We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daphne Bryant. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daphne below.
Daphne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?
Creating an inclusive workplace is intrinsic to the design of Dreamworldgirl Zine itself. We are a creative space and publication designed for women, other marginalized gender identities, and queer people in general, so everything we do caters to the underserved and underrepresented. As far as POC rep goes, we’ve also made an effort to have diverse groups of models, a diverse staff, and diverse selections for our print issue.
One thing we have been striving to do more is make different body types, specifically plus-sized models, more visible. Our photoshoots have traditionally featured models on the smaller side, and though this wasn’t a purposeful choice, it’s something that’s been brought to my attention and something I actively want to address. I think it’s important for everyone to see themselves represented in our pages and on our social media. Regardless of race, sexual orientation, height, body type, etc., I truly believe anyone can be a Dreamworldgirl. We have to actually take the steps to make sure our words are not just words, but also actions.
My advice for creating a more inclusive workplace? Always be open to feedback. There is always learning to do, things you don’t know, perspectives you are not aware of. Listening and responding with genuine care creates a safe environment for people to bring up their concerns when they have them.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Of course! My name is Daphne Bryant and I am a 21-year old multi-hyphenate, recent college graduate, and storyteller. Most importantly to this particular interview, I am the founder of Dreamworldgirl Zine, a Boston and LA-based multimedia publication for all things girlhood. DG Zine’s primary goal is to release biannual issues (one in the summer and one in the winter), and in these issues we feature writing and interdisciplinary art from all over the world.
I started DG Zine in April of 2024, sort of impulsively. I have a Creative Writing degree (with a Publishing minor) and lots of experience with magazines and the editorial world, so starting my own publication wasn’t as daunting a task as it might seem. I got the idea for it and two days later made an Instagram account, hired some friends and planned out a production schedule. The rest is history!
The response to DG Zine has absolutely blown me away. I am most proud of the community we have built around girlhood. Everyone that the zine works with and everyone that follows us is so creative, talented, motivated and beautiful, inside and out. Our work, which is always whimsical and palpably dreamy, gives off such a heartfelt and welcoming energy because that really is the atmosphere I try and curate.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Yes! I would say that 75% of our audience has found us from social media, so the zine has definitely had a lot of success in that department. I think the most important thing is consistency. We post everyday, multiple times a day, and on a wide range of platforms (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.,) This wasn’t always the case; when you’re first starting out things might move a little slower and that’s totally okay, but once you feel like you’re starting to build up a little fanbase, rounding out your social media team can only help, not hurt you. My marketing director and marketing interns are behind most of our viral videos and content!
Additionally, having really strong and cohesive branding that is aesthetically pleasing makes people want to stick around. Dreamworldgirl Zine is heavily inspired by the Y2K era and we’ve stuck with that for months now. People know that when they come to our account they can expect to see 90s heartthrobs and fit checks, 2000s music recommendations and magazine archives, etc.,
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
My top two pieces of advice for managing a team and maintaining high morale is to 1) be considerate of everyone’s time and energy and 2) be as excited about your company outwardly as you feel about it inwardly!
Your team is working FOR you, which is pretty awesome, but they’re not servants. They’re real life humans who have a lot going on, just like you. It’s important to treat them as such. For this reason, I am always super open to extensions, creative suggestions from my staff, and filling in whenever I am needed. That way, even though we have a LOT going on, no one feels too stressed.
As far as excitement and keeping engagement high, nobody is more passionate about the zine than I am. I make sure to text frequently in the staff group chat, and sometimes that means sending updates about cool photoshoots or interviews that we secured, sometimes it means sending zine-themed Buzzfeed quizzes, sometimes it just means checking in and wishing everyone a happy holidays. Whatever it may be, constantly interacting with my staff and staying positive throughout everything helps people feel like they’re making a difference, because they are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.daphnebryant.com/, https://www.dreamworldgirlzine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daphnerbryant/, https://www.instagram.com/dreamworldgirlzine/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphne-bryant-16a365231/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DreamworldgirlZine/featured
Image Credits
1 – @lillitakeslotsofpictures
2 – @barbiabul
3 – @sydneykcphotos
4 – @foto_ffit
5 – @sonderbyem
6 – @archivalsoap
7 – @sydneymoyaa
8 – @developednegative_
in order of upload!