CE: What inspired you to start JoyBox Media?

KB: Joybox actually started with my co-founder, Sam Park who contacted me one day asking if I wanted to help him build this company he had in mind. He already had done a few shoots but he needed a videographer to help push the narrative; guess that was me? We quickly noticed Joybox was becoming a place where creatives can meet other creatives and freely be themselves on camera. For me, I always wanted to be part of something that’s bigger than me and sheds light on a community of people who don’t have a considerable large following. The dream to build on this was enticing.

CE: How did shooting and editing music videos help prepare you for creating JoyBox?

KB: Shooting music videos is the best way to learn how to scale a budget because most independent artists don’t have a direct budget for marketing/branding. So essentially, the videographer becomes the marketer, director, producer and editor. So with building Joybox, we quickly realized for us to really win in this game, we must be able to shoot, create and deliver content at a very low cost. My background in music videos made this very possible and scalable.

CE: What lessons did you learn as an athlete that translate over to being an entrepreneur?

KB: The most important lesson I’ve learned as an athlete was the dedication to be better everyday. When you’re focused on being better everyday, your counterparts see that so it translates across to your peers, creatives and community. Nothing better than leading by example — you become much more effective as a leader.

CE: Advice for anyone looking to start their own platform?

KB: Anyone starting their own platform, I have one piece of advice; if the platform you’re building is creative heavy, but you’re not a creative, PARTNER with a creator don’t HIRE a creator. If the creator has no skin in the game (has no equity in the platform), the page won’t grow nearly as fast or worst case, won’t grow at all. It takes a considerable amount of love and attention for a creative heavy platform to grow.