We recently connected with Keaidy Bennett and have shared our conversation below.

Keaidy, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

“There isn’t a market for that kind of character,” the uniformed agent declared proudly. “You’re going to have to choose. Is she black, or is she Spanish?”

Tamia Santiago, the protagonist in my urban fiction series Charge it to the Game, was a character I developed to help me explore my raw emotions about growing up Afro-Latina. My parents had worked hard to send us to a school that was amongst the top 20 in the nation and put us in a great neighborhood. Despite my privileged upbringing, I still struggled to define how I fit into this world.

For most of my life, I’ve been too much for one group and not enough for the other. My beautiful black skin meant that I stood out in a school that was almost 97% white. To complicate my position even more, I was the first-born daughter in a Latin household. Because my parents worked hard to bring us from Honduras to experience a life they never had, my experience in America seemed different from everyone else’s. I was the black girl who couldn’t relate to the other black girls, but because I didn’t speak Spanish, I couldn’t blend in with the Latin crowd either.

Tired of being an outcast, I created Tamia, also known as Tee or Tammy, to share my story as a confused Afro-Latina trying to find her place. After years of avoiding writing my first manuscript, I finally completed over 60,000 words, and I was determined to get a publisher to publish it for me. For almost twelve months, I experienced silence or rejection from those who I submitted that first manuscript to. That’s why I was low-key disgusted with myself for contemplating that man’s offer of changing my main character to fit their target audience.

Despite my desperation to be published, I asked him if I could take some time to think the offer through. Before my timeline expired, he called me back and offered more money towards my advancement. For a brief moment, I was excited at the idea that maybe he had changed his mind, but he didn’t. For some reason, his desire to give me more money for my story gave me the push I needed to figure it out myself. Sure, there might not have been a market for it, but I was determined to find my people. That’s when LexxiKhan Presents Publishing was created. Thanks to the success I achieved for myself and others, that small business I created now employs others and has grown into an important branch of LKP Media Group.

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?

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been tasked with helping others share their dreams, stories, and visions. As a child, I wrote letters for my parents, and I joined the writing staff at school because of my unique ability to put words together. Before I left elementary school, I had already had experience with ghostwriting and had won several awards for the stories I would tell.

As an adult who is making my eight-year-old self proud, I am most excited about doing what I love. My gifts and talents empower others to share their stories, and the business that I created gives them the space to develop their brand, author voice, and story so they can use it all to their benefit.

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

Growing up, I stopped wanting to tell others about my dream of wanting to be a book creator ( I wasn’t advanced enough to know all of the fancy titles yet) because I had heard so many times that there was no money in writing. As a best-selling author, I’m living proof that the limiting belief behind that statement is simply not true.

Any seeds that you passionately provide your time and energy to will reap a harvest when the season is right. (I feel it would be irresponsible to forget to add that you should first clearly write out your vision so that people around you can get in where they fit in.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Last year, after I had finally gotten comfortable with calling myself the President of a publishing company, I started having people reach out asking me to be their publicist. In fact, when I spoke at a graduation, they had me listed as a publicist and author in the program! At first, I was embarrassed. Then, for a moment, my pride kicked in. “How could they have made such a big mistake,” was probably one of my first thoughts after I saw it.

Looking back now, it took me a long time to see what others saw in me. As much as I wanted to maintain the title that I was comfortable with. I had to realize that it would be silly to not use my story telling abilities to another level. I had already been ghostwriting for professional athletes, fortune 500 companies, and visionaries trying to organize their authentic stories so they can share it with the world. Now, I was just changing the medium on how the information was given.

That decision expanded my business and allowed me to bring my amazing team together to expand our reach and influence. Our new President, Melinda Nazario-Rodriguez, is an ELA teacher in Orlando, FL. Her experience and background seriously makes her way more qualified than I am to move this ship forward on its journey. Publishing books is a lot of work, and I know she will do it with a level of excellence that will encourage myself and others. Calvin Ockletree, a respected poet and author, took over our sports division. Because we are fortunate to work with some of the world’s most elite athletes, I wanted to put someone more equipped to talk the talk and walk the walk. As a veteran and visionary, Mr. Ockletree is able to see projects through with a level of precision that I could only dream to reach one day. Amanda Gardner, the connection queen and the artist behind our extensive portfolio makes her the perfect person to head the media department. Between the production of our pilot episode of Charge it to the Game, and the clients that trust us to develop and share their memorable moments and vision, Amanda’s ability to connect with team members allows us to have a level of efficiency and in shows through to our client experience.

This pivot in business has allowed me the freedom to go back to what I love. I get to tell stories in the capacity that best serves the client. Each day, I get to work with a client in each one of our departments and help them find the best way to tell their story and share it with others. This allowed me to create a company where I genuinely like, value, and respect the ‘bosses’ that I have to report to now.

Contact Info:

• Website: lkpmediagroup.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/mediamami8
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/keaidy
• Other: https://lexxikhanpresents.com https://thebooktrap.com

Image Credits
Amanda Gardner | Lkpmedia.com Brittani Mello | instagram.com/thatgirlbhon