As New York City-based influencers, Kit Keenan and Lauren Wolfe open their lives to some 1.7 million fans on Instagram and TikTok. But the real tea goes down offline.
"We literally have a group message called 'The Influencers' with, like, pretty much everyone that we're friends within the influencer community in New York," Kit revealed during their joint Zoom interview with E! News. "And any time there's a big event or people just need help with something, they'll throw it in there and everyone can comment."
And, reader, this group—including Remi Bader, Brigette Pheloung, Samira Ahmed and Audrey Trullinger—really does come through with the IRL version of a double-tap.
"I just can't emphasize this enough, but I've had no bad experiences with all the content creators in New York," swears Lauren, who, like so many other TikTokers, saw her feed go viral in 2020 while the world was living in front of computer screens. "Genuinely, I have the best experiences with everyone. It's a big chat and everyone is just so nice and supportive."
And lest you worry they're putting out the filtered, ready-for-the-'gram version of the truth, Kit is quick to point out that what they have is rare.
"I lived in L.A. for two years and I don't think there was that spirit of collaboration," noted Kit. At just 23, her social media expertise dates back to high school when she initially began building up her fanbase, stepping a designer-clad foot into mom Cynthia Rowley's industry by launching her own fashion line before memorably courting Matt James on The Bachelor in early 2021.
By that summer she was back in the city, connecting with Lauren, 25, at the premiere of the Gossip Girl reboot. ("Very on brand for me," joked the native New Yorker.) But while working alongside other content creators on the West Coast, Kit noted, "It was more like, I want to win and I want to work with this brand. And I'm going to step on anyone that I can to get there."
With Lauren, though, she's found someone who will boost her up, help her nail the shot and maybe even workshop a caption.
"Having people to bounce ideas off of is really helpful," explained Kit, whose "What's Kit Cooking" videos have positioned her as Gen Z's answer to Martha Stewart. "A lot of times we'll have a day where we are just shooting content for one another. And so that's so helpful because this can be a super isolating job."
But thanks to their tight-knit squad, each knows that they're #blessed. "It means so much when people DM or comment or say that they love my content," raved Lauren, who turned her fashion- and travel-focused posts into a limited-edition clothing collection with Amazon's The Drop in 2021. "I love having that community. I'm just trying to enjoy the journey."
Both she and Kit intend to keep cruising along for the foreseeable future. And in honor of Galentine's Day, they let E! News hitch a ride.
E! News: You're living out a lot of people's dream. How did you each get started as influencers?
Lauren Wolfe: I was a senior in college when COVID hit. So I was home doing Zoom college. I followed YouTubers and Instagrammers and I always wanted to do it, but I was nervous. But now that I had this time and TikTok was blowing up, I was like, "Okay, it's now or never." I was really embarrassed at first, honestly. My user name was something like @Laauren1 with two As because I didn't want anyone to find me. I just started posting fashion content from my parents' house and then it took off.
Kit Keenan: I started sharing my life on Instagram in high school. Then I started sharing recipe content. I was so scared because I didn't know how my audience was going to react. But I realized I was gaining a different community. Then I was in college, COVID hit and I got a DM from one of the casting people for Bachelor. I decided to take the risk because I thought this is probably the only time I'd be able to pause my life and do something like this. So that was a whole other audience. I've been doing this for so long that naturally, after college, I was like, "Okay, this is going to be my full-time job."
E!: It's certainly fun, but is it an everyday-you're-hustling situation?
KK: I will say, literally no one works harder than Lauren.
LW: That is not true!
KK: Okay, sorry. That was an overstatement. But I've never seen an influencer work harder than Lauren does. She's up until 3 a.m. every time we're on a trip together editing videos. And it's just really, really inspiring. Lauren is definitely the example of somebody who is just constantly applying herself, because you have to be your own boss.
E!: So how do you map out your days?
LW: Everything is always changing and it's just not stable. Most days I wake up, I do emails, maybe I have a meeting. I'm always just shooting and editing and thinking of ideas.
KK: You have to create the structure yourself. Before 3 p.m., I'm shooting content. And then once it starts getting dark, I'm editing. And then we have events literally every night.
E!: What don't people understand about this job?
KK: Obviously we're posting a highlight reel and when people are seeing that, they're thinking, "Oh my gosh, she's having the best time, and she hasn't reached out to me because she's busy and her life is so great right now." I think that can cause some resentment with people who don't do social media. I have had to communicate with my friends like, "What you see is not always a representation of how I'm feeling." I could be totally self-isolating because I'm having an off-week mental health-wise. But online, it's going to look like I've been doing such amazing things.
E!: You do attend so many events, do you ever want a night off?
LW: When we go to these events, if you have friends there that are your genuine friends, it just feels like you are hanging out with each other. It's fun.
KK: Building genuine friendships has helped a lot. I'm more introverted. So when events started really coming back after COVID, my social battery was so drained that on the weekends, I was like, I just want to stay at home and recover. Now I feel like I've gotten a good balance because I'm like, I don't have to go to everything. And the events that I do choose to go to, I get to be with my real girlfriends.
LW: There have been a bunch of times where Kit and I and some other girls that we're close with will look at each like, "We're so lucky that we have each other."
E!: Besides built-in plus-ones, what are the best parts of having friends in this industry?
LW: You just get it. You get the hardships that go with it. We all get along because we have the same interests. We're all bouncing photo and video inspo ideas off of each other and physically helping each other—shooting each other's videos and photos.
KK: Whenever anyone is doing a launch or has an event, we're all there for each other.
E!: Plus you can help each other deal with online trolls.
KK: When I see hate comments on my friends' posts, it makes me way more angry than if it's on mine. Because a lot of times I'll see a little hate comment on my content and I'm like, "Eh, you're kind of right." Whereas when I see it on my friends' posts, I'm like, "Oh my gosh, you don't even know her! You don't know how genuine and amazing she is. Don't you dare!"
E!: Do you ever get a chance to put down your phones and just hang?
LW: On some of the trips we take, we'll take photos and then we'll be like, "Okay, it's been enough. Let's enjoy this time together and chill." Because it's important. You don't want to always be on your phone.
KK: We will get the shot for one another, get the video, get the TikTok. But when it's done, it's done. We will go to dinner and spill tea and be able to spend time with each other.
LW: But even before this was my job, I've always just been very into capturing moments. For me, it's fun. Even if I am like, "Okay, we're chilling, we're done," I'll just be snapping some pictures.
E!: Have you ever gotten to the point where you just want a break from social media?
KK: This is literally the dream job. I can't imagine comparing it to a 9-to-5 because I feel so lucky to have such flexibility. There are times that I feel overwhelmed or stressed out, but I've never felt like I need to take a break completely.
LW: Even if I were making no money, if this were not my full-time job, I would still be doing similar things. It's just a fun job and we both are really grateful for it.
E!: What are the best and worst parts of this job?
KK: The pros so exponentially outweigh the cons. The cons are the troll comments here and there or when it's cloudy outside and we can't take photos. So, silly in comparison to how happy I am to wake up and realize that this is my job every day.
LW: Could not emphasize that more. I completely agree.