Zoë AKA Zoe Two Dots is a YouTuber, graphic designer, blood donor, Pokemon trainer, cat Mumma and all round amazing lady.
In the past 2 years or so Zoë has grown her YouTube channel to 45 thousand subscribers. She has created her own line of merchandise and traveled the world, all thanks to her bubbly, outgoing personality and her determination and drive to succeed.
In the notoriously male dominated gaming industry, she is a shining beacon of female empowerment and an inspiration to other young females who would rather play video games than post selfies on Instagram.
I was lucky enough to interview Zoë to discuss being a female leader in a male driven world. We discussed her YouTube Grind, Pokemon Go, charity work and of course her beautiful fur babies.
Kylee: Hi Zoe, congrats on the success and growth of your YouTube channel, you have over 44 thousand subs and counting, that’s huge! What made you decide to start a YouTube channel?
Zoë: Thank you! It’s been a grind. Originally my channel started as travel vlogs. I became obsessed with Japanese travel vloggers when planning my trip to Japan and thought to myself “Hey I could do this!”. I always wanted to do something creative with gaming too but I didn’t really know where to start. I didn’t have the physical equipment (desktop PC, capture cards etc) to do gaming on YouTube. When Pokémon GO was announced it was like a light bulb switch, I have a camera, I have a phone, that’s all I need, let’s go!
Kylee: The gaming industry is quite well known for being male dominated, so it is super inspiring to see female representation enjoying such huge success. Do you believe it is harder for females to break through in this space? Did you find any unique challenges you might not have experienced if you were male?
Zoë : I think I’m quite lucky in that the Pokémon brand is so accessible by all genders and recognized as such. Its overall feel isn’t “the boys club” like some other popular games (that are no doubt still played heavily by women). For me, I haven’t directly felt held back or hindered in growing my channel while also being female, however it does present a new avenue of comments, ‘feedback’ and harassment that differs to what the guys in my circle experience. Thankfully for playing and creating videos relating to Pokémon GO my experience is much the same as the guys and a very positive one at that.
Kylee : I’m am pleased to hear that! I know it takes a long time to build a YouTube following and qualify for monetization, Do you find that people underestimate the amount of work it takes to be a successful YouTube creator?
Zoë : Yes. Absolutely. Even now with 45k subscribers people might think I’m “rolling in it” but the truth of the matter is far from it. Yes, people can be phenomenally successful on YouTube but that’s a long way down the track. Thankfully I think a lot of the younger generation, who grew up online, start to see quicker how much work and how many hours go into this job. You’re the actor, script writer, videographer, editor, production manager, set designer, graphic designer, social media manager, marketing manager, admin assistant, tech support and more – all at once. I’m sure people may be shocked at how little creators my size earn monetarily, but this job genuinely makes me happy so I’m going to keep working my butt off until it’s 100% financially sustainable.
Zoë and Eevee using Pokemon Go’s Go Snapshot feature
Kylee : You have a background in graphic design, did you design the Zoe Two dots Logo and super cute merch line yourself? (I’m about to order my good egg shirt as I speak) What was the main influence for the graphics and slogans in the merch line?
Zoë : Yep! I sure did. I’m very thankful that my career started in graphic design because it helps reduce costs for hiring one, haha. The slogans all evolved naturally as the channel started, “good morning lovelies” to welcome my viewers, people who went out of their way to support or be kind became referred to as Good Eggs over time. The visual representation of the literal egg grew from that phrase and a blend of my brand colours. So most of the current merch (and upcoming hint hint) are based off organic moments in my community.
Kylee: While covering Pokemon GO, you have traveled all over the world and met so many people, what is your favorite experience or memory from your Pokemon Go journey so far?
Zoë : Oh goodness. This question is always the hardest. I think my favorite still has to be GO Fest 2018 in Chicago. It was my first big trip for Pokémon GO, and my first time meeting the other creators and my community outside of Australia. Physically seeing all the friends I had made online in person was mind blowing. It was like a family reunion of “Wow, we’ve seen each other everyday online but now I can actually give you a hug or high five, trade together, raid together”. It was also the first time fans were ‘noticing’ me in public, “Hey is that ZoëTwoDots” being shouted out for the first time was pretty surreal. It was euphoric to finally feel physically connected to my community and co-creators.
Kylee: If you could wish for any new feature or improvement in Pokemon Go, what would you wish for?
Zoë : I mostly want quality of life updates. Small changes that make the game smoother. Knowing which friend on your list already has a gift so you don’t waste time opening that menu, countdown timer skip or ready button on raids, a slider for powering up your Pokémon so it’s faster. Things like that. But if I was to add one big feature it would be breeding. I image there would be a lot of balancing to go into the game for breeding though so as not to break the rarity economy in the game.
Kylee : One of my favorite parts of your videos is the ZTD News section, I love that you have the #ZTDNEWS hashtag and interact so closely with the Pokemon Go community, how important is if for you to have that link with the community?
Zoë : Incredibly important. The hashtag has absolutely exploded with user submitted content. It’s a great and direct way for me to see what my community is up to, understand local trends, check monthly AR photo themes, get involved in community meetups and more.
Kylee: You have talked previously about how important it is to you to donate blood and plasma, and to donate often! You have also done charity streams and other fundraisers, what is it that drives your charitable nature?
Zoë: Yes! Donating blood and plasma is very important to me! It started in high school (the minimum age used to be 16) where schools in our region would compete for the ‘Vampire’ award for which school donated the most blood. And I just kind of never stopped going. You can donate blood every 3 months or plasma every two weeks. This week I hit my 44th donation! I figure, if it only takes an hour of my time (less for blood) to literally save another humans life, it’s worth it. And no doubt I’ll need a blood or plasma product in the future to save my life so I should help those I can now. I suppose to me it just makes sense to do it, it’s like one plus one. It’s easy, basically painless and the net result is positive! I’m also very proud of my community this week for raising over $1000 in two hours for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. I’m not sure what drives this part of me, it just feels… right.
Kylee: You also have your two adorable rescue cats, William and Cinnamon, was it an important decision for you to rescue rather than to buy?
Zoë: It was our first time owning rescue cats. Again it just felt like something that was the right way to do it. Both my partner and I had previously owned (semi snobby natured) pure breeds as our family cats, but starting our own family together we decided to rescue. William and Cinnamon are so stupidly affectionate. Prior to rescue, they had a rough start to life and now having a safe loving home contributes to that affectionate nature. If you want a snuggly ball of love, rescue! Plus I mean… it’s cheaper than buying and you’re helping out an animal that needs a loving home.
Kylee: The YouTube industry is driven by likes and comments, Sometimes those comments are negative, that cant always be easy. What advice would you have for people who find it hard be themselves and stand strong in the face of criticism?
Zoë : It honestly varies day to day. Some comments, even though they are OBSCENE, you can brush off with a “WOW they’re dumb/ignorant/a loser/haha” whatever. But some days the comments can and will get under your skin. I really recommend having a friend or ally who’s also in the industry to talk and vent to on those days. Someone who also gets those toxic comments and knows what you’re reading and feeling. Talk it out with them, absolutely unleash, and come back feeling refreshed the next day. In the end there are 1000 positive comments to 1 negative and you REALLY need to push your focus toward the positives. It isn’t as easy as it seems but you have to work on gratitude for the positivity. I also find humour is a good way to deal with the obscene, being able to roll someones insult into a joke, in whatever way that may be for you helps lessen the blow. At the end of the day you know you’re better than what you’re reading in a comment, you’ve got this.
Kylee: Zoë it has been an absolute pleasure, final question, at such a young age you really are turning your upbeat, friendly and positive personality into a unique and successful brand, what advice would you have for young woman who want to follow in your foot steps?
Zoë : If you want it, it’s yours. It’s going to be an absolute slog, but it’s yours! Just start filming, photographing, creating, whatever it might be and put it out there. Look at what others are doing, get inspired, network (make genuine friendships, don’t spam tag people lol), utilize all social media, collab with others your size (and bigger and smaller). No matter what you’re making (games, craft, vlogs, art) be sure to create it with your genuine personality, let people get to know you as a human alongside what you make. It will make for a stronger, healthier and more positive community. ALSO don’t let hardware hold you back, I really didn’t take this approach when I started and I should have. You can make fine quality work filming on an iPhone. Just start NOW, don’t wait for the ‘good camera’, ‘better microphone’ etc. You got this, girl!
Check Out Zoë on YouTube and all Socials at the links below and make sure to check out the ultra cute Merch line!
YouTube: http://bit.ly/ZTDots
Patreon: http://bit.ly/2eGzt9j
Merch & Pins: http://bit.ly/ZTDMerch
Instagram: http://bit.ly/ZTDInsta
Twitch: http://bit.ly/ZTwitch
30 Years of Fan Girling 