We recently connected with Keanu Cruz and have shared our conversation below.

Keanu, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How do you think about spending on things like coffee when times are tough?

I think I’m still in the beginning stages of my journey. I feel like there’s so much more for me to learn, experience, and create. However, I look at the expenses of my business and self-care as a lifestyle. If this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, I must invest and pour into it. Self-care, for example, I have to look the part, so it’s important to keep up with that. I include everything in my budget, though I sometimes prioritize what seems to be more important at that time, like things for an upcoming project over my Fenty skin cleanser.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Keanu Cruz, creator of MADHOUSE, or Multimedia Art and Design. It’s a creative direction company I recently started that brings my clients and my own ideas to life. We specialize in taking ideas from the mind to real life through creative photography, elaborate social media content, and innovative graphics and visuals. 

People come to me with their ideas because they trust my opinion and creative insight. Once I realized this and actually began to become confident in my abilities, because I don’t think I took myself seriously for a long time, on top of going through the growing pains of life, I decided to start sharing these creations with the world. I became very passionate about creating things that were “cool” to me. At MADHOUSE, we help clients put the pieces together that bring their ideas to life, whether it be through clothes, promotion of their own brands, photography, etc. We help them find a photographer whose work fits the vibe they’re trying to create, find the location or set that helps set the scene, the clothing, models if need be, and overall just get the ball rolling. Sometimes they may not even have a complete idea, just a concept or thought, which is where we really come in. 

I think what sets me apart is the approach I take in executing these things. I treat my client projects as my own because, in a sense, they are. I also do everything from the heart and treat everyone fairly, or how I would want someone to work with me. Right now, what I’m most proud of is my latest project, which was a collaboration between Lenz Tyme, a South Carolina-based photographer I work closely with, Daniel, a model I’ve met through a fashion show I walked in, and the brand MEZO, who I did walk for in that same show. The pictures in this article are actually unreleased behind-the-scenes pictures from that project.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I’m still building my audience on social media. While I do have a small community already of people who interact with my content regularly, I am still trying to expand my audience to new people. I think with social media you have to be consistent; with things like Tik Tok, the world’s attention span has shortened. If they don’t see you, they’ll be on to the next thing. At the same time, I also think quality is important. A lot of niches are becoming oversaturated, so you have to find what works for you and what you’re good at to stand out. There’s almost a science to it. And you can’t compare yourself to other people and their successes; they don’t post the losses and failures. A break every now and then is always good too.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Through social media. When I’m working with someone, I try to build a genuine relationship with them. I feel like if we’re going to work together, we should have some type of connection or understanding and have an appreciation for one another’s art. So we don’t have to talk all the time, but it takes nothing to show a little love or share or like someone’s post promoting their business. In this day and age, social media can take you very far, and I understand that being how I use it for my own business. And I think that kind of just keeps you in their orbit. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @_keanucruz @madhxmedia
• Youtube: @_keanucruz

Image Credits

@lenz.tyme – TyQuez Jackson