Meet Kye Benjamin | Emcee + Brand Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kye Benjamin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kye, what matters most to you?
Honesty.

Honesty is the most important principle to me simply because it is the hardest characteristic to express. I use to have issues exhibiting honesty within myself and it affected the way people were honest with me. Once I realized being honest with myself in all aspects would make my relationships, platonically and non, smoother, it made it a lot easier for me to build genuine relationships and even strengthened the relationship I had with myself and God.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My creative journey started in 2015 at Prairie View A&M. However, the brand ‘DancingKye’ started off as only a dance avenue and has merged into sseveral small business ventures in only a short amount of time. Immediately I wanted to elevate my brand everywhere, but I had no idea where to start. Although I didn’t officially begin creating my own logos until 2017. It didn’t take me long to realize this was something I should really learn on my own instead of paying someone to do so. It was not easy getting started, but what big business is easy?? That’s something I constantly told myself which ultimately is what kept me going after difficult obstacles. One of the biggest lessons I learned in this industry is to, MOVE WITH TIME. Things change in the social world every day and in order to remain successful, you must be able to adapt to the consistent changing of literally everything, all the time.
My only expectation when I leave this world is to leave a mark(my brand) as something that inspires other Black and Brown women like myself, to literally do whatever it is they want to do. If you want to be a professional underwater basket weaver, DO THAT! Don’t let anyone tell you what YOU should be doing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite spots in the city right now would definitely be, Cru Lounge. It has a great happy hour and they even offer free hookahs to industry creatives on Mondays! The staff and vibe are amazing! It’s located downtown in a very popular area so travel there is always smooth and easy. I also really enjoy the black-owned restaurant, Lost and Found. Their food is amazing and really affordable. They’re also one of the few places in the city that offer free valet!
Some of my favorite things to do in Houston are to check out all of the hidden gem shoes resell spots, such as ‘Trusted Kicks’ & ‘Petty Cash’.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Of course, I have quite a few people who have contributed to the growth of my success over the last few years, but the most influential person who has helped me get to where I am would for sure be Mikos Adams. Mikos is a marketing expert coach and formally my investment mentor. He has helped me learn the ‘do’s and dont’s’ of several social media strategies and even helped me increase my engagement on Instagram specifically. Seeing his progress with the rise of my brand is a huge reason I wanted to get into brand consulting to begin with.

Instagram: @dancingkye

Twitter: @dancingkye_

Image Credits
@philo.optics @syn.op.sis @_onetakemedia_