Meet Keri Freeman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keri Freeman.

Hi Keri, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Publisher of Downtown Weekly LA – DTLAs most diverse independent news publication in print and online. I am a writer, filmmaker, former solo artist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist – including Sound Engineering. I have two degrees in Fine Arts and Sociology – I also plan events and opportunities for small businesses to increase customer visitors and sales.

I started my first publication the Gallery Row Art Walk News (TheGrawn) centered around the Los Angeles Art Walk in 2009 with the help of Gallery Row founder Kjell Hagen and Actor/Comedian Turen Robinson.

During the 50,000 person Art Walk event our tiny newspaper focused on the artists, galleries and businesses sponsoring them offering a full-page map and informative articles about what was happening during the monthly event.

As the galleries, indie artists and food trucks began to disappear and the event began to die off in response to the accidental Death of 2month old Alejandro, I took on the role of event coordinator bringing back the first open lot Art Parks in three years, then known as Art Appetite, Art Theme Park and Art Walk Alien Invasion.

BUY ART was the focus. As in BUY ART first, celebrate later. And in the three years of running the events on three separate locations simultaneously, I never had an issue. I brought back the Artists and the Food Trucks after soliciting the City and sat back to watch the art walks short revival.

It was in this time larger, local media outlets began visiting our events, snapping photos to correspond with their Art Walk Articles but neglecting to mention anything about me being the organizer.

This led me to the discovery that brown and browner accomplishments were maybe being left out of our local news. As I began to dig deeper, I discovered this was also a recurring theme on the towns Business Development Websites and Social Media pages that were solely being used to market DTLA. Sure, you could find a group of black men as janitors, but a black man in a suit? It just wasn’t and still isn’t being promoted.

So I reached out to ask if they could add diversity and was pretty much labeled a trouble maker so…

Feeling there were entire populations here going unnoticed for their accomplishments, I began publishing the Downtown Weekly.

That was in 2016. Since we have grown to become the number one independent newspaper in DTLA. First to print a Hindustani, first to print a Muslim, first to print open LBGT community members, first to put a group of black man on the cover in history. And that group was a whopping 4.

We also moderate 10 social media groups and several pages focused on a diverse and healthy DTLA lifestyle.

I have been three times recognized by the City of LA (two mayors and one councilman) and twice recognized by the California State Senate.

I have interviewed the likes of
Mayor Eric Garcetti
State Assemblymen Miguel Santiago
Philip Washington (former CEO of Metro)
McFairland and Pebbles (developers)
Councilmember Kevin DeLeon
Music Icon Quincy Jones
Mayoral Candidate Rick Caruso

And my dream interviews would be Karen Bass, Jan Perry, and Councilmember Curren Price.

But to be honest, I’d rather stick to the artsy side of things, I am a lover of people, good times and strong cocktails…. Wallowing in people’s drama isn’t at all for me.

My goal is to bring on the next-gen of hungry journalists to take the paper to the next step.

As the first African American Female Publisher of a newspaper in DTLA we market local businesses with print ads, video posts and articles online; and offer a newsletter plus a free event calendar as a community resource our event calendar is number one in our town. It’s a 24/7-hour job with little time for rest.

Please read our testimonials at www.dtla-weekly.com/testimonials

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Resistance is futile. I have and I will make changes in our local media.

The struggle is the same struggle that’s always been for African Americans, others not seeing our value and taking our talents for granted. Expecting the worse because of the images they’ve been programmed with their entire lives.

I believe that presenting and taking control of our images in the media is the key to developing our own self-awareness and self-worth and is my legacy to the next-gen.

If I have ruffled feathers by suggesting other publications and websites join me in giving brown and browner peoples their positive press then so be it. If they won’t – I will.

Downtown Weekly LA is black-owned, but it is not a black newspaper per say. It is an all-inclusive kingdom where everyone (white, black, purple… can see themselves living and working in harmony in what is a major Metropolis and in the end the only thing that truly matters is the quality of our service and relevance of our content… We are now first page on google for searching “DTLA NEWS, DTLA Events, and DTLA and a super safe investment for small businesses looking to spread the word or gain a return on their investments.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a concept creator. I design each issue based around certain topics – 10 Great Places… and print with community support…

We also promote mom and pops with DTLA Vegan Weekend, DTLA Coffee Week, DTLA Pizza Week and DTLA Beer Battles among others are original concepts geared to call attention to small businesses in our neighborhood.

I offer a rotating group of writers, photographers, influencers and local businesses a chance to work together to spread awareness of our town’s favorite community hubs.

I’m known for being a hustler although I deplore that term because it doesn’t imply I give back more than I receive. And it feels like I’m selling crack or prostitutes or something… plus it puts a desperate aspect to what I do when there’s nothing desperate about it. I raise money with ad sales and donations to put brown and browner people’s accomplishments in the local news. Ain’t nothing desperate about it. It just needs to happen and if I don’t do it, who will?

We also boast up to a 700% ROI so anyone willing to work with us usually stays with us… another reason we’re number 1.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Where there’s a will, there’s is a way. Live every day like it’s your last. Never give up. Be the change…. Stand on the shoulders of your ancestors and above all else… keep the faith.

Pricing:

• $149/ week for online promotions
• $249/ week to go to print plus online promotions
• $2998 / year for membership – includes all of our promo services
• $1299 Take the Cover!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dtlaweekly.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dtlaweekly
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/dtlaweekly
• Twitter: www.Twitter.com/dtlaweekly

Image Credits
Eric Epperson (Headshot and Mayor Photo) Gary Leonard (McPhearson & Pebbles – two biggest developers in America about to build the third largest skyscraper in the west.)