KevOnStage on Building a Career Through Pivots, Content Creation, and Resilience

Early Life and Work Ethic

• 💡 KevOnStage attributes his strong work ethic to growing up in poverty, witnessing his mother work multiple jobs.
• 🧠 His mother was also his first creative inspiration, writing plays and starting businesses despite having limited vision.
• ⚠️ He recounts a difficult childhood memory involving his sister's father and an egg sandwich, which he believes his mind blocked out due to his young age.

The Playmakers and Early Entrepreneurship

• 🎭 KevOnStage and his collaborators formed "The Playmakers," producing urban plays inspired by Tyler Perry and David E. Talbert.
• 💰 Despite a successful play, "Till Death Do Us Part," they faced significant financial losses, with investors losing money, though all actors were paid.
• pivot The realization that the play business was not financially feasible in their region led to a pivot away from theater.

Transition to Digital Content and YouTube Success

• 💻 While working a stable job at Boeing, KevOnStage spent his downtime studying successful YouTubers.
• 🎯 He identified a gap in content by conceptualizing "Stuff Black Parents Say" and "Stuff Black Church Girls Say," which went viral.
• 🚀 This initial YouTube success was intended to build a fanbase for their plays, demonstrating an early understanding of leveraging digital platforms.

Adapting to Industry Shifts and the Pandemic

• 🔄 The pandemic forced a pivot from touring comedy to online streaming shows, which proved highly lucrative.
• 📉 He discusses the challenges of scaling content platforms, citing the shutdown of his app "KevOnStage Studios" due to unsustainable costs and competition.
• 💡 A core philosophy is adapting to trends, such as using trending sounds or formats and applying a unique brand spin, a strategy that continues to work.

The Creator's Mindset and Resilience

• 📈 KevOnStage emphasizes the importance of continuous creation and adaptation, comparing it to a salesman playing the "flavor of the day" at a bank.
• 🏆 He highlights that success is built on a foundation of losses and lessons learned, not just wins, drawing parallels to athletes like LeBron James.
• 🛠️ His approach to content creation involves relentless effort, learning from mistakes, and understanding that the audience values authenticity over perfection.
• 🚀 He is currently focused on reaching a million subscribers on YouTube, viewing it as a long-term goal that requires consistent work and platform adaptation (e.g., YouTube Shorts).

Building a Sustainable Career

• 💼 KevOnStage advocates for building a business on the side while maintaining a stable job, emphasizing that a job provides stability and resources.
• 🤝 He stresses the importance of community and teaching others how to succeed, believing that collective growth benefits everyone.
• 🌟 His philosophy is to be relentless, learn from failures, and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of content creation and entertainment.