Known for her offbeat laugh and women-focused content, TikTok creator Drew Afualo earned an estimated $2.9 million last year from a mix of brand deals and her two podcasts: The Comment Section, a weekly show on which guests like actor Rainn Wilson and singer-songwriter Kehlani talk about how to deal with internet hate, and Two Idiot Girls, where she and her sister, Deison, share embarrassing stories and funny life experiences. With a 9 million–strong audience consisting mostly of women under 35, Afualo’s social platforms appeal to sponsors like Elf Cosmetics and the NBA. In April 2023, she signed a two-year deal with Spotify, which Forbes estimates earns her $450,000 a year. Fresh off the success of LOUD, her best-selling memoir, Afualo is setting her focus on mainstream media. “Traditional Hollywood now must be a lot more open to the idea of including internet people,” she says. “TV and movies—that’s my new venture.”
0:00 Introducing Drew Afualo
2:21 First Viral Moment
6:46 Leveraging The Brand Into A Multimillion-Dollar Career
9:49 From TikTok Videos To A Bestselling Book
13:15 Podcasts And Spotify Deals
14:59 How Afualo Built Her Team
16:49 How Afualo Makes Money
17:24 What's Next For Afualo
18:51 Predictions For The Creator Industry
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