Customer Spotlight
KevOnStage Studios
Headquartered in L.A., KevOnStage Studios is the production company of comedian, actor, and influencer Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredericks. Since 2011, KevOnStage has amassed over 1M+ Instagram followers, 800K+ YouTube subscribers, and now distributes exclusive content across mobile and TV apps powered by Vimeo.
1,200%
subscriber growth in first 6 mos.
97K
hours watched
500+
videos
6
branded apps
Challenge
As with many comedy careers, Kev’s grew from side hustle to full-time gig. “Before, a comic’s path was to move to L.A., get on The Tonight Show, and hope an agent catches you,” he says. “Now, with the proliferation of the internet, you can find your own audience and essentially make yourself a star.”
Kev amassed a huge following one video at a time, and learned he could take his business into his own hands without promoters shaving off hefty cuts of ticket sales. Thanks to his loyal fans — lovingly known as the Stage Crew — Kev rolled out a grassroots comedy tour, Patreon, and other content streams to build his comedy empire.
As the KevOnStage brand found increasing success, Kev’s team started to evaluate new ways to spotlight lack creators, which only accelerated when the pandemic brought cozy quarters in comedy clubs to a halt. The team brainstormed producing a film, when Kev’s brother came to him with a new idea: a streaming service.
Solution
Kev is the first to admit an OTT service was not on his radar as a next business move. “We were first just trying to make independent movies, and my brother said, ‘Yo, I’ve got a way that we might be able to do this on our own app,’” he says. “I wasn’t even thinking about that as an option.”
Kev reached out to business partner and producer Brennon Edwards, and asked if he’d go in on launching an OTT app. “It was a no brainer,” says Brennon, now President of KevOnStage Studios, because it gave them the power to create and monetize their content, at scale, on their own terms. “Vimeo changed the game for us.”
“We were able to step past what we were waiting for Hollywood to do for us, and get to do it ourselves,” he says. “Your audience already knows how to download an app. They can do what they already do with other streaming platforms, but just do it with us instead.”
Outcome
Since taking control of their own content, KOSS is empowering other Black creators. “We’re having an impact on people,” says Melissa Fredericks, Co-Founder and Co-CEO. “That is not waiting for Hollywood to anoint you. That is deciding, we did this ourselves. And we can give people opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise get. Period.”
“I’m grateful that we’ve figured out how to do this on a budget, still make content that our audience loves, and take a couple big swings to make something that’s really dope,” adds Kev. “And they watch it all.”