It’s been happening for centuries. There’s a long, systemic Hollywood history of whites shutting Black people out of the entertainment industry’s most critical roles.
So when one popular comedian heard one-too-many “nos” from Hollywood executives, he gave up trying to appeal to them – and decided to go his own way.
Kevin Fredericks, known professionally as KevOnStage, has been building a career in entertainment for a decade. With millions of followers on social media, he’s self-funded comedy tours and created a solid fan base.
But that wasn’t enough for Hollywood, who couldn’t see the potential staring them in the face.
So Fredricks started his own streaming service, KevOnStage Studios, which highlights content from Black creators and other up-and-coming comedians.
Beyond comedy, the streaming service features challenge-style shows and even a Black-owned restaurant series all created with our community in mind.
Get this: films with two or more Black people working in roles as producers, directors, and/or writers make ten percent more at the box office per dollar invested over films with none or only one Black person!
Despite this truth, Hollywood continues to uphold white supremacy.
Like Fredericks, we can’t wait around for whites to see our potential. White supremacy will continue to do as white supremacy does, so we need to go around them and bet on ourselves and our community!