'Alex From Target' Quits Cashier Gig to Pursue Movies, Music and National Tour In a new YouTube video, the 17-year-old announced he would be going on tour, vending merchandise and pursuing a career in entertainment.

By Geoff Weiss Feb 17, 2015

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Alex From Target is thinking outside of the bag.

In a career trajectory not uncommon among today's Internet-bred celebrities, the cashier-turned-viral heartthrob has officially announced his departure from the discount retailer in pursuit of online stardom.

"I just believe that I've been given a platform," the 17-year-old shrugs in a YouTube video announcing a slew of new business ventures, including a national tour, a line of merchandise and forays into acting and singing. "Tryna make something positive out of it."

Alex, whose last name is Lee, said he would be joining several dates of the DigiTour, a traveling festival of some of the world's biggest YouTubers and Vine stars.

Lee is also selling T-shirts, calendars and posters on his website, where fans can even buy $6 lollipops touting his new logo -- a red and white composite of his first and last initials.

Lee, who became famous when an undercover photo of him bagging groceries mysteriously rippled across Twitter, has now apparently caught the acting bug, too. In addition to appearing "in a major music video that's gonna come out pretty soon," Lee will also act in Shadows Will Fall, an Indiegogo-funded film about a young boy living with cystic fibrosis.

And finally, Lee said he would release his own music. "I've been practicing so much for you guys," he says. "I've been singing constantly."

Lee's ascent on Twitter, where he now counts over 700,000 followers, has been riddled with scrutiny from the start. A startup called Breakr initially claimed responsibility for orchestrating his meteoric rise -- a claim that both Lee and Target have repeatedly denied.

Geoff Weiss

Staff Writer. Frequently covers digital media.

Geoff Weiss is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com who frequently covers digital media.

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