We recently connected with Kyle Christian and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyle, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I have been a designer in the advertising industry since 2007, and like a lot of graphic artists I always wanted to have my own clothing brand. Being born and raised in Las Vegas and having gone to UNLV, I was always a believer that Vegas could and would become a big time sports city, and thought one day if would be cool to create something centered the around that idea.

I go to a lot of sporting events around town, and always noticed how everything looked the same. The same designs everywhere that was just the logo of the team slapped on the shirt. Nothing with any concept or thought that touched on the city’s history or connection with fans or the community. I always wanted to create a brand that would be unique and different to what you saw everywhere else, but was always busy with my career to devote the time to develop it. Then COVID happened and I was reminded about how quickly things can change, and I didn’t want to go through the rest of my life with the regret of never trying to do something I had always dreamed of.

I spent the next few months concepting and crafting a brand and designs for what that would look like, and how it could connect the past, present, and future of Las Vegas, its sports history, and fans. I launched an online store and made my first sale in the first few days. It was extremely validating that someone outside of my friends and family thought enough to purchase something, and it still means a lot to this day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am born and raised in Las Vegas and graduated from UNLV with a degree in Business Management. I spent the first few years out of school still working my college job as a server at the Four Seasons cause the money was really good and more then I would be making at any entry-level position, not to mention I really didn’t know what I wanted to be or do with my life. I had always enjoyed art as hobby, but didn’t think it would be a career worth pursuing. That changed in 2005. A friend of mine was a graphic designer and it piqued an interest into something I knew I wanted to pursue. I just had no idea how or where to start. My sister was working as a copywriter at a local ad agency so I asked if they were looking for any unpaid interns to do absolutely anything no one else wanted to do.

I interviewed with a portfolio of sketches I would never show anyone now. I said I would answer phones, take out trash, whatever it takes for an opportunity. They must’ve pitied me or saw something because they gave me a job as an intern, paid no less. I would work from 10am to 2pm, answering phones and doing whatever was needed, no matter how trivial. Then I would work my serving job from 4pm to 11pm, then come home and practice Photoshop and whatever I saw going on during the day till about 2am. I repeated this for about 18 months until I was offered a job as Production Artist at about a third of what I was currently making waiting tables. I took the offer and served my last table on New Year’s Eve 2006 and haven’t looked back.

Since then I have been fortunate enough to work along very experienced and talented mentors that have enabled me to evolve and grow as a designer. In 2012 I went to work as an Art Director for the UFC, focusing on events and outreach campaigns. The mix of sports and being a Vegas based yet international company was exactly what I was looking for, and it was a great experience seeing all that goes on at that level. So many different facets from events, to apparel, to branding and everything in between. A lot of hard working and passionate people trying their best to make everything the best it could be.

That is one thing I think people not from Vegas don’t understand. It’s not a glitz and glamour town. It’s a blue collar, hard working, loyal town that has lot more people working side hustles and 5-9pm after work pursuing dreams than the escapism you see in the tv ads.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I wouldn’t say it is unlearning a lesson as it is embracing a new way of approaching things, especially from a marketing perspective. I come from an era where behind the scenes stayed that way. A lot of time was spent presenting processes and ideas in a way that was very polished and professional. Social media has changed a lot of this. Showing the process has become almost more important than the outcome, a “documentation over design” mentality. That is something I am trying to be better at.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part is easily seeing clients happy with the result of your work. That you were able to play a big part in helping them fulfill a dream or just something that positively impacts their business, Creating that type of value makes it all worthwhile, regardless if it was for an expensive national brand or a local nonprofit.

I’ve been fortunate to work with some pretty high-profile clients and projects. But the ones that light my fire the most are the ones that don’t have those same resources but deserve the same effort and results. That is one of my goals for Vegas Varsity, to not just be an apparel store for fans, but a design resource where local athletes can get high-quality, personalized design work so when they move to the next level, whether it be college, pro or otherwise, their brand and designs can grow with them, and they have something they truly own and have more control over.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vegasvarsity.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vegasvarsity/
• Twitter: https://x.com/vegasvarsity

Image Credits

Only original images used.