In the fast-moving online entertainment scene, where fame could be as short-lived as a tweet, one star shines bright: Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys. Today, she is the most followed woman on Twitch and a household name within the streaming community—on her way to stardom—but it wasn’t easy, much less trying to convince traditionalist parents that quitting college all for the dream to stream was worth doing.
What’s more, in a highly inspiring yet relatable story, Pokimane recently shared the creative process behind her big decision: a PowerPoint presentation.
Pokimane revealed she used a PowerPoint presentation to convince her parents to let her drop out to stream PIC.TWITTER.COM/ZNJQGJLZQT
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) JULY 26, 2024
Knowing full well that convincing her parents to drop everything and let her quit college and become a full-time streamer wasn’t going to be easy, and it was something Pokimane, whose real name is Imane Anys, did anyway. Taking a huge leap of faith two years into her Chemical Engineering degree, Pokimane did the unthinkable.
She loved gaming and the idea of streaming; at the same time, she knew that her parents valued her education. Dropping out to chase what they would most perceive as a frivolous career seemed an uphill battle. Thus, Pokimane did what any resourceful young adult would do—she made a plan.
“I was like, ‘Hear me out,” she said, describing how she knew at that moment she needed to make her case. But it was no ordinary PowerPoint—it was a really thought-out pitch where she pitted her possible streaming earnings against what her degree would bring in the future.
In particular, her mother did not believe in the future or stability of a streaming career. As much as Pokimane had her first major success and naturally increased her income, her mother continued to ask her when she would return to school.
Determined to fulfill her dreams, Pokimane took the PowerPoint presentation route so that, in a very literal sense, she could diagram how viable and profitable this new profession would be. Indeed, with much creativity, this approach enabled her to present facts, figures, and the future potential of her streaming career in a very clear, no-nonsense way that easily resonated with her parents.
She used clear visual aids to draw up a graph of her growing income through streaming, contrasting it against the mounting college debt she was incurring. Her case was compelling.
“Look at my income. It’s doing this,” she said, mimicking a line graph climbing steadily upwards with her hand. “Look at my college debt. It’s doing this,” she added, demonstrating a downward slope with her arms.
It wasn’t a pitch about numbers but one of passion and potential. “Let me save up for one year. Let me do this for one year,” she pleaded. Result? Pokimane never went back to college.
That PowerPoint was not a small deal. Pokimane took hours to compile that data, make slides, and structure her argument. She wanted the presentation to be not only informative but engaging, too. She dropped screenshot references from statistics relating to streaming, examples of successful streamers, and projections of future earnings.
Pokimane’s presentation did not focus on purely financial aspects only. She added her love for the game and creating content, a forever-growing fanbase, and personal and professional growth in the streaming industry. With hard data combined with personal stories and visuals, she made an ironclad case for why streaming was a feasible and valuable career choice.
The day finally came for her to present her PowerPoint. Pokimane was nervously excited and knew this would be a shot at convincing her parents. She could see the expressions of her parents changing as she went through the slides. They attended with many questions but showed much more support around the entire decision by the end.
While he gave a brilliant presentation, Pokimane’s mother remained somewhat skeptical. In the early years of her streaming career, there were constant questions of her returning to school. It wasn’t until she hit big milestones that her parents began to accept her career path.
The story of Pokimane thus became one of the power of visual communication and how one presents one’s argument intelligently. Her PowerPoint presentation not only helped convince her parents but also gave the impetus for many of her fans that if you are determined and creative with the right tools, you can chase your dreams and rally people to your side to support you.
PowerPoint is used in schools, and many youth are already familiar with how to use it. This makes it easier for them to create persuasive presentations targeted at their parents or any other person. From convincing parents to get a new pet to arguing the case for a trip or a new gadget, a fine presentation can help raise one’s case.
Well, Pokimane’s story does not end here with her being successful. In one of the live streams, fellow streamers QTCinderella and JasonTheWeen shared their experience helping another upcoming streamer. That rising star, recently signed to FaZe Clan, has gone through something similar with his parents. Pokimane took the opportunity to share some heart-to-hearts with his mother.
QTCinderella added humor, saying that school-related content can kill it online—literally fusing the old with the new in a manner relatable to audiences. To Pokimane, that was the defining moment of the PowerPoint presentation. She got to do what she loved: gaming and making content around it. She had quite an illustrious career with a consequent fan base who’ll forever be grateful for that choice. Her story serves as discouraging but inspiring conduct to everyone trying to turn their passions into professions—proving anything can be realized if approached rightly.
