This time last year, Alfonzo Terrell uncorked a bottle of fancy champagne to celebrate the one-year anniversary of being fired from Twitter. He had a lot to celebrate back then. His social media platform, Spill, just raised a $2 million seed expansion and has grown to around 200,000 users. As Spill approaches its second anniversary, Twitter's former global editorial director has something else to celebrate. That's why Emmy Award-winning actress Kerry Washington invested in his app.
However, Washington is more than just a member of the cap table. She is active within the Spill community, hosting Tea Parties (the name of Spill's live video conversations) and having one-on-one conversations with users about registering to vote.
“She's incredibly approachable and knowledgeable, especially when it comes to these topics, and she's not afraid of actually engaging directly with people in any way or form,” Terrell told TechCrunch. “I think this is exactly the kind of environment we want to foster at Spill…We're all human here, too. Let's connect.”
Washington, best known for his roles on TV shows like “Scandal” and “Little Fires Everywhere,” has made a number of early investments. She is an angel investor in direct-to-consumer orthodontics startup Byte. “The Wing” is a co-working space for women that no longer exists. Omaze is a celebrity-focused fundraising company. Community is an SMS-based marketing tool.
“Spills stands out in a digital world where marginalized groups, especially Black, brown, and LGBTQIA people, rarely feel prioritized,” Washington said in a statement. “We are proud to be a part of this community, both as users and investors.”
Surprisingly, one of Spill's biggest successes this year was the launch of a live multiplayer spades game. Spades has inadvertently benefited Spill's user retention statistics, with each game of Spades lasting about 30 minutes on average.
“It's partner-based, so it's very social in nature,” Terrell said. “This was a suggestion from the community, because this song was always played at family gatherings, like black barbecues.”
It's difficult to keep new social media platforms financially viable, but Spiel has made progress in its advertising business. Terrell has experience in the entertainment industry as a former digital marketing director at HBO and Showtime, where he helped Spiel land advertising deals with brands such as Paramount+.
“Multicultural ad spending has increased 5 to 10 percent over the past seven years, and this year it will be a $45 billion annual business in the U.S. alone,” Terrell said. “We had an entertainment partner who ran some test campaigns, and since then a lot of brands have come back for multiple campaigns.”
Overall, Spill's average ad spend per campaign increased by 400%. Next year, Spill is on track to surpass $1 million in annual revenue.
“We focus on areas where there is nothing else like us,” Terrell said. “As long as we continue to execute and continue to steadily build out different products, innovations and all the things we're talking about, we're going to be in great shape.”
The Spill team is proud of its progress after its second year, but it was a somber day when TechCrunch caught up with Terrell. The night before, Spill users mourned the death of Marcellus Williams. Marcellus Williams spent more than 20 years on death row for a murder he claimed he did not commit and for which no DNA or forensic evidence was found. Three U.S. Supreme Court justices opposed the death penalty, but they overruled it. The NAACP described the execution as a lynching.
For Terrell, this moment highlighted the value Spill provides. The Black-owned social media app has an aggressive goal of creating safer spaces for marginalized people, allowing users to express their nuanced feelings about the death penalty and America's criminal justice system. I didn't feel any resistance to expressing myself.
“Yesterday's execution…really highlighted the need for a community around you, people like you, to support you so that you are not isolated,” he said. “You don't have to carry this burden alone. I think everyone needs it, no matter where you find it.”