Creative Class of 2024

The Creative Class 2024 is a celebration of culture-shifters across a variety of industries from fashion, entertainment, wellness, and beyond. These creatives are using their commitment to their dreams to leave a lasting impact on history and culture.

Because of you, I’ve been recognized!

Nomination Category

Entertainment & Arts: Creatives in their industry that have completely shifted the way we consume information

Work/impact in 2023

As a celebrated voice actor and Creative Executive, Joy Ofodu has drawn over 60M views to her original digital comedy content. Under her self-titled media company, she has grown a highly-engaged community of nearly 300,000 online daters and meditators in just two years. Joy is the host of Dating Unsettled, an original audio and video show designed to validate women daters. Committed to making her dreams reality, she loudly imagines a world for her community where their differences are put center-stage and celebrated, to build their self-esteem.

Joy Ofodu leads an influential media company offering inclusive entertainment and creative services. Her entertainment is unique because she believes in the healing power of humor, and delivers laughter daily to global audiences through video production, voiceover, and imaginative IP writing. In 2023, her social presence led her to be represented by top voiceover agency SBV Talent (Dee Bradley, Eric Bauza) and the exclusive celebrity roster of John Carrabino Management (Ellen Pompeo, Regina King). Her 2023 voice acting performances this year included Wargroove 2 (Lead), The Sales Off (Lead), My Time at Sandrock (Supporting), Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (Lead) which are played by thousands of gamers and viewers on X Box, Nintendo Switch and online.

She was also selected for Snapchat’s 2023 523 Accelerator for Content Companies and created “Who Needs This” a premium Snapchat Show publishing twice weekly with over 60 episodes. From Cannes, France to San Francisco, CA – Meta repeatedly tapped her in 2023 to serve as a best-in-class example of how to build a business on Instagram. Disney, Dove, The country of Grenada and Tampax each collaborated with her across the year to create innovative, entertaining and inclusive content and push for legislation supporting women (i.e. The CROWN Act).

In 2023, Joy organized and directed the first #BLKGRLSINTHEHOUSE – where 8 Black women creators from across the United States joined forces on Oct 06-09 in Los Angeles for a pop-up creator house, gathering Black video creators for gifting and sponsored partnerships with brands and Black-owned businesses Joy pitched directly including Meta , BÉIS Travel and Casamigos Tequila. This gave several creators their first paid brand deal.

Previously named an Afrotech Future 50, Tri Valley 20 Under 40ish, Fenty Beauty Black History Month Spotlight, LinkedIn Black History Month Spotlight, and ATT Black Future Maker, Joy and her innovations in the creator economy are recognized in the Bay Area and beyond as having a lasting industry impact. Her LinkedIn-supported 2022 publication, How To Ethically Navigate The Black Creator Economy, called out and rocked the peer influencer marketing circuit, and still provides actionable recommendations for how to level the playing field for a Black creators. Calculably, it reached its intended audience of over 1,800 marketers, salespeople, founders and production specialists. This year, she also directed, starred in and launched an original course for creators that over 1,000 people have taken on LinkedIn called How to Secure Brand Partnerships, creating an entertaining, step-by-step info guide for aspiring creative entrepreneurs.  

She self-funded and launched her podcast Dating Unsettled, in October 2022 and in 2023, proceeded to host an all-Black cast and onset crew across 10 episodes with Black-owned app Fanbase. As a Black woman falling in Black love publicly and bravely, her optimistic stories and vision have resonated with millions of people. Her listener community (Unsettlers) share how this show actively inspires them to invest in their dating life, ask their crush out on a date, date after divorce, leave toxic relationships and refuse to settle despite traumas they may have experienced. In 2023, she also hosted an international tour of Dating Unsettled Experiences in Oakland, London, Brooklyn and Los Angeles attended by fans, healing lovers and entertainment executives.

Joy will continue to represent The CC positively through her culture-impacting performances as a voice actor and comedy creator, wellness-centered dating events, and purposeful community contributions. Her 2023 efforts were supported by underrepresented freelancers (Donnita Shaw, Jazmyn Breanna, Trell West, Isaac Deol, Key Williams, Korise Jubert) and were instantly leveraged to support her global community.

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Visit THIS LINKto see the full list including Joel Bervell, DeAndre Brown, Skylar Kearney, Everette Taylor and other talented peers.

I love everything this organization stands for and now, on the first day of BHM, I’m cemented into their HoF! It’s gonna be a fire month with a LOT of activity from me, so thank you for engaging and supporting each big and small win.

Updates: How I’m Moving in Jan/Feb

• Still deep in VO training, Erin Nicole Lundquist, Carroll Kimble, Marsha Goodman, SAG Foundation, oh my
• Auditioning every week – pilot season is happening baby
• Premieres and premiere parties! Congrats to @kevonstage on selling Churchy (BET+) and my friends Nia and Lami for Sistas and Dutch II
• Striking up gifting partnerships with two new friends, Broadway SF and another TBA – go see MJ and the Wiz if you’re in town
• Seeking out every moment to meaningfully celebrate Black History. Bingeing Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur helps – the show needs us to stream on Feb 2/3 to get renewed and features sooo many Black legends
• Business keeps going – hiring and firing off content