We were lucky to catch up with Jess Rogers recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jess, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I am an event producer in Kansas City and I amd very lucky in the sense that I get to work on meaningful projects almost every day in my professional role. These projects are not only meaningful to me but also to my entire city which bring a whole new level of appreciation and gratitude. Some of the projects I am referring to are things such as The Chiefs Kingdom Celebration Parades, The Boulevardia Festival, Kansas City Irish festival and countless other city events. To witness the entire city come together to celebrate and have fun is the best feeling in the world!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Like most creatives I haven’t had a straight path in my career, it has taken many unexpected twists and turns. My path started with leaving South Florida to attend college where I studied Textile Design at the Savannah College of Art & Design, Unfortunately the year I graduated art school with alot of debt and big dreams a major financial crisis struck our country and there were no art jobs. Shortly after graduation I lost my mother very unexpectedly and it shook my world. I tried moving to Brooklyn like many of my peers were doing at the time and it was not for me, especialy in my state of grief. I found myself landing in Kansas City with the intention of taking time to heal and spend time with some close friends. And now its 14yrs later and I have built an entire life here.
When I came to KC it was not easy, I only knew one person and felt pretty lost. But I quickly got involved with the amazing art community and began to make friends and build a support system for myself. Through this community I not only found lifelong friends but also opportunity. I noticed there was a need for creatives to sell their handmade wares, like myself, so in 2010 I started the Gypsy Market Royale in the WestBottoms. Simultaneously I opened KC’s first mobile business, The CartWheel Bus, a roaming retail and art space. I quickly gained recognition for my community building and creative skills and began to get hired by local businesses to plan and organize their creative events, thus accidentilly falling into event planning.
For 10years I continued to run my CartWheel Bus, have an active artist career, served as the Asistant Director at an arts non profit and continued to pickup contract gigs in event planning until coming on full time with O’Neill Events and Marketing where I have been able to merge my artistc background, love for community and admin skills.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
BOOKS: The Fire Starter Sessions
Herding Tigers
Untamed
Anything by Brene Brown
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The singular goal driving me has always been to live an exciting and fulfilling life. You must work hard, be true to yourself and never give up on the goal.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: studio_jessicarogers