A WORLD OF WONDERS
. . . Zim rising high-flier gets top TikTok post
LOS ANGELES. – Kudzi Chikumbu, a Zimbabwean who is going places in the boardrooms of social media giants, has been named the new global head of creator marketing at TikTok.
It’s yet another massive endorsement of the special nature of Zimbabweans, many of whom now occupy big positions in corporate boardrooms, around the world.
“Let’s go global! One thing about me, I love creator-driven and creativity-infused campaigns so I am ready for this new growth chapter,” he said on Linkedin.
“It’s a privilege to be leading and growing a high-performing team across multiple markets.”
He has been TikTok’s director of creator community in the United States.
Chikumbu led a team driving marketing, product marketing, education, communications, experiential marketing and community development aimed at content creators.
He also serves as an advisory board member for VidCon and is on the interactive media group executive committee for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Before TikTok, he worked at Hulu and Deloitte.
Chikumbu’s promotion comes amid an increased focus on how Generation Z uses TikTok as a search engine and as the platform gains more attention from the PR and marketing industries as a home for influencers.
TikTok made an estimated
US$4 billion in revenue last year, it’s expected to triple that number this year, according to Bloomberg.
Some experts have predicted TikTok could have 1.8 billion users this year.
In June, customer experience company Emplifi launched a partnership with TikTok as part of the social platform’s marketing partner programme.
But, who is Kudzi Chikumbu?
During the mid-1990s in Zimbabwe, after returning home from school, Chikumbu would repeatedly watch a VHS tape of Whoopi Goldberg’s Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
From that manic musical comedy, Chikumbu’s love for Black creativity blossomed, and he absorbed a life lesson he’s employed in posts at Deloitte, Hulu, musical.ly and now TikTok.
“There’s a scene where Whoopi Goldberg’s character tells her class, ‘If you wanna be somebody, if you wanna go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention!’ That is one of my mantras,” Chikumbu told Muse.
Such notions simmered as Chikumbu toiled through the first half of his 20s as an accountant.
Ultimately, however, he followed his dream, ditching the world of finance for a career in digital media.
Now 35, and based in the U.S. for the past nine years, he contributes to TikTok initiatives geared toward fostering inclusion and bolstering talent.
As 2021 began, Chikumbu helped hatch TikTok for Black Creatives.
Developed with media company Macro, this three-month incubator programme features forums, town halls and educational events designed to nurture emerging artists and musicians.
Chikumbu was honoured by ADCOLOR, which advocates for diversity across creative and tech, as its top innovator for 2020.
That distinction recognises “an employee who embodies progress and imagination,” and who consistently “stands out among peers as an inclusion game changer and brilliant pioneer in their role, creating breakthrough developments and/or improvements, whether tangible or intangible.”
“I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and my family moved to South Africa in 2000. I chose to become an accountant after graduating from the University of Cape Town, but was always exploring my creativity by making content online.
“I had multiple YouTube channels, Tumblr accounts
“I decided I needed to work in digital entertainment with a focus on user-generated content. I attended Stanford to earn my MBA, and pivoted from accounting to entertainment.
“I started at a company called musical.ly in 2016, which led to my role at TikTok (after a 2018 merger).
“I focus on empowering and amplifying the creator community through development programmes.”