Drea Okeke

Drea Okeke, popularly known by her digital moniker @DreaKnowsBest, is a Nigerian-American content creator, entertainer, comedian, storyteller, professional speaker, consultant, and host who is widely renowned for her relatable comedic skits and videos that amplify her Nigerian culture. As one of today's most inspirational figures on social media, Okeke holds a strong passion not only for entertaining, but also making a positive impact in the world, as she continuously emboldens and motivates over 6.3 million followers on TikTok with encouraging and uplifting messaging to help them "level up" to become the best versions of themselves. Named by New York Magazine's The Cut as one of "The Best TikTokers to Follow," Okeke has successfully mastered the art of balancing comedy with spreading kindness, knowledge, and shining a light on her Nigerian community and culture. Her magnetic and humorous charm, and unique ability to engage a widespread audience have launched her into digital stardom with almost 7 million highly engaged fans who tune in daily to her feel-good content on social media and her various cross-platform projects. This spring, Okeke can be seen highlighting her experience as a Nigerian American as she stars in the second season of the Fuse Original Series "We Need to Talk About America," which features sharp-witted, honest reactions to American pop culture oddities and life in United States from notable first-generation comedians. "We Need to Talk About America" is airing all-new episodes weekly on Fuse and Fuse+. Born in Connecticut, Okeke's parents have raised her and her three siblings around the world in Nigeria, Belgium, New York City, and Maryland. Although she's lived in three different countries, Okeke's Nigerian heritage and culture have remained steadfast and continue to influence her immensely popular content today. In 2014, while pursuing her bachelor's degree in engineering at Penn State University, she began posting six-second videos impersonating her Nigerian mother, which amassed an audience of almost one million followers on the now-defunct Vine App. Upon graduation, Okeke worked as an engineer before she realized that her true passion lay in creating content and inspiring the next generation of Black creators. Thus, she packed her belongings into her Nissan Altima to move cross-country to Los Angeles, CA, and obtained her master's degree in media strategy in entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Southern California. Undeterred by Vine's shutdown, Okeke has led the vanguard of today's most captivating TikTok creators, having adapted to the expanding social media frontiers and utilizing the app since 2018 when it was known as "Musical.ly" before growing her following to the multi-millions. Before long, Okeke captured the attention of the mainstream media, and has been featured in ABC News, Billboard, BuzzFeed, E! News, Forbes, GQ, teenVogue Variety, and more. She was nominated for the 2019 Shorty Award for "TikToker of the Year," has collaborated with notable celebrities like Mariah Carey and Tracee Ellis Ross, and was tapped to host the 2022 BET Awards red carpet to teach some of the biggest names in Black Hollywood her favorite Nigerian slang. Okeke has continued to expand her work as both an entertaining keynote speaker and engaging host, sharing her wisdom and expertise on topics including self-love, culture, reaching millennials and Gen Z on social media, building one's brand, and turning passions into lucrative careers. She has represented TikTok on many occasions, most notably speaking on the stages of 2019's Cannes Lions Film Festival and VidCon, and MC'ing the main stage at TikTok World in 2022. She has also hosted the Nissan x BET "Next Up" contest series in 2022 and was tapped to host the series again in 2023, set to air in June during the BET Awards. Okeke has also helmed the popular podcast, "Do It 4 The Content with Drea Okeke," offering tips and strategies for the next generation of creators to grow their platforms and turn their passions for digital creation into a paycheck. Okeke is highly regarded as an expert in her field of creating stand-out content, and has even developed her own TikTok Masterclass, "Next Level Influence," an interactive crash-course for aspiring creators to rapidly grow their audience, scale their business, build their brand, and understand the algorithm to maximize views and engagement. Her now-global reach has captured the attention of some of today's biggest brands and media networks for both spokesperson collaborations, corporate workshops, and consulting, including Nissan, Google, Coca-Cola, Disney, Netflix, McDonald's, Bumble, Old Navy, and CoverGirl Cosmetics, to name just a few. An impassioned advocate, Okeke continues to give back to her communities, having sponsored multiple scholarships for first-generation, African American college students, and even helping to build a school in Africa. Okeke resides in Los Angeles as a full-time creator, which she has manifested through God, hard work, and speaking positive words into the universe.