Interview: Jamie Broadnax Shares The Story Of the ‘Black Girl Nerds’ Online Community
Moore: Knowing that your blog is inclusive, what does the demographic of your following look like? Is there a high number of men that follow BGN?
Broadnax: We have more men that read our content than women. I think in large part because so many things we talk about, like comics, gaming and anime, are still popular among men.
Moore: Besides maintaining the BGN blog and social accounts, what all do you do on BGN? And how many people contribute to the site? Is there a team of people that handle certain duties?
Broadnax: We have a weekly podcast; we have a YouTube channel, and we travel throughout the year to places like SDCC and NYCC and sit on panels and form meet-ups. We have done three meet-ups with Keith Chow’s organization, Nerds of Color, and it has been a great experience.
Moore: What are some of the current projects coming up with you and BGN?
Broadnax: I have a book coming out in 2018 by Penguin RandomHouse called Black Girl Nerds. So please check out the book when it’s released! I also host two other podcasts – one with Rewire Radio called “Get It Right,” and I am executive producing a new podcast about Black super-heroines called “Misty Knight’s Uninformed Afro.” The podcast premiered on Feb 1st.
Moore: What are the goals and what do you envision for BGN and yourself?
Broadnax: I’d like to make BGN my full time job. I currently still hold down a day job and do BGN on a part time basis. I know, it’s hard to believe.
Moore: Making BGN your full time work is a goal of yours, but what do you envision for BGN? What do you see BGN becoming?
Broadnax: I hope that BGN will become a huge online multimedia platform that can be monetized into a company that allows me to afford a full time staff to help run it. I want to have a career and allow others to have a career from BGN.
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