Sara Stefanizzi, aka Kurolily, is one of the most followed Italian streamers on Twitch. Streamer, however, is perhaps a term that is starting to be tight on her, because in addition to going live every day she has hosted television programs, she participates in InnTale, one of the most important Italian projects related to role playhe is a regular guest at any vaguely nerdy themed event or convention, he is the face of a racing esports team and the testimonial of many companies.
Kurolily’s career is the classic case of the right person at the right time. A girl who, in spite of commonplaces, has always been accompanies his life with video games, ends up working in a shop that sells them and eventually becomes one of the best known faces to talk about it to the generation that no longer watches television. A career that is the mirror of the new role that content creators are playing today in the world of advertisingwith the skills developed thanks to the fact of constantly going live that allow her to face stages, television sets and so on.
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All this in 9 years in which she took very few holidays, maintaining a consistency in its direct that have made it the fixed appointment of hundreds of people. She also recently became an ambassador for Comics and Games Factory, the program of Lucca Comics & Games who wants to support the ideas of people under 35 who could have potential in the world of pop culture, from esports teams to webtoons, passing through everything related to content creation.
Having worked for years in an industry like online streaming, where men are almost always at the top of the charts of the highest paid, and male is a large part of the audience (especially with regard to video games), Kurolily has long since made a tough skin on certain issues. On the other hand, her success, and indeed her own presence on Twitch and the tranquility of her community, are a good stance against the more retrograde positions. It does not end all here, however: it would be easy to talk about the fight against sexism and about Kurolily’s desire to promote an inclusive message, but it would also be the best way to make her angry, because this combative from Rimini hates all labels, especially those that are attacked on her without permission. “For years every interview or article about me has immediately turned to the fight against sexism, as if I was just doing that. Paradoxically I find it discriminatory behavior, as if my person identified only in his ability to suffer or was only interesting if it can be seen under that lens – he explained – For years I have been fighting above all to be myself, to do what I like. Of course I am against sexism, but I am also something else ”.
Also because watching his live shows you have the feeling of being in a very quiet space, where you chat peacefully, the tones are calm and bullies are quickly knocked out with a joke: “I don’t think that pushing only and exclusively on the subject of sexism when a woman is involved in the world of video games is the right way, obviously there are a lot of bad people out there, but also a lot of quiet guys, who are on our side. Now, like other streamers, I’ve become a symbol of that alone, and I don’t want to. I realize that my career and my existence are somehow an example beyond my control, but I am also a person with ideas, projects and many other things, not only the one who every day has to fight against sexism, which is not even true “.
Unfortunately, this is one of the problems of storytelling, the need to pigeonhole people into archetypes and spaces in which it is a preponderant feature that has to stand out, especially when you go to speak to an audience that those people don’t know: “I’d like that every now and then my path was highlightedit is not for everyone to give up a permanent contract and bet on something like streaming, there are not many people who have 9 years of career behind them, they were among the first to overcome the game to also make programs dedicated to folklore popular, to reading librigames and fiction books, to bring Twitch in Italia towards something new – she told us again – But, no: it always has to come out that my most interesting aspect is being a woman who is streaming and being treated badly by some bully, ignoring all the work behind it. “.
And there is a lot of work behind it, because as much as Kurolily is really passionate and makes it seem easy to stay hours and hours in streaming, fuorionda plays a constant work on herself (perhaps to improve the voice and be able to involve the public more) and analysis, to understand how to match his tastes with those of potential spectators, the fashions of the moment and any news that no one has thought of. Kurolily reminded us that “to understand how your streaming is going you have to watch the chat: the numbers fluctuate, they come and go, but the heart of a broadcast is the chat. If the audience is interested, if they are curious, if they are having a good time, they will interact with you. And this does not depend on how well known the game is: there are titles that are loved and played but are not good for live shows, maybe they are too technical or they are fun only if you are playing it and you know every detail well. In that case, you understand immediately that people are bored, because almost no one talks in chat or they talk about anything else. In my opinion, if you really want to understand how you are doing you have to see how many people are talking to you at that moment. Another analysis I do is to look at how colleagues are doing with the same games, because maybe they tell it better than me or in a different way “.
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And then? A question that many content creators ask themselves, but few know how to offer an adequate answer. Usually those who live in the world of video games and pop culture do not have many years to make the most of the opportunity: “Beyond the fact that the aftermath doesn’t scare me, I already have some ideas. Over the years I have developed a lot of experience on how to speak in public, on organizing live events, on how to manage a community and on the technical and non-technical aspects of streaming, how to read data, which tools to use and so on. So I think that I’d like a behind-the-scenes job, advice for those who want to start, for those who think they want to make a career or a hobby. A lot of people, even seasoned streamers, told me that if I started doing consultancy they would like to put me under contract ”.
What about television? “If video games were treated better, I would give it a thought, because when I did House of Esport I liked it on DMAX, but I certainly don’t want to be a columnist about other things. However if there was a pill like Drusilla Foer makesbut with a nerd theme, yes! “.