SEE hosts Quenlin Blackwell at the Spring Lecture Q&A

Quenlin Blackwell talks to student at SEE's spring lecture Q&A (Imani Washington-Bivans/The Black Explosion)

Quenlin “Quen” Blackwell established herself as more than just an influencer from Vine last Thursday at a Black History Month Q&A session hosted by Student Entertainment Events at the University of Maryland.

Blackwell, welcomed by the sold-out crowd at the Stamp Student Union, saw fans from all over the university showing their overwhelming support.

Before the event, Blackwell spoke with The Black Explosion about her journey as a creator, her goals and what she has in store for the future.

“I think my entire career thus far has been improv,” Blackwell said.

Blackwell gained notability on Vine before shifting to YouTube and TikTok, proving her longevity as a creator and influencer.

Although her fame may seem to be coincidental at times, she emphasized not only being strategic but also acting on the creative ideas that she has.

“Instead of just sitting back and being in the passenger seat of my career, [I’m] in the driver’s seat and just making my ideas come to fruition instead of waiting for them to come to fruition,” Blackwell said.

For Blackwell, being strategic also means understanding what should be put on the internet, especially when it comes to her personal life. The influencer has been the face of many trends and internet memes from a young age which may not always allow for the privacy that many people are awarded.

She says she now knows what vulnerable moments she desires to keep to herself and what to leave open for debate online. In the spotlight, Blackwell learned to embrace mistakes as part of her growth.

Blackwell discussed how she navigates being a Black female creator in a majority-white space. Rather than feeling pressure to change who she is, she often feels excitement when surrounded by white creators.

“I feel a little bit of a disadvantage from the type of teams that they have around them because of the entertainment industry that I'm in and it's kind of geared towards them, but I don't feel any pressure [to change],” Blackwell said. “I actually feel like, an excitement to be one of the first people to be in my division,”

She acknowledged that a lot of her white peers often have more resources to succeed but that has not stopped her from being an internet phenomenon. Blackwell says she understands the importance of a good team around her to succeed and carry out her different ventures.

“All of my ideas are like y’all’s ideas,” Blackwell said. “I have just been awarded the luxury of being able to have a production team around me.”

She says her drive to succeed has also led her to expand on other creative passions such as acting, fashion and modeling. Blackwell has looked to expand outside of short-form content like Youtube and TikTok with her acting debut in Rachel Sennott’s untitled HBO comedy pilot as a guest star.

Additionally, she emphasized her excitement of the second release of her clothing line, RIQUERA, and plans to take on fashion beyond photoshoots but also being intentional with every aspect of the fashion world.

“Anything that I have in my mind is gonna come to fruition, I can’t wait for people to see that,” Blackwell said.

While she expands on her other passions, her fans can look forward to more content in what she calls her “favorite era.”