KB
I’ve known KB for her whole life, and for most of mine.
It’s time you got to know her, too.
alright, someone comes up and asks you what you do. what do you tell them?
I own my own photography company, based primarily in NYC and the surrounding areas (CT, Hamptons, NJ, etc). I am also Chief Operating Officer of Double A Management, a full-service event management and creative consultation company based out of Miami and Atlanta.
things are probably insane right now. but tell me about what you're up to.
I’m currently living in NYC and working my becoming a certified personal trainer while also gearing up for the year ahead both with event management across the country and photography!
How long have you been taking photos? What got you into it?
I've been doing photography for over a decade now, which is a little wild! I bought my first camera before camera phones were decent—when I went to LA for the first time at 18 years old. I wanted to be able to document my time in LA and my hunt for an agent, as well as just continue to tell stories through a different lens. I started acting when I was younger and have always loved telling stories, so it was appropriate that my hunt for an acting agent brought me to photography!
what keeps you doing it?
What a good question. I love it because my clients are amazing and no shoot is the same. I get invited into the most precious moments of people's lives from surprise proposals to weddings to capturing the first smile of their newborn baby! It's hard not to love what I do, knowing that I make such a difference in the lives of my clients - and they make such a difference in mine! It's been really cool to have a client turn into a friend who continually invites me back to capture their growing family or new branding shots or their next fabulous Linked In headshot.
tell me about how Double A Management came about.
Double A Management was formed in July of 2013 - about a month before I met the founder and President. Del Ro (as he is known in the industry) noticed a trend on our college campus: all of the people who were brought to speak, DJ, put on events, etc., looked a lot more like me than our friends and the people who live in Atlanta. Del Ro and I actually met at a college party and instantly clicked, laughing about the wack DJ. The rest was sort of history.
I started off as his assistant and we dug in and filled the diversity void that was painfully evident on campus. We threw parties and festivals and booked talent at our own university as well as other campuses across Atlanta. Now, 12 years later, I am the Chief Operating Officer and we have an incredible team of 9 people and produce events all across the country, into Canada, and we expanded into Ghana at the top of this year. Absolutely wild.
what inspires you about producing events?
There is never a dull day, which I absolutely love. It takes all aspects of my creativity, organizational skills, people skills, stress management practices, and leadership to produce incredible events. I love how even if an event is copy and paste, the people, vendors, venues, and experience can be totally different. I love the challenge of figuring out where the pain points are in existing events and helping our clients truly just sit back, relax, and enjoy their event while my team and I handle everything from talent booking to venue coordination to running the show to handling the content team (and even being able to photograph a lot of the events myself!). Event production brings together all of the things I am passionate about into one field.
Also, my team is absolutely incredible. Del Ro and I are very picky when it comes to creating our chosen DAM family and so every time we get together whether it's 3 of us or all 9 of us, the energy is captivating, the laughter abounds, and the work continues to be fun. I couldn't ask for more incredible people to surround myself with.
what is something that you've been involved in that you're most proud of?
I think one of my all-time favorite events is the Boston Art and Music Soul Festival (BAMS Fest) that takes place in Boston every year. We were able to help grow the festival from 8k to 15k people, book a lineup full of headliners like D Smoke, Xxavier Omar, Rapsody, and BJ The Chicago Kid, to local talent including dancers and "Kidchella" performers, and helped get systems in place to create year-round programming. It was truly an honor to watch the festival grow and know that we helped create such an impact in the greater Boston area.
what have you found is the value of making connections in your industries? do you have any tips?
Talk to everyone. Seriously.
Whether you're sitting next to them on an airplane or waiting in line at the hair salon or wherever life takes you, everyone has a story to tell and likely something that you can help them with. Maybe you can help them create an event, or their sister is 7 months pregnant and is looking for a newborn photographer. Word of mouth will be your best marketing tool.
Never be ashamed to advocate for yourself. Sometimes things will work out beautifully and you may gain a new client or maybe you were just able to fill some time and make a new connection for something down the line. You never know what may come from just striking up a conversation. One time I got a client while I was waiting to get passport photos taken at a Staples just because I made a grumpy kid smile.
Another tip is to know your worth. Don't sell yourself short and don't allow others to talk you down or out of what you know your true value is. A lot of people will want discounts (I mean, who doesn't love a good sale??), but never give people more than it's worth to you. Exposure doesn't pay bills.
KB can be found anywhere from Miami to Maine, so odds are you can find her where you are.
Wherever you do, she’ll definitely make you smile.
