning of my content creation journey!

What is important to you when managing large communities of more than 600 users?

Communities as a whole are families. That’s something I wholeheartedly believe. Most of the people within them (especially now) don’t have much contact with likeminded people outside of the communities. They become family, best friends, and even sometimes relationships blossom.

It’s important to realize that the members aren’t just members or numbers. They’re humans who go through life just like us. We have our good and bad days. The most important thing for me is making sure everyone feels as though they are just as important as others, and that they have a safe place to hang with others. Communities are melting pots, and it’s important to remove the bad spices.

Could you share some insights into the day to day tasks as Influencer Manager?

Influencer Management is hard to explain because it means so much. I think we put so much weight on Influencers’ shoulders, and forget they too have lives outside of being an Influencer. Day to day it’s staying in contact with them, making sure their needs are met business side, and see how I can help. Whether it’s them, or the company I work for. Influencer relationships can only work if both parties are happy!

 
Thank you for your time, Shannon!

Shannon’s links: Twitch Channel │ LinkedIn │ Twitter

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories Feature by Sophie Brügmann