For decades, if you want to be a famous entertainer, you either had to go on TV, star in a movie, or get a record deal. But today, celebrity is made online. Social media platforms are allowing a new generation of social media stars to bypass the traditional gatekeepers and connect directly with their fans.
Keraun Harris (“King Keraun”) and Simone Shepherd are two of the biggest celebrities on the internet, with millions of followers on Instagram, Vine, and YouTube. They’ve made a living entertaining the market segment that is called “Black Vine” or “Black Instagram. For Keraun, social media has been a life-changer — just a few years ago, before he became a digital celebrity, he was in prison for robbery.
But how does a social media power couple actually live, and where do they go from here?
In this episode of REAL FUTURE, Cara Santa Maria visits Keraun and Simone at home, and learns how they juggle the demands of social media fame with their ultimate dream: to build a lasting career as major Hollywood celebrities.