We recently connected with Kevin Shird and have shared our conversation below.
Kevin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Content creation is something that is very close to my heart. I believe that we all have a story. I also believe that we all have a story that is worthy and should be respected. Minorities and communities of Color have always had a difficult time sharing our authentic stories with the rest of the world without them being altered in some way, shape or form. I want to help break down those barriers and end the practice of our stories being marginalized.
Kevin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Kevin is an accomplished author, advocate, and community leader based in Baltimore. He has written books such as “Lessons of Redemption,” “The Colored Waiting Room” and “Uprising in the City” and is known for his advocacy work in criminal justice reform and youth empowerment, drawing from his own experiences with the criminal justice system. Kevin’s commitment to education is evident as he imparts his wisdom to students at colleges and universities throughout the US. His lectures cover a range of essential topics, including public health policy and mass incarceration. During the Obama Administration, Kevin Shird was called upon to collaborate with the White House and President Obama’s Clemency Project, showcasing his expertise in the fields of drug policy and criminal justice reform. In 2018, Kevin achieved a significant milestone by becoming an Associate at the Center for Medical Humanities and Social Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. In this capacity, he co-teaches a class titled ‘Life and Death in Charm City: Histories of Public Health in Baltimore, 1750 to the present,’ demonstrating his unwavering commitment to advancing knowledge and understanding in the realm of public health. Kevin’s life journey is a testament to personal growth and transformation, and his dedication to fostering positive change in society is a wellspring of inspiration for many. In 2019 he founded Shird Productions, a production company that develops and produces exceptional content for film and television. Today, he’s a professor at Coppin State University and he is planning to release his fourth book on mental health as it relates to violence.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I built my audience with my own personal story of overcoming the odds and having a strong work ethic. People can see through the smokescreen when people aren’t being genuine because authenticity always wins the day, even on social media.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Before I started writing books and screenplays, I ran a small nonprofit organization with a great mission of helping people and I was inspired. In my free time I worked on writing my first memoir. During this time, the cofounder of the nonprofit was not 100% committed to the mission and I had to make a decision; do I continue working with someone who is not truly engaged in the work, or should I go out on my own and become an author? Four books later and ten screenplays later, I realize that becoming a content creator was the best decision I could have ever made.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kevin_shird
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevinA.Shird/?locale=zh_CN&paipv=0&eav=AfYkX3HmLiqGMVEUzNQGudLnNrMvMKObtxzIh7j6u9fqk74CigwCLhJigC-cqi_Bn3s&_rdr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-shird-6b76455a/
- Twitter: @kevin_shird
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksmo6zaDtgE
- Other: https://muckrack.com/kevin-shird
Image Credits
Kevin Shird