Who are you?

I'm Ray Keilman, brand designer, messaging specialist and proud Xennial.

I grew up in Indiana doing weird things like designing logos for non-existent sports teams: The Arizona Scorpions. The L.A. Stalkers. I was always proud of that second one. It was kinda edgy, which was the style at the time. (That's both true and a Simpsons reference! I am irresistible.)

Got my first design job in high school at a local place called Signs on Time. Try to guess what we did and when we did it?? Okay, spoiler, we made signs and we made them on time.

After college I spent a few years in Phoenix before heading to NYC to be a freelance graphic/web designer slash starving artist.

At one of those freelance gigs, they brought in a Creative Director to lead a brand refresh, and she recruited me to execute her ideas. Back then I had all the standard misconceptions about branding (it's logos and colors!), then she handed me the style guide from when she worked on Jay-Z's D'USSÉ cognac launch. That was an eye-opener. After she left, I stuck around to act as the Brand Manager, continually evolving and expanding the brand as their events and initiatives evolved and grew.

Years later, when my daughter was still newborn, my income source vanished overnight (Don't rely on one massive retainer client! Danger!). The ensuing job search was a frantic nightmare that led to spinning up this ol' place. After all, my wife's sourdough bread hobby had already turned into a full fledged artisanal microbakery (right here in our apartment!), and helping her brainstorm through the challenges of running it become an enjoyable pastime. I could help other people do that too! Other people like you!

What is this place?

This is the place for Xennial-owned creative service businesses in music, film and games who want more of the right clients, more of the (*does the money gesture with the fingers*), AND more of the (*points to my wrist where a watch would be if I wore one*).

If you want to be able to

1. answer "So, what do you do?" without their eyes glazing over like egg wash on challah (it's bake day in here as I write this),

2. stop being embarrassed to send people to your website because ugh it's just not you (maybe it was once, but you've changed, man.),

3. move people to act when they visit your site, and

4. discern which of the million business tactics are actually the right ones for you right now,

I've got the solutions you need.

Why should I care?

Because you've got the tools, you’ve got the talent — you just need to say it the right way with the right words and the right visuals. The people who most want and need your help just aren't getting that you're the answer to their prayers. I help with that.

How do you help with that?

We take a BrandTrip! That's 2 hours of me learning all about your business: history, goals, struggles, and much more. Then from all that information + my own independent research, I craft a totally bespoke, fully actionable roadmap of the exact steps you need to take to realize that Dream-version of your business.

If you're at the stage where you want to try and ChatGPT your way to success, get to it! It's going to waste a lot of your time (AI can't distinguish a good idea from a bad one), so no sense putting it off any longer!

BUT if you've already been down that road and are looking for curated answers and profitable ideas, let's jam.

Why do you call it UPyours?

Getting unceremoniously dumped by a long term corporate client while navigating a newborn is enough to make anyone say F-U to the universe. Starting my own biz felt like a big, fat, bridge-burning “up yours” to the Corporate Machine. Why not memorialize it?

But I love when things have multiple meanings — I also saw an aspirational message of "next level-ing" your brand. Of elevating your existing superpowers. That's why the logo has a star inside the U. That's the spark that's inside of you! (“Branding!” I exclaim while doing jazz hands.)

(I even invented a gesture to convey both meanings: the thumbs-up middle finger. Scroll down to see it. 👀)

“Xennial-owned creative service business in music, film and games" is weirdly specific. Can you give some examples?

You got it! Things like:

• Music Production / Mixing / Mastering Services

• Indie Game Development Studios

• Boutique Creative Agencies

• Video Production Houses

• Animation / VFX Shops

• Design Studios

• Sound Studios

• and more!

Why Xennials and… what’s a Xennial?

I'll answer the 2nd one first. Xennials are misfits born during the OG Star Wars years (1977-1983). Too young to be fully Gen X, too old to be true Millennials — we didn't have to figure out the internet as adults, nor were we born into it. We grew with it. (I acknowledge that this generational stuff is not an exact science… the word "Xennial" didn't even exist until Sarah Stankorb created it in 2014. But there’s a certain pride and camaraderie that comes with sharing these lived experiences.)

We remember the pre-net age: Saturday morning cartoons, mixtapes, and our friends' parents picking up the phone when we called their house. We remember the agonizing shriek of the dial-up modem as it connected to The Information Superhighway (it's a series of tubes, people!). And we got to graduate college before smartphones and social media (thank all the Gods for that).

Old-school soul, new-school tools. Local band shows and Spotify, VHS and streaming, Star Wars (legendary) and the Prequels (disappointing) and the Sequels (horrifying).

So that's why Xennials. It's my language, my memories, my world. And if it’s yours too, then I Can't Hardly Wait to talk!

Is it true that you were the 1995 Blockbuster World Video Game Store Champion (Super Nintendo format) at the 61st St & Broadway location in Merrillville, Indiana?

I can’t believe you heard about that! Yes it's true, the game was Donkey Kong Country and I got free rentals for a year.

I want to work with you. What should I do next?

Book a Fit Call to see if we fit! Do we get along? Can I even help you? Let's figure all that out first. And if I can’t help you, maybe I know someone who can!

It means exactly what you think it means.