We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kenny Routt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kenny below.

Alright, Kenny thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

Focus on your work first, and the support from friends and family will come naturally.
Your mom and your best friend are NOT your clients… So don’t put too much mental stock into their support.

Ask yourself, what does “support from family/friends” even mean in relation to your business? A Share on instagram? You’ll be ok if they don’t share your posts. Makes more sense to seek the support from industry peers and your clients. This support will come as you ship work, and build a reputation of reliability and quality.

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 art school I moved to New York, determined to be an Illustrator there for the rest of my days… Some unexpected shakeups lead me to Los Angeles a year later. There is significantly less illustration work in LA, so I had to learn new skills. I dabbled in graphic design, retouching, gallery work, editing, apparel, really anything to get work and build up my portfolio. I eventually got my foot in the door at Logan as a freelance retoucher, and when I was there the Creative Director Alexei Tylevich had me pivot to other illustration and design related jobs within the studio. Putting this on my resume helped me get freelance work at other studios like Laundry and Imagination at Play, where I would continue to build my skills and create work that shipped. One gig lead to another, then all of a sudden I had a number of studios on my resume. It’s worth noting that all of these clients became return clients. A few years after my first contract with Logan they came back to hire me for contributions to Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), and Empire V. These were my first movies!
I eventually ended up in the ad/agency space working as a Designer, then Art Director for five years. Since then my work has been published in print, tv, movies, out-of-home ads, social, and 360 campaigns for so many major brands, networks, and clients in the entertainment space.

This brings us to where we are now, taking the technical skills and leadership skills I have acquired in my journey and using them in my own practice,
Routt Agency: A visual-first design and art boutique based in Sarasota, FL, with clients all around the globe.

I worked independently for a long time, but my goal now is to take on larger scale projects like full rebrands or art/graphics packages where I can hire a team through Routt Agency.

Some notable recent works: Illustration work for Teddy Fresh and Erick the Architect, graphics for McDonald’s Change of Fashion campaign (with Burrell Communications), the rebrand of SVEDKA Vodka (with Cashmere Agency / .monks).

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Step 1:
It starts with a client taking a chance and hiring you for the first time. It’s important to expertly communicate, define and adhere to the agreed scope, and deliver on time and on budget.

Step 2:
Be polite and professional. Pay attention to shakeups in the industry and where your connections go in their journeys. Check-in with previous and prospective clients, but DON’T be a pest. Ask for referrals! Lastly, be willing to try new things, and know when to say YES and when to say NO.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

Hate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.routtagency.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/routtagency
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/routt-agency/
• Other: https://instagram.com/kennyroutt

Image Credits

Rico DeTorres, Tre Godfella, Forenzik Styles, Swerv The Hooligan, Sidney., Kenny Routt, iiiMPERiAL,