Powell To The People

Black stars and the Web seem to have a love/hate relationship, don’t they? Either celebrities are complaining about their coverage (or lack thereof), or they try clumsily to embrace the technology and end up abandoning their efforts after a few attempts (i.e. graveyards of Twitter accounts and MySpace pages). More Black celebrities though are working diligently to establish their online personas, even if no one else has done it for them yet. Case in point: Keith Powell of NBC’s Emmy Award-winning ‘30 Rock’.

Powell’s Drupal-powered site — aptly named Powell to the People — features work directly from the actor. His reason for claiming his online presence is easy to see. Quote the actor, “My name is Keith Powell. I am an actor, therefore I must have a website. Because that’s what important actors have. And I’m important. I’m told.” The other sections of the site include videos of Powell’s comedy work (which is also on Youtube), photos, a blog, a mailing list, and a bio written by Powell himself (according to him, actors normally write their own bios). I think starting his own site is a great idea to solidify his presence and showcase his own work independent of an agent or other representation firm.

What do you think? Should Black celebrities be more proactive in claiming their online presence, or should they continue to let it be shaped by their fans (whether positive or negative)?