Faces Behind the Grid: Joey Morales — Social Media Community Coordinator

Some jobs demand a suit. Others demand scrolling TikTok for eight hours a day, dissecting culture’s subtext, and knowing exactly when to slide into a Jeopardy! mention. Meet Joey Morales, Grindr’s resident Social Media Community Coordinator—a self-described “media pig” who’s equal parts strategist, shitposter, and queer community curator. Six months into the role, Joey’s already weaponized internet culture into viral gold (see below) while keeping Grindr on the pulse of all things gay.

Brands love to play catch up for relevance, but Joey helps make sure Grindr remains unapologetically forward, ruthlessly plugged in, and always, always ready to pivot before the straights catch on.

How long have you been working at Grindr, and how did you get started?

"I've been here for about six months. I came in with some previous social and creative experience, but it's definitely been a wild ride trying to represent and connect with the queer community on such a large scale. I love that it's a role where I can be authentically myself—and a little rotted—while still staying aligned with a brand that’s on the pulse of the queer community."

What does a typical day in your life at Grindr look like?

"Honestly, it's never the same day twice, which is exciting and chaotic at the same time. My first hour or so after waking up is all about checking inboxes, scanning social platforms to see if there are any fires to put out or opportunities to jump on, and getting a pulse on what's trending.

From there, I could be working on any number of campaigns—maybe it's our influencer campaigns or maybe it's prepping for our podcast Who’s the Asshole? Then, it’s all about strategizing how to keep the community engaged, interacting with users, or brainstorming new content ideas. My main goal is always to bring fun and authenticity back to the brand, and ensure we're acknowledging our community in real-time."

How do you stay proactive in such a fast-paced environment?

"I remind myself there's always someone out there who wants this job as badly as I do. That's what lights the fire for me. At the same time, a big piece of staying proactive is media consumption. I'm on social media constantly—when I eat, when I'm out and about, you know, the works. It’s a little over the top, but keeping up with trends and community chatter requires it."

Let's talk about your media consumption habits. How much time do you actually spend online?

"I'm a straight-up media pig. It's diabolical. My screen time can reach 12 a day—truly horrifying sometimes. TikTok alone has been up to seven or eight hours in a week, and then I'm on Instagram, Twitter (X), YouTube—truly everything. Even outside of 'work hours,' I'm constantly bookmarking, saving images, and building what is basically a digital Rolodex of ideas.

That said, I do try to balance it out with mini 'digital detoxes'—sometimes I'll deactivate my personal accounts for a bit to feel more grounded (it never lasts). The nature of this role means I'm always plugged in, whether I like it or not. And I mean that complimentarily!”

What's been your biggest social media win at Grindr—perhaps something that blew up more than you expected?

"I actually have two highlights. One was the Drake tweet—our most viral tweet ever. I went all-in on a raunchy, bold idea, got it approved, and it took off. It was shocking in the best way possible.

The other was when we got mentioned on Jeopardy!. Even though it happened off-hours, I jumped on social to respond and turn it into a moment. It led to coverage on multiple platforms. That's when I realized how crucial it is to stay nimble—if something happens at 9 p.m., I need to react at 9:01 p.m."

How do you stay quick on your feet when it comes to crafting responses and content in real time?

"I actually chalk it up to my theater background and working service industry jobs where you have to think fast. With social, it's sort of like improv—always a 'yes, and…' situation. I'm constantly reading the room (or the comments) and balancing what people are saying with our brand voice. If something doesn’t hit in a way that we want it to, it's all about how to pivot quickly and keep the momentum going."

How do you decide what trends or cultural moments Grindr should tap into and which ones to avoid?

"I consume a lot of media—tweets, TikTok comments, YouTube videos, forum posts—so I have a sense of where conversations are happening and what's resonating. We also have strong guardrails: making sure everything we do is in service of making a world for queer people that is free, equal, and just. As a result, we know our 'playground,' so to speak. Within that space, we have the freedom to be really playful and boundary-pushing."

What is your favorite part about working at Grindr?

"It's creating culture instead of pushing a transaction. I'm not out here trying to sell a product in the traditional sense; I'm literally interacting with—and uplifting—my own community. That is beyond rewarding. I get to be unapologetically queer and celebrate that publicly every day."

How does it feel to be in a workplace that actively serves your own LGBTQ+ community?

"It's super fulfilling. Before Grindr, I was always trying to give back or stay connected to my community in my personal time. Now it's part of my 9-to-5. There's something really powerful about having that mission built into your day job. Sometimes I shy away from leading with 'I work at Grindr!' in everyday conversation because it comes with questions or assumptions, but at the end of the day, I love what I do."

What’s something that people don’t know about you?

“After living abroad in Florence (which was my first time in Europe), I needed to get out and leave the country again— but this time, full-time. Spain was going to be the easiest transition since I grew up around Spanish (but boy was i wrong—those Madrilleńos speak QUICK). Anyway, I left in 2020 and stayed out there for two years working as an English teacher. Those were truly the best two years of my life, leisurely working four hours a day and following that up by soaking up sun on a terraza, eating a pincho, and drinking a cerveza. I’m a big culture junkie, so living abroad in a bustling city was such a great way to satisfy my need of connecting with people from all over the world.”

Do you have a drag name or persona that you channel for extra flair?

"Absolutely—Miss Kitty Noir! It's a play on 'catty noir,' plus a nod to Selena Kyle (aka Catwoman). Very much who I'd be as a queen.

What song are you currently obsessed with?

Lullabye by Ravyn Lenae.

Give us a meme describes working here Grindr

What's the most rewarding project you've worked on so far?

"Hands down, it has to be when Lisa Rinna appeared on our podcast, Who's The Asshole. She's exactly as quick and sharp in person as she is on TV, just a total A-lister with comedic chops. It was such a blast creating content for the community featuring someone so iconic and hilarious."

Do you have a "work spouse" or a go-to support system at Grindr?

“Not to out myself… but I'm in a polycule of work spouses—Harry Lada from Marketing, Noel Kim from the Ads team, and Kimberly Escobar from IT.”

Finally, go ahead… roast yourself

"Oh, I embody that stereotype that gays can't sit in chairs like normal humans. Catch me in upward-facing dog on a couch or twisted into a pretzel at my desk. Definitely not beating the “gays can’t sit” allegations.”