Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cole Keeton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cole, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

Eighteen years ago, I embarked on a journey in the advertising industry, honing my skills and building my expertise through countless firms and studios. However, my passion for innovation and creativity led me to Silicon Valley, where I landed a job at a cloud security start-up called Lacework. I was brought in to help run and steer their new brand after setting world records in Series D funding in the tech world. Excited by the prospect of working in such a dynamic and fast-paced environment, I dove headfirst into the tech industry, eager to make an impact.

But the tech industry can be unpredictable, and in 2022, I found myself caught in the wave of layoffs that swept through Silicon Valley. It was a devastating blow, made all the worse by the fact that I was on a photo shoot when I received the news. To make matters even more challenging, I contracted COVID-19 on my way back home and was sick for 12 long days.

Despite these setbacks, and through y fever dream that was my covid experience- I reached out to my mentors and discussed what my next move should be. After careful consideration, I decided to team up with my wife Jencey, and my partner Alan Lockwood to start our own design studio. wvvy. We had all worked together before on our other project Sweet Tooth Hotel, and we knew that we had the skills and experience to make our new venture a success.

We set out to create a design studio that would bring our unique vision of bringing experiential worlds and immersive exhibits to life for other brands. We poured our hearts and souls into the project, working tirelessly to build a company that would stand out in the industry. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but we’ve learned a lot along the way, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of our studio’s founding this May, I can’t help but reflect on everything that’s happened. Starting our own business was a risk, but it was a risk worth taking. We’ve created something that’s truly our own, something that reflects our values and our passion for design. And we’re just getting started. The future is bright, and we’re excited to see where this journey takes us next.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After attending the Art Institute for my BFA, I landed my first internship at The Richards Group. For the next 17 years, I put my creative skills to the test in the advertising industry, working on ad campaigns and commercials and even designing experiential spaces. It was a challenging and rewarding career that allowed me to hone my skills and work with some of the biggest brands in the world. But after nearly two decades in the industry, In 2022, I founded wvvy, it’s been an exhilarating journey so far, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for this new venture.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Oh man, what a super long story haha. The gist of the story is this – I met my business partner AND wife, Jencey (Hirunrusme)Keeton, in the Dallas music scene after a bad breakup and a motorcycle accident, it was a difficult period in my life. We hit it off immediately and connected over our shared love of art and creativity. Together, we have started several businesses, but it wasn’t until we founded Sweet Tooth Hotel that we knew we had found our calling to work together. Our combined strengths and different skill sets complemented each other perfectly, and we were passionate about creating immersive experiences. It was a labor of love, and the success of the venture was a testament to our incredible partnership.

We also collaborated on a music project as well. Although we haven’t dove back into that since everything was shut down during the pandemic. That band sounds like this – https://open.spotify.com/track/1DZ9rNjfA98RtvSnEq9Oqy?si=5cd17dd3926146f0

If you really want the details check out a full article on our romance is here – https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/2012/08/17/true-romance-it-was-a-rough-road-until-he-met-the-woman-for-him/

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wvvystudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colekeeton/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-keeton/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKbwHBsZGCEMlXp5r4GYwkg

Image Credits
Photo by Larry Gayao