Instagram launches Black Perspectives programme to power the future of Black creative talent 

Instagram has launched a campaign designed to champion the future of young Black talent: Black Perspectives. Launching today, the initiative aims to challenge the status quo by empowering Black creatives across various industries, including fashion, youth & community, entertainment and media. It will be supported by social media activations and a media partnership.

Through the initiative, Instagram will back four unique projects to support young emerging Black creatives, helping them to reach new heights in their careers. Instagram has brought together four leading Black British creators who will each run a project to inspire the creator community and amplify voices both on and off Instagram.

LGBTQ+ youth worker and community builder Tanya Compas; GUAP co-founder Ibrahim Kamara; DJ, presenter Henrie Kyushu; and lifestyle content creator Esther Areola (Estare), will run their bespoke initiatives and share their journeys on Instagram through the campaign from now until June.

Tanya Compas’s ERASURE project launched on 20 April. She wants to help Black LGBTQ+ creative youth tell their stories unapologetically, and in doing so, will be able to forge a career simply by being themselves. The youth worker and founder of Exist Loudly is hosting a two-day boot camp which will challenge stereotypical LGBTQ+ tropes and help participants kickstart their creative careers.

Ibrahim Kamara’s #TheBrief launches on 27 April. He will mentor five creators as they produce a full campaign from a brief. They’ll be asked to deliver editorial, video and images in response to the themes of ‘Legacy’ and ‘Community’, which he has chosen in honour of his late father.

Henrie Kyushu’s Free Game launches on 16 May. The entertainment world can be tough to break into, and even more so when you’re a young Black creative trying to score your first gig. How does it work? What do you actually get paid? In his content series launching in May, Henrie will be putting these questions to senior figures in the industry.

Estare’s The Creator Quest takes place on 6 June. Lifestyle influencer Esther Areola – known to her followers as Estare – has created a series of challenges for five emerging fashion and beauty creators, to see if they can respond to a real brand brief. Estare will be joined by a panel of leading creators, including This Is Amina, who will assess what it takes to turn a side hustle into a full-time career. 

The campaign is launching with social media executions led by Black Perspectives’ four creators in the UK and will be supported by a branded partnership with pop culture bible, Complex UK designed to engage with UK Gen Z and their communities.

The creators will also work with the teams at Meta to help inform product and policy developments that support creator well-being and equity on Instagram. They will join research sessions to share their insights and experiences, test tools before they are rolled out, and provide ongoing feedback on Instagram’s approach.

“We’re committed to supporting and nurturing the careers of emerging Black talent and Black Perspectives is an embodiment of that,” said Georgia Kelly, Emerging Creator Partnerships, UK & Nordics at Instagram. “Black creators are consistently driving culture forward on the platform and too often face barriers to success in the creative industry. Together with our change-making lead creators, we’ve curated a programme that will support emerging talent to forge careers for themselves both on and off Instagram.”

Black Perspectives is part of Instagrams ongoing commitment to championing and supporting the careers of young Black creators on the platform and beyond.