The Power of SAX

Kara Sax & Tamara Keller

Entrepreneurs Kara Sax and Tamara Keller, who are partners in The Sax Agency, a marketing, branding and advertising firm. These two dynamic, thought provoking, business savvy, African-American, young women came together in November 2012 and in eight years have created a multi-million dollar marketing and branding agency that crosses over in all aspects of the field, which consists of entertainment, corporate, universities, political and government clients. What makes this company unique is that it is a multifaceted organization that knows no boundaries, just creative, out of the box thinking that sets it apart from all of its competitors.

An unorthodox creative agency and experts in multigenerational and multicultural marketing, The Sax Agency has a nationwide roster of top-tier clients from the realms of sports and entertainment to education, government and the nonprofit sector. The agency is a multidisciplinary design, marketing, advertising and event production firm that exemplifies its company motto, “Strategy/Engagement Execution” by blending structured business acumen, fluid creativity and bold innovation.

On the corporate side, the company represents such top tier clientele as Howard University, The D CCC, Medcare Farms, the Memphis Grizzlies, Cal HFA, The Golden State Warriors and Colgate University to name a few. On the talent size they represent fashion model Jeremy Meeks for which they recently closed a multi-million dollar deal for (https://www.businesswire.com/ news/home/20190927005188/en/Fashion-Concept-GmbH-Jeremy-Meeks-conquer-fashion). Also on the talent roster is Kwalon Rogers, the award winning comedian and social media influencer that fans know as “Blame It Kway” (@blameitonkway – 4.6M), entrepreneur and social media influencer Tori Brixx (@toribrixx – 3.2M) and TV personality, Ryan Henry (@ryanhenrytattoo – 1.5M) to name a few.

SUAVV: Tell us about yourselves and your company?

We are purpose-driven individuals, we consume purpose driven brands and therefore needed to build, a purpose-driven agency. We are polar opposites in many ways except in the areas that our baseline for partnerships to thrive; respect, integrity and work ethic, those are the things that we have in common.

We’re a neo-corporate, multidisciplinary branding, marketing and advertising agency that merges structured business, fluid creativity and cutting-edge innovation.

SUAVV: How long have you been in business?

9 long, fun, emotional, roller-coaster-like years.

SUAVV: How did you connect and partner?

A mutual friend’s birthday weekend is how we met, now how we ended up partnering is a much more complicated story. The short version includes Kara’s only sister being diagnosed with terminal cancer and passing away, Tamara moving cross country for her boyfriend at the time which ended up not working out, both stories led us to California, to help each other transition, blossom and discover our purpose. It had a lot of twists and turns but ultimately the universe was aligning us to be life partners.

SUAVV: How does your personal experience as Black Female Business Owners inform your business practices?

Our personal experience as black female business owners have influenced our business practice in many ways. We wear being black female entrepreneurs like a badge of honor recognizing that we are walking, living, breathing proof of the educational progress and economic necessity of diversity and inclusion in this country. We recognize that being black female entrepreneurs means that we have to be more proactive to get access to opportunities. We have needed to advocate harder for ourselves, have more grit, be more agile, and certainly more strategic. We encourage brands to have representation that looks like the people it serves, and therefore it is a business practice to educate people on that positive impacts of that. Black females run tight ships, that is the culture of our company, that is the culture of black excellence. We have never felt that we needed to be better than our white counterparts because that theory would suggest that is the bar! We believe that we go toe- to- toe with the top companies in the Nation. We are the front runners of excellence in our innovation, solutions and our ability to drive results.

SUAVV: Can you tell us about a particularly challenging or monumental deal that you have secured recently for a client?

We were able to secure a double digit 7 figure clothing deal and a 4-picture movie for a client who is rather unorthodox. The client is Jeremy Meeks. Securing deals for him is always feels great because people have counted him out because of his prior mistakes. But he is actually one of the hardest working, kindest, compassionate souls on the planet. To witness the universe, return the greatness he puts out into the world ten-fold makes us proud. He deserves it.

SUAVV: Why do you feel it is an important business decision to be certified for government contracts and grants as a marketing company?

It gives an additional level of access, credibility and opportunity. It separates you; it propels you and it is intended to level of the playing field of privilege. Businesses should position themselves to secure any and all certifications that can accelerate success.

SUAVV: Can you talk to us about your work with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the California Housing Finance Agency in relation to the upcoming election?

This year, this vote, we ALL need to vote like our lives depend on it. Because they do. It is truly that simple. Supporting the DCCC with ensuring that message resonates in the black community is an honor and it is this legacy building work that we are most proud of. Additionally, our work with the California Housing Finance Agency affords us to the opportunity to advocate for people who look like us in such a handson way that feels less like work and more like passion. We take a lot of pride in having even just a small hand in contributing to something larger and greater than just ourselves.

SUAVV: How has Covid-19 changed your business so far?

A lot of stretching, trusting, risk taking and pivoting. We are proud to say that we will double our income from last year.

SUAVV: You have a wide array of clients ranging from corporate, to cannabis to talent like Jeremy Meeks... what attracts you to clients and how do you decide who you target as clients?

What attracts us to clients is a like-mindedness. We love working in a vast array of industries and with inspiring people. We feed off of positive, results driven people.

SUAVV: What is one deal you’ve each made in the last 3 years that you are really proud of and why?

A recent deal that we made that is a far departure from the typical deals we do was with each other. We did a handshake deal to finally write the book we believe will be life changing to anyone who reads it, it is on self-sabotaging behavior and how to get out of your own way to achieve success in business, relationships and ultimately self-happiness

A MULTIFACETED PERSONALITY

TANISHA LONG

Words By Xavier Griffin

I have always loved to laugh and that is why comedies are my first choice when it comes to movies and television. Laughter is a necessary human emotion and the television shows and movies that make people laugh, should always be celebrated. The most important part of a comedy is the actors and actresses who bring the jokes written in a script to life.

I grew up laughing at people like Whoopi Goldberg, Martin Lawrence, Mike Epps, Bernie Mac, Eddie Murphy and others like them. These comedic actors are remembered because they make the audience feel like the comedy being presented is organic. The audience forget that they are watching scripted entertainment and become apart of the very show they are watching. When I think of the next generation that can do this well and will be remembered for their talent to bring their audience into the fold, Tanisha Long is a name that comes to mind. As a fan of her work, it is easy to see that she has made her mark on the industry and that mark will continue to grow as time goes on. I got a chance to interview her and her presence shined through the phone immediately. Tanisha Long is a naturally energetic person with a personality needed in this world.

Tanisha Long told me that she was born and raised on the Westside of Philadelphia. Naturally the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song came up but she made

it clear that she didn’t get to enjoy the playground. Her mother was strict and most of Tanisha’s day was spent watching TV shows like SNL, In Living Color, and The Simpsons. She didn’t realize it at the time but her talents were being developed. Having a strict mother didn’t stop her from enjoying the best Philly had to offer. Philly Cheese Steaks. Boo’s Philly is the only place Tanisha has found that has cheese steaks that compares to the ones made in West Philly. The other great thing about growing up in Philly was that Tanisha was always around family. No matter where she went in her neighborhood she was most likely going to see a family member at some point. Family is always good to be around.

Tanisha’s dream job was not becoming an actress but instead she grew up wanting to be a dancer. She admitted that she had no rhythm and had no idea where this dream came from but it still was her dream. Tanisha didn’t go to school for acting and the push to act came from those around her. In the beginning, she wasn’t even taking her career seriously. Here and there she was doing improv and sketches in people’s basements, wherever and whenever anyone allowed her to work. She was also submitting audition tapes online because everyone kept telling her that she should pursue acting, since she was a comedian. Tanisha didn’t take acting serious until she saw Kerry Washington in Scandal and Viola Davis in How To Get Away With Murder.

Always being inspired by the non-stereotypes played by black actresses, Tanisha loved seeing black women being multifaceted on the television screen. In her interview, referring to black actresses, Tanisha states, “why don’t we get to make mistakes, why don’t we get to be quirky.” The more she saw these type of roles the more she saw beauty in them, because she saw herself in these roles. After taking improv classes, one of her improv instructors put her in a MTV show pilot. MTV took interest in Tanisha and they began inviting her back for more work. She then got booked by an agent and at that point she still didn’t consider herself apart of the acting business. It wasn’t until she was on set going over lines with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, that she realized herself that she was a actress. Tanisha realized in that moment that she did not have to have an acting background in order to pursue an acting career. She is surprised even to this day that she is a actress, even with credits attached to her name. Tanisha could now sew herself as an actress.

“BIGGER” on BET is Tanisha Long’s latest acting gig. Her character Layne Roberts is a young black woman who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. The show follows her and a group of her friends as they try and deal with life, all while being young and black in the south. Tanisha’s character, Layne, is dealing with most of the problems which always is a result of her own actions. Juggling her love life and business ventures, she is always dealing with some type of obstacle. These group of friends also deal with everything from job security, living arrangements, social media, relationships, race, gentrification, & a long list of other problems. “BIGGER” gives an insight into a group of black friends, a group that was for a long time overlooked on the television screen. Tanisha pointed out that more shows have become inclusive but for a while, shows only had one or two black friends. I have always believed that having an ensemble of black people on one show is always refreshing. Every time I watch “BIGGER” I can see my friends in each one of these characters. Each character is perfectly crafted and developed, making each character unique but still realistic. Each character can and does exist in the real world. Tanisha and I both believe that a show like this is needed right now. As Tanisha states, “ I just want to see black joy, because every other place I look, I am not seeing that, I am just seeing violence and fear.” Seeing black joy is always a great thing to see.

Tanisha Long is a actress with talent that will push her to great heights. She has worked hard to get her career to the place it is now. Tanisha has accomplished a lot and as her career has grown, she has also learned things about herself. One of those things is realizing that drinking liquor is something she can do without. Being sober was something Tanisha decided to do after a show in New Jersey where she was extremely drunk. Seeing pictures of that night on Instagram made her want to see how it might feel to be sober. In her mind, she simply wanted to see how being sober might effect her until she wanted another drink but as time passed, she realized that her urge for drinking was disappearing. Tanisha looked up and next thing she knew it was a year since she had her last drink. She began experiencing pushed down emotions and being forced to face her problems head on. Sobriety allowed her to end a relationship that made no sense, cut old friends off, & stop doing stand-up because she didn’t enjoy it. Tanisha’s life was changing before her eyes and she was changing for the better. In March, Tanisha celebrated her fourth year of sobriety.

One of the best things about Tanisha is the fact that she has a personality that can’t be compared to anyone else. Her unique personality shines through in whatever she is doing and I’m glad I got a chance to interview her. Her laughter is contagious and defining her as an open book is not a stretch. I can’t wait to see what is next for Tanisha as her acting career continues. Maybe we will see her in a sci-fi or horror show or movie. For now, we can see her on season 2 of “BIGGER” streaming now on the BET+ app. I will keep following her career because what ever she decides to do will be worth seeing.