By Jordyn Davis | For the Birmingham Times
Annaya Chelcy wants Birmingham residents to know that Black businesses matter. As a viral local content creator and founder of The Local Tourist Collective — an event-hosting and experiential marketing agency — she brings her large audiences to small, local businesses that may be overlooked in the city. For Chelcy, her platform serves as both an outlet for creativity and advocacy.
“Black-owned businesses do not get marketing support at all,” Chelcy told the Birmingham Times. “What I find is that Black-owned businesses only get that major support system around Black holidays, such as Juneteenth and Black History Month. Those are the only times that money is allocated towards these businesses specifically.”
With over 100,000 followers on Instagram and more than 60,000 on TikTok, Chelcy has built her platform by supporting and advocating for these businesses year-round.
“It all started with me wanting some lunch,” Chelcy said. “I went to the Western Hills Mall, and my line sister recommended I try Wing’s Heaven. I made a video about my food and the very next day it went super viral. I didn’t check the views until I was at work later that day and one of the students said, ‘I just saw you on TikTok.’”
After going viral, Chelcy continued creating videos for fun until her direction became clear: she wanted to be a voice for overlooked businesses in the community.
Local Tourist Collective
Chelcy always knew she wanted to create something that would engage and urge people to explore their city. Earlier this year, the Local Tourist Collective was born. This experiential agency aims to create experiences for small businesses by collaborating with tourism boards, different sponsors and local stakeholders. As an experienced content creator, Chelcy was encouraged to bring her audience to a more centralized platform that directly pours back into the businesses.
“I’ve always been spotlighting small businesses and have gained a lot of traction in Birmingham, specifically with those not knowing about those places,” Chelcy said. “A lot of people really don’t get out and try new things. They may drive by this mom-and-pop shop, and it’s been there for their entire lives and they never knew about it.”
For Local Tourist Collective’s first networking event, Chelcy highlighted small Black businesses such as Spiraled Bakery, Butter and Berry and Empress Angel Creations. The event was sponsored by Creed 63, Eleven 86 Water, The Craft Room Homewood and others.
After a successful first event, Chelcy plans to continue gathering small businesses and restaurants for more “link-ups” geared towards specific niches such as anime, foodies and professional networking.
Life as a Content Creator
According to Chelcy, not all content is paid. While she went viral after a craving for hot wings, she began her creative path upon graduating from the University of West Alabama in 2022 with a major in Sports Management. After becoming a recruiter for the university, she was able to travel across the South, with a focus on North Birmingham, where she would begin to spotlight local businesses.
When she first began posting videos, she was not expecting payment but rather wanted to draw attention to a specific business. According to Chelcy, content creation often has humble beginnings.
“People assume just because you’re creating content, you’re getting paid. That’s not always the case, Chelcy said. “For my specific situation, I created so much free content. There’s a lot of free business I have done just out of the kindness of my heart. On the flipside, some creators expect to get compensated beyond a free meal. I feel like you can’t expect a small mom-and-pop shop to pay you your full rate when they just don’t have it.”
Although Chelcy has a massive fanbase, starting as a Black creator came with its fair share of struggles. Chelcy shared how evident it is that Black women specifically often do not get compensated fairly. In the past, she has experienced discrimination and declined brand offers that did not align with her values. She urges beginning creators to do the same.
Chelcy says for first-time creators, it’s imperative to create content centered on something you already enjoy and the audience will follow.
“You won’t get paid immediately. It’s not instant gratification,” Chelcy said. “A lot of people assume that they will, and they either give up or talk about other content creators. You have to create from a place of wanting to see your creation in the beginning.”
Follow Annaya Chelcy on Instagram @annayachelcy and @localtouristco.irl.
