What is the process? KevOnStage can help build a stronger entertainment industry

"I think the best way to tell the story of how I got this position is to talk about one person at a time or one clip at a go," is the comedian, creator and actor Kevin Fredericks - better known by his online moniker KevOnStage. Kev speaks to us from his office and studio space in Los Angeles, the epicenter of his most creative venture so far: KevOnStage Studios. However, the creator of digital media didn't land Hollywood-level production digs immediately. Kev's grew from side hustle to full-time gig over nearly a decade of the digital grind.

"Before it was a comedy career, the only option was to move to L.A., get on The Tonight Show, and hope an agent catches you," he says. "Now thanks to the growth of online platforms and social media, you'll be able to find an audience of your own and make yourself a star." Since 2011, KevOnStage has slowly but steadily amassed more than 1M Instagram followers and 800K+ YouTube users, through posting candid comedy clips and his dedicated online audience, lovingly known as The Stage Crew.

"I think charting your own destiny, for me, is so crucial," adds Kev. "Right right now, I'm creating my own show that I created and directed and paid for that nobody from Hollywood had to okay. I'm able create the whole thing and give the show directly to my fans."

 The basics of HTML0

Kev began creating his community online over 10 years ago, however he says things took a while to take off. "I haven't seen any genuine growth in the form of KevOnStage until probably 2017," Kev says. Kev. "Before this, I was just working extremely hard, but not getting much views as many other people do."

In that period, he had to find his north star when it came to making content that was authentic to his own sensibilities and beliefs. "When creators don't work out of their heart, the achievement is exhausting," states Kev. "I had always felt comfortable not blowing up every now and then and just being able creating content that I enjoyed. It's this is why I've seen more success as opposed to doing whatever did the trick."

When his comics career started to gain momentum, Kev took to touring throughout the United States with fellow comics - but the pandemic brought these events in person to a stuttering halt. Keen to come up with new methods to keep the momentum going his brother approached him with a new idea: streaming services.

 Taking the power back

Kev is the first person to acknowledge that an OTT service was not on his radar for a possible next move in business. "We were first just trying to create our own independent films and then my brother told me"Yo, I've come up with a method by which we might be able to do this on our own platform in the future,'" Kev shares. "I was not even considering that as an option."

Kev approached the producer and business associate Brennon Edwards, and inquired if Brennon would be interested in working on launching an OTT application. "It was an easy decision," says Brennon, now President of KevOnStage Studios, because it gave them the power to produce (and earn money through) the content they create according to their own rules. "We have a world that the bar of entry when it comes to becoming an artist is much smaller. It has changed our game."

"We could step beyond what we had been expecting Hollywood to do for us, and get to take on the task by ourselves," he says. "We collaborate directly with the audience that we've. They are the ones giving us the funds to be able to do whatever we like. It gives us all the power back, as creators."

 Helping other creators become empowered

Since the beginning of KOSS Brennon, Kev, and Co-Founder as well as Co-CEO Melissa Fredericks have consciously created an environment that is supportive and inspiring for other Black creators to try their work. "I simply am thankful for this place, that people are employed there, that we allow people to follow their dreams in this space," says Kev.

The beautiful thing about this particular journey is that we're doing things regardless of what conventional Hollywood says, into our own hands," adds Melissa. "We're creating a positive impact on people. This isn't waiting for Hollywood to accredit you. We have done this by ourselves. Period. And we can do this for ourselves. Period. We can also provide people with chances that they would not receive. Period."