We were lucky to catch up with Darian Holt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Darian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I believe that I started my creative career on time simply because I’ve always been a creative but more people began to notice later down the road. I’ve always been a creative or quiet entertaining individual. Looking back I wish I realized the influence that I was capable of but as time went by I started to notice how I could reach the masses. I started making social media videos years ago and people found them to be funny. I started to have videos share on major platforms which made me realize that I influential. My Videos led to more exposure for me and more opportunities. Recently I’ve been able to do paid campaigns with companies and also host at major colleges and universities as an event host. I do hope to one day to just make a living off of my creativity and influence overall.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Darian Holt and I am currently an educator/ influencer, and event host. I recently created my own youth organization titles Apple Fried Apple. It started from my 6th grade students mispronouncing my fraternity “Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.” as “Apple Fried Apple Inc”. It has now transformed into a youth organization that was created so kids can have a sense of belongingness, togetherness, academic excellence, and also an opportunity for kids to be familiar with Greek life and HBCU’s. Apple Fried Apple creates joy to young scholars while also educating them on fraternities and sororities. Apple Fried Apple has been highlighted on Local news and radio, 2021 BET Awards, Good Morning America, Nick Cannon Talk Show, etc. Apple Fried Apple has opened up doors for me to work with companies as an influencer and has opened up opportunities for me to serve as the host for several college events. I have recently hosted homecoming events at Jackson State University, University of Southern Mississippi, Alcorn State University, and Troy University I am most proud of how I have positively impacted kids to want to go to college while also going back to colleges and embracing HBCU culture.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have always been a big fan of social media and have always enjoyed the entertainment from it. Being active consistently plays a huge role in growing your social media platform and knowing what your followers like to see. I grew my audience from a lot of content that my followers found funny. I began to engage with my audience and consistently put out viral content that made my audience grow. Being posted on platforms such as Shaderoom, XXL, HollywoodUnlocked, BET Awards, Good Morning America, several other outlets helped me gain more followers. People appreciated the work I was doing with my students and apple fried Apple along with the funny videos I shared as well.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is being recognized for the work that you do and knowing that you impact people. I have received so much love and compliments over the past year about the work that I’ve done. It’s very rewarding because it reminds you that you’re doing something right and others are able to notice that. I’ve always wanted to positively impact others and I nice to know that people appreciate the work that you do and that you can bring joy to others

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Dee_holt
• Twitter: D_1andonly_