A Q&A with Owner Robbie Bryant

In the custom vehicle world, we have all seen vehicle renderings of what a build will look like, or admired a shop’s cool logo design or an attractive business card that was handed to us at a truck show. What you may not know is a lot of these things probably tie back to one company, almost like that six degrees of Kevin Bacon thing. When it comes to all these aspects, there seems to be a single entity that has had its hand in a lot of it over the past couple of decades, and that is KEG Media. It has been one of the premier stops for renderings, car show flyers, logo design, and so much more. The country’s top builders count on KEG to create the artwork needed for customer builds of all calibers. 

We were able to sit down with Robbie Bryant, owner of KEG Media, to discuss his story, the full library of what his company has to offer, and what he feels makes his brand as strong as it is. Follow along and see what Robbie had to say.

 

Who is Robbie Bryant?

“I am 50 years old and have been in the truck industry for 30 years. Before I started KEG Media, I ran custom car and truck shops for a few different owners. I am a father of five boys and one girl who is my youngest. I am a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan and enjoy taking my 10-year-old son to games; he is a big fan as well.  My wife Keena and my kids are my world. Everything I do is for them. First and foremost, I give God all the glory as I have had a very difficult and very blessed life. I am a high school dropout with a GED. I have no college experience and still became a self-taught graphic designer.”

Why was KEG created?

“Years ago, Photoshop had a free trial on new computers. This was back in the 2.0 era, circa summer 2002. I opened it, started playing around, and figured out how to cut out trucks, lower and lift them, and change the paint and wheels. I posted a few on the old Street Source Magazine (SSM) forum and people started asking me to do their vehicles. Pretty soon, I was so busy doing these renderings when I got home from work. I decided to charge a bit for my time and started using Kutting Edge Graphix for my services. After a short time, I was making better money working for myself, so I quit my job and did renderings full time. Eventually, clients would ask me if I could make a logo, shirt design, business cards, and banners, so we added these things to our list of services and kept growing.”

Why did it change from Kutting Edge Graphix to KEG Media? 

“Everyone kept calling me ‘KEG’ online instead of Kutting Edge Graphix. I thought it was going to be confusing to people, so I added the word Media and ran with it. At least this way people would get to know the name KEG Media while still just calling me KEG.”

Who is involved with KEG Media, and do you have employees? 

“Over the years KEG Media has had a few employees, but now it’s just my wife and me, and I like it better this way. No one cares as much about your business as you do, and I’ve learned that over the years. I’d like to thank everyone who has worked with me and helped grow the company to what it is today, but me handling everything is how I started KEG Media and that’s how I will finish.”

What does KEG Media offer? 

“Today’s KEG Media has evolved into a lot of things. We have started and run events as promoters for shows such as Lifted Truck Nationals, Orange Beach Invasion, Overland of America Expo, Tailgate N’ Tallboys Maxxed, Slamily Reunion, and Mother Road Mayhem. We have since sold off the last two mentioned events, which are now run by other parties.

KEG Media also offers build management duties for the SEMA show, so each year we manage between 10 and 20 custom vehicles for clients who plan to debut there. This is on top of my personal builds.  

“KEG Media still offers a wide array of printing, such as business cards, flyers, brochures, banners, decals, and more. A couple of years ago, we started providing our clients with custom printed canopies, flags, and table covers, which have become popular. These tie in well with the event promotion side of our business since we have a lot of contacts with vendors who need these products. We still do digital renderings; however, we have evolved over the years and now provide 3D renderings for our clients.

“KEG Media also offers build management duties for the SEMA show, so each year we manage between 10 and 20 custom vehicles for clients who plan to debut there. This is on top of my personal builds. We are one of the original build management companies that started doing this many years ago. For those who don’t know, build management is where we work with you to design your build and market it to various companies to form a partnership and help you provide these sponsors with a good return on their investment.”

What are your favorite times/events in KEG Media history? 

“A very memorable time with KEG is when we first debuted our own truck at SEMA 2010 , where it was shot for the cover of a magazine. After that, the next six to seven trucks we brought to SEMA ended up on covers of magazines also. Another big accomplishment was when we first got our very own SEMA booth in 2013 and when we were recognized with a Global Media Award there. Every event that we start is another great time for us. I really enjoy event promotion and feel it’s something I’m very good at.”

What are the future plans for KEG Media? 

“I have recently gotten into overlanding (building rigs with purpose and camping off-grid). I had Cali Customs OKC, which builds most of my trucks, build an overland Gladiator for me that we debuted at SEMA 2023. Due to my newfound passion for overlanding, I trademarked the name Overland of America and started a new expo that will take place Sept. 13-15, 2024, at Mid America Outdoors in Jay, Oklahoma. My goal for KEG Media’s future is to have multiple Overland of America events and start an all-Jeep event too. I would like to host around seven to eight events a year and focus a lot of my time on event promotion. We recently bought a new motor coach, and doing event promotion allows me to travel with my family throughout the year. I can work from just about anywhere with cell access, and my kids all homeschool, so it works out perfect for us.”

What is the best way to contact KEG Media or find you online?

“The first place to find us is always KEG-Media.com to see what we offer, and emailing info@
keg-media.com is the best way to reach us. We can also schedule a phone meeting if the client wishes. Our Instagram is @kegmedia and our Facebook is @kegmedia, and we also have a YouTube channel, @kegmediatv.

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