We recently connected with Calvin Mack and have shared our conversation below.

Calvin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I recently self-published a book titled ‘Swiped Out: A Guide Derived From Tales & Fails of Dating Online As A Black Gay Male,’ where I story my past romantic mishaps via the world of dating apps & social media.

Being neurodivergent, black, and queer is its own journey to navigate and to throw dating in the mix, it was important for me to share some of the experiences I’ve had and what I learned in hopes to connect with other people and make them feel not so alone in a generation where most of us (including myself) have ONLY ever dated using the internet.

I worked hard to make sure it felt light-hearted while also having tons of meaning so while I might tell stories of hookups gone wrong, twisted love triangles, and a very misguided mission to find a sugar daddy, I also share what those pitfalls have taught me in the broader sense of life and the person I wanted to be.

I have since turned this into a podcast where I retell some of the stories from the book and sometimes invite on guests like Gay Dating Coach Lamont White to tell us what we’re all doing wrong.

In addition to that I also created the BlackGaySlay Network, a YouTube channel focused on creating Black Queer content and you can even watch the interviews I do there in their full capacity.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started at 16 making videos on the internet for a YouTube channel called, ThoseGirlsAreWILD..I promise it’s not what it sounds like. This channel was ran by two incredible women Andrea Lewis & Shannon Boodram and their channel was all about embracing all of the beautiful and hilarious quirks of their friendship dynamic and shared experience of being black women in the creative space.

They unapologetically broke all the molds and stereotypes that were often forced upon them, hence being WILD, and allowed themselves and their viewers to come exactly as they are. They did topical videos, sketches, etc. I worked remotely as an intern for them briefly one summer doing sketches and it was a great intro to the creative field.

I have since worked a bit both behind and in front of the camera doing online content. I have written for multiple celebrity news publications, served as a host for Maria Menounos’ AfterBuzzTV, covered red carpet events/screenings, etc.

I even created a webseries, highlighting black queer people across different career fields & walks of life. I even licensed it to an independent streaming service which was one of the most fulfilling creative experiences I’ve had so far.

Labelling something as your “brand” can sometimes feel cliche and icky for me but what I can say is, a through-line that is always important to me in any work I do is uplifting the black queer community. Our unique journey of having that intersectionality in our identity is just not talked about enough.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Taking something that is just an idea in your head and making it something that you can share with other people. Even it’s imperfect or a little janky…it’s still pretty cool!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Creating a space for black queer individuals to feel safe, seen and heard. Connecting with them so that they know they’re not alone and are constantly reminded of that they belong and that they are worthy.

Contact Info:

• Website: BlackGaySlay.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/blackgayslay
• Twitter: twitter.com/mackondemand
• Youtube: Youtube.com/@blackgayslay
• Other: Personal social media links: Instagram.com/mackondemand tiktok.com/mackondemand