An Inspired Chat with Kevin Bourne of Hollywood

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kevin Bourne. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Kevin, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
When people think about our media company SHIFTER they see the journalistic/media platform and all the celebrity interviews, but behind the scenes, we also work with companies and brands on everything from video and social media content to communications and content strategy. We’ve worked with companies in banking and financial services, retail and fashion, entertainment, traditional and broadcast media, education, churches and the non-profit sector. We also have an arm of our company that produces films and TV shows, and we’ve gotten into the events and experiential space by curating an immersive hip-hop exhibit. So our storytelling capabilities started with journalism, but it has expanded far beyond that.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Kevin Bourne. I’m a long-time journalist and film/TV producer. I started out as a journalist about 14 years ago, eventually focusing on arts & entertainment journalism. After noticing all the talented people around me whose stories weren’t being told, I co-founded the media platform SHIFTER. It’s been a 12 year journey where I’ve had the chance to interview some of the biggest names in entertainment – Kevin Hart, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, and Grammy-winner Muni Long. In 2023, I was named a Golden Globe Awards voter, one of only 340 in the world, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved Critic. As a producer, I produced my first short film in 2013 and have gone on to produced other scripted films and unscripted series. I spend a lot of my time now writing scripts. Right now we have a few documentaries, docuseries, and feature films in development or written. I go back and forth between being a creative and a business person. Tyler Perry calls having a “twin brain”. I love the creative parts of the industry, but that’s not enough for me. I love the business/entrepreneurial side of being a founder as well. My wife and business partner Koliah is a production accountant as well, so our grasp of both the creative and business side of things is what makes us unique. And our Point of View makes us unique. Every creative has a Point of View, whether you’re a filmmaker, comedian, or fashion designer. So my POV as a Black man who grew up with Caribbean parents in a very multicultural neighborhood has give me a unique view on the world.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I believed I was shy and meant to be in the background. It’s funny that I’ve become a personality and spend so much time in front of the camera, because for years I knew myself as shy and reserved. Even when I first started SHIFTER, I used to love putting other people in front of the camera while I focused on the business side of the things. I typecasted myself as the shy guy who stays in the background. That’s until my team told me I needed to be in front of the camera. One I tried it a few times, I loved it. But I remember the days when I would go to a networking event and stand outside because I was afraid to talk to people. I remember calling my wife saying I couldn’t go inside, She let me know it was okay if I wanted to come back home so I did. But I recognized that night that the biggest bottleneck at SHIFTER was going to be me if I didn’t get over myself. So I decided to get into radio to stop myself from being shy and reserved. I ended up co-hosting and producing a daily hip-hop morning radio show and developed this personality “KB The Boss”. That was my radio name. That name gave me an outlet to be someone different. I then got a business coach and during a retreat I was by myself and had an epiphany that I wasn’t shy. It just takes me some time to become comfortable or confident. Once I’m comfortable, I’m outgoing. So I stopped saying, “I’m shy” as if to own it as who I am. Now, I say, “I’m not shy. I just haven’t acquired confidence in this particular area.” When we say, “I am __________”, we’re owning it as being a part of us that can’t be changed.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, last week. Lol. In all honesty, this year was tough for me. My father-in-law, who I’ve known since I was one year old, passed away. And business wise, this was my hardest year yet. It’s funny because this year I’ve had the biggest successes and the biggest setbacks at the exact same time. I had the biggest interview of my career this year in interviewing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Then came more A-list interviews, so I’ve reached a new level as a journalist and interviewer. On the surface, things looked amazing. People were messaging me to congratulate me on my success, but behind the scenes, I didn’t feel like a success. The ups and downs of entrepreneurship got me to me. The famous Charles Dickens quote from A Tale of Two Cities makes so much to me now. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. Two opposing things can be true. Your best times and worst times can come at the same time. You can be on the mountain top and in the valley at the same time, and that can hard for others to understand.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
That’s a good question. I’ve always been a big proponent of personal branding. I was always so surgical with it. Personal branding is an artform. In the past, I had the public profile of “the serious businessman” to the point that people would ask my friends if I ever laughed. That was weird because I would always crack jokes in private. I’d say over the past year, my public profile is the most authentic that it’s ever been. I love inspiring people and being the business guy at times, but I show more of my humor now. It’s funny because my comedic content is my most successful content, and I spent years trying to hide that side of myself. Actually, I spent years hiding sides of myself that I thought wouldn’t resonate, and now all those sides – my humor, my blackness, my Caribbean culture – are the things that are resonating most.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I genuinely loved people and made them better. That I inspired them to chase their own dreams and find their own sense of purpose. I’d also love for people to say that I broke barriers, whether for myself, my family, or Black people. My favorite verse in the Bible is “All things are possible to him who believes” and that’s our motto at SHIFTER. “Everything is possible”. I would want people to say that I proved that to be true.

Contact Info:

• Website: shiftermagazine.com, shifterentertainment.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiftermagazine, https://www.instagram.com/thekevinbourne
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinrbourne/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shifternetwork

Image Credits
Close of my directing is by Elisabeth Clarke