Kari Akin

Club NYC: A documentary that gives you a first look behind the curtain of one of New York CIty's biggest up-and-coming dance clubs led by the iconic choreographer Charles "King Chuck" Smith Jr. Director: Mylo Butler Producer: Nem Fisher DP: Tony Valles ✨ Camera Op: Kari Akin Camera Op: Matty Caples 1st AC: Milo 2nd AC: Jonathan Arevalo Editor: Spencer Light Soundmix: Austin Nunes Colorist: Mylo Butler Location, 3 Dollar Bill

"Tummy Hurts - Remix" (Cover) Director of Photography, Kari Akin Creative Director, Kai Wang BTS Photography and Cam Op, Devin Harvin Mix and Mastering, The Don RRR Original Music, Reneê Rapp

As an advocate for my community, I'm thrilled to begin a project series that holds great significance for the world of queer performance artists, especially within the legacy of ballroom culture. In our world --- history is critical. It helps us understand the lineage of our art, where it’s come from and how it has evolved to the form we see today. As practitioners, we have the power to influence how the next generation sees and understands our form. We must understand this power so that we can prevent misinformation and the forgetting of the past. Introducing Memory Docs: I’m proud to unveil Memory Docs, or documentary-style shorts that delve deep into the happenings of ballroom culture and the surrounding community. This project aims to be a comprehensive exploration and behind the scenes pass, all brought to you by independent black and brown creators. Questioning External Media: Beyond preserving history, Memory Docs will also address the influx of external media into our spaces. It's time to question why these powerful storytelling tools were not given to us to communicate our own narratives. Let's challenge this and reclaim our voices. MEMORY DOC 01 - Now Available

Had an absolute blast at our first YouTube Creator Event! 🌟 Jazza John's workshop on channel optimization was a game-changer, giving us some tips on boosting #engagement and #monetization. And let's talk about the mock ball organized by Ballroom Throwbacks - epic doesn't even begin to cover it! Battling it out with my Kiki Scene brother, Kai’jin Alpha Omega, in All American Runway was a highlight. The energy was through the roof with the Houses of Gorgeous Gucci, Labeija and Miyake-Mugler in attendance. Definitely looking forward to diving deeper into the YouTube Creator Collective and taking our content to the next level! #YouTubeCreators #BallroomThrowbacks

Exciting Announcement! Thrilled to share that I'll be collaborating with Ballroom Throwbacks Television to capture the essence of "The Coldest Winter Ever" at the Knockdown Center in Queens on February 17, 2024. This international ballroom production, featuring over $54,000 in cash prizes, promises to be a highlight of the year. But the spotlight shines even brighter on the YouTube Creator Collective: Ballroom Throwbacks XV Meetup, catering to ballroom content creators, influencers, and social media strategists. Cesar Will, the visionary founder, will launch the inaugural "Brtbtv" Hall of Fame Awards, accompanied by a comprehensive workshop, seminar, and Q&A with the YouTube team. With BrtbTV being our community's trusted voice for decades, boasting 400M+ views and 575K+ subscribers, it has been a catalyst in bridging the gap between underground culture and mainstream recognition. Join us in celebrating not just an event but a movement that started as an idea and has evolved into a brand, business, and essential window into ballroom culture. This marks the fourth year of honoring over 80 Of The Year Awards for ballroom participants, a testament to the lasting impact of BrtbTV. Additionally, I'm proud to mention that Cesar is a trailblazer in the YouTube Black Creators Program, the first community member with collaborations spanning @YouTube Red, Google Arts and Culture Program, and partnerships with Sony Electronics | Media Solutions (US & Canada) and Playstation Asia. #BallroomThrowbacks #YouTubeCreators #BallroomCulture

Open to All, or simply #OTA, opened its doors this past year at Bushwick’s 3 Dollar Bill venue, where every Monday night, ballroom “houses" compete for cash against each other in categories like runway, realness, and vogue femme performance. OTA serves not only as a platform for entertainment, but also for breaking extraordinary talent - mirroring the rising cultural significance of franchises like Nick Cannon’s Wild’n Out, the Apollo, and the late #BET 106 and Park. And with the recent mainstream embrace of ballroom culture, OTA has catapulted into the limelight thanks to a small yet dedicated production team able to draw in significant crowds and garnered attention from A-list acts such as #Madonna, #Rosalia, #Doechii, Lil Nas X, Moses Sumney, and more. Gábor Magazine aptly described OTA as "a stern star in the game making epic and legendary moments." Perhaps they’re right. Receiving one of two highly coveted interviews in the #Renaissance Film by #Beyonce, founder Leggoh JohVera finds himself standing in moral clarity, advancing both his business and the community we serve. Leggoh has witnessed the transformation of my family name into a career, scaling a brand of production services to international recognition among queer performers worldwide. At Kari Akin, we go hard for art, and even harder for our community. So, in partnership with OTA, Kari Akin is proud to lead full production of “Keepin' It Real with Kimberly Jones," the first comedic web series spotlighting #trans artists. With just four episodes produced across 3 months, the series has already garnered 30,000 views and 350,000 impressions (excluding reels and YouTube Short content). And in Q4 2023, Kari Akin reported a total 228K views and 2.6M YouTube impressions (excluding reels and YouTube Short content). This is just the beginning, and the thrill lies in the absence of a predecessor to guide us. In leading the digital strategy for the series, I can confidently say that we are not prioritizing an expansion of demographics. We boast the most loyal viewership and an immeasurable growth trajectory because, for decades, weve operated in-house. Even within the #LGBTQIA+ experience, our black queer and trans members often miss out on collective gains. At Kari Akin, we are building our own legacy - one that will positively impact entertainment forever. "This is how I move, this is how I move," at godspeed beside my family – the greatest creatives in the world. Kari Akin does not own the exclusive writes to the attached text and photography. The featured Gábor Magazine article is added for additional context.

Kari Akin's creativity has been recognized and published in Brooklyn Magazine, alongside Blue Lotus Artistry and the International Haus of Hua Mulan. At what was one of the most anticipated balls in kiki scene history, he paid homage to Keith Haring's 'Into 84' exhibition poster—painting himself head to toe—serving as a bodily canvas defined by bold pictograms. Performing in the most active international kiki scene (NYC), Kari Akin and house members went on to win the All-American Runway category, showcasing strength, fashion, and queer culture. The overall mother of the Haus of Hua Mulan, London Mulan-Balenciaga, finished the night winning over $3500+ in cash prizes with her captivating Femme Queen Performance. Keith Haring Foundation

As our ballroom community continues to gain unprecedented visibility in mainstream media, it's crucial that we remain vigilant in our fight for "visual representation that honors our scene's history and is executed with a supreme level of excellence, reverence, and authenticity." This holiday season, I want to shine a spotlight on Sailey Williams (SWM) as a pioneer in New York City's nightlife club culture. Embarking on his creative journey in 2006, he went on to establish his own brand publishing and production company. Sailey's undeniable professionalism places art and community at the forefront, prioritizing these values over self-interest. As an incredible mentor, he exemplifies the idea that winners collaborate rather than compete. I extend my gratitude to SWM and Voss Events, Inc. Management for recognizing and supporting Kari Akin's mission and production assistance. I am proud of what we were able to capture and produce for Global Artist, Kevin Aviance.

For nearly 40 years, Hetrick-Martin Institute has been instrumental in helping families reduce risks and enhance the well-being of their youth. Employing a comprehensive teaching approach, educators at our nation's first school for LGBTQIA+ students actively work to address barriers to learning. HMI offers a range of year-round programs, including physical and mental health services, food security, counseling, intensive arts training, and more. As a result, Kari Akin is a frequent and proud partner. Through our collaborative efforts, we can enrich the educational experience for students in ways that go beyond the confines of the traditional classroom.

It brings us great pleasure to debut on this platform and share a bit about the brains and heart behind Kari Akin. Kari Akin (pronounced: ka-ree uh-kin), is a Brooklyn-based Creative Director, Videographer, and Music-Tech Enthusiast with a passion for community development through digital arts. Kari's story begins as a multidisciplinary musician and photographer, carving his niche in contemporary R&B and photojournalism. Originally from the D.C. area, his unique take on art as protest has captured the attention of digital publishers and entertainers throughout New York City and beyond. Equipped with an (IoT) Master's in New Media and Provenance from Columbia University, he’d go on to rapidly create his own platform, helping to spotlight the cultural and global contributions of Ballroom Culture. Kari's years of dedication to public service fuels a mission: providing Queer artists with enhanced access to authentic talent representation, content creation tools, and more equitable applications of their intellectual property in mainstream media. Drawing inspiration from his own artistic journey, Kari aligns with those paving the way for independent creators everywhere. Today, Kari Akin is your go-to independently owned, full-service production house and digital archives, fueling the creative pulse of underrepresented artists. #CreativeJourney #ArtistsUnited