NEED TO KNOW
- Karl Stefanovic has left Today to focus on his controversial digital podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show
- Keshnee Kemp is the media executive behind his new venture.
- Keshnee has long-standing ties to both Karl and his wife, Jasmine, including past media deals involving the couple.
- Acquittances describe Keshnee as a “savvy” and “formidable” businesswoman who will have big plans for Karl.
If you thought Karl Stefanovic walking away from Today was just a standard midlife career change, the real story actually lies behind the scenes.
The true catalyst for his departure from the Nine network and his plum co-hosting gig is his rapidly growing digital podcast and vodcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show.
But who is the media mastermind actually steering Karl’s unfiltered second act?
Enter Keshnee ‘Kesh’ Kemp, the formidable media executive who has been quietly shaping strategy in the Stefanovic camp for years.
“If you think a hit podcast is the end game, I assure you, we’ve seen nothing yet,” an industry insider reveals.
“There’s word that Keshnee is cooking up massive plans for Karl later this year, including a huge live tour around the country.”
Keshnee is the founder of Digital Marketing Agency August One.
Corporate records show that her husband, Jason Ibrahim, owns 45 per cent of Karl’s new media company, 123 Podcast Pty Ltd, via his own company, August 1 Pty Ltd.
Karl also has a 45 per cent ownership, while the other 10 per cent is held by his friend Anthony Bell via his Bell Capital venture.
The insider hints that Keshee is likely eyeing off more big-name TV talent to join her books.
She previously launched a farm-focused podcast with Edwina Bartholomew during her time working at Woolworths Group.
“Keshnee has already successfully poached TV’s biggest name in Karl,” the source continues.
“She’ll be going after more, that’s for sure. She is very good at making connections. With Karl now unshackled from Nine, she’ll be eager to build her empire.”
How does Keshnee Kemp know Jasmine Stefanovic?
To understand Keshnee’s role in the Stefanovic brand, one must look to the other woman by Karl’s side – his wife of seven years, Jasmine.
Long before she was producing Karl’s latest project, Keshnee was a major supporter of Jasmine’s career.
They two are very close friends. They grew up together in Queensland and navigate the exact same social circles.
In 2017, Keshnee was at the helm of Cosmopolitan Australia magazine. According to publishing industry insiders, she made sure Jasmine’s shoe brand, Mara & Mine, was front and center in the magazine’s fashion pages.
But Keshnee’s most significant media move came when she took over as Editor of our sister publication, Who magazine.
There, she negotiated a major exclusive – Karl and Jasmine’s lavish Mexican wedding.
Attending the 2018 nuptials as a guest, she wrote the cover story from Los Cabos, penning, “I’ve known Jasmine and her family my entire life; we grew up together in Queensland.”
One media insider tells New Idea that Keshnee was thought to have “helped orchestrate that spectacular Mexican wedding location as part of a very savvy deal.”
It was perhaps Keshnee’s first major foray into high-stakes media wheeling and dealing, considering she managed to get Nine’s biggest talent to sign a cover deal with Who magazine, which at the time was owned by rival network, Channel Seven.
Controlling the narrative
So, how are they handling the intense speculation surrounding Karl’s shift to digital?
“Keshnee takes it all in her stride,” an insider says. “Kesh can deal with anything. She’s been in this game a very long time, and she’ll have a plan for Karl.”
“She is very savvy. Once she puts her mind to something, she’ll usually get it. She takes no prisoners.”
Earlier this year, Keshnee said of herself and Karl, “If we didn’t both have backgrounds in the media, we’d have much softer skin. We are both much tougher now.”
For Keshnee, the digital space offers a way to bypass traditional press and speak directly to the audience.
“Digital has changed how you can control the narrative in a way that feels honest. We can come out and make sure that people have the truth,” she said.
Their working dynamic is an around-the-clock operation.
“All day, every day, literally!” Keshnee has said of their constant planning. Until now, Karl has been wired for his early morning Today call times, leaving Keshnee to wake up to a wave of his ideas at 6:00 AM.
“That’s a good way to wake up, it’s a bit like a cold shower,” she recently joked.
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