Interview: Kylie Keene 'The Boy Band Super Girl' Part Two
In case you missed Part One, check it out here...
I first got to know Kylie when she was the Spokester for Young & Free Maine. For one year, Kylie would blog daily, create weekly videos, manage & use social media and attend various events to raise awareness for Maine's Credit Unions.
I wanted to catch up with Kylie because of her amazing summer working with one of the most popular bands in the world and her start up of new ventures.
Hear what Kylie has to say in this second part of a two part series:
The most useful book you’ve read that has helped you so far?
I’m going to bend the rules again and say while I love personal development books and I consume a fair amount of non-fiction and fiction alike, the most useful resource that’s helped me so far isn’t in written form. I’m newly obsessed with podcasts. I thought for sure that medium had died along with the first generation iPod, but man, was I mistaken. I’m on the road quite a bit, so I make the most of my “windshield time” by listening to business podcasts. My personal favorite is Entrepreneur On Fire. Its creator is a fellow Mainer and he interviews the world’s leading entrepreneurs 365 days a year about their business successes and failures. It’s inspiring and really wakes up my mind to new ideas.
Who has been the most impactful person in your start-up so far?
Several people have played a role in helping me get my business off the ground. My boyfriend, Michael, helped me do so much of the initial research and even gathered paperwork and forms for me on his lunch hour to keep me focused. My pal and former co-worker, Austin Chapman, has been a great resource for bouncing ideas back and forth. And would I be sucking up too much if I said you, Matthew Hawkins, have played a big role in the foundations of my business? You never ignore my Facebook messages, no matter how obnoxious the questions get or how frequently I ask for gear recommendations.
Where do you plan to be in the next 2 years? / What area of production/marketing do you want to focus on?
My ultimate goal is to get back into the music space and work with artists to create unique videos to promote their work. I want to help artists brand themselves as professionals and book gigs that will lead to new opportunities. I’d love to produce artist profiles, concert and tour promos, and announcement videos that will help artists connect with their fan base and promote their music.
How do you plan on getting there?
In the next six months, I hope to work with two local artists as “strategic frees”. That is, give away two freebie videos to artists that will help promote my services in return. I need to get a few music clients in my portfolio so I can establish myself in that space. Next, it’ll take some rebranding to position myself as a musician focused marketer from a business/corporate digital media specialist, so I’ll work on a new website, probably a new business name, and attend some industry events to network the heck out of the local music scene. I imagine once I get established here, I’ll outgrow the market of local acts quickly and have to set my sights on something bigger (and warmer), for example, Southern California.
High and low point of this interview?
The low point was getting up from my chair three different times for snacks. The high point was realizing I had half a chocolate bar in my desk, so I didn’t have to get up a fourth time for more food.
How can people connect with you?
Follow me on Twitter @kylieakeene for equal amounts of industry chatter, ALL CAPS FANGIRL POSTS, and the occasional award show live tweet session.