KevOnStage Bet On Himself, Now He’s Betting On Other Black Creators

Few modern-day creators have “bet on themselves” quite like Kevin Fredricks, better known as KevOnStage online. He built his brand single-handedly by posting co medic videos online — videos that have amassed billions of views across social platforms. Despite his success, traditional Hollywood didn’t embrace him quite like his millions of followers did. So KevOnStage decided to make another bet, launching KevOnStage Studios.

The streaming service is an alternative to Netflix and other established platforms. Inside the service, KevOnStage isn’t just betting on himself anymore. No, now he’s also betting on other black creatives, who create and star in many of the content found on KevOnStage Studios. It’s become “North Hollywood”, as KevOnStage jokingly calls it.

KevOnStage has built this media empire with little to no financing from traditional Hollywood powerbrokers. He’s done it mostly from his phone, creating content and speaking to his audience directly, then parlaying that audience into events, Patreon subscriptions, and much more. In other words, it’s become his own “flywheel” not unlike Will and Jada Smith’s Westrbook Inc.

In this episode of the Trapital podcast, KevOnStage talked with me about his unorthodox come up, whether he wants to remain independent or team up with a bigger network, how to stay relevant in the fast-paced world of media, and so much more. Here are the video chapters:

0:00 Welcoming KevOnStage
0:52 KevOnStage’s Flywheel Marketing Model
1:50 Opening Up Opportunities For Other Black Creators
3:25 KevOnStage Studios Becoming “North Hollywood”
5:35 What Are The Goals Of The Streaming Service?
9:28 Growing The Streaming Service Through Word-Of-Mouth Marketing
10:03 Identifying Elements Of The Flywheel
11:03 Does KevOnStage Want To Work With A Network?
14:56 Using Tyler Perry As A Business Role Model
16:28 The Risks Of Owning Your Media
18:47 Making Content For A Focused Audience, Not Content For Everyone
19:39 The Randomness Of What Goes Viral And What Doesn’t
24:08 KevOnStage’s Approach To Different Social Media Platforms
30:11 KevOnStage Long-Term Goal On Social Media
33:33 Not Overelying On One Social Platform
37:04 KevOnStage Revenue Splits (Events vs. Patreon vs. Social vs. Podcasting)
39:37 Focusing On Certain Monetization Methods
42:39 Adapting To The Times
44:34 KevOnStage Five-Year Ideal Vision
47:48 “What Does Nascent Mean?” — KevOnStage
50:07 How To Download KevOnStage Studios

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