Keke Palmer Says She Took 'A Real Bet' By Investing Her Own Dollars To Launch A Digital Network

Palmer has found greater freedom in the digital space from partnerships and additional creative opportunities. Therefore, she hopes to replicate that success for the next generation of creators.

With that said, as AfroTech previously told you, the multi-hyphenate launched KeyTV — a digital network that will serve as a platform for people of color to produce content.

“I found freedom through the digital space,” she told AfroTech. “I really want to be able to show my generation how I did that. [For example], evolving my career from being a traditional talent to breaking into the digital space also as an influencer, which allowed me to have more freedom in traditional [spaces] and wherever I wanted to across the board as a brand because I was feeding my audience.”

Now, Palmer is looking to create flourishing ecosystems for BIPOC, Millennials, and Generation Z so they can enjoy similar freedoms in the digital realm.

 

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In the same breath, Palmer knows the road isn’t linear as there are various shields that make it more difficult for creatives of color to jumpstart their crafts.

“I hope it impacts creators of color everywhere. I’m hoping that they get the opportunity to be really seen,” Palmer explained. “I think most specifically for me [it] is sharing my platform with them and giving them the opportunity to be seen — to be able to garner great partnerships ’cause that’s what it is in the digital space. You have the opportunity to find creative and financial freedom.”

She continued: “What happens a lot of times to the BIPOC, Millennial, and Gen Z creators is — if you don’t connect or you aren’t what people think you should be, or you just don’t have the platform, then you kind of get overlooked. So, KeyTV is a way to put the culture in the forefront.”

What’s more, Palmer’s sole purpose goes far beyond simply releasing content to the masses, but also to make sure creators can begin writing the pages of their own success stories. We continue to see this in real time with talents such as Palmer, Issa Rae, and Quinta Brunson, who remind the world of the wonders that can bloom when given opportunity.

“It’s about changing that so that we can be represented and that we can not only be represented on screen but behind the screens ’cause that’s what makes a difference,” Palmer told AfroTech. “We get shows like ‘Awkward Black Girl’ when we get Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore to link up. We get those kinds of things when people are able to be put in positions of power to do that.”

Palmer has great faith in the future of the digital network — so much so that she brought the platform to life through her own dollars.

“[It was] all funded by me and by the grace of God. I’m so grateful that I’m in a position to be able to do that ’cause I want people to understand that’s usually what it is. You know, we are always saying, ‘Why don’t so and so do this?’ Usually, it’s [the] funds, honey. It takes a lot of money to invest in something because an investment doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily going to get it back and even if you do get it back, it doesn’t mean it’s gonna come back immediately. So, it’s a real bet that you’re taking and a lot of times, this is why I’m doing this is because I want more of us, and when I say ‘us,’ I mean people of color, young people, to be on the forefront of being able to invest in that way,” Palmer expressed.

For Palmer, the milestone of launching a digital network wasn’t overnight. Still, she understands this is a privileged opportunity not often felt by creators even when they work countless years to make dreams like this a reality.

“You can’t do it if you’re not getting the opportunities and you can’t get the opportunities if you don’t have the resources to get there or the platform. It’s just so many reasons why we don’t always get to be in that position,” she told AfroTech. “It’s just about being able to say, ‘Hey, you know what… I’m in that position. I’m someone that put 20 years of work in to get into this place that I’m in. Now, let me shine a light on other people so they don’t have to do everything I did.”