Meet Alon Otis and Amber Abdullah of Kreativ KTRL

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alon Otis and Amber Abdullah.

Alon and Amber, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Alon: I’ve been in love with music since the day I was born. All my childhood memories have a song attached. It felt good to know other people were feeling the things that I felt and thought things I thought but couldn’t articulate. I actually wanted to be a singer until I was 9, when I realized I couldn’t sing. At 16, I found out there was still a way I could be apart of music–the business. I graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a B.A in music business management. One week after graduation, I moved to Atlanta. I knew I didn’t want to stay in Chicago. I remembered visiting Atlanta for a couple of days in the past year. I loved it! I loved the atmosphere and I knew Atlanta was a thriving place for music so I just left. One week after moving to Atlanta, I got a marketing internship at a recording studio. That’s where I met Amber, my business partner. We both quit the internship around the same time. We started hanging out and Amber came up with the idea to do a showcase. From there, we evolved into branding and PR firm.

Amber Abdullah: In my younger years, I knew I always had a drive for music. My sisters and I used to play around and choreograph concerts and sing, as we are performing. However, after graduating from Dorsey High School, in Los Angeles California, in 2012, I then apply to Santa Monica community college, but still was scared and unsure about my major. I then took on Fashion Merchandising, as I still decided. I then loved the courses I was taking in my field, at the time, but I still wasn’t satisfied. I knew fashion from the creative side and business side, but I wasn’t content. At my time at SMC, I visited Clark Atlanta University, in 2015 and grew to love it. I then applied in2017 and got accepted a week before graduating from Santa Monica college. I transferred to CAU the same year and started classes. I loved all my classes but still didn’t have the spark in my heart, that I will hope to have, especially me being in my senior year.

In 2019, I then obtained an internship at a recording studio and handled marketing and public relations. A month after being there, I met Alon (co-founder of Kreativ KTRL). We both quit at the same time and started hanging out. We then went to a showcase one day but left early. On the drive home, I proposed an idea to her about starting our own business and without her being hesitant, she agreed. Weeks after planning and organizing our brand, we obtained our first client. Furthermore, being that we both have a passion for helping others and having a love for music, makes it all work out. It’s great to have a business partner who’s not only getting your ideas but is great at executing them with me, as well. As the founder of Kreativ KTRL and Alon as co-founder, we strive to help all indie artists and other creatives get connected to the proper channels they need to be connected to and more.

Has it been a smooth road?
Alon: It was a struggle finding our angle on everything. We had/have so many ideas, but we always want to make sure everything is consistent and presented well. It’s also hard sometimes convincing upcoming artists that they need branding or marketing, let alone pay for it. So many are under the impression that if they get their music put on a music promo page, they’ll get ten thousand or however many streams, and that’s it.

Amber: Each day has been trying, but each day I know we learned from each downfall and we did it right the second time around or just simply obtained information. I always say, if it’s easy it’s too good to be true, it simply wouldn’t last; but if it takes a fight to get to the end of the tunnel, then it’s worth it and will work out. Alon and I knew that it would be challenging, but we both have to much fire to ever give in.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kreativ KTRL – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as and what sets you apart from others.
Amber: Kreativ KTRL is not just helping artists just in the one campaign or service they purchased, but giving the information they can obtain and learn from and eventually pass it on to other artists. Not only do we do public relations, marketing, events, and branding, but we also love giving back to our community and it’s something we teach our artists, as well. Your community is part of who your fan base is, so give back to those who are giving to you. Kreativ KTRL is also a free space to give artists limitless room to express their full creative selves without being restricted, which is what makes espoused, because I hear stories of how artists typically do not go with their full ideas , but I love Kreativ KTRL, because we save room for all artists to be as creative as much as they want.

Alon: Kreativ Ktrl is really a creative agency. We assist artists or creatives with developing their brands and out-the-box marketing plans. We produce events and handle PR-related issues, as well. This company was made out of love. Both Amber and I are really passionate about what we do. We only work with artists who we are excited about. How can we make someone else excited or believe in something that we don’t? We also both come from artistic backgrounds, so that’s where the innovation comes in. I pride myself on finding a way to get an artist’s message across in a way that no one has before.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Alon: I am honestly in love with Atlanta. It’s so much hustle in this city. Everyone is doing something, creating something, working on something. It’s all very inspiring. There is a community here. A community where we help one another instead of hate or sabotage. My only complaint would be the narrow, pothole-filled roads.

Amber: Atlanta is such a beautiful city. I love that there are a lot of African-American people, that work hard and I believe part of me starting Kreativ KTRL was from me thriving off the energies I see all over Atlanta. It’s hard to hate Atlanta, but my dislike is the traffic, however, it does give me time to think, so it’s not that bad.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kreativktrl.com
• Phone: 313-472-8347
• Email: alon@kreativktrl.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kreativktrl
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/kreativktrl

Image Credit:
Sound & Color

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