Click here
Story.
HRDRV and Shut Up It’s Me Partner to Harness Storytelling for a Deeper Artist–Audience Connection that lasts.
The "art" part is the easy part these days. We have so many incredible tools to shape our ideas into professional, competitive results. Everyone's eyes and ears are being overloaded by technology and social media. It's harder and harder to make someone stop and invest their time in you. Can you say, "SHORT attention spans?"
The secret is you, the story you are telling, and ultimately how it’s told. A great song is step one and super important, but if you’re not connecting with a deeper part of yourself with your aesthetic, messaging, marketing, and media, it won’t matter. In a crowded landscape (understatement!), we're here to help you find and then amplify what makes you stand out.
Think about a pop singer like Sabrina Carpenter, for example. She knows who she is. Her team knows who she is. Her audience knows. Everything she and her team puts out fits within a powerful, amplified story. That level of clarity and consistency doesn't happen by accident—it's the result of intentional storytelling and strategic creative decisions.
And that's exactly what we're here to help you do. Along with HRDRV, Mickey Shiloh and her team, we are super listeners who can help identify and supercharge the story within!
What the Heck is
Shut Up It's Me?
Hey, I’m Ken. I’m an artist, songwriter, producer, filmmaker, marketer, and dad. Yeah, that’s a lot for one guy, I know. Call me restless, but the more time I spend creating and collaborating, the happier I am.
Like a journalist, I’ve spent more than 30 years searching and listening for the unique, powerful, and authentic voices within a brand or a company. Since I started my original design agency years ago, I realized early on that so many companies like mine were focused on the gloss or the glitz, and never really getting beneath the surface. The successful ones were always looking deeper, with an honest, empathetic approach, fully determined to get at what really mattered, what truly resonated.
So, I decided to start a new company that specifically helps other artists find their story and tell it. I’m calling it Shut Up It’s Me. That’s the name of my production company where I write and make my music, but now it’s also a creative agency. It’s honestly the agency I’ve always wanted. Fellow artists are my favorite people to work with, so why not?
Start Here!
THE WORKSHEET
This is never a one-size-fits-all process. Everyone's at a different place in their storytelling journey. Some haven't started yet and need to kick it off from scratch. Others are well on their way but need a tighter roadmap or actual content development. We've created a worksheet with questions designed to help us find your perfect starting point. The worksheet will guide us towards one of 4 levels.

Fill this out before we move on to the next step:
The Worksheet
LEVEL 1
SPRINGBOARD: Start the Conversation
1
45-minute Live Call
A focused conversation that is meant to inspire and give some general insight to help move you forward
$150
Investment
It's an investment in clarity, maybe giving you the confidence to
take the next steps
(you can apply $100 of this fee to any of the other levels)
With the Artist Identity Worksheet as a prerequisite, this initial conversation becomes a springboard to deeper storytelling. Whether starting from scratch or building on an existing persona, the goal is to bring clarity and confidence to your vision. Below is the agenda for your call. We'll be open to shifting direction based on where the conversation goes, but we'll want to keep it as tightly focused as we can.
1
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?
The required worksheet will give some insight here, but we want to hear directly from you, in person. It's always better to assess these things IRL. Actually meeting artists almost always sparks something.
2
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
We go deeper in other levels, but based on your current media, songs, lifestyle, community, etc., do you have a sense of yourself as an artist? Do you have a sense of who your tribe is or could be?
3
A SPARK LIT.
This isn't just a conversation. The main goal is to INSPIRE you. We want you to leave the call with something, an insight, something to get you thinking and maybe take action with.
LEVEL 2
WHITEBOARD: Find Your Story
2
Hours of Live Calls
The brainstorming sessions are at the heart of this initial collaborative level
1
Month of Support
Outside of our two live sessions, we will be available via text and email to give regular guidance and feedback
$450
Investment
From the self-discovery phase to live brainstorming, we're searching for the story that hits hardest
$850
Extended Monthly Support (optional)
(After initial month)
2 hours of calls per month
+ email support
Maybe you're just getting started, or maybe you've been around for a while. The song sounds great and you want to launch with purpose, but you don't know how to tap into your story. Whiteboard is perfect if you're just starting out or if you've been creating for years, but haven't developed a cohesive storytelling approach. Maybe you don't know what your story is, or what it should be. During Whiteboard we will be pushing to unlock your unique narrative, and then laying the foundation for everything that follows.
This level includes a deep, self-reflection phase built into 4 steps. We want to get to know you, about your life, who you are as an artist, and where you want to go next. Once you get through the self-reflection phase, there will be two
60-minute brainstorming calls. During these calls, we're looking to unearth the most potent and relevant story that makes sense for you. The goal is to lay the groundwork, answering the question: what is the story that will make the most powerful connection with your audience?
1
SCRAPBOOK
We want to get to know you. This is not about you as an artist, it's about your life, your community, your daily habits, etc. This could be pictures, videos, posts. You obviously get to decide how personal you want to get (no pressure).
2
SHOWCASE
Now we want to see the artist you are today. You can use links from socials if you have them, videos, photos, gig footage, anything you have. There's space to write about your artist persona too, however robust it is.
3
MOOD BOARD
This is where you visualize your future as an artist. We'll be using this great app with tons of great drag and drop features. We want to see what you have in mind. This will shape as we go.
4
BRAINSTORM
After you complete steps 1-3, we'll schedule two 60-minute one-on-one Zoom calls. We'll dig deep, looking for the right story elements or hook to amplify in the next phase of your artist journey.
5
SUPPORT
We're including two months of ongoing support. We'll be available for check-ins and guidance as you begin implementing your storytelling strategy, making adjustments as needed.

If you're in the LA area, we may be able to meet in person for our brainstorming sessions, adding another dimension to our
collaborative process.
LEVEL 3
STORYBOARD: Concept Development
4
Hours of Live Calls
Whiteboard plus two extra live sessions to help develop your story even further
2
Months of Support
Outside of our calls, we will be available via text and email to give regular guidance and feedback
$750
Investment
This takes you from the self discovery phase to actionable story concepts to help you spread your wings
$850
Extended Monthly Support (optional)
(After initial 2 months)
2 hours of calls per month
+ email support
If you want to identify your story, but also need help visualizing it or realizing it, this level is right for you. It includes everything from Whiteboard plus an additional 2 hours of live brainstorming calls, for a total of 4. At the Storyboard level, we get more directly involved in the creative, conceptual process. This extra collaborative time allows us to go deeper into helping you craft your narrative.
Note that we can't engage at this level until you have your personal story worked out. You still need to go through the Whiteboard process first (which is included in this level). We can certainly make an exception if you have a solid artist identity and story foundation worked out. If so, we'll work on a custom price and engagement strategy. The Storyboard level doesn't include actual production, but we'll help you get ready for it. If you need help with some or all of the production later, we can talk about it. We have lots of resources and a BIG network of pros to help you out.

If you're in the LA area, we may be able to meet in person for our brainstorming sessions, adding another dimension to our
collaborative process.
LEVEL 4
ONBOARD: Robust Collaboration
6
Hours of Live Calls
Whiteboard, Storyboard, plus a deeper creative collaboration that leads to more detailed creative ideas ready to execute
4
Months Support
Outside of our calls, we'll be available via text and email to give regular guidance and feedback
$2,500
Minimum Investment
It's a minimum, but if you want even more collaboration and deliverables, we can give you a custom quote
$850
Extended Monthly Support
(After initial 4 months)
3 hours of calls per month
+ email support
At the Onboard level, we get more heavily involved in the creative, conceptual process. This is one step closer to a partner in the room throwing around ideas until we come up with the "aha" moment. This includes everything from Whiteboard and Storyboard plus an additional 2 hours of live brainstorming calls, for a total of 6 hours. We'll spend time refining and perfecting as a team. During the 4 months, we'll offer guidance but also some custom ideas for things like aesthetic development, script editing, styling, design direction. When we're done, you should be ready to keep up the powerful storytelling on your own!
As with Storyboard, you still need to go through the Whiteboard process first. We can certainly make an exception if you have your artist identity and story foundation worked out. If so, we'll work on a custom price and engagement strategy if you qualify for the Onboard level. The Onboard level doesn't include actual production, but we'll help you get ready for it. If you need help with some or all of the production later, we can talk about it. We have lots of resources and a BIG network of pros to help you out.

If you're in the LA area, we may be able to meet in person for our brainstorming sessions, adding another dimension to our
collaborative process.