Kevin Hart is Breaking the Mold For Comedy Superstars. He Reveals How He Does It (Video)

Over the last few years, Kevin Hart has become comedy’s hottest superstar. And, like Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy before him, he is blazing a new path for what it means to be a comedy mogul. For Hart, that translates to not only keeping his comedic appeal sharp, but leveraging it to build a multi-pronged enterprise.

Rolling Stone spent several days with Hart, during his ongoing What Now tour, and got an in-depth look at the method behind Kevin’s madness. Though his antics onstage are often impromptu, there is nothing spur of the moment about how he’s gone from humble beginnings with an absentee and substance abusing father to a shrewd and incredibly successful businessman. Hart is extending his brand beyond comedy to fitness and other platforms about which he’s passionate. He often conducts spontaneous 5K runs and invites fans, stressing that health is essential. He organizes the activities both as a social exercise and as an opportunity to secure sponsorships from fitness brands. He’s also helping develop fresh comedic talent, in whom he has a financial interest, much like a Jay Z or Lil Wayne would do with artists on his roster. Hart is changing the way business is done in Hollywood, too. It’s customary for stars to promote films in which they star via their social media. In fact, it’s often contractually-obligated. Hart, however, has flipped the script and started charging studios for access to his 55 million person social media footprint. “Studios will do ad buys to promote films — with my numbers on social media, why wouldn’t they pay me, too?,” Hart told Rolling Stone.

While doing his cover shoot for the RS issue, Hart revealed what he considers to be the keys to his success as a comedian. He gives direct and specific examples of his comedic approach and philosophy. Check out the video below and read Rolling Stone’s article in full, here.

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