Recently, it was announced that Keke Palmer was in talks to become a permanent co-host on Strahan and Sarah, and although our hot girl summer is in its final days, Keke Palmer just showed us how to be fruitful and multiply a bag all damn year. While it may seem like Keke's come-up is overnight, her decade-long track record proves she's not new to this media mogul sh*t, she's true to it.
In 2006, Keke starred in her first feature film as a young girl desperate to win a spelling bee. Today, that same little girl is on a mission to become the queen bee of the entertainment industry, but this time, her only competition is herself. This year, the 25-year-old actress is dropping an album under her own label and starring alongside Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu in the feature film Hustlers, and she recently opened up about her bossed-up career evolution on an episode of Kandi Burruss' Speak On It.
According to Keke, the key to truly elevating and diversifying her brand was doing whatever tf she wants.
Even though the actress doesn't always get the credit she deserves, she continues to do what she loves simply because she wants to.
"I understand that the industry comes in ebbs and flows. For me, it's all about, am I having fun and I'm loving it. The people that love my work, some of them like my movies, some of them like my music, but my true fans, they'll follow me wherever I go and that's why I do it. I love to entertain them."
To Keke, one of the most powerful tools she has had in the industry is social media. While Keke was always booked and busy, platforms like Instagram and YouTube have given her the authority to make deals on her own terms.
"That space is what allowed me to even more so broaden my brand and show a bit more of my colors. Because I was in charge."
I'm sorry to tell you, sis. But nobody can "put you on", only you can do that. No matter how many networks, plugs, or contacts you have, you are the only person who can put you in a position to win. For Keke, social media was the key to capitalizing on her own capabilities:
"It wasn't like I was asking someone for a role or an opportunity, it was like, this is my Instagram page and this where I can put all my stuff. It came so much to the point that people reached out to me for opportunities just because of my Instagram page."
FYI: Keke will still be the same edgy, free-spirited, foul language-using icon that she is authentically with or without a check. Thanks to social media, this badass isn't restricted by the confines of what's socially acceptable and her fans love her that much more because of it. She explained:
"I love where we are now because it allows me to be that much more broad. Because I get to see what different aspects [my audience is] enjoying and that's when I first realized that people really enjoyed my sketches."
When you can't find a lane, you create one, and that's exactly how Keke used social media to elevate her brand beyond what she thought was possible. No matter what this talented entertainer has up her sleeve next, she says that you can count on seeing it on her instagram.
"As I've grown and I've evolved as an entertainer, that's the space in which I've found I can have the most creative freedom to try out all of those different variants of who I am."
Check out the full clip below!
Speak On It With Keke Palmerwww.youtube.com
Featured image by Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com