Today we’d like to introduce you to Keyheira Keys.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
To be honest, my story is just now beginning to make sense to me. My journey has been a culmination of what seemed like disconnected life and work experiences that didn’t come together until the last four years or so. It wasn’t until I took my love for music, visual art, curation, numbers, and a love for helping people that I connected the dots that I saw the bigger picture. In the past year or so, it’s finally been given a title, Cultural Strategist. Basically, I’m the go-between for brands partnering with other brands and/or their consumers. I strategize mutually beneficial partnerships and help businesses, artists, and/or public figures engage with their audiences in meaningful, intentional ways. It wasn’t anything I could compare to what I do until I started watching Insecure. So now when people ask me what I do, I simply say, “I do what Issa does on Insecure.”
I came out of college really winging it. Just vibes… no plan at all. I was a first-generation college graduate on both sides of my family. Apart of me feels I didn’t think I would really graduate and thus I made no plans post-graduation. Lol, all I knew is I knew music. I was the friend who was requested to make the mixtapes or DJ the kickbacks. I listened to everything. So I knew one thing: I wanted to work in the music industry. I moved back to Austin with hopes to work for a major festival. I was fresh off Marketing and Sociology degrees from Baylor and ready to take on the world. I reached out to some contacts and was able to shadow the Live Mixtapes 2012 showcase. There I got to meet everyone from Mac Miller, Nipsey Hussle, Yo Gotti, Kevin Gates, and A$AP Rocky. That was all it took. I had the bug.
After working a couple of festivals and making my rounds in the music scene, I noticed the lack of opportunities for local musicians. Especially ones of color who weren’t Blues or Rock musicians. I initially thought it was by accident until I began to speak out about the disparity. Realizing that just put a target on my back, I was determined to do something about it. I teamed up with Aaron “Fresh” Knight and Confucius Jones to start a radio podcast. It was self-funded and something we did outside of our day jobs. At that time, I worked for Black NonProfit by day and was helping put on a talent show for a fundraiser which exposed me to more of Austin’s music talent. Shortly after, I went on to work at various corporate jobs in HR but I missed working with the BIPOC communities. And I certainly missed being around creatives.
After a layoff from my HR position at a bank, I took a large pay cut to work for a small Black Arts NonProfit, Six Square. I started as an office manager, and in six months, I was the Operations Manager handling our audits and budgets, and within a year and a half, I was the Program Manager. There, I curated five art exhibits, oversaw two festivals, created an artist residency program for photographers, musicians, and journalists, and helped create a black art walk. I realized that there was one theme behind the music, visual art, events, and festivals: curation. I saw the big picture but could also see all the moving parts and could create a way to make them all come together.
My most well-known project while at Six Square is probably the 12th & Chicon Mural. When the original mural by Chris Rogers was painted over in 2017, I led a protest and then a series of community conversations to engage the East Austin residents and the community on displacement, gentrification, and the importance of public art. I was then appointed to manage the mural project to completion. Upon the completion, I teamed up with some other organizations and threw a big block party on the same weekend of the Black Panther Premiere and covered the costs for small business owners to come out and provide the community with free samples. It was amazing. But more importantly, it was the catalyst of the conversation for the need for Black/Brown art by Black and Brown people. And now, not even three years later, there’s public art commissioned by BIPOC artists throughout the city. I know how important it is for people to see themselves represented. For children to see their faces on the buildings in their neighborhoods. It’s so validating to be a part of a change you want to see in the world and to see it in your lifetime.
Since then (2017), I’ve gone on to work with brands like FUBU, Rap Snacks, and SXSW, artists/producers such as Bangladesh, Lil Mo, Baby Rose, and The Teeta, some political figures, restaurants, and even in the CBD industry.
Those along with some other projects landed me my position with the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department. Since 2020, I’ve served as a Cultural Strategist in the Cultural Arts Division at the African American Cultural and Heritage Facility. In February of this year, I began executive producing a live broadcast, The Pivot, where we discuss relevant community topics and highlight BIPOC creatives and entrepreneurs. We’ve completed 18 episodes to date.
I say that to say it’s finally paying off. All the odd jobs, the skills I thought I’d never use, the good and bad bosses I’ve had, the random people I’ve met once and remember their life story and years later they just so happen to work where I need a contact, it’s all made sense. I was a curious child, always trying things differently or having an alternative perspective. Most times it caused me more harm than good. I appreciate those who saw talent in me and helped me channel it. So while a part of me feels like I started as the little girl who made a point to know everyone in every class, another part feels like I’m just beginning.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not. I’d like to think I’m so resourceful now because there were points in my life when I had no choice but to be. Up until I moved to Austin (at age 11), my parents moved often, I was always the new girl in an unfamiliar place. People didn’t have to get to know me. It seemed that just as soon as I was warming up to people and places, I was being whisked away to someone new. It definitely gave me a chip on my shoulder. One I carried with me for a while.
As far as in college, Baylor was an expensive school. I had friends whose parents were millionaires and my parents’ salaries were less than my annual tuition. While I loved my friends, many of them couldn’t relate to my where I had come from. At times, it alienated me. I probably alienated myself as well. It was one of the first times I truly saw differences in race and class and struggled as I took on more debt to finish.
In my junior year of college, I was sexually assaulted and went to therapy where I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Something I now know I dealt with as far back as a child. Counseling was one of the best things that happened to me. It helped to prepare me for so many things that would happen to me personally and professionally. Especially for a world that was not so ready for an outspoken, big, black girl. I learned to find my voice and communicate so much better.
A couple of years back, I worked with a company that turned out to have unethical practices and knowing the impact it had on the community brought on an onset of depression that I hadn’t dealt with since college. But being able to identify it and work through those emotions allowed me to come out stronger. Nowadays, It makes it easier to understand why a client is being difficult, to identify toxic patterns and people, accountability in myself, and overall self-awareness and reflection. I still deal with imposter syndrome daily, but being able to identify and acknowledge those counterproductive thoughts is a game-changer.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m known for:
The 12th & Chicon Mural Project with Chris Rogers (Muralist) (2018)
Bringing artists Tobe Nwigwe to Huston-Tillotson for a free concert and Grammy-nominated Baby Rose to Austin for a summer music series I curated in 2018
SXSW Panelist
2020 WHERE IS HERE Exhibit – CoCurated with Phillip Niemeyer
Exhibit that showcased photos of 100 people aged 0-100 who lived, worked, or frequented East Austin (exhibit went international and some photos were selected by the National Portrait Gallery of London)
Bangladesh (5x Grammy producer) Served as his Publicist
FUBU reentry into American Market (2020)
The Teeta “24” Exhibit
As far as projects I’m most proud of, The Teeta “24” Exhibit was my favorite of this year. Local rapper The Teeta approached me for assistance as he had a music project he wanted to drop but it was December 202o and we were (are) still dealing with COVID-19. As a result, to help get momentum without releasing his full project, I listened to his project and helped turn his lyrics from his album into a visual project. He applied for funding and we were able to turn his album into an immersive exhibit that touched on identity, self-awareness, the pandemic, and cultural erasure. I had a personal goal to show the connection between visual art and music specifically rap music in Austin and demand more respect for the genre. The exhibit was highly successful in getting The Teeta visibility and partnerships for music he had yet to drop. He went on to have his first ACL debut several months after.
I’m most proud of doing it my way. I’m proud that the clients I represent are rarely told “no.” Or sometimes they’re hesitant about an opportunity I know is the right move for them. I’m most proud when I pitch an idea or strategy and I’m able to deliver something that is mutually beneficial to everyone. I truly believe when you come to the table with good intentions, everyone can walk away from it a winner. My mom always told me, “If you don’t have a plan, someone will make you a part of theirs.” So I approach any goal whether for myself or for a client, with a plan.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Absolutely, that no one’s safe. I’ve not worked with one client during this crisis who didn’t have to pivot in one way or another. From fashion to tech, to restaurants even radio…
1) Don’t be afraid of change. Don’t be so married to an idea that you go down with it.
2) Scale at your own pace.
3) Always have a backup plan or another way your product/service can be repurposed.
4) You don’t know what you don’t know. It’s okay to hire a consultant, especially in uncertain times like this. You may be the best self-teacher ever, but sometimes it’s okay to have someone teach you how to fish.
Contact Info:
- Email: keyheirakeys@gmail.com
- Instagram: heir_less
- Facebook: heir keys
- Twitter: HEIR_less
