In 2011, Jouelzy launched her eponymous YouTube channel. “I got into it because I felt like there was a void of my audience — educated, black women that are career minded — that wasn’t being spoken to.” Originally started as a beauty resource for African-American women, the channel has since evolved into an online hub driving discussions on pop culture and historical commentary geared toward what she calls the “smart, brown girl.”
From Beyonce to the 2016 election, movie reviews to her West African travels, Jouelzy uses her online channels to talk, laugh and connect with other millennial, African-American women. She has found that providing a way for these women to connect and share their experiences provides a source of support and strength for this group of women as seen in her growing list of 164,000 subscribers. Jouelzy has used her YouTube channel to address deeply personal issues, such as her relationship with her parents and her experience as a rape survivor.
Sharing such personal videos, said Jouelzy, have earned an outpouring of support from viewers who have similar experiences and backgrounds. “I want to empower people to understand the power of their voice and be able to use the means they have to amplify their own causes,” she said.
Jouelzy currently manages her YouTube channel as her full-time job, and uses her personal website and social media accounts like Facebook and Snapchat to support the channel. She believes staying patient, committed and ultimately focused on the long game is the right approach to growing her online brand.
She emphasized her focus on retaining her integrity when developing content. “There are a lot of ways to make quick money on the internet,” Jouelzy admitted before emphasizing her personal commitment to producing genuine content that reflects what she wants to talk about — not just clickbait. By making considered and strategic decisions, Jouelzy is proud of the channel she’s created and the hundreds of thousands of subscribers she’s cultivated while still staying true to herself.
Learn more about Jouelzy’s work by visiting her YouTube page, @Jouelzy and www.jouelzy.com.