At TikTok, we love supporting creators who use their platform to teach and inform the community about their career and experiences. Through our Creator Spotlight Series, ongoing features highlighting our trendsetting creatives, we're able to showcase these amazing creators teaching others on the platform each day.

Next up in the series is @quenwilliamss, a full time real estate agent and creator using her platform to make home-buying attainable for the Black community, by demystifying the home ownership process and teaching viewers what it's like to work in her field as a Black real estate agent. Quen's goal of making home ownership easy to understand and attainable for all her viewers shines though in every video, and her passion for helping others is always inspiring and uplifting. Read more below from Quen in her own words about her professional journey and inspiration, her time on TikTok, and her favorite Black creators!


How did you get started creating on TikTok, and what was the first TikTok video you shared/published?

I scrolled through TikTok for at least a whole year before I made my first post. I posted my very first video shortly after the death of George Floyd. I was expressing my confusion about how police in America can be so wreckless with the lives of American citizens, and how there's no accountability. When I was in the Army, deployed to Iraq, there was more accountability for American soldiers' actions against foreign enemies than there are for American police against American citizens.

Why do you think TikTok is the right platform for your content or why do you continue to create and share on TikTok?

TikTok is perfect because it's short-form and it makes it so easy for people to engage with the content on the platform.

What is your favorite TikTok you have made to date and why?

My favorite TikTok would have to be when I hit my two-year mark in real estate. I was celebrating the fact that I'd closed almost 100 homes at the time as a young, Black and relatively new agent. What made the video stand out most was the outpouring of support. This was my most viral video at the time, so I had millions of people celebrating with me! I don't think that could have happened anywhere else but TikTok.

@quenwilliamss

This is unreal. Glory to God 🙌🏾 because lord knows I didn’t do it on my own

♬ original sound - Quen Williams

What lights a fire in you?

What lights a fire in me is helping people. Ever since I was little I wanted to help people, I wanted to be a doctor or a psychologist. I ended up being a medic in the Army for about 12 years and was able to help people that way. And now as a real estate agent – and especially because I have a platform on TikTok – I'm able to help so many more people than I could have ever, ever imagined.

What Black historical figure inspires you?

The person who has inspired me my whole life and has had such a big influence on me is Madam CJ Walker. I remember I had to do a project on her when I was in elementary school and the moment that I learned her story I was enamored. I was obsessed. I admired her so much because she pulled herself up by the bootstraps when she didn't even have boots to begin with. She's the very first Black American woman to be a self-made millionaire so now whenever I encounter obstacles or I feel discouraged, I think about how Madam CJ Walker did it. And she did it with way less privilege and way fewer resoruces than I have—so if she can do it then I can do it and I have no excuses.

Any advice for new creators?

Be authentically you. Create content you like. Don't create to try to go viral. If you stay true to yourself, your people will find you.

What does being a Trailblazer mean to you?

Being a Trailblazer means I'm blazing the path for the next Black TikTok creator. If one of us shines, we all shine.

Who are some Black creators that everyone should be following/watching?

There are quite a few Black creators that I love to watch on TikTok. Here are a few that I love because they are multifaceted:

  • First up is @rynnstar, she does videos about linguistics and also talks about racial equity and justice.
  • I love @mayaechols. Not only is she a beautiful model (she's literally a model) but she also does these really good deep dives into Black history and stereotypes about the Black community.
  • I love @crutches_and_spice because she not only talks about being a Black woman but also the intersectionality of being a Black woman with disabilities.