DDS618 is a variety streamer and content creator based in Dallas-Fort Worth area. He has always been fascinated with content creation since he was a child, first picking up photography. He got into photography after his dad bought him a Polaroid camera with some film. DDS618 used the film up quickly, snapping photos of birds in trees. It didn’t take long before he realized he loved taking photos, a hobby that manifested even further in high school. However, it wasn’t until he attended school at Grambling State University before he realized how much he truly loved photography.

He joined the newspaper staff, and his love for content creation grew, but he only saw it as photography and journalism. However, as time pressed on, he started winning awards for his articles and photography. He also was rewarded internships with various organizations in the country. Yet and still, he never saw what he did as content creation. He only saw it as journalism. Thankfully, he worked with some of the best of the best in using photography, video editing, writing, audio, and more to create a full immersion experience.

A few careers later, DDS found himself needing something to do. In August 2017, he was sitting on his couch, playing Warframe with some of his buddies. Next thing he knew, a pickup truck was sitting in his living room, six inches from where he sat. This incident ended up injuring his back, leaving DDS with three herniated discs and an immense amount of back pain. While he was able to power through it for a little bit, it continued to get worse and worse, forcing him to give up his first love — photography. He continued to try to find himself, but was never the same. Until he watched Mixer.

DDS had already been a member of Beam, but never took it seriously. After all, “Who wants to watch people play video games?” he thought. Despite his friends telling him to pursue content creation, he was still against it. However, once Ninja moved to Mixer and Mixer was offering free subs, DDS decided to check out the app on his Xbox. He came across a streamer named MoonLiteWolf. Until this point, he had no idea that anyone of color streamed. After all, all he saw was Ninja and other streamers. So, he watched MoonLiteWolf and thoroughly enjoyed the stream. He ended up buying his first pair of LucidSounds due to MoonLiteWolf.

After exploring Mixer some more, he found other streamers of color and came across MunchkinDoom. She was doing one of her segments where she shared her knowledge of the streaming industry with the chat. DDS was intrigued. His friends told him he should stream. His wife told him he should stream. And then, MunchkinDoom, probably not thinking anything of it, told him he should stream. That was the trifecta and he took it as a sign. DDS began looking into streaming and how it worked. He did a few streams here and there, but it was nothing serious.

Then, success started happening. People followed. People liked the streams. People started talking in chat. DDS then realized that he may have stumbled back into content creation again. Nearly two and a half years after the accident, DDS had found something else he’s passionate about. Then, the perfect storm brewed. DDS took money out of his savings to go to a work convention that would end up being canceled. Having already taken the money out, he started thinking about a gaming PC where he could stream. Once the Convention was confirmed canceled, he took the money and bought his first gaming PC and built it himself. Finally, he was ready to create content.

On April 15, 2020, DDS did his first “official” stream as a business. It was a huge success! He continued to grow DDS618 and his streaming setup grew as well. Unfortunately, Mixer announced it was shuttering its doors on June 22. This was devastating to DDS, as he was pushing and grinding towards partnership with Mixer. He ended up moving to Twitch, but he never felt at home on Twitch. While Twitch is a great platform, it just never felt like he belonged in a sense. Thus, he looked into Facebook Gaming and liked what they had to offer. He also saw great potential in Facebook Gaming as well, so he decided to give it a shot.

On Oct. 20, 2020, DDS did his first live stream on Facebook Gaming. While most of his Mixer and Twitch audience did not follow him over, DDS was never deterred. He continued to stream and work a new platform and new technology with ease. It didn’t take long before he started getting into his groove. And finally, DDS felt at home. Since moving to FB Gaming, he has focused on growing his brand there, while also growing a brand on YouTube as well. It didn’t take long for DDS to start seeing success in several different avenues.

Since beginning a content creation career, DDS has accomplished a lot since then. He was a part of the Facebook Black Gaming Creator Program, and he was a member of the StreamElements Creator Diversity Program 2022. Not only did DDS achieve these accomplishments, he did panels where he shared the "secrets" of his success (spoiler alert: it was hard work). He's also done interviews with game devs and creators alike over the years as well.

He’s also moderated for MunchkinDoom and MsFunsiz3. On Twitter, he’s built a presence that has gotten him noticed by major brands, such as Butterfinger and FITE TV. But more importantly, he’s made friends and connections that will last a lifetime. Without those friends, he would not be where he is or on the level that he is on now. Thus, DDS is ready to continue improving his career and reaching new levels.

He is currently building his brand to focus on livestreams, vlogs, interviews, reviews, and unboxings. His goal is to continue to showcase his personality throughout everything. He is a free agent, and he is open to do work with brands on creating content. He plans to continue to grow his YouTube presence to 100K subscribers within the next 2 years, while also creating an engaging community. All in all, DDS is here to stay for the long-run!

Email: dds618gaming[at]gmail.com