Tell me about your background & role at Pinata 

My background in community management begins in co-working! I graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2017, worked in insurance sales for a couple of years, then took on roles as a community manager at various co-working spaces around Dallas. After several years, I felt like I had reached the top of my range in co-working, and I really desired a role where I could expand and evolve my skills in a new industry. I already had an interest in tech, so I started looking into different companies and eventually came across Pinata. Throughout my interview process and meeting with the team, I knew I could be a great fit and I was elated to accept the position.

As Pinata’s Community Manager, my day-to-day consists of working closely with Steve, our Head of Community, by handling all support messages and questions from our users. I also prioritize building out our Discord, from announcing new product features to making sure everyone is accommodated for and happy in the Pinata community. It’s so important to the community team that we tackle user issues while maintaining a fun and whimsical environment. We’ve also just launched a new program called Pinata Astronauts (check out our Discord announcement here), a program made to help engage our users on a more interpersonal level through feedback, beta testing, and promoting community projects that use Pinata. We’re eager and excited to watch this new initiative grow. 

We know gaming is a big part of your life outside Pinata. Tell us about how you got started gaming/streaming! 

I have always enjoyed video games! I started off with the Sega Dreamcast and played way too much Sonic Adventure 2 for a few years. As I got older and got more involved in the gaming community, I knew I loved watching streams, playing games, and interacting with people - so I eventually decided to start streaming myself. It was something I had always wanted to try, whether it proved to be successful or not. I’ve been streaming for about two years now, and every stream is different, but it’s something I’ve really enjoyed doing. This past year alone I was able to complete six games (Final Fantasy 14 (Shadowbringers), Final Fantasy 10, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2 and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to be exact) which came with different, fun communities and audiences. 

What's it like being a part of the "Twitch community”?

I really enjoy being a part of the Twitch community, both as a streamer and a viewer. As a streamer, oftentimes I’ll be sitting in my room alone preparing to start streaming, and in the first few seconds, I always question if people are going to show up and watch. The special part about Twitch is that, in my experience, people always show up regardless of what I’m doing on stream! Those who watch my stream are oftentimes there to hang out or show support, but a lot of viewers have also befriended each other within my channel, and that has been a really special thing to see! Overall, I find Twitch to be an incredibly meaningful platform as it has blossomed my love for gaming even further.

What are some overlaps you see when it comes to Pinata, web3 and gaming? 

Overall, I see a lot of overlap within these three communities, especially through my role at Pinata. When it comes to gaming, people are always building and creating new things - especially within the web3 community. People are building full-on games on IPFS like Worldwide Webb - and they are popping up everywhere which is so cool to me. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for web3 and gaming. Being on the Community team at Pinata, I've had the chance to interact first-hand with some inspiring and innovative projects that creators in our community are building. 

What're you most excited about in the future of web3?

Application! I’d say the thing I’m most excited about would be the application of web3 and NFTs integrating with people’s day-to-day lives. I believe we’re heading down a path that allows for a lot more real-world utility. At the beginning of NFTs, everything was so raw and online. As a web3 community, we have evolved into so much more than that. I’m really interested to see the ways that web3 will grow and take different forms and directions.