Turning Conservation into Conversation with Twitch's Maya Higa

08/02/22 • 62 min

Visionaries: Gaming, Media and the Internet Explained

Maya Higa is a content creator, founder of the Alveus Sanctuary, and co-host of the "Wine About It" podcast. "At the start of my journey into this industry, I was cool with everybody. It took me years to realize that every relationship I have if it's within the industry I'm in, it has layers. Does that mean that they're bad people? Does that mean that they don't like me and they don't care about me? No, not necessarily. But is there a layer that they want to be my friend because I'm successful on Twitch? Yes and vice versa." Show Notes: @mayahiga 1:45: How Maya got started with animals. 3:35: Reddit's LivestreamFail bringing awareness to Maya's first hawk stream. 4:56: Maya's mom's impact on her connection to animals and philanthropy. 9:26: How Maya's friends and family took to her Internet celebrity growth. 12:00: Maya's decision to focus on Twitch versus other platforms. 16:40: Evaluating shortform content and how Maya views TikTok. 21:42: Dealing with Internet hate for the first time. 27:53: How that hate differs for female celebrities compared to men. 29:26: Evaluating social relationships and true friends. 35:31: Choosing what to share on social media. 39:51: Starting her own non-profit for exotic and endangered birds. 44:04: Balancing content creation with non-profit management. 50:26: Deciding to stay in Texas versus living in California. 53:57: Maya's favorite bird. 55:08: How Maya's relationships with other streamers have influenced her career. 56:25: Measuring success with Alveus. 1:02:01: Maya's favorite Alveus memory. Go to https://betterhelp.com/visionaries for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help. #sponsored Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

How Gaming Content is Evolving with Creator Brandon 'Atrioc' Ewing

Brandon 'Atrioc' Ewing is a content creator on YouTube and Twitch and member of the global marketing team at Nvidia. "In this world, especially in the past few years, loneliness is at an all-time high. I think of Twitch as the hamburger of human connection. Twitch is the fast food of human connection. It's not that big of a deal. You shouldn't shame someone for having fast food now and then. The only problem is if it's the only thing you ever eat. It's never going to be filling, it's never going to give you the nourishment that you really need as a person. That's where there's a problem." Show Notes: @Atrioc 1:55: How Atrioc grew his YouTube and Twitch by hundreds of thousands of followers in two years. 5:35: Moving away from esports and focusing more on general gaming. 9:25: Was esports oversold to the audience? 10:01: Twitch's pivot away from esports to gaming influencers. 13:51: How gaming influencers have become A-list celebrities. 16:55: TikTok's influence on content consumption habits. 20:27: Gaming influencers signing multi-million dollar platform deals. 22:17: Short vs. long-term mentality as a gaming influencer. 29:40: YouTube competing with Twitch for streamers and audience. 31:31: The responsibility of influencers and what they promote. 37:38: Setting boundaries in parasocial relationships as a streamer. 42:19: In-person live events as new opportunity for streamers. 45:26: Gaming permeating into mainstream media, TV and film. 48:20: Is esports doomed? Or will it bounce back? 54:21: Does geolocation work in esports? 57:38: Would Atrioc leave Nvidia to go full-time streaming? 1:02:21: How will the recession affect gaming content? Go to https://betterhelp.com/visionaries for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help. #sponsored Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Episode

How James Bardolph Got Started in Esports and His Hopes for Its Growth

Few people have been in esports since close to the beginning. James Bardolph, a professional 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive' and 'Apex Legends' commentator, is one of them. He joins Visionaries to discuss the financial woes of the competitive game industry and not when, but if, it will recover in a post-COVID world. "We're in a transitional period, that much is clear. We still have serious problems out there. It's hurt, but maybe next year we can measure the damage COVID's done. That's not just true for esports, but for everything." Show Notes: @jamesbardolph 1:24: How James got his start in esports. 10:14: When it became clear esports would take off commercially. 14:38: How investments from Rick Fox, Sacramento Kings owners and others made esports mature. 20:42: ELEAGUE and Turner's impact on 'Counter-Strike' tournaments and broadcasts 26:37: Did esports get ahead of itself with salaries and spending? 34:34: Is esports in a downturn? 40:23: The pandemic excitement around esports. 46:28: Esports' need to change how it tells stories. 53:00: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund's acquisition of FACEIT and ESL. 57:50: Where can esports fashion improve? Note: This interview was edited down from its original runtime for brevity purposes. Go to https://betterhelp.com/visionaries for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help. #sponsored Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices