Nicole Sanchez’s meteoric rise to Twitch stardom was a journey of self-discovery. “When I first started streaming, I had no idea what I was doing,” Sanchez, perhaps better known as Neeko, said. “Although there are a lot of amazing content creators, I have come about my own unique personality, and I’ve discovered where I’m strong.”
Neeko, who started her streaming career in 2017, has amassed an impressive following during her time in front of the camera, with nearly a half-million subscribers on Twitch. Her platform has allowed her to pursue passion projects such as Noms for Neeko, her live cooking show which airs its second season September 17, and to be an icon for Mexican-American representation in the streaming world. But life as a professional streamer isn’t without its challenges. Game ZXC sat down with Neeko to talk about balancing her priorities and staying grounded in the high-pressure world of content creation.
Efficiency is Key in Neeko’s Streamer Balancing Act
For Neeko, it’s important to pay equal attention to all the content she produces on a regular basis. “Finding a way to be efficient is super hard,” she said, “partly because I produce bilingual content … but also because of things like switching cameras and writing my weekly newsletter on Discord.” Neeko streams her shows, like Noms with Neeko, in both English and Spanish. She also produced bilingual content for Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok, she said.
“I have all these things that I have to balance, and it's really hard.”
Luckily, though, she’s not going it alone. For one, she has the support of her boyfriend, talent manager Nick Brotman, who has advised Neeko since the beginning of her career “on trends and stuff like that.” For her content, she employs an editor, motion graphics designer, and a number of artists. “It’s not something easy to do by yourself, it’s definitely a team effort,” Neeko said. “But I'm absolutely not alone.”
According to Neeko, life as a streamer can be a bit of a mixed bag. “I have had a lot of hard moments as a content creator,” she said. Dealing with disruptions like hate mobs, trolls, and stalkers has been “mentally taxing” for her. Despite that, Neeko has found her career as a streamer to be gratifying. The opportunities she’s been given thanks to her platform have made the rough spots worth it, she said. Sometimes the whole thing “feels like a simulation.”
“I feel like I’ve entered a cheat code or something,” Neeko said. “Looking at where I was compared to where I am now, a lot of these amazing opportunities have really helped me get through it all.”
How Neeko Found Her Voice
Before she broke out into Twitch stardom, Neeko worked hard to figure out where she fit into the broader community. Although she started out as an inexperienced streamer, she eventually discovered one of her strong suits: talking. “I talk a lot,” Neeko said. “I’m also very opinionated. I’m not afraid to have a bit of an edge.”
Her opinions are what helped catapult her into the limelight via a viral TikTok in 2020, in which she lip-syncs to the song “Oki Doki Boomer” by Senzawa while wearing a campaign t-shirt for progressive U.S. presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. Her viral moment capitalized on the popular “okay boomer” meme, aimed at criticizing the political views of older generations. That political aptitude, combined with more wholesome sensibilities, is central to Neeko’s brand. “I do edgy things like ban appeals and politics, but I also do wholesome and warm things like cooking.”
Neeko also sees her platform as an avenue for elevating inclusivity in the streaming community. As a woman of color and a Mexican-American, she hopes that her success can inspire others to pursue the same goals. According to her, it's one of the most gratifying parts of her job. “It's self-gratifying that I'm in a different position than where I was growing up, but it’s also gratifying to expand representation for other aspiring POC women content creators, or Mexican-Americans in general,” Neeko said.
By producing bilingual content in both English and Spanish, Neeko hopes to create more space in the streaming market for Spanish-language content. “If I was a viewer, and I was consuming Twitch content and other social media content, I would want to see someone like me,” she said.
“I hope I'm that kind of representation for people. That's what I aspire to be.”
Neeko stated that her background remains an important part of who she is today. “I come from a very, very humble beginning. My parents worked for ten hours a day for a decade, I'm not even joking. I rarely saw them.” As a child, Neeko said her parents “weren’t in the picture” as they worked to support their family. They were around to “give us the essentials that we needed,” but their absence forced Neeko to grow up quickly.
I never lose sight of where I came from,” she said. “I'm extremely grateful every day for where I am now.”
Noms with Neeko is streaming now on Twitch.