Kenya Russell joins 'Forbes Talks' to discuss Sensory Studios mission, the importance of non-profit creative programming for children, and reaching marginalized communities.
0:00 Introduction
0:57 Outreach Of Sensory Studios
1:56 More Options In Creative Careers For Young People
2:59 How Can Young People Pursue Creative Entrepreneurship?
4:37 Russell's Goal To Purposely Target Marginalized Communities
0:00 Introduction
0:57 Outreach Of Sensory Studios
1:56 More Options In Creative Careers For Young People
2:59 How Can Young People Pursue Creative Entrepreneurship?
4:37 Russell's Goal To Purposely Target Marginalized Communities
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hi everyone, I'm Rose Marie Miller
00:05 and we are backstage at the Forbes BLK Summit
00:08 and I have the pleasure of speaking with Kenya Russell,
00:11 the founder and CEO of Sensory Studios.
00:14 Thank you so much for joining me today, Kenya.
00:15 - Thank you so much for having me.
00:17 - Absolutely.
00:18 So Kenya, could you tell me a little bit about your company?
00:21 - Sensory Studios is a creative production company
00:24 that specializes in building community through the arts.
00:27 So we build everything from set installations
00:30 to experiential brand activation
00:32 and we also facilitate programming.
00:34 So that's another vertical that we have,
00:36 just a community outreach initiative
00:37 called Inner Vision Academy.
00:39 And what we do at Inner Vision Academy
00:41 is we really focus on going into communities
00:44 that are marginalized, traditionally underserved
00:47 and equipping young people with the skills that they need
00:50 to transition themselves into either a higher education,
00:54 pursuing the arts or some type
00:56 of creative entrepreneurship role.
00:58 So right now we're piloting our program
01:00 for the first time ever in Los Angeles
01:03 and we are planning to, we're currently in a middle school
01:07 but also two juvenile correction facilities
01:10 and we're going in and we're teaching visual arts,
01:12 skill development, emotional intelligence,
01:14 utilizing art therapy.
01:16 So we're allowing this to help them,
01:18 one, create a portfolio of work
01:21 that would allow them access
01:22 if they were to pursue art school
01:24 but we're also teaching them how to use their skillset
01:27 to build foundations for themselves,
01:29 especially with the anti-recidivism
01:31 within the juvenile correction.
01:33 - Kenya, how did you even come up
01:35 with this idea for this company?
01:37 - Actually I was inspired by one of my mentees.
01:40 One of my mentees, he's really dear to me,
01:41 a 13 year old prodigy artist
01:44 and he was challenged by having access
01:48 to art spaces and equipment and studios
01:51 and we all know how much of a burden that is
01:53 for creatives, especially creatives of color
01:56 and so trying to really just create and plant those seeds
02:00 with young people, he's 13,
02:02 so I wanted naturally to pursue this
02:04 with a younger group of children
02:06 that are really coming into their individuality,
02:09 figuring out what their hobbies are gonna be,
02:11 how they're gonna utilize their skillsets
02:13 and present them with an alternative
02:15 to what they're being currently presented
02:16 through the culture and the mainstream media.
02:19 - So what was the process like
02:21 of having your company implemented
02:23 into a middle school, into two,
02:26 did you tell me, juvenile centers?
02:28 - Yes. - Yeah.
02:28 What was that process like?
02:29 - It's actually, it was actually really fast.
02:32 So I work with two different organizations,
02:35 they're non-profit, Pulse Arts
02:38 and the Center for the Empowerment of Families.
02:40 So we partner with them to go into these facilities
02:42 and these spaces and to create,
02:45 I created a curriculum, so this curriculum
02:47 allows for the entire program to have initiatives
02:50 where we're working with other living artists
02:52 as teachers and teaching them even
02:54 how to utilize teaching as a way to monetize
02:57 and build a foundation for their art practice.
02:59 So we're targeting multiple different audiences here
03:02 but in different ways and hopefully building community
03:05 and inspiring at least one student is my goal,
03:08 to inspire someone to pursue creative entrepreneurship.
03:10 - You know, that's really beautiful what you do.
03:12 - Thank you so much. - Sure.
03:14 - Yeah, did you always know
03:16 that you wanted to be an entrepreneur
03:18 or did you have other plans initially?
03:20 - Yes, I definitely knew I always wanted
03:22 to be an entrepreneur.
03:23 I started my first company in 2019
03:25 after I graduated college.
03:27 It is Southern Made Creatives,
03:29 it's a platform that built,
03:30 I'm originally from Birmingham, Alabama.
03:33 So I went to the University of Alabama
03:35 and I was a studio art public relations double major.
03:38 So when I graduated, I found out through the hard way
03:41 that there were no communities that were really targeting
03:44 creatives of color and so I built one
03:46 and I tried to build it in a way that would be something
03:49 that I actually wanted to be a part of.
03:51 And so with this, we built our program, our platform
03:54 and we started producing art shows, concerts
03:57 and we created a space for black creatives
03:59 to come and exemplify their small business and their art
04:02 and to connect with each other.
04:04 - So what sacrifices did you have to make
04:06 while you were building this company?
04:09 - Yeah, so lots of stability.
04:10 I didn't pursue a traditional nine to five at first
04:13 so it was kind of hard in terms of figuring out
04:16 if this was something I really wanted to do,
04:18 is it really gonna be sustainable long-term?
04:20 And so I ended up working as a marketing manager
04:23 for a tech startup and that's where I was able
04:25 to really just start seeing things in a different way,
04:28 figure out how startups really operated
04:30 and figuring out also just what I needed to do.
04:33 I'm currently in school now, getting my MBA at USC
04:36 in social entrepreneurship.
04:37 So I'm really excited to continue my journey of learning
04:40 so that I can go back into the communities
04:42 that mean a lot to me, which are marginalized communities
04:46 and create an impact there.
04:48 - So you have mentees.
04:49 - Yes.
04:50 - Who are some of your mentors?
04:51 - Melva Benoit is a big one for me.
04:54 She is amazing.
04:56 She's a gallerist and we actually met when I moved to LA.
04:59 So that relationship has been really influential
05:02 for the way that I've been able to navigate the art space
05:05 because she's so knowledgeable
05:06 and just exemplifies what a woman of integrity is.
05:10 So.
05:11 - Kendra.
05:12 - Kenya, I am so sorry.
05:14 You are phenomenal.
05:15 Thank you so much.
05:16 - Thank you for doing this interview.
05:17 - Oh, no problem.
05:19 Thank you for having me.
05:20 (upbeat music)
05:22 (upbeat music)
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