For years, Kin Community has worked closely with online video stars, partnering with top YouTube channels like LaurDIY and Dulce Candy. Now, however, the digital network is shifting its focus. It plans to ink more partnerships with traditional media celebrities, eying those who, to quote Kin CEO Michael Wayne, “have mainstream appeal.”
One creator who exemplifies the sort of celebrity Kin is seeking in its new partners is Tia Mowry, who linked up with the network last year to launch Quick Fix, a channel about motherhood and home improvement. Kin is so encouraged by the success of that venture — it has received more than 8.5 million views on YouTube over the past year — that it wants to work with more stars whose profiles resemble that of the former Sister, Sister star.
“What we started to realize toward the end of last year was, digital influencers and traditional celebrities are converging — Tia Mowry is as influential as anyone in this space,” Wayne told Variety. “The talent we’re now working with are well known online and they’re engaged online, but they have mainstream appeal. We are creating high-quality content that rivals what you see on TV.”
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Digital-native creators will still have their place in Kin’s network, though Variety noted that the company is now looking to concentrate on its own content productions. And a lot of the new faces on the network’s roster come from traditional media backgrounds. Adrienne Houghton, known for her work on the Disney Channel, has found an audience with her Kin-partnered YouTube channel All Things Adrienne, which launched last month.
Other “mainstream” creators who will soon launch their own Kin-partnered channels include Derek Hough and power couple Nick and Vanessa Lachey. In total, Kin said it could roll out as many as 20 of those channels over the next 18 months.
