Grime Gran: “If you’re going to worry what people think, you’re never going to do anything”

Margie Keefe, the creator known online as Grime Gran, says building an audience of more than 300,000 followers comes down to one thing: not caring what anyone thinks.

“You can do right, you can do wrong, but in some people’s eyes you’re never right,” she told The Daily Influence. “If that’s what you want to do, keep at it and keep going forward.”

Keefe first went viral during lockdown, sharing candid clips of daily life with her grandson, and has since built a loyal following on TikTok and Instagram through a mix of humorous family moments and Arsenal match commentary. She has also become a fixture on the celebrity interview circuit, speaking to the likes of Kim Kardashian, Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell – a list she shrugs off with characteristic indifference.

"They're people," she said, when asked whether the star encounters had changed her perspective.

That unfiltered approach has made her an increasingly attractive proposition for brands. In February, McCoy’s partnered with Keefe for a four-part content series timed around Super Bowl LX, built around her football commentary and humour. The campaign generated more than 14 million views across TikTok and Instagram, placing the brand inside Super Bowl conversation on social media without buying TV ad space.

For Keefe, the business side of content creation remains secondary to simply getting on with it. Her advice to aspiring creators is blunt.

“Don’t do anything that you’re going to have to look back on and say, I wish I’d have done it,” she said. “You’re more likely to regret what you don’t do.”

The Daily Influence spoke to Grime Gran at Adobe Creator Live London.

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