Irina is a full-time Fortnite streamer and content creator from Romania, born and raised in Bucharest. Before committing full time to streaming and content creation, Irina worked in the marketing department at Google. In 2020, after only six months of streaming Fortnite, she became a Twitch Partner.

This article originally appeared in the book Build It Like benjyfishy & MrSavage: The Unofficial Fortnite Esports Guide for Players and Parents, written by Anne Fish and me.

You can watch Reddysh live at twitch.tv/reddysh and in her about section you will find links to her socials. Her streams are in English. Photo credit Reddysh.

Can you tell us about yourself?

Red: ‘I’ve always loved gaming. I grew up playing on a PC and I play Fortnite. I’m mostly known for my red hair, strong accent and crazy pump flicks. When I partnered on Twitch after only six months of streaming Fortnite I knew this was the right path for me. I would say that my stream is one of the most positive places one can find on the Internet, mainly because of my community – my amazing Red Squad.’

Have you always been interested in gaming? What are some of the other games you have played?

Red: ‘When I was growing up, my family never owned a console. We got a PC when I was six and I then tried out a lot of games. When I was seven, I switched from playing Barbie and other ‘kids’ games’ to playing Counter-Strike: Source, and ended up playing for many years. I always had a good aim on mouse and keyboard, to the point where I used to be kicked off CS servers because people thought I had hacks – that gave me a lot of confidence. What I loved the most about CS was that I could team up with my family. We used to have Skype group calls with my brother, uncle, cousins – all of us playing together. Nowadays, I play Fortnite 98 per cent of the time, but I really like Valorant too, or trying out new games like It Takes Two which I absolutely adore.’

What is it about Fortnite that you enjoy and what season did you start?

Red: ‘I started playing Fortnite in Season 4, back in May 2018. I love the building aspect more than anything. It’s still fascinating to me what our brains can do to adapt in various situations, all the buttons we press, the decisions we make so quickly. I have a dual PC setup, so streaming doesn’t affect my game and I love showing my community my improvement, and I often stream creative sessions too.’

Was it difficult to make the decision to leave your marketing job at Google and start streaming full-time?

Red: ‘For exactly two years I managed a dream job with streaming: coming back from work at 7pm, and streaming from 9pm until 1:30 am every single day (I’ve always had a super consistent schedule). The decision to go full-time with streaming was not hard, because everyone around me has been supportive. My community, family, even my manager and everyone from work wanted my stream to be successful. I had enough savings to cover the cost of my rent for at least a few months, so that’s when I knew I was ready for the big step. I did a really good job at Google, but honestly I love this content creation world too much to ever go back to working a 9–6 job.’

You stream for approximately six hours most days, do you find it hard to come up with content ideas and collaborations?

Red: ‘I have a consistent schedule, streaming every single day except for Wednesdays (my only day off) and I try to do content and collabs at least once per week. For me, there are two types of streams: streams that are special and well planned in advance, like the Subathon event that I did for my second Partnerversary – it was a 71 hours stream filled with lots of activities. Then other streams that are spontaneous and not planned at all, like when I stream together with Anne or Squatingdog, or when Fortnite cancelled a cash cup and I organised a tournament for my trio. We used the same points format on that day and there were prizes. Even when I play, let’s say arena, I try my best to make it entertaining. At the end of the day, it’s all about the vibes in the community and interactions and I’m lucky that they never put pressure on me and show me that no matter how I play or what I do (it could even be a different game), they’re still there for me and for the Red Squad. That’s why streams where I just hit the go live button, without any collab or specific content in mind, turn out great.’

Do you have a favourite event/tournament that you have competed in?

Red: ‘The hype that FNCS and DreamHack create is just something else. Everyone is rooting for us, we always end up getting wins. I can see through the corner of my eye when people cheer for every single elimination we get. It’s wild and a true emotional rollercoaster. I love trio and duo tourneys the most. I’ve participated in two Twitch Rivals events so far – Nick Eh’s and Sypher’s – which I absolutely loved. I had the time of my life knowing that I get to be involved alongside streamers I look up to.’

You have been playing in the various cash cups and FNCS tournaments. Have you considered becoming a professional player and competing?

Red: ‘I’ve always been a competitive person, so from the moment I played my first tournament in August 2020 I just couldn’t stop. I finally came to the conclusion that I do belong in the Fortnite competitive world. If people want to watch pro gameplay in a tournament, they can watch Benjy or the other pros. But if they want to watch a girl who’s trying to make her way to her first competitive earnings, improving from season to season, ending up clutching FNCS qualifier wins and growing as a player, together with people she met through her community, they can watch me! It’s been an amazing journey and I’m curious where it will take me.’

Would you consider signing for an organisation?

Red: ‘It would be an honour, but I don’t want to rush it. I want to be worthy of it. I’m a people person and I love collabs, so I feel like we would come up with incredible content if I joined a family. Maybe one day!’

Are there any challenges you have encountered streaming?

Red: ‘Of course – especially as a girl in the streaming world! There are people who assume a lot of bad things about us, but I like proving them wrong. I have an incredible community and mods who keep me safe, so if someone tries to be toxic in a chat, most of the time I don’t even get to see it. We are a family friendly community, so this has also helped keep the environment safe, as we don’t allow people to cross the line.’

What are your tips for aspiring content creators?

Red: ‘I always emphasise the importance of organisation and consistency. People need to know what days you’re streaming and the hour. And always try to remember that people are there for you as well as for the gameplay.’

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Leave a reply to this Tweet or check here for other alternatives to connect with me. You will find my co-author Anne Fish on Twitter by the name @mamabenjyfishy or live at twitch.tv/mamabenjyfishy1.

Interview with Irina “Reddysh / RED” - A full-time Fortnite streamer