Last year, David Warren seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough with more than half a million followers on TikTok. The 22-year-old left his home in Arkansas to move into a 1-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles next to a dance studio, so he could attend classes five days a week.
Warren had a year-long deal, and his salary from Triller, a TikTok competitor, was supposed to pay all of it. He was with the platform and was part of a group of over 300 black creators, which were offered 14 million dollars.
“Triller was promising us all of these things, a content house, collaborations, brand deals,” said Roman Parks, 18, a social media creator in San Jose.
However, the relationship with Triller was off to a rocky start. When over 100 Black creators logged on to Zoom for their first virtual conference, they listened to executives read pre-written speeches and were auto muted, so they couldn’t talk directly to the host and other representatives.
However, according to interviews with more than 2 dozen creators, “Nearly a year after Triller began recruiting Black talent, its payments to many creators have been erratic — and, in some cases, nonexistent.”
Triller promised to pay them 4 thousand dollars a month, but even though the creators tried to keep up with the application’s rigorous content schedule, for fear they would be removed, receiving payments was uncertain.
Fortunately, things took a turn in late June when The Washington Post began reporting the story. The creators got their first month’s payment and in July, they were also paid for their previous month’s work. Triller then asked the creators to sign an agreement to confidentiality, and if they did not agree, they would not receive pay or have to forfeit any salary they earned.
Now, many of the creators who signed deals with Triller are left in huge debt, are facing eviction, and are skipping many meals to make ends meet.
Link to Article: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659884162158x571762807771095700/A%20TikTok%20rival%20promised%20millions%20to%20Black%20creators.%20Now%20some%20are%20deep%20in%20debt.%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
Warren had a year-long deal, and his salary from Triller, a TikTok competitor, was supposed to pay all of it. He was with the platform and was part of a group of over 300 black creators, which were offered 14 million dollars.
“Triller was promising us all of these things, a content house, collaborations, brand deals,” said Roman Parks, 18, a social media creator in San Jose.
However, the relationship with Triller was off to a rocky start. When over 100 Black creators logged on to Zoom for their first virtual conference, they listened to executives read pre-written speeches and were auto muted, so they couldn’t talk directly to the host and other representatives.
However, according to interviews with more than 2 dozen creators, “Nearly a year after Triller began recruiting Black talent, its payments to many creators have been erratic — and, in some cases, nonexistent.”
Triller promised to pay them 4 thousand dollars a month, but even though the creators tried to keep up with the application’s rigorous content schedule, for fear they would be removed, receiving payments was uncertain.
Fortunately, things took a turn in late June when The Washington Post began reporting the story. The creators got their first month’s payment and in July, they were also paid for their previous month’s work. Triller then asked the creators to sign an agreement to confidentiality, and if they did not agree, they would not receive pay or have to forfeit any salary they earned.
Now, many of the creators who signed deals with Triller are left in huge debt, are facing eviction, and are skipping many meals to make ends meet.
Link to Article: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659884162158x571762807771095700/A%20TikTok%20rival%20promised%20millions%20to%20Black%20creators.%20Now%20some%20are%20deep%20in%20debt.%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
