TikTok has tapped Shavone Charles to lead communications around the social platform’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Charles joins TikTok next week in the newly formed role after serving as the director of communications and creative partnerships at VSCO, where she launched the #BlackJoyMatters campaign. Prior to joining VSCO, she oversaw global music and youth culture communications at Instagram and music and culture communications at Twitter, two positions that she created at both companies.
Outside of her work with major tech companies, Charles is also the founder of two creative collectives, Future of Creatives and Magic In Her Melanin, focused on amplifying women of color and other underrepresented creators.
“As a Black creator and advocate, I am thrilled to join the TikTok team and continue my work in fearlessly supporting and amplifying the stories of underrepresented creators,” Charles told The Hollywood Reporter.
The executive will be based in Los Angeles and report up to Hilary McQuaide, TikTok’s head of communications.
Over the past year, TikTok has sought to improve its relationship with Black creators after a number of creators have spoken out about not receiving credit or recognition for their creation of viral trends on the platform. (Over the summer, several Black creators even withheld from posting to the platform as part of a virtual “strike” to highlight their contributions to the app.)
In January, TikTok created a Black creatives incubator program with MACRO to better support Black TikTok creators, and earlier this week, 10 Black creators were awarded $50,000 grants as part of the partnership between the two companies.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
