Hawk Tuah Girls Manager Reveals What’s Next For Haliey Welch

A viral TikTok of Haliey Welch, aka “Hawk Tuah Girl,” making a sexy joke at a party in Nashville has become the gift that keeps on giving — and not just for Welch herself.

As anyone who has had access to social media in recent weeks can attest, Welch has been as ubiquitous as can be following her on-the-street interview with Tim and Dee’s TV in which she described a supposedly foolproof way to turn a man on in the bedroom. This attention led to an unlikely series of events that included media interviews with publications such as Rolling stonean onstage appearance at a Zach Bryan concert and opening for Shaquille O’Neal.

Welch’s viral fame also led to her signing with management company The Penthouse, despite Welch’s lack of media aspirations and lack of social media presence. The Penthouse founder Jonnie Forster’s first order of business was to weed out the imposter accounts and secure licensing deals for official merchandise featuring his famous slogan. Earlier this week, Welch made her first paid live appearance at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, with sources indicating The Hollywood Reporter She earned about $20,000 for this concert.TMZ (Said the salary was closer to $30,000; his representatives declined to share details of his appearance fee.)

In his first interview since signing with “Hawk Tuah Girl,” Forster says THR about his trip to his remote hometown of Belfast, Tennessee, to give his speech. Forster also explains why he turned down Hollywood offers, including several horror films and even American Idolthe interest Welch has received from a major talent agency, how much money her team has raised from merchandise sales and what kinds of career opportunities he has lined up for her — including a potential reality TV series, a podcast, a book and even a European tour.

How did you handle all the reactions following your company’s signing of Haliey?

It was a roller coaster, a tsunami, an earthquake, and Christmas, all at once. The team worked around the clock since we officially started representing her, and the first reason for doing so was to protect her and help her get an education. But the most important thing for us was to understand who she was, who she was, where she wanted to go. We flew to the small town of Belfast, Tennessee, an hour and twenty minutes south of Nashville, and saw her house, her dog, her horse, her friends, and met her grandmother Janie. It was refreshing to see someone who had hijacked everyone’s RSS feeds around the world, just be this sweet, humble small-town girl who got a lottery ticket from God.

Why do you think the video was so popular?

It was funny and people just want to laugh right away. The juxtaposition of something so sexual, but coming from a sweet, innocent country girl and the way she does it without any hang-ups – it just blew everyone away, and they had to watch it again. I was the same way. I couldn’t understand it. That’s why I had to go and see it. But when you meet her and listen to what she says online, she’s so funny and unpretentious that you root for her. You root for someone like that who comes from a poor background, who’s made a good life for herself, who’s taken care of her grandmother and worked really hard in a factory. It’s so beautiful to see the internet pick the right person to make her famous.

What was it about his career that matched what your company does?

My company has been in the entertainment industry for over 25 years, largely representing musicians. But we also have a strong background in new business development, strategic marketing and branding, and have represented Fortune 500 companies and brands like the Marley family. We have been involved in documentaries and also published a children’s book last year with Simon & Schuster.

Why did Haliey stand out among the many other viral stars?

What I think is different from all the other people who came before her is that she didn’t seek fame. She was off social media for six months for mental health reasons. She would never have come back on social media if it wasn’t for that night on Broadway. She had to go back and say, “Hey, these people are pretending to be me.”

How much money did his official products make?

She’s approaching $300,000. As soon as we signed with her, I immediately called a trademark lawyer and said, “Go after everybody who’s trademarked this site and stop doing it.” 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 grandmother and she doesn’t leave her side. She makes sure she doesn’t do anything that’s going to embarrass her hometown.

Was it difficult to find a balance, given that it went viral for a ribald comment but is also family-oriented?

It’s just not in her moral character to do something she wouldn’t have done before. We’ve been offered millions of dollars in contracts that would be for adult-themed appearances, sponsorships, obviously OnlyFans, and that’s not who she is. She’s just been featured on Rolling Stone’and they basically call her the Dolly Parton of Gen Z. She’s the North Star. Dolly Parton comes from a small town in Tennessee, she’s very funny and she’s not afraid to say funny things about her boobs. But you still have the core values ​​of someone who comes from a small town. Rolling stone calling her America’s sweetheart and the hero we all need right now. People love her all over the world.

Would she consider becoming an actress?

She’s not an actress. We’ve turned down a number of offers for movies, including a number of horror movies. One was from a mini-major, and the others are indies. A producer wanted to reshoot the ending of his movie to include her. I just got another offer five minutes ago. I talked to those producers and said, “Hire an actress.” She’s not a professional actress. She’s funny. Her niche is doing comedic things and maybe doing something along those lines down the road. We’re thinking about starting a podcast with her that will be in her comedic vein, but also very close and very authentic to who she is as a small-town girl.

What is a possible plan or pitch for a podcast?

We’ve been contacted by three different agencies. A comedy-based podcast: people just want to talk to her and get to know her better. I was literally on the phone with one of the three-letter agencies in LA ten minutes ago. They’re very eager to do a deal with us, and we’re setting up a meeting soon. We’ve met with agents in Nashville. We’re doing a press tour in New York and another in LA. There are some incredible people booking interviews with us.

Is she hoping to sign with a Hollywood agency?

She doesn’t even really know what that means. No disrespect to that. There’s so many transactions coming in, and we have a team that’s checking everything. The first phase was completed this week, which was to protect her and get her social media in order. In four days, she’s passed a million followers on Instagram and a million followers on TikTok.

I know there have been rumors that a reality TV show is in the works. What’s the latest on that?

There’s a reality show in development. There are a couple of different ideas. We’re going to sit down with some of the showrunners who have already reached out to us and we’re going to dig into it. There’s the documentary format, which would be, “Here’s someone from a small town who’s now recognizable and thrown in at the deep end. What’s their day in the life like?” That’s the obvious idea, and we’re looking at that. The other thing she’s really interested in is traveling, because she’s never flown before. I say, “Can you imagine if you went to Japan or France or these exotic places, and it was like a fish out of water with you and your friends?”

How would you respond to someone who might cynically think that part of the motivation for a signature like this is to draw attention to your company?

We turn down any deal with brands that aren’t looking for a long-term relationship with her, and those brands have to be aligned with her core values. The agents we were talking to a few minutes ago were like, “This is a story of hope, and people love to read that. Would she be interested in a book?” Later on, as we’ve developed all these other touchpoints, I think we’re interested. There’s obviously a huge amount of interest in doing appearances and signings. We have 75 offers right now, just in the US. We’ve just been offered 20 cities in Europe to go to, and there’s also a team showing in Australia right now.

Would it be like a speaking tour?

She would come out and tell her story and what happened since that magical night and then what she plans to do with the rest of her life and then answer questions from the audience. Everyone is just intrigued to know how Haliey Welch, from Belfast, Tennessee, handles being around Shaquille O’Neal and Zach Bryan and her calls…