By now, most people are familiar with Haliey Welch, the ‘Hawk Tuah’ woman, and many have noticed her uniquely spelled name.
However, one big question remains, despite numerous reports: How much money can a viral video really generate through merchandise sales alone?
For those few who still haven’t caught on to who Haliey Welch is, let’s quickly revisit the TikTok video that catapulted her to internet fame.
Content creators Tim & Dee TV, comprised of YouTubers Tim Dickerson, aged 25, and DeArius Marlow, aged 24, roamed the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, asking passersby various questions.
One of their interviewees was Haliey, who was asked, “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?”
Her response? “You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thing, you get me?” Just 15 words, and she became an overnight sensation.
This fame led to Haliey earning a staggering $30,000 for a single appearance at Daer Dayclub at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
This event was organized to celebrate her reaching over one million Instagram followers, a number which has since grown by an additional 600,000.
But it’s the merchandise sales that have truly skyrocketed Welch’s earnings.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, her new agent, Jonnie Forster from the management company The Penthouse, disclosed the impressive amount she has made from merchandise.
When asked about the revenue from her official merchandise, he said, “It’s approaching $300,000. Right when we signed her, I was on the phone with a trademark attorney immediately and said, ‘Go after everyone who’s filed trademarks on this, and cease-and-desist with those.’”
Thanks to proactive management, nearly a third of a million dollars was earned in just one month by tackling fake accounts and securing licensing deals to sell her official merchandise featuring her now-famous catchphrase - ‘hawk tuah’.
Forster added, “And we had to start building her social media presence: ‘We can’t stop this volcano, so what do you want to do?’ She’s very interested in using this new platform for the betterment of a lot of different things, not just trying to monetize.”
“She lives with her grandma, and she’s not leaving her grandma. She’s making sure she’s not doing anything that’s going to embarrass her hometown.”
So there you have it, no need to check down the sides of the sofa for spare change—go out, have a good time, and who knows? Maybe you’ll bump into a YouTuber!
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