We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel Warren a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Daniel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Whenever I think of how GrandRYZE Productions came to life, I don’t just think of a business plan or a marketing strategy—I think of a calling. A spiritual alignment that started long before I ever held a camera.

My roots are in Hip Hop. Not just the music, but the movement. I performed under the name One Kahleo — a name that meant something. It wasn’t just a stage name; it was a declaration. Kahleo stood for purpose, expression, and elevation. In my songs, I wasn’t chasing trends. I was trying to shift minds. I would say things like “RYZE with me” not as a slogan, but as a spiritual request. Because to me, art was always sacred. It was a form of survival. Of resurrection. Of protest. Of prophecy. I was using lyrics and visuals to speak life into invisible people.

But as I evolved, I realized something: there were so many voices, ideas, and movements that deserved to be seen, heard, and immortalized, but they weren’t. People had powerful stories but lacked the platform or the tools to tell them right. That’s where the seed of GrandRYZE was planted.

I built GrandRYZE Productions as a creative sanctuary for underrepresented visions. It wasn’t just about video production. It was about giving people, especially small businesses, visionaries, non-profits, and community disruptors, the cinematic weight they deserved. Because let’s be honest: the world only pays attention when your message looks good, sounds good, and hits different. I wanted to be the one who made that happen for the people who are usually overlooked.

The name GrandRYZE itself means something more profound. “RYZE” stands for Reach Your Zone Everyday. Zones are those sacred places inside us: dreams, ambitions, visions. Some days, we sprint toward them. Other days, we crawl. But every day, if you breathe, you can rise. To me, that’s divine.

I knew this would work—not because I had all the answers, but because I knew the pain. I had lived the frustration of being talented but invisible, of having a powerful message but no media engine to carry it. I wasn’t just solving a marketing problem. I was healing a visible wound. I was giving depth, beauty, and voice to stories that matter.

What made this whole thing different was the why. Most build production companies to chase corporate clients, flash gear, or make trendy content. I built mine to tell the truth—raw, beautiful, uncomfortable, liberating truth. That excites me whenever I pick up a camera or write a storyboard. It’s not the lens—it’s the legacy.

GrandRYZE isn’t about me anymore. It’s a platform. A village. A vision. It’s the echo of every artist, every child, every business owner who ever thought, “Will the world ever see me?” And my answer, through GrandRYZE, is yes, boldly, and beautifully.

Because rising isn’t optional, it’s our birthright.

Daniel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Daniel Warren, but I go by One Kahleo in the creative world. I’m a father, youth advocate, Hip-Hop artist, and the founder of GrandRYZE Productions, a content creation and video production company based in Seattle that exists for one core reason: to help influential people tell powerful stories.

I didn’t come into this industry the conventional way. I didn’t go to film school. I didn’t intern at an agency. I lived it. From writing lyrics and recording music in make-shift studios to organizing community events and mentoring youth, I’ve always used media as a weapon for truth, healing, and impact. I’ve stood in classrooms and jail cells, boardrooms and broken neighborhoods. What connected all those spaces? Storytelling.

Eventually, I realized that too many people have brilliance but no visibility, vision but no platform. That’s when GrandRYZE was born, not just as a business but as a movement.

What We Do at GrandRYZE Productions:
We specialize in cinematic storytelling through:

High-quality video production

Branded content and commercial campaigns

Social media strategy & creative direction

Documentary-style pieces from nonprofits, public agencies, and purpose-driven businesses

Educational & grant-funded content

Retainer-based partnerships for ongoing content

Whether helping a small business craft its first campaign or supporting a grassroots nonprofit in telling the story of its impact, we always bring Hollywood-quality production to real people with real missions.

We don’t just shoot “videos.” We build visual legacies.

Problems We Solve:
Do you have a message but no idea how to turn it into content? We got you.

You’re trying to stand out online, but your visuals look dated? We upgrade your brand’s look and feel.

Do you need help building a content plan that results, not just likes? We can help you create content that converts.

You’ve got heart, vision, and impact—but the world isn’t seeing you? We make them see you. Loud and clear.

What Sets Us Apart:
We give a damn. This isn’t churn-and-burn video work. This is strategy + storytelling + soul. Most agencies press record. We ask why, who, and how—and then build something unforgettable around your answers.

Also, we’re not just “creatives.” We’re strategists, advisors, and partners. Most clients stay with us long-term because we’re embedded in their mission, not just showing up for a check.

What I’m Most Proud Of:
I’m proud of what this company represents. We’ve told stories for frontline workers, youth organizations, medical pioneers, activists, and everyday entrepreneurs building legacies without the spotlight. We’ve helped people believe in themselves again by seeing their stories professionally, powerfully, and unapologetically on screen.

I’m also proud of the fact that this company employs my children. I’ve created legal roles and payroll structures to give them early experience and ownership. That’s wealth-building. That’s legacy. That’s the real RYZE.

What I Want People to Know About Me and GrandRYZE:
We don’t follow formulas. We follow a purpose. If you work with us, expect to be challenged, elevated, and seen. This isn’t just content. It’s cultural imprint. It’s generational branding. Whether you’re a small business owner or a million-dollar nonprofit, if your mission is real, we’re with you.

At GrandRYZE, we don’t just create.

We build. We teach. We empower—we RYZE.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was this:
That without a college degree, I’d always be less than.
Less respected. Less capable. Less valuable. Less seen.

Growing up Black in America, many of us were told that education was our only ticket out, not education in the holistic sense, but a particular kind. Cap, gown, debt, diploma. That was the blueprint we were handed.

And I get it—our parents wanted us to survive. They wanted us to have a shot. But what they didn’t realize is that they were unintentionally feeding us the idea that our worth had to be validated by white institutions. To “make it,” we had to move like them, talk like them, and be approved by them. It was as if we didn’t go to college, we’d be stuck sweeping floors somewhere. Not because we weren’t smart, but because the system told us that our natural genius didn’t count unless it came with credentials.

I had to unlearn that lie.

I didn’t take the traditional college route. I was too busy learning from life. From street corners, barbershops, community work, Hip Hop cyphers, and hands-on creative grind. I was studying psychology through people. Studying business by building my own. Studying sociology by living in systems that wanted me to fail. That’s a Ph.D. in survival and self-determination.

And the craziest part? I started building a business that put me in rooms with those degree-holders. Clients, consultants, agencies, all with long titles and shiny résumés. But guess who they called when they needed impact? When they needed a strategy that actually worked in the real world? When they needed content that didn’t just look good, but felt good?

They called me.

University of Washington, The CDC Foundation, and Morehouse School of Medicine. All have become our client-partners. That’s when I realized something deeper: degrees don’t define destiny. Your voice does. Your vision does. Your ability to learn, unlearn, adapt, and serve—that’s the real currency.

I’m not knocking college. If that’s your path, walk it with pride. But for Black folks, especially young ones, I want them to know: you’re not broken because you didn’t go that route. You can build empires without it. You can change lives with wisdom, discipline, and a relentless work ethic.

We don’t need permission to be great.

We are the degree.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I remember this moment like it was yesterday.

I had just finished working a long shift. Bills were behind, and the kids needed things. I was building GrandRYZE from scratch; there were no investors, no fancy office, just vision and hustle. I was tired and burnt, but I was still moving. I was talking to someone I respected at the time, and I told them I was going all-in on my business and that I believed in what I was building.

And they looked me dead in the face and said:

“Running a business isn’t easy. If I were you, I’d play it safe.
Get a job at a company, stick it out for 20 years. Retire.
Call it a day, bro. Ain’t nothing wrong with stability.”

I’ll never forget that.

It wasn’t said to hurt me, it was said to protect me. But what they didn’t know is that safety was never my goal. Purpose was.

See, what people don’t realize is that for folks like me, building a business isn’t some luxury dream, it’s life or death. I didn’t want to survive; I wanted to break the cycle. I didn’t want to collect paychecks; I tried to build payroll for others. I didn’t want to wait 20 years for a plaque—I wanted to create a legacy now, while my kids were watching.

That moment lit something in me.

Because I realized: playing it safe ain’t safe for everybody. Especially not for Black men with vision, a past, a voice, and a tribe to feed. I needed to bet on myself. Not because it was easy, but because it was necessary.

And yeah, it’s been hard. There were months when I had to stretch dollars like rubber bands. Times when I questioned everything. But I kept showing up. Kept learning. Kept creating. Kept refining my craft until GrandRYZE became something real! Something respected.

That’s resilience. Not because I had all the answers, but because I refused to accept someone else’s limits as my ceiling.

I didn’t take the easy road.
I took the one I carved myself.

And I’m still walking it; head high, shoulders square, camera in hand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.grandryze.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandryzeproductions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrandRYZE/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grandryzeproductions/
• Twitter: https://x.com/grandryze
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@grandryzeproductions

Image Credits

All images were crafted and provided to you by GrandRYZE Productions.