Meet Robert Reed of Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Reed.

Hi Robert, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. As a homeschooled kid in a crowded, underprivileged household, art and music became my way to process life and calm my emotions — I’d draw DBZ characters by the windowsill with my cousin (I would copy everything he did haha), I’d scribble on every scrap of paper while studying, and binge YouTube tutorials just to teach myself. My mom lost her job around 2008 or so and my dad couldn’t stay in Florida any longer cause his health issues, so they decided to move to Tennessee. My uncle and cousins lived up there, so we thought it’d be a good idea. We planned on renting out a little spot a family friend put us onto, but things fell through and we had to move in with my aunt and uncle. They had a family of 7 and we had a family of 8, so it was unsustainable, so we ended up in a motel in Antioch, TN — eight of us crammed in one room. It was hard. I hated it. my dad got a security gig and we had some savings to use for a new spot, but we ended up there for 3-5 months. I was 11 at the time, but I told myself I’d never end up in this situation and no matter what it took, I’d find a way to survive off of what I loved. I doubled down. I I learned about the 10,000-hour rule, calculated the math, and made a decision: I was going to master my craft by 18 no matter what it took.

By high school, I’d pivoted into design out of fear of the “starving artist” stereotype. I had been cutting grass to pay for my phone and art supplies, since I was too young to get a job. I used that money to convince my dad to let me get a job across town if I paid him for gas money. By 16, I saved up some money from my job at Smoothie King, bought a laptop, and started teaching myself Photoshop during my shifts.

Fast forward a couple years and I’d saved up some money to pay my way through college, so I moved to Memphis to attend the UpfM and study graphic design. I started making album covers in my friend’s dorm room in my downtime, mixing my love for music, visual art, and storytelling. I posted one cover a day to build skill and traction. Eventually, labels and local artist started reaching out — so I made a promise to myself: if this momentum kept up, I’d drop out and do anything I could to make it in the creative industry. By sophomore year, I did.

I moved back home, saved up, and eventually relocated to Memphis to grind full-time during the pandemic. I slept on my friend’s couch in South Memphis and went all in. I spent everyday working on designs and Doordashing to keep money in my pocket during the pandemic. But I refused to stop posting. A couple months passed and I got a real apartment with a friend of mine and two other people. Around this time, I met a local producer online and he invited me to pull up to his home studio. We started working on a rollout for his album, but then he got a gig doing creative work for an artist who had just signed to Warner Records. I spent like a month trying to convince him to let me do content and video work and he eventually introduced me to the artist’s manager. By the end of the week, I was on a flight to Los Angeles — no plan, no safety net – I just knew I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. Over the next eight months, I sat in on meetings with the Warner team, I met Gary Vee, worked on campaigns with DraftKings and the NBA, and built real industry ties. It was my first real taste of the creative industry. I wasn’t just making art in my room anymore – my work was being posted around the city, used in marketing campaigns, and being validated by real industry professionals.

But like most creative journeys, it wasn’t linear. Tensions rose between my friend and the artist manager and he got let go. I took his position, but things got a little dicey, so I let the artist and his manager know I wouldn’t be continuing to work with them. I drove back across the country, moved in with my parents again, and started over. It hurt….I realized just how much I lost and how hard it would be to get back. I Sold my car, bought a ticket back to LA, and lived in an Airbnb living room in Koreatown. I had a shortlist of creatives I wanted to reach out to and one of them was Dunnie West, the Creative Director for REVOLT. He had followed me and reached out after I found his IG online. We talked on the phone, and he offered me a freelance position with REVOLT starting at the top of next year. I got a job at a juice bar to cover the gap and by the top of the year I was officially a full-time creative. But after the whole Diddy situation, everything collapsed again — budget cuts led to all the freelancers being let go, and I was right back to square one.

Thankfully, that same creative director brought me onto his next role — Executive Creative Director at Ebony Magazine. I became a senior designer and eventually art-directed a cover shoot for one of the most iconic Black publications in history. By 24. My work had appeared in Times Square, on Rolling Loud stages, and in projects I used to dream about. That contract was the first time I made real money — I was on course to earn my Dad’s dream salary, even if the workload was crazy.

I’m inspired by the last wave of creatives like Tremaine Emory, Yoon Ahn, Rhuigi Villasenor, and especially Virgil Abloh. Seeing how he turned his life — his identity — into a living art project made me realize: this isn’t just about design. It’s about storytelling, mobility, and experience. Art was an outlet for me as a kid. It gave me peace when I needed escape, and purpose when I had nothing. I’m not famous. I’m not rich. But I’ve done things I never thought I’d be able to pull off — and I did it with nothing but my ideas and my laptop. That’s why I create. To build a life worth living. To show and prove to myself and others what’s possible. It just takes time, sacrifice, and dedication.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. I’ve had – and still have – so many nights where I wonder if the struggles and time I’ve sacrificed has been worth it. From dropping out of school, sleeping on couches in the middle of the hoods of South Memphis, to moving across country with no safety net or family….it’s taken a lot. I think every knows how hard it is to make it in the creative industry, especially without connections or family who has corporate experience. I’ve built a lot of this on the fly….learning things the hard way through trial and error. I’ve gone broke multiple times, strained relationships, and missed out on a lot of teenage and early adulthood experiences. I’ve been working since I was 13, so I’m used to making a way for myself. But what’s that Coldplay lyric? “Nobody said it was easy, nobody said it would be so hard” hahaha.

Entrepreneurship doesn’t have a roadmap, so there’s always the anxiety of wondering if I’m on the right track or if I’m already to late or to far behind. This year has been hard for sure, one of the hardest of my career. I’ve fumbled my biggest gigs and opportunities of my career, but things have been looking up recently. I just remind myself to stay focused and that anything can be accomplished with the right perspective, drive, and leverage. Nothing comes for free

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think my hustle and willingness to take risks has helped set me apart from a lot of other creatives. I didn’t have any connections or knowledge of the industry when I started so I’ve had to work for everything I’ve earned. It taught me to set my pride aside and do the dirty work. From having to go door to door in the hood to pay for my phone bill and clothes or going back to working a minimum wage job after living with a rapper for eight months. I’ve learned to set my pride aside and keep my head down. T I’ve taken losses, had dry spells, and missed opportunities — but I keep showing up. That consistency and resilience are what I’m most proud of.

Not having a typical career path has actually been a blessing. It forced me to think creatively, move differently, and find unconventional ways to get my work seen. Right now, I’m working on a pitch that could change my career – it’s a bit outside the box, but that’s how I’ve always moved. Fingers crossed I don’t make a fool of myself – but if I do, I’ll bounce back. I always do.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Me and my brothers used to hoop up the street on this little neighborhood goal. It belonged to a friend of ours, but everyone treated it like it belonged to the neighborhood. It was all beat up and shit but we’d just hoop for hours – like entire days sometimes. The old heads in the neighborhood would pick teams and place bets. Me, my bother, my cousin, and our boy Joseph would run people off the street, man. It was the spot for real. We’d have kids come knock on our door saying “so-and-so said they were gonna whip y’all’s ass, they tryna run a game real quick” and we’d run games for hours till the sun went down. Had grown men hooping against teenagers and everything. A lot of stuff went down up there, not gonna lie. I visited the neighborhood for a sec after leaving LA for the first time and they were up there playing ball. It was cool to see.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @robertreeed
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-reed-220b3a1a0/

Image Credits
@alankaruku !!!