YouTuber Kinigra Deon on How 'New Hollywood' is Redefining Media

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00:00You have an amazing origin story.

00:02This was not your full-time job for a long time.

00:05No.

00:05You were in a lab.

00:06I was.

00:07I was a clinical laboratory scientist.

00:09I moved to LA in 2018 for a promotion.

00:13I made some creators.

00:14I learned that they were monetizing and making money from YouTube.

00:17And honestly, at the same time, I discovered my passion and I started creating.

00:22Wait, so you just were like goodbye science background?

00:25Yeah.

00:25Well, it wasn't like goodbye.

00:27It was like during COVID, I was like, okay, I can focus on this.

00:32But I didn't quit my job because I wasn't sure yet.

00:34Right.

00:34But what I started doing once I became consistent and the money, my ad revenue was coming in, it was yes.

00:41Goodbye job.

00:42How quickly does it ramp up?

00:43Because I think I'm kind of blown away by there's a lot of content creators.

00:47And there's a lot of outlets that you can easily do it, right?

00:50You've got a phone.

00:51Anybody can be a content creator.

00:52How quickly did the revenue start to ramp up?

00:54So, I'll say it depends on what.

00:58Okay.

00:58So, when I first started, it took me maybe a month to monetize.

01:02But that's when I started being consistent.

01:04Yeah.

01:04After monetization, I want to say a full year.

01:09No.

01:09No, it wasn't even a year.

01:10Maybe three months.

01:11It was like I was now making what I was making from my job.

01:14I still didn't quit yet because I wasn't sure.

01:16And then when COVID happened in 2020, that was like where everything changed because now everyone was focused into the room.

01:25They had nowhere to go.

01:26They had to watch us.

01:27And so, from there, I remember making my first $20,000.

01:31And it was like I could quit this job.

01:33But I still wasn't sure.

01:35And then in August, one time I made $50,000 a month just from ad revenue.

01:38And then I said when my savings was like at a certain amount, I can quit this job.

01:43And so, then I quit.

01:45And then I was like I was in L.A. and I was like, you know what?

01:50I could do this back home.

01:51I could take Hollywood home.

01:53And so, I casted my family.

01:54It was like my mama, my daddy, my sister, my nieces.

01:58And then made them all become creators.

02:00So, every last one of my family members are creators.

02:03They have their own channels.

02:04Some of them have millions of followers.

02:05So, we created this creator ecosystem.

02:08We're going to talk about some news that you had from earlier this year.

02:13It's pretty incredible.

02:14You signed this production deal with Kevin Hart's Media Company.

02:16Yes.

02:17I'm curious how you are staying connected to your audience even as you grow.

02:23Because audiences are really fickle.

02:26Yeah.

02:27They're not loyal all the time.

02:29How do you make sure that you keep giving them what they want even though they don't know that they want it even as you get bigger?

02:35Well, see, I think my audience is really loyal.

02:38They are.

02:38They support everything that we do.

02:42And it's crazy.

02:43Like, I was telling some people, I'm like, I don't experience negative comments.

02:46Like, I don't.

02:47But even if I did, even if I do, it may be like maybe one.

02:50But it's not negative in the sense of talking bad about us.

02:52It's like, you didn't post yesterday.

02:55Where are you doing?

02:56We were waiting.

02:56I was waiting.

02:57You didn't even tell us you wasn't posting.

02:58What is this universe you live in?

02:59I really like this.

03:00The lack of negativity.

03:01You can't leave.

03:02Yeah.

03:03So the more we grow, we grow with our audience.

03:06It's like our audience, they've been watching us since they were young.

03:09They're growing up with us.

03:10And so they are supporting us.

03:13They're excited about everything that we try, anything new.

03:15Sometimes I play with stories that I'm like, people are probably not going to understand the story.

03:20And it ended up being like one of our best series, like Messy Group Chat.

03:23I literally was like, you know what?

03:26Some of the kids, like my nephews and then my daughter-in-law, she's, I mean, sorry, my step-baby, she's 17.

03:34And they have like their friend group.

03:36And I'm like, the Messy Group Chat, this is a great idea because I see them texting inside groups.

03:41And I'm like, I'm going to create this.

03:43I don't know where it's going.

03:44But it ended up being one of our biggest series.

03:46Well, it sounds like so much of life really inspires you.

03:49Is that fair?

03:50Yeah, definitely, definitely.

03:51Because that's what I was thinking about, content creation.

03:54I mean, it's fun.

03:55It's, you know, but it's work.

03:57Yeah.

03:58And especially once you get something going.

03:59Like your team now, you have a lot more people helping you.

04:02Tell us about how the business has grown.

04:04Yes.

04:04So when it first started, it was all family.

04:07So honestly, I taught my family how to film, how to edit.

04:10So they were editing and filming for me.

04:12And then out of that, we needed some people who were a little bit more knowledgeable than us.

04:16So we contracted cinematographers from Atlanta, sound guys from Atlanta, gaffers.

04:23And then now we have a full in-house production team.

04:25So that includes two cinematographers, two gaffers, two sound.

04:29Enough to run a production, two productions if we want to.

04:32And then we still contract people from Atlanta to come and film.

04:36Editors, we have two main editors.

04:39Are you working with Tyler Perry?

04:41I can't wait.

04:41And I'm going to claim that.

04:43Not yet.

04:44I'm going to claim that.

04:45What's crazy?

04:46He had this dream.

04:47He's close.

04:48Bye.

04:49He had this dream program.

04:50And I applied to it.

04:52And I was one of the ones who got in.

04:54And I was like, yes, I'm in.

04:56I'm going to do this.

04:56I'm going to do the whole thing.

04:58But then they needed like Saturdays to like get on a call and kind of like talk.

05:03And I'm like, I film on Saturdays.

05:05This probably isn't a program that I can really be a part of.

05:07So I ended up saying I can't be a part of the program, but I was really trying to get

05:12in the door with Tyler Perry.

05:13So if he's listening.

05:14If you're listening.

05:15Yeah.

05:16Yes.

05:16You're here.

05:16I saw him one time at Beyonce's concert and he waved at me and I was like, I need to talk

05:21to you.

05:21And he was like, me?

05:23And he's like, yeah, but then he just did a wave.

05:25So who knows?

05:26That was the moment.

05:27Maybe you just missed the call.

05:28Maybe.

05:28Maybe you just missed the call.

05:29Yeah.

05:30You know, the conversation here has been a lot about the pressure that Hollywood has been under

05:34in recent years.

05:35It was a big part of the conversation with the mayor, Karen Bass, yesterday.

05:38And I'm just wondering when you look at the overall business, I don't think we can separate

05:42the idea of content creation from like mainstream studio production.

05:45True.

05:46Would you say that the area where you are right now is the area of growth when it comes to

05:51content?

05:52Yeah.

05:52I call it the new Hollywood.

05:54Yeah.

05:55Content creators now, we are running media production companies.

06:00Every creator that I'm friends with, they truly have employees.

06:03They're running, they have ideation, everything.

06:07Like every single part of traditional media, they have a section in that.

06:12The only difference is we have learned how to wear multiple hats.

06:15I know how to edit.

06:16I know how to direct.

06:17I know how to write.

06:18I know how to do everything.

06:19And so I think that's what the biggest growth is, is that we have learned how to run every

06:23single part of the Hollywood business.

06:24So we're able to scale a lot faster and a lot quicker and grow a lot bigger.

06:28And we're connected to our audience.

06:30So.

06:31So.

06:32So.

06:34So.

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