Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaili Rose.
Hi Kaili; we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a filmmaker, photographer, and music industry photojournalist and the owner and founder of Kairo Media Creative Agency (www.Kairo.Media). I built my agency to support small businesses, Creatives, musicians, and entrepreneurs as they launch, nurture and grow their businesses and ideas. We help people develop a kickass digital presence with beautiful websites, strong branding, stunning content, and a marketing strategy geared toward defined business goals. We can provide an all-in-one solution for clients who want to reach new audiences and create beautiful content – tasks they’d otherwise have to hire many different people to accomplish.
I love running an independent Creative agency. Dreaming up campaigns to help entrepreneurs get the word out about what they do is a lot of fun. It also allows me to jump into more specific media projects – photoshoots, music videos, and promotional video shoots. I work with clients from all over North America, spanning a crazy variety of industries. One day I’m filming in a Toronto studio; the next, I’m building UFO sets for a music video in Roswell, NM. But that’s the fun part – the variety is both challenging and inspiring. In the last six months, we’ve worked with a traditional Texas dance hall, a boutique clothing startup, a coffee truck entrepreneur, a steam train museum in Nevada, a Hill Country horse ranch, a cheer and tumbling gym, and several wonderful, crazy-talented musicians and Creatives. I’m most excited about the music videos we release this month and next. Next month, I’ll be filming some ambitious music videos, publishing a brand new eCommerce fashion lifestyle company website, and releasing a Mark Twain Festival promo video we filmed in Nevada.
I have close ties to the music industry as well. For more years than I’m willing to admit, I’ve worked in concert photography and journalism for several publications. I released two documentary films in 2021 & 2022. Both were written and filmed to share a slice of the music industry from the perspectives of those within the industry. Which isn’t always the glossy rockstar world that most expect. The first two films are part of a larger project which will eventually span ten or twelve short films. Both films did pretty well on the film festival circuit – we’ve received 28 Official Selections, a Best Director, Best Documentary, and Best Documentary Short award. We are working on the third film to release in late 2023.
I’m not sure what else I can share with you. I grew up a bit of a globetrotter and have always had the problem of not being able to sit still. I travel and road trip relentlessly, and I’m a bit of a National Parks junkie. I’m the daughter of an artist/musician mother and a tech nerd science-geek father, so I grew up absorbing a little bit of everything and subsequently found myself unable to decide what I wanted to do. So I ended up in an oddball tech-meets-creative path that works well for me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I like to push my boundaries and dive in headfirst. My business was founded, funded, and built from day one entirely by me. That makes it much more meaningful, even though it was tough to start. It also gives me a unique appreciation for other small business owners and an unshakable desire to help support others doing the same thing I did. I also believe that challenges make us the person we are and are the only way to build resilience and self-reliance. Unless you want to live the least version of who you can be, life on a smooth road is probably the last place you want to find yourself. Plus, the crazy stuff makes the best stories, right?
Like most of us, I’ve lived through tragedy and hard times. But I don’t believe in playing yourself the Victim Card. Stuff happens and giving yourself space and time to heal is ok, but you are also responsible for moving beyond it. You can choose how you respond to the here and now. But I will share my biggest mistake: I once made the mistake of listening to the naysayers and taking a “safe” job. I joined a startup in California, leading a marketing tech team. It initially seemed great (who doesn’t love the security of a regular 9-5 and a generous paycheck?), but after just a few months, on Christmas Eve, we were informed that my beloved little startup was part of a corporate acquisition; “Join ‘em and keep your job, or join the unemployment line this holiday season.” I tried to make a go of the corporate fortune 500 world and just about lost my mind. It quickly became one of my biggest life lessons.
So I dove headfirst into my creative side and started a music festival/travel magazine in my spare time. While playing corporate, I escaped to music festivals all over the place with my camera. One day I was sitting in a hot, dusty music festival field in Central Texas with an ancient Canon EOS-something. I remember turning to my buddy and saying, “If only someone would build an independent media outlet to help artists and nerds like me connect.” The friend looked at me, deadpan and snarky, and said, “yeah, why don’t you?” So I did. I was over my head, but I built a small media team, traveled all over the US and Canada, and even made a few trips overseas. By day, I worked an agency role as a senior strategist for a boutique hotel and resort clients (yep, still trying to play it safe). I quickly learned I did not fit in with the bouge, but I liked the creative and strategic challenge. The people, the creativity, and the travel motivated a crazy schedule. I learned a lot about operating in the agency world – even though I spent most of my time and money traveling between clients and music festivals. Sometimes both are on the same trip. It was quite the life – until COVID hit.
The pandemic was as close to a career-defining challenge as I could get. Our magazine shut down, and the agency fired most of its staff. I found myself entirely directionless. A friend and I hit the road for a few months boondocking in the backcountry of Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and all over. I found my inspiration lying in a hammock with my dog and a good book, half-frozen on a mountain in Casper, WY. I picked up my phone to check in with family members who were probably wondering if I was still alive. Instagram was open, and a random quote flashed across the screen; “You can fail at what you don’t want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” That afternoon, without telling anyone, I applied to film school. I was accepted a few weeks later with a scholarship, which entirely saved my skin. I dove straight in and managed to stay afloat. I fell (even more) in love with creative media. I got to work with David Lynch Foundation filmmakers and be completely over my head in film and media. I wrote, filmed, produced, and directed the documentary above films (Love: Music, 2021, and Out of Tune, 2022), graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Cinematic Arts and New Media, and realized, without a doubt, that I needed to continue pursuing this world of creative media.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your business.
These days, I balance fun, creative projects (mostly film and photography) with my Creative Agency work supporting small businesses. We do everything from (a lot of!) website design to planning full content development and marketing strategies. This year has been an incredible success. Whenever a client comes to me with a big new idea, I feel so blessed. It is a huge privilege to be trusted to help bring creative things to life, whether it’s a website, a YouTube channel, composite photo concepts, or a music video. Making a living at it is even better. My only goal is to continue to do what I am doing, meet and support incredible people, and grow and learn creatively.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I have some exciting projects for 2023 that I can’t talk about yet. But if you follow me on Instagram (@drifft.k / @kairomediaco), or the website (www.Kairo.Media), we’ll be sharing tons in the coming two months. My driving force is to help creative individuals and small business owners (like myself!) dream up big ideas and make them all happen. You don’t need a fancy degree, a big bank account, lucrative connections, or a special ability to make incredible things happen. If you can dream it and work hard, you can do it. And the old saying is so true: you are the average of the people you surround yourself with. So find those people that take you to the next level. And if you are one of those people with big crazy ideas, I’d like to know you! It’s only a bonus if I can help make your creative project come to life.
Pricing:
- I fully realize that some industries (cough, music industry, cough) make it nearly impossible to make a living. So I don’t have standard pricing. It varies with the project and the client. I try to customize my pricing to the scope of the project at hand and the ability to pay.
- I offer a strategic marketing consult for $100. Consider this a customized game plan for your business or creative project. It helps new businesses, creatives, musicians (etc.) figure out where and how to plan their marketing and outreach, find gaps in the work they’ve already done, and organize their time and efforts.
- We also offer qualified small business startups a flat-fee fully-customized website design package for $1250 (please inquire if you might like to work with us!)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Kairo.Media
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/drifft.K
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KairoMediaCo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kairomediaco
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kairo-media-lampasas
- Other: www.instagram.com/kairomediaco
