Kick’s impact is opening doors: HeyImNatalia’s leap of faith led to full-time dream
HeyImNataliaHeyImNatalia made her dreams a reality by moving from Twitch to Kick and embracing a new platform despite the stigma around it. We sat down with the Aussie streamer to get her thoughts on Kick’s rise and where things stand today.
Natalia, who goes by HeyImNatalia online, has been grinding in the streaming space for over a decade, creating content around Fortnite, her go-to game, and engaging her audience across Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and many others over the years.
Kick has quickly been emerging as a rival to Twitch and YouTube, taking market share from both in becoming a new space for content creators to build up their community.
While it only went live in 2022, Kick has already made a name for itself. Some of the biggest faces in the streaming space like Adin Ross and xQc, now call the platform home.
Though beyond flexing with historic contracts and marquee personalities, Kick is striving to be the destination for more smaller and mid-sized creators to thrive.
During our sit-down interview with Natalia, we discussed how the platform fosters an environment for all streamers, small and large, the differences between Twitch and Kick, and why she believes those on the fence about should “make the jump” over.
Why HeyImNatalia made the move to stream on Kick
HeyImNataliaWhile Nat has been creating content over the past decade, she took some time away after becoming a mom. Kick only really came into her focus in “early 2023” when she returned to streaming.
“All I knew was Twitch, so I just went back to what I know. I was grinding and I didn’t even really consider Kick as an option because I was so comfortable where I was.”
Coming back after taking some time away, Nat found herself in a “position where it was looking like [she’d] have to go back to work.” Meaning a proper 9-5, unable to be with her young daughter all hours of the day.
Given Twitch’s competitive nature and the “thousands of people trying to get discovered,” Nat’s desire to continue streaming while supporting her daughter was difficult to balance. So when Kick emerged as a new competitor, Nat felt she would be “doing a disservice by not giving it a go.”
“For me, what was most important was spending time with my daughter while she’s so young…Obviously, the sub split was something at the forefront of my mind, but also the opportunity to grow.”
It was only when she moved to Kick that she was enabled to stream full-time and has been doing so on the platform ever since.
“I would do three hours on Twitch then get [my community] to move over to Kick. I did that and literally the first month I was on Kick, I could go full-time, quite comfortably. Something I’ve never, in 10 years of content creation, been able to do.”
Since moving to Kick, Nat has never “looked back” and she’s often recommending others follow her path over.
How Kick goes the extra mile to support smaller content creator
One of the biggest changes Nat noticed when moving to Kick was how involved the platform is in encouraging growth and elevating content creators of all sizes.
“If we go back to my first-ever stream, I had a staff member in my chat welcoming me to Kick. They got me monetized instantly. I was able to have subs turned on right away, which I know for many small streamers on Twitch, they understand the grind, so it felt very nice to be embraced in that way.”
She further added how, “At least once a week, I’ll have a staff member in my chat, just popping in, saying ‘what’s up?’”
For Nat, having “support from staff” is something she and other streamers on Kick have realized is “great for growth”, and by “getting involved with a company early days, you’re a bigger fish in a smaller pond compared to the other way around.”
In addition to the smaller pool of streamers to compete against, two standout features on Kick have greatly improved Nat’s experience. First, she can “stream in full HD” as Kick supports higher bitrates out of the gate.
For “a game like Fortnite, you need the best quality”, so having easy access to HD quality has been a big win for Nat and her content. Furthermore, the lack of ads on Kick has been another win.
“I personally can’t sit through ads, my ADHD does not allow it, so I love there’s no ads [on Kick].”
Kick can still do more to “uplift” LGBTQ+ and female streamers
It’s no secret that being a woman in the streaming industry “kinda sucks sometimes,” and for Nat, “being a gay female in the space kinda sucks too.”
This was one of her “biggest concerns” when moving to Kick given the stigma around the platform and many of its controversies making headlines. The content creator was candid when admitting that “there are gaps where they’re not uplifting some communities.”
“I’m not gonna say there’s not room to move and uplift, I was just having that conversation with the Head of Operations. It does look like there’s going to be more conversations with people in those minorities. ‘What do we need to do as a company?’”
Despite still receiving unacceptable comments from some Kick users during her streams, Nat has “no doubt things are going to get safer and more inclusive” and hopes that the “mindset shifts to it being a place people feel they can come without reservations.”
When asked what she would like to see Kick do to further support minority content creators, whether people of color, women, or LGBTQ+ streamers, Nat emphasized the importance of “improvement without virtue signaling.”
“Uplifting groups, I hope they do that more. They are growing, but I think there needs to be some more inclusivity on their website that needs to exist.”
A pitch to all streamers considering the move to Kick
HeyImNataliaWhen asked what advice she would give to smaller streamers struggling to find their footing on YouTube or Twitch but still apprehensive about jumping to Kick, Nat implored them to “trust your gut with what you think is the right move.”
“If you’re on the fence, it means you’re curious. If you’re ‘Team Twitch’, that’s no problem. But if you’re considering the switch, you’re losing nothing if you try, and you might find yourself in a position like me.”
The Fortnite streamer added, “This is my job now. It may not go that way, but if you’re too scared of what other people might think, you’re gonna hinder your own growth. You’re your business, your friends aren’t your business. As a business, you should be considering every option.”
HeyImNatalia streams full-time on Kick and is as dedicated as ever to the Fortnite grind. In addition to her Kick streams, Nat also regularly uploads videos to her YouTube channel.