Famous in Fayette County
Following the yellow brick road
BY KRISTINA ROSEN
Lexington has a lengthy tradition of “homegrown Hollywood” talent.
Three different routes to Hollywood, raised or based in Lexington with family support behind them. We all watched Laura Bell Bundy grow up… and become a Tony-nominated actress, well known for her Broadway roles in Legally Blonde and Hairspray, and dozens of television and movie roles.
George Clooney was — famously — born in Lexington (though his movie star status came along much later).
Influencers, actors, yo-yo pros, you name it — Lexington is no stranger to fame, and it has served as an incubator for talented, aspiring, inspiring creatives. It takes a village.
PARKER’S PLAYGROUND: Parker Pannell
Born and raised in Lexington, Parker Pannell moved to California at 14 years old to pursue an acting career in 2018.
Was it a controversial parenting decision to allow him to move to LA as a teenager? Rick and Whitney Pannell laugh, recalling that while there was a lot of support, they didn’t doubt the fact that some might view their decision as crazy.
“He always had that passion to want to go out to L.A.,” Rick says. “He didn’t know anything about it other than that’s where you had to be if you wanted to be in entertainment.”
Now an actor—host—comedian, Parker does it all, but he might be best known right now as a social media influencer. That’s about to change, as he’s recently landed a recurring role on a favorite TV series.
The family visited California several times before Parker made his official move, to survey what a landscape of aspiring celebrities might look like, and Rick adds, “He didn’t back down.”
Now more than ever, Rick says that they feel like they made the right decision, “He is so passionate and driven about what he wants to do.”
It’s not a surprise to anyone who knows him. “Parker has been an entertainer since he was five years old,” Whitney says. “He was a born performer.”
His move to L.A. definitely helped launch his celebrity status. He discovered TikTok in October 2018. “My first TikTok video generated over 800,000 views and my follower base was off and running.” He quickly caught on to the appeal of TikTok, which was a relatively new app at the time, and he became an “influencer” with his 8-second videos of impersonations, pranks, and improv.
He moved on to filming and starring in his own web series, Parker’s Playground. Nearly a year later, he reached 2.2 million followers on TikTok. Over 2 million followers and counting, Parker has been able to monetize his social media presence through brand deals and music promotions.
He signed with an agent right away, and one could even say, he was “discovered.”
He attended Camp Hollywood, run by a renowned acting coach in Hollywood — learning how to produce a movie, and to get familiar with the industry.
There was a showcase at the end of the camp, and he landed an audition right after for a big Netflix show. Rick says that experience “verified for them as parents who don’t know much about the entertainment world” that Parker might actually have a shot at making it as an actor and/or entertainer in the professional world.
“He’s been going on some incredible auditions since he’s been there. And a lot of them,” Whitney says, adding, “It takes a lot to succeed in Hollywood, he’s basically competing with the best of the best.”
He’s auditioned for a Steven Spielberg movie, and one of the main roles for Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy. He recently booked a family-friendly TV series for a big network that he grew up watching.
He loves to come home to Kentucky, and often brings along his west coast friends. His sister, Lucy Boone, now a student at Western Kentucky University, doesn’t have the acting bug, but is very supportive of her brother. “I know when his show comes out,” Rick says, “he’s going to be a recurring character/guest star,” adding, “and she’ll have a watch party at college when the show airs this fall.”
(We all will!)
CEO of Yoyo: Stoney Mack
Stoney Mack turned his favorite quarantine pastime into an “overnight” success. The Edythe J. Hayes seventh grader leveraged a newfound yo-yo hobby into international popularity, and a business that generated revenue in less than a year.
Stoney’s father, former UK football player Ron Mack, bought his son a yo-yo in February 2020, only weeks before the world temporarily shut down. Ron says, “I thought he’d play with it for a few days and it would end up under his bed and he’d move on.”
After sharing videos with his parents and sisters, Stoney quickly developed an impressive following for his viral videos on social media. So viral that FOX network producers reached out to him for the new Wayne Brady-hosted show, Game of Talents.
In November of 2020, the network flew the whole family to Hollywood for the shoot. The show aired earlier this year in April — a reality television series that pits two teams of contestants against each other as they try to figure out the hidden talents of the mystery performers. Ron says of the experience, “He talks about business and I think that’s what he wants to do, but the production of it all was a great interest to him as well.”
Over the past year, Ron says, “Stoney has basically created his own business by leveraging, marketing and branding his incredible yo-yo skills. He has crafted a [brand] on Instagram where he has nearly 100,000 followers and multiple videos with over 1 million views including one video with 5 million+ views.
Instagram (where he is known as Yoyo Mack, the CEO of Yoyo) has “verified” him which means he gets paid for his video posts. Stoney also has his own sponsors — one of which created an online store to sell Stoney’s “Yo-Yo” Mack signature yo-yos. He earns a percentage of profits and has sold out four times in three months. He also has an agreement to wear and promote a line of clothing and earns commission from sales linked to his store.
Stoney makes money with …a yo-yo. Ron says, “There is a whole yo-yo world out there that maybe you and I don’t know about. But it exists.”
Stoney has competed in national tournaments and met people in the industry who have made a living with the pastime. Stoney has been contacted by influencers from other industries to collaborate, whether it be music, actors, or even cookies.
Ron says, “It’s been exciting to watch how it’s evolved. What I like to tell people is the yo-yo is the skill part, but he’s had so many experiences and he’s developed his business acumen to a very high level for a 13-year-old.”
“Stoney has demonstrated excellent business acumen and great creativity of content with his video posts. He’s also had immeasurable experiences for a 13 year old kid,” says Ron. “I can only pray he will apply it to whatever endeavors that lie ahead for him.”
From Hamburg to Hollywood: Meet Grant Stevens
More than 1,000 kids auditioned for Little Town—the upcoming movie from writer/director Dani Menkin—but there was only one six year old from Lexington who was the perfect choice to play the lead.
Grant Stevens, a six year old who resides in the Hamburg area of Lexington, will soon debut in his first major film.
Due on the big screen in 2022, Little Town is the road-trip story of a stand up comedian and his son on the way to a ‘Little Town’ in the mountains.
“I loved his audition,” says Menkin, “Grant is a natural talent with the camera and a joy to work with. Grant always showed up at the ‘money time.”
The Stevens family lives in the Hamburg neighborhood of Blackford Oaks. Margaret Stevens, who quite frankly owns the title as “Momager,” teaches Arts and Humanities at Crawford Middle School, and Grant’s father, Chris, is a mechanical engineer. Little sister Emily has also taken an early liking to show business. Margaret shares, “I cannot tell you what it feels like to be teaching and then have an email pop up on your Apple watch that says Ron Howard. One of Em’s first auditions was for Hillbilly Elegy.”
Despite restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Grant landed three professional bookings in 2020, all within a month, including the lead role in Little Town.
With the hard work comes some play. His favorite part of filming is the action scenes, “I love the running scenes. We did a lot of hiking!”A kid after our own heart, he adds, “Oh and I also like the eating scenes!”
Grant’s acting career launched early on when he started taking creative movement classes at age two. “I think dance is so much more than just physical activity and for younger children it is essential in their balance and gross motor skills to take dance,” Margaret says. “Grant performed for the first time on the Opera House stage at age 3.”
“I think Grant not only has a great future, more importantly he has a present,” says Menkin. “The camera loves him, and I can’t wait to see more of him, and I am excited for the audience to see his first feature film with our Little Town.”
As for what the future holds for his acting career, ever the student, Grant says, “I am sure I will take some more acting classes someday.”
The show must go on, and Lexington has a starring role as an incubator for so much talent.
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This article also appears on page 16, 17, and 18 of the 2021 print edition of Lexington Families Guide.
