Last updated on March 13th, 2021 at 11:06 am
When the COVID-19 pandemic came along, it changed a lot of the things we’d taken for granted in the world we lived in before. The ability to meet up with friends on the days that don’t go well. The freedom to step away from things when they get too intense so we can come back as our best selves. The coronavirus pandemic kept us pent up in our homes, and we needed to find new ways to deal with that.
And it’s particularly puzzling for dads, who’re already pretty isolated from the moment they have a kid. We rarely talk. We don’t have the same kinds of community and supports that moms do. I couldn’t imagine being a new dad in this situation, where we already lost so many of our friends in the Before Times thanks to our new lifestyles. There were many us out there, and we all had stories to tell—we just didn’t really have anywhere to do it.
But then along came Clubhouse and everything changed.
Wait—what’s Clubhouse?
What I’ve figured out as a long-time content creator and bureaucrat alike is that it’s all too easy to speak using language specific to those environments, taking for granted that so many others won’t have a clue of what I’m talking about. As a bureaucrat, we tend to speak in acronyms and refer to all sorts of committees that few outside the organisation would care about. My mother-in-law often comments on the pop culture references that pepper my writing, acting like I’m speaking an alien language each time I do it.
But as a content creator? As a content creator, I spend entirely too much time on the internet, discovering new tricks and tools every day. I’m not always an early adopter, but I’m in the business of knowing what’s out there so I can understand what’ll help me best succeed with my brand.
And the app of the day is called Clubhouse, an invite-only voice chatting app for Apple devices only that doesn’t let anything distract from its purpose.
The Best Way to Use Clubhouse
I’d say you get the most out of Clubhouse by building a small group of friends who can let you know when they’ve found an interesting room. In these last couple of weeks, I’ve gotten to share my Search Engine Optimization strategies with podcasters looking to grow their shows and chat with fellow entrepreneurs about the struggle of juggling the hustle, the family and virtual schooling altogether. I’ve sat on panels with other dads and discussed keeping our content alive while working a 9-to-5 with my friend Natalie Bell. But the chat that really stuck with me was when Andrew Taylor pinged me to join a chat with a bunch of dad creators mere minutes before I had to jump on a call.
And we clicked right away. I don’t know whether it was because we were all creating content around the most important vocation of our lives, or because so many of us were Black dads trying to do our best and shatter so many stereotypes, but I knew from that moment that I’d want to keep connected to these guys, and here we are a couple of weeks later as a group of Dad influencers trying to make the most out of our craft.
So What IS the Dad Influencer Group?
Led by DK Williams, who you may know from the successful Detroit Father brand, the Dad Influencers group provides a space for men open enough to share their stories to find other like-minded men across the continent with whom they can learn, laugh and grow. We started an Instagram group chat soon after that first Clubhouse chat, but you can’t hold a good thing back—we quickly hit the 32-person limit and found ourselves moving to Telegram to keep our new community going! We have everything from expecting dads all the way to decades-long vets—we already number in the dozens, but you can’t expect a whole lot more, ’cause we’re nowhere near done seeing how far we can take this thing!
If you’re looking to find quality work from dads or to include them in your next campaign, make sure to check the list out below of dads from all across America (with a couple of Canadian Dads just for good measure.)
The List of Dad Influencers from Coast to Coast and Beyond!
| Brand | Creator Name | Brand Niche(s) | Bio | Location | YouTube | TikTok | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Father | Damarqio (DK) Williams | DAMARQIO (DK) WILLIAMS IS AN AMERICAN FATHER, AUTHOR, INTERNATIONAL MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER, AND COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR. FROM FATHERLESS TO FATHERHOOD TO FATHER IN THE HOOD, HIS MISSION IS SIMPLE: BUILD THE FUTURE AND RESTORE THE PAST. WILLIAMS CURRENTLY RESIDES ON THE EAST SIDE OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN WITH HIS LOVELY WIFE, LA’NYCE AND THEIR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, JENESIS. | Detroit, MI |  |  |  |  | |||
| Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad | Casey Palmer | Dad, Family, Lifestyle | Husband. Father. Storyteller. Casey Palmer is a Black Canadian Dad from Toronto, creating content and telling his family's stories one post at a time! | Toronto, ON | | | | |  |  |
| Look Mom No Hands | Ryan Hudson-Peralta (RHP) | Father, Husband, Designer, Speaker, Actor and Mentor who just happens to be born without arms and legs. Put on Earth to inspire and help others! | Detroit, MI | | | | | | ||
| SocialDad | James Smith | An Englishman living in Vancouver, Canada. James is a busy social media manager by day and Dad for the rest. Somehow he's also a Dad-blogger, nature-loving photographer, and winter camper | Vancouver, BC | | | | | | | |
| Dope Black Dads LLC | Terry Harden II | Terry Harden II is a husband and father of 3 little ones. Tya age 7, Terryn age 5, and Terry III age 2. Terry showcases his very outgoing family on his personal page @YoUncleTerry. In addition he started @DopeBlackDadsLLC as a place to provide daily motivation for fathers. A place to honor and encourage black fathers to be the best dads we can be! | Columbus, OH | | | | | |||
| DadSwagg | Nathan Watson | Married Husband and Father of 4, continuing to show the world how much Swagger is father's still have will connecting wishing a community of great dads in a exchange of stories, ideas, and blessings | Orlando, FL | | | | | | ||
| Clifton Kirkman II | Clifton Kirkman II | Father/Girl dad, journalist/writer/reporter/host | Detroit, MI | | | | ||||
| Julius James | Julius James | Trinidadian living in U.S, Ex Pro Soccer, I love helping others. Father of 3 | Miami, FL | | | | ||||
| We The Taylors | Andrew Taylor | Father of two girls, sharing my journey of fatherhood, enjoying the little moments that life has to offer | Northumberland County, ON | | | | ||||
| DJDURL | Darrell O'Neal | Father of two girls, DJ & YouTuber in Columbus, Ohio. My niche is to speak on the parenting experience from a black dad perspective. | Columbus, OH | | | | | |||
| Fatherhood Fraternity | Darrell O'Neal | Building community with fathers who are active and effective in the lives of their children. | | | ||||||
| DJ Inspires | DJ Johnson | Husband and father of my son Makai (3) | Long Beach, CA | | | | | |||
| Listen-II-Daddy Podcast | Donovan | Listen-II-Daddy Podcast is hosted by II Dads, "Don and K" who are open, honest and unfiltered in discussing their journeys of parenthood from a male perspective covering all the awkward, unpopular and saucy conversations that men are usually afraid to have. | London, England | | | |||||
| Daddin' While Black Podcast | Alston Wongus | Alston Wongus is a 31 year old, Baltimore native. For as long as he can remember, fatherhood has always been a dream and a goal for him, and in October 2018, that dream came true and has been a whirlwind ever since. He is the proud father of a one year old boy. He hopes to shed light on present black fathers with his newfound platform, the Daddin While Black Podcast. He aspires to be a full time advocate for black fathers and their children. | | | ||||||
| Van Phillips Jr | | |||||||||
| New Dad Diaries | Mike A | Making the journey through fatherhood a little easier with comedy and memes. | Southern import from Indiana to Tennessee who moved next door to his future wife. I am a Community/Public Programmer, Facility Manager, Craftsman, Sports Enthusiast and recently became a new dad during a pandemic. Trying to break the cycle in my family for the next generation. | Nashville, TN | | |||||
| Melanated Daddy | Joshua Liston | I’m Josh. Army Vet, Christian, Feminist, Father to four beautiful children and teacher of men. | | | ||||||
| James Meeks | | | ||||||||
| Kevin Brigance | Fort Worth, TX | | | |||||||
| Lee Townsend | | |||||||||
| Latroy Tillery | Atlanta, GA | | ||||||||
| The Rob A Myers | Rob Myers | |||||||||
| The Dad Coach | Thomas Scannell | | | |||||||
| Robert van Alem | Netherlands | | ||||||||
| Kirk Brown | | |||||||||
| Andre Ebron | | |||||||||
| 2 Timesfocus | Jay Grayson | Detroit, MI | | | ||||||
| Devin Coleman | | |||||||||
| Jeff Segura | Houston, TX | | ||||||||
| Jalen Seawright | | |||||||||
| Dad Off Duty | Sims | Toronto, ON | | |||||||
| Treverance George | | |||||||||
| everydayblackdad | Derick Valentine | Stay at home dad, family life, cooking, racing, social awareness | USAF master sergeant and DOD civilian turned stay at home dad. Raising these sweet girls with my beautiful and brilliant wife. Everyday is a good day! | | ||||||
| J.R. Rivera | J.R. Rivera | Dallas, TX | | |||||||
| Tres Carter | | |||||||||
| Fathers First Movement | Michael Phillips Jr. | Detroit, MI | | | ||||||
| Active Dad | Rashamod Torrance | | ||||||||
| 3wayyy | Tae | Glenarden, MD | | | | |||||
| Good Fathers Only Inc | Calvin T Mann | * Advocate and Encourager of school aged children and youth appearing in elementary, midddle and high schools throughout the year * Advocate and Encourager of Policies effecting fatherhood, parental rights, family restoration, healthy manhood * Advocate and Encourager of mental and physical health and well-being in men and boys * Advocate and Encourager of RESPECT as a solution * Advocate and Encourager of empowering family through Legacy | Detroit, MI | | | |||||
| Shaun Maloy | Shaun Maloy | | | |||||||
| Rashad Lowery | | |||||||||
| Tray Little | Detroit, MI | | ||||||||
| Chris Kyle | Viral Dad | Chris Kyle | Detroit, MI | | |||||||
| Santi | Santi DeOleo | Boston, MA | | |||||||
| Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner | Michael Gardner | I am Michael Gardner, a proud Father, self-taught sewist, life-long crafter and DIY enthusiast. Also Known As "Ava's Dad". I can usually be found exercising my creative abilities. I began my sewing journey in 2014. I wanted a way to bond with my daughter while looking for a new creative challenge and I created Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner. My mission is to help Ava build her self-esteem and establish confidence in herself and her abilities. I sew the clothes and Ava models. | Philadelphia, PA | | | | | |||
| Antonio Byrd | Antonio Byrd | Antonio Byrd is a four year vegan that takes his wife and two daughters on a plant-based journey as he work in community, personal train for Vegan Gains (V-Gains), and cook new meals in order to inspire others to live a plant-based/healthier lifestyle. | Tampa, FL | | | | ||||
| MrBowers | Michael Bowers | Influencer to Fathers of Daughters | Los Angeles , CA | | | | | |||
| The Fathership Project | Demetrious Early | Demetrious Early created The Fathership Project in hopes to open discussion amongst Men and Their Fathers. The purpose was to spark dialogue that will end in healing, reconciliation in an effort destroy hatred in our community as well as the pain that fatherlessness creates in the world every single day! What is #TheFathershipProject : It is The Relational Impact between a Father and his child is a community effort designed to : • Reveal the Importance of Fatherhood by Realigning the BluePrint THE FATHER laid out for us in his Word! • Re-Normalize Fatherhood • Expose unhealthy habits and cultures due to Fatherlessness • Support Men in Reconciliation with The Father, Their Father and Their Children 📍Christian 📍Husband 📍Father of 3 young Men 📍Michigander (East Detroit Native) 📍Podcast Host 📍Writer 📍Speaker 📍Minister | Detroit, MI | | | | | |||
| The Flawed Dad Podcast | Warren Miles-Pickup & Graham Sawrey | Two Flawed Dads talking about real issues with their kids and how they’re trying to become better fathers and husbands. | Vancouver, BC | | | |||||
| Sleeved Believe The Hype | Kedric Barrett | Atlanta, GA | | |||||||
| Papa Shad | Rashad Lowery | Loved by God 🙌🏾 Husband to 💍 @jasmineloweryspeaks Dope Dad of 3 👦🏽👦🏾👧🏽 Educator + Content Creator Sharing stories of joy, healing, and lessons learned from fatherhood. OR Loved by God Husband to @jasmineloweryspeaks Dope Dad of 3 Educator + Content Creator Sharing stories of joy, healing, and lessons learned from fatherhood. | Richmond, VA | | | | | |||
| A Dad’s Adventures | Tyler | Vancouver, BC | | | | |||||
| Wandering Wagars | Kevin Wagar | Kevin Wagar is one of the world's leading "Dadventurers." He started Wandering Wagars back in 2015 to chronicle his families adventures around the world and share tips, tricks, and inspiration to thousands of families looking to live their dream of travelling with children. Kevin has explored more every province and territory in Canada and more than 45 countries, 21 of those with his children. And along the way they experience epic natural beauty, intimate cultural experiences, and learn about the history, food, and adventure that each of these countries offers for those willing to travel deeper. | Brampton, ON | | | | | | | |
| Papa Shad | Rashad Lowery | Loved by God 🙌🏾 Husband to 💍 @jasmineloweryspeaks Dope Dad of 3 👦🏽👦🏾👧🏽 Educator + Content Creator Sharing stories of joy, healing, and lessons learned from fatherhood. OR Loved by God Husband to @jasmineloweryspeaks Dope Dad of 3 Educator + Content Creator Sharing stories of joy, healing, and lessons learned from fatherhood. | Richmond, VA | | | | | |||
| DadOnPurpose | Josh Ashford | Celebrating fatherhood and challenging stereotypes. | Lewisville, TX | | | |||||
| Mr. Love Live Life | Jason Hall | A father of four boys trying to encourage others to love and live life with purpose, while being an active and engaged father. I also write for Dear Fathers! | Dallas, TX | | ||||||
| Dads For The Win (DadsFTW) | Michael Kaufman | Michael runs "Dads for the Win" to showcase AWESOME Dads doing AWESOME things with their AWESOME kids. Just follow us and tag @DadsFTW on Instagram to be added to the queue... | New York City, NY | | | | ||||
| DadCAMP | Buzz Bishop | We are a family of four and live in Calgary, Alberta. Myself and my wife, Jennifer, have two boys, Zacharie (’07) and Charlie (’10). Our boys love animals, adventure, and being creative. Zacharie is into dance and music and YouTubing. Charlie is happy with a box of LEGO, some crayons, and paper. We ski in the winter, and camp and hike in the summer. | Calgary, AB | | | | ||||
| Dad Rock Dad | Aron Harris | Toronto, ON | | | |
Are You a Dad Influencer? This is How You Get in on the Action!
So what’re you waiting for? If you’re a dad, and you’re blogging, vlogging, or creating micro-content for Instagram or TikTok, our group is where you need to be.
Here’s how you do it:
Come prepared to participate, because this isn’t just some group where people ask others to engage with their content—we talk about real dad stuff, whether it’s the absence of a community around us or the hard decisions we need to make at various moments along the way. It’s still in its infancy, but it’s a group of passionate men. I’m hoping that we can help each other grow for a very long time ahead.
Dad Influencers are Here to Stay—Let’s Champion the Fatherhood Cause!
The Dad Influencers Group is by no means the first group for dad creators out there, but it feels like the right one for right now, when so many creators have moved on from blogging to more visual outlets. We’ve already had conversations on everything from which cameras people use to how we compose our Instagram posts and even how we can take steps today to develop intergenerational wealth for the future.
No matter who you are, you need a community around you to thrive, and apps like Clubhouse are cutting through all the clutter of social media so you can find them.
The pandemic’s made things difficult, and we’re more isolated than ever, but I hope you find your people wherever they might be on this Earth.
Me, personally? I’m glad I’m starting to find communities that speak to my interests. I don’t know how far I’d make it without them!
