Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ki Settles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ki, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?
I have always been involved in some form of performing arts whether i was performing in school plays, singing in youth choir or befriending musicians, actors, models ect. I am a natural athlete so sports was my main priority. Bad knees sat me out in my teenage years and that’s when i indulged full on into the entertainment industry. I came up with the name 2Talented while i was in college. I had pitched the idea to my best friend at the time and she was all for it. We had the name but never followed through with the original idea we had which was to connect creatives. Fast forward years later i was given a camera and kept 2Talented as the name. I’ve been filming ever since.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I go by Ki2Talented & I’m from Queens, NY. I’ve always had friends who were in the entertainment industry whether they were child actors, or aspiring producers/artists. So i would just hang around them and help them out with whatever they needed. I learned a lot and built lots of relationships. Those relationships became vital to my success as a cinematographer. A friend gave me his canon and told me I had 2 weeks to learn how to shoot and I’ve been shooting ever since. All of thoserelationships i had built over the years helped catapult my career.. I would get booked without ever having to show my portfolio because the people I knew vouched for me. I produce film content which includes interviews, short films, concert recap footage, photoshoots ect. I Love capturing timeless moments and being able to provide a visual memory for people. I pride myself on being genuine & professional. My career is more than just a financial gain I enjoy meeting new people and expanding my network It’s been a lot of ups and downs but this journey has been well worth it & beautiful. I wouldn’t be here without God, Consistency & Faith!
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is to start other businesses, take care of my parents and put my friends in positions to win. The bigger my company grows the more opportunities I can give the people who have supported me ways to become their own bosses or partner with me on new business ventures . I also want to start a non profit so that i can give back to schools and the community. Running my own company has allowed me to be a Blessing to others and I want to continue to be that. “The Highest Human Act is to Inspire”-Nipsey Hussle.
Have you ever had to pivot?
1 of my close friends Producer Sleep Deez once asked me what I wanted to do in the music industry . He wanted to help me push my career only problem was I didn’t know what I wanted to do at the time. Like I was doing assistant work for him but he knew I had potential to do more. I was in the mix in the entertainment industry but I didn’t have a clue what my role really was. I knew a lot of different people and would connect them with other creatives. It wasn’t until I took filming seriously that my life shifted and I built my company 2Talented from there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.2talented.net
- Instagram: @ki2talented
- Twitter: @ki2talented
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/2talented