‘Hawk Tuah’ star Haliey Welch gained worldwide fame by offering some salacious sex advice on the streets of Nashville in a now-viral video, but according to her new management team, the 23-year-old has proven she has more than just 15 minutes of fame.
That impromptu interview has launched a lucrative career for the Tennessee native, who has since signed with management company The Penthouse, which is now helping her book appearances that are earning her a staggering $20,000 each, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
According to Jonnie Forster, founder of The Penthouse, the management team has been working “around the clock” to align Haliey with the right projects for her burgeoning career, and everything is carefully thought out.
“We’ve been offered millions of dollars in deals that would be for adult-themed appearances, endorsements, obviously OnlyFans, and she’s not like that,” Jonnie told THR.
“She was recently featured on Rolling Stone’s website and they basically called her the Dolly Parton of Generation Z,” he added.
Haliey Welch, known as the ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl, gained worldwide fame after a video of her giving sex advice on the streets of Nashville went viral.
While Hawk Tuah’s girl Haliey Welch is ready to cash in, it seems she’s finding fame (some might say notoriety) a challenge.
The famous Tennessee woman was even asked to appear on American Idol after singing on a Zach Bryan show, although Jonnie says she quickly turned that proposal down.
“They saw her sing on the Zach Bryan stage. The email said, ‘We saw her sing on the Zach Bryan show and she had an amazing voice. We’d love to see how we can get her on the show,'” he recalled.
“I emailed back, ‘She can’t sing at all. Did you even watch the performance? Because she couldn’t sing a single tune,'” he continued.
“But she doesn’t sing and she doesn’t want to take jobs away from people who are talented in those areas,” she said.
Jonnie’s management team traveled to his hometown of Belfast, Tennessee, after hiring Haliey and immediately sprang into action.
They licensed products featuring their iconic phrase, flagged fake accounts that had popped up after it went viral, and vetted lucrative deals.
“I think she’s different from everyone else who came before her; she didn’t seek this out,” Jonnie gushed.
“She was off social media for six months for mental health reasons. She would never have gone back to social media if it wasn’t for that night on Broadway,” the talent manager added.
“She had to go back there and say, ‘Hey, those people are impersonating me.'”
Even his newly signed deal with a local hat maker to make him caps emblazoned with his sex advice tagline is shrouded in an element of secrecy.
He’s given several interviews to publications, been on stage at a Zach Bryan concert, and even given Shaquille O’Neal career advice.
Haliey has been offered a variety of career opportunities, including a reality show, a podcast, a book and even a European tour, however, Jonnie says they have been selective with what they are doing in the future.
“She’s not an actress. We’ve turned down several movie offers, including several horror ones,” Jonnie explained.
“She’s not a professional actress. She’s funny. Her specialty is comedy and she might do something along those lines in the future,” he said.
Jonnie continued: ‘We’re thinking about doing a podcast with her, which will have her comedic tone, but will also be very relatable and very authentic to who she is as a small-town girl.’
There’s even a chance of seeing Hawk Tuah on a world tour, as Haliey had never flown on a plane before going viral.
“There are a couple of different ideas. We’ll meet with a couple of the showrunners who have already had conversations with us and give them more details,” he said.
Haliey was reportedly paid $20,000 for her first paid live appearance at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, although TMZ reported she was paid closer to $30,000.
He’s given several interviews to publications, been on stage at a Zach Bryan concert, and even given Shaquille O’Neal career advice.
“He’s up to 15 minutes. He’s already at 16,” Jonnie said passionately.