Meet Dayeanne Hutton of Dayebraham Gaming in Los Angeles

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Sure thing! I am an actress in LA building my own personal Nerd Empire. How did I get here? Well, I’ve sort of always been here, I just had to recognize it was my strength! My whole life, I’ve been surrounded by theatre, thanks to my theatre geek parents who have always encouraged my path. I also loved reading from a very young age, played video games, actually kind of liked school, and graduated with a BFA in Theatre Performance. There’s also my mild to moderately unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter. In 2013 I was cast as the voice of Kate Marsh in the popular video game Life is Strange. That game, along with my role in the Emmy Winning web series Emma Approved, and their respective communities, helped define where I am now. Both of these projects have passionate and involved fans, so I began to work on growing my presence as an actor online. This started with growing as an influencer on Instagram, then to a (currently inactive) fashion and lifestyle blog, and eventually to Twitch! I began streaming video games once a week on Twitch in June 2017, and today stream five days a week. I was able to quit my job at a bar, and am supporting myself as a streamer and an actor, with the occasional odd job thrown in the mix.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh, of course not! And you know what the biggest problem has been? ME! I am aware that I chose a very difficult career to ever feel very stable in, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The biggest struggle has been getting out of my own dang way. None of this would have been possible without the amazing group of humans I have in my support system. There’s my already mentioned and ever-supportive parents, the mindset guru herself, Bonnie Gillespie, my fellow acting and streaming partner Tony Noto, and a group of friends who I couldn’t be more grateful to have in my life. Succeeding in life is so much easier when everyone lifts each other up; it’s actually magical. There really is so much of this that’s about your state of mind. When I am able to stay in my own lane, ignore the urge to compare myself to others and just keep doing the parts of this that come naturally and easily, then the road smoothens out for a bump-free journey. Bumps do still happen, but then that’s what all those lovely people in my life are there for, to have my back.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
This is a bit of a tricky question as I am my own business in this case. I do hope to someday grow it into a larger venture, but I don’t quite know what that would look like; I’m starting with what I know. Streaming on Twitch is my full-time job currently. I create livestream videos that I sometimes re-purpose to YouTube, I sell stream related merchandise on TeeSpring, and am constantly looking for new ways to grow my channel. Honestly, I can’t believe I get to say with all seriousness that I play video games for a living; it’s a dream! I am also in a unique position because as an actress and streamer, I am the voice of several characters in the video game, Life is Strange. This gives me access to the games wonderful fan base of excited and caring individuals. There’s a community-building aspect on Twitch, and I am so incredibly proud of the space I’ve created. My community is built on positivity and supporting others; I am an advocate of mental health awareness, and celebrate everyone’s uniqueness. I think it’s so important to creative positive and accepting places online, where so often the environment is toxic and damaging.

What were you like growing up?
Have I mentioned that I’ve always been a nerd? I would stay up late as a kid reading any book I could get my hands on, going to the bookstore was like going to Disneyland, and I grew up on a steady diet of musical theatre and Disney. I was shy but fun and weird when I felt comfortable. Determined to get A’s in school and couldn’t imagine growing up and doing anything but acting.