Content Partnerships Manager preps for Africa Month
May 17, 2021 – [[read-time]] minute read
We’re peeling back the curtains with our series, Work Diaries, where you can experience the inner workings of YouTube. How do decisions get made? What goes into a product, feature or policy? We’re asking YouTube employees to give us the low-down during a five-day period.
Featured today: Addy Awofisayo manages content partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa, developing and executing our YouTube strategy in the market, and working with our creators, artists and media partners on the continent to grow their channels and businesses on YouTube.
WFH desk
Monday
8:30 a.m. - Before starting my day, I decided to get some work-out running on a treadmill at home. The lockdown prevented me from going to the gym, so I got this treadmill to help me still stay active. I try to do this every morning before starting my day. The key word here is try.
9:30 a.m. - I don’t have any meetings ‘til 11 a.m., so I take the time to review my calendar for the week, check emails, take action on a few pending items and complete my presentation for our YouTube Africa Month program. It’s going to be a busy day (and week) for me, with lots of meetings as we get closer to kicking off Africa Month in May for our YouTube Creators and Artists. Africa Day is May 25. The African Union recognises the month of May as Africa Month to celebrate the unity of the continent.
11 a.m. - My first meeting kicks off and it’s a meeting with my fellow EMEA Emerging Market Leads. Emerging Markets in YouTube EMEA includes Russia, Turkey, MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). I learn so much from my colleagues leading these markets and I’m always taking best practices for SSA.
6:30 p.m. - My last meeting for the day and it’s our #YouTubeBlack Voices steering committee monthly meeting. Today, we are discussing learnings on the #YouTubeBlack Voices Creators and Artists program and the upcoming plans. I’m a member of #YouTubeBlack steering committee that consists of 18 Black@ YouTube employees, and we provide feedback to the leadership to help guide our commitment to amplifying Black voices on our platform.
Today’s highlight: Starting this work diary! I have been reading my colleagues’ diaries on this blog, and I’m excited to bring you along on my career, managing YouTube in Africa -- a diverse and exciting continent, full of creativity!
Breakfast smoothie
Tuesday
9 a.m. - I’m blending smoothies for breakfast. I’ve practically added all the fruits in my fridge, yogurt and honey, so it’s not as healthy as it sounds.
11 a.m. - Meeting with other Strategic Partner Managers (SPMs) from the EMEA Top Creators team. This is our bi-weekly meeting where we get updates about everything related to managing our top creators in the region. We also share learnings and best practices from the different markets.
1 p.m. - Meeting with one of our partners leading the Afrobeats panel at YouTube Music Week at Africa Month. It is an exciting time for African music. It’s taking the world by storm!
Burna Boy was YouTube Music’s “Artist on the Rise” in 2019 and also won“Best Global Music Album” at the 2021 Grammys.
Wizkid took us on a “Day in the Live” with YouTube Originals and also won a Grammy with his feature on Beyonce’s “Brown Skin Girl.”
2 p.m. - Meeting with one of our partners on the Amapiano (a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music) session for YouTube Music Week at Africa month. I am loving all the love that Amapiano is receiving lately from other parts of Africa (outside South Africa) and all over the world. It’s so good to see other genres of African music travelling the world!
When we held in-person events, YouTube had creator event spaces like this one
3 p.m. - Meeting with Sasha, SPM working with creators in SSA. We are finalising the details for a new virtual program, Creator360 Africa, that kicks off in May as part of Africa Month. Selecting the topics and speakers that we believe will be most valuable to creators is no easy feat. Typically, we hold these events in-person and it's always great to meet the creators.
5 p.m. - Meeting with one of the creators that I manage, Dodos from Nigeria. She is working on a new content format for her channel and we brainstorm ideas of how she can bring it to life. This is one of the fulfilling parts of my job: working with creators and seeing them blossom on and off YouTube.
7 p.m. - It has been a long day of meetings. I’m responding to a few emails before I call it a night.
Today’s highlight: Listening to Major League DJz and getting fired up by the music world of Amapiano.
Traditional wedding photo of me and my husband
Wednesday
8:30 a.m. - I need to complete a document for a meeting today, so I’m spending the next hour finishing it.
10 a.m. - I am moderating a panel session next week at a virtual event with 5 creators in our #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund from Africa and the UK, so we are meeting today for a rehearsal session. I’m thrilled that these creators get to share their story and I’m looking forward to the discussion.
11 a.m. - Meeting with the Artist Marketing team to discuss the marketing plan for the upcoming artist live streams for the three #YouTubeBlack Voices artists from Africa: Fireboy DML, Sauti Sol and Sho Madjozi.
12 p.m. - I have a meeting with the teams for Fireboy DML, Sauti Sol and Sho Madjozi as we prepare for their upcoming virtual concert live stream on YouTube.
1 p.m. - I have three back-to-back, 1-on-1 meetings with different colleagues. I sometimes miss the opportunities that we had in the office to have these 1:1 meetings at a cafe rather than being stuck in front of my screen for a couple of hours...arghhh.
4 p.m. - My husband brings me food because I’ve been at my desk all day and he wants me to eat some food. Oh, how sweet! We recently got traditionally married, so we are enjoying newly-wedded bliss. Due to Covid, we did not get to have the typical African traditional wedding, which can be 1000+ people coming together to celebrate. Weddings are a big celebration in Nigeria, where I am from.
6 p.m. - My colleague in the UK Top Creator team just confirmed that our request to a top creator for their participation in the Creator360 Africa program just got an enthusiastic “yes!” This creator has an amazing journey that will motivate other creators, so I’m very happy about their participation in Creator360 Africa.
8 p.m. - My husband and I decide to shut down for the day and go for a walk. We do this at least twice a week as a way to step out of the house.
Today’s highlight: My husband cooking for me. I don’t really enjoy cooking, so I’m happy that I married someone who does not mind cooking.
Addy and Taiwo at a YouTube Creator event in 2019.
Thursday
9 a.m. - I grab a bowl of cereal with some cold milk. It’s my go-to breakfast. Easy to make and yummy!
10:30 a.m. - I share the YouTube Africa Month content line-up with Taiwo from our SSA Comms team as they finalise the communications plan for the program. Taiwo has been my go-to Comms person since 2019 -- helping me amplify the stories of our creators. He is good people!
11 a.m. - The technician is here to fix a leakage in the house. The perks of WFH. I can get this resolved while still getting work done.
2 p.m. - I have a great working session with Alyona from our Spaces team and Hollie from our Creator Marketing team on the YouTube Africa Month program. This project is a big cross-functional collaboration effort with different teams involved to make it a success.
5 p.m. - I meet with Todd Sherman, the Product Manager for Shorts about hosting a Shorts session during Creator360 Africa. He is going to host a live Q&A with creators. This is a much-anticipated session!
Today’s highlight: I’m excited about the Shorts session during the Creator360 Africa program. Africa’s youth is mobile-first, so this is an exciting feature to launch on the continent.
Reminiscing about the beautiful outdoors in Barbados where my family and I had our 2019 summer vacation.
Friday
YAY!! It’s a WRAP for my first work diary!!! This was fun. I hope you enjoyed it!
9 a.m. - TGIF! It has been a long but productive week, so I’m looking forward to kicking back over the weekend, but first I need to take action on a couple of pending items and finish up a few meetings.
11 a.m. - 180 unread emails!!! I usually get triggered when my inbox has more than 20 unread messages.
2 p.m. - It is my colleague Vivian’s birthday on Saturday and I add birthday greetings to the team virtual card that she gets to read on her birthday. I miss birthdays in the office when you could give people a hug and sing happy birthday to them.
3 p.m. - Had a meeting with ViacomCBS Africa on the second edition of the Africa Day Concert for May 25. We hosted Africa Day Benefit Concert last year in partnership with ViacomCBS Africa and Idris Elba, and I’m looking forward to the second edition this year.
4 p.m. - I am so tired! It has been a great week, though, and I’m looking forward to the exciting things we have lined up for YouTube during Africa Month. It’s time for our walk. After waiting on me for ~15 minutes, my husband closes my laptop and we step out of the house.
Today’s highlight: I started binging a show and I watched it all through the night with my husband.
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