KESI Gardner left Jamaica in her late teens, like many other young Jamaicans, to start a new life in the United States as a result of an incredible chance her mother received working for the United Nations.

She acquired a strong sense of self and tenacity from an early age, and she forged her own path.

She always considered herself as creative, whether she was doodling at her father’s old drafting station or dreaming of designing major campaigns she would soon be a part of. She went to The Dwight School on Central Park West in New York City where Julian Casablancas, the lead vocalist of The Strokes, and socialite Paris Hilton were students.

After winning a scholarship to study fine arts at Howard University, she chose to pursue communications design at the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where she acquired a well-rounded education in the visual arts.

Gardner succeeded at the top-ranked school, obtaining a Freshman Honor to exhibit in the Schafler Gallery on the Brooklyn campus, following in the footsteps of alumni such as film director Robert Redford, fashion designer Betsey Johnson, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. She was also on the dean’s list, and after graduation, she was invited to exhibit at the Roosevelt Island Chase bank branch.

She travelled a lot with her mother and through the course of ten years lived in five cities and vacationed in several more places including Europe, Canada, and Scandinavia.

“My mother was a diplomat, and so we lived in New York, Rome and travelled regularly. As a result, I was exposed to the ‘good life’ — museums, jazz, and classical music, great food, and, of course, networking with well-connected business professionals,” she shared with Career & Education.

After the birth of her daughter in 2002, she came home and found employment as a graphic designer for a variety of firms, including McCann-Erickson Jamaica, a multinational advertising agency, where she obtained vital experience in developing and bringing to life the “big idea”.

In 2008, she was hired as one of Digicel Jamaica’s first in-house graphic designers, and she relished the challenge of managing projects from conception to completion in a fast-paced setting.

One night after driving home from a wedding, she was in a car accident and suffered whiplash and a concussion. She realised she needed a change after several weeks of physical therapy. The advertising industry’s heavy workload and long, arduous hours had taken their toll.

“I was working 15-20 hour workdays. Working in advertising, especially as a graphic designer, has always been demanding and you have to be prepared to work long hours to meet tight deadlines,” she shared.

It was eye-opening, and she realised that the only way to change careers was to return to school. She applied to university and moved to Silver Spring, Maryland and spent many months studying in her brother’s cold basement.

“I would travel in the snow and rain twice a week for two hours by train to Baltimore. I earned a master’s degree in strategic communication with a focus in social media marketing from Notre Dame of Maryland University in less than two years. For someone known as a graphic designer it was challenging to change perception on the career change,” she lamented.

It paid off as she received a job offer from Africare, an international NGO, while still an intern. She oversaw the marketing communications programme’s Internet component while also penning opinion articles for news outlets such as the Huffington Post on behalf of the president of the organisation. Her enthusiasm for social media and digital marketing grew, and she was pleased to see a 25 per cent increase in donor loyalty as a result of her efforts.

In 2013, she returned home to be with her family. Continuing her love for advertising but this time on the strategic side, she worked as an account executive for one of the top three agencies in Jamaica, Whistling Frog.

She worked in every stage of accounts management, from liaising with production to meeting with clients and managing budgets. Working on campaigns worth millions of dollars, she thrived in the fast-paced environment. Being a strategist, designer, and writer, she was a “triple threat”, and often conceptualised, wrote copy and designed campaigns when she needed to get the job done.

In 2014, she had the privilege of being asked to be a judge and presenter at The Caribbean Blog & Social Media Awards. There she was reminded of her love for social media and digital marketing.

In the past few years, she’s worked with some of the top advertising agencies in Jamaica, including the oldest agency in the region, Advertising & Marketing, otherwise known as AdMark — an agency aligned with Foote, Cone and Belding — one of the world’s oldest agency networks. While there, she worked on several 360-degree campaigns in the finance, insurance and consumer goods industries.

In 2019, she was nominated as one of Digital Jamaican’s People to Watch in 2019 in the micro-influencer category because of her willingness to highlight Jamaican marketing trends and influencers in the digital landscape on her marketing blog, www.kesigardner.com.

“I was disappointed that no one was commenting on the Jamaican marketing and PR landscape and so I decided to blog not just to become an authority but also to document a lot of the interesting trends in our community,” she explained.

In 2020, www.kesigardner.com was nominated as one of the top 200 marketing blogs on the Web by FeedSpot.

All this experience culminated to where she is today, which involves running The Storyteller Agency. Co that helps brands tell their story through robust creative campaigns.

“One day I woke up and realised I’d turned 40. Younger people with less experience were running their own businesses and were quite successful. My daughter had gone off to college and I thought if not now then when. Today, I work on helping create brand awareness within my niche, which is mainly luxury hospitality brands. This covers food, culture, and wellness. I also work with established influencers as their agent, brokering exclusive deals for them on the island,” she shared.

With storytelling at the ethos, Gardner’s approach is immersive, only working with brands that match her lifestyle, aesthetic and way of life. With several creative campaigns under her belt, Gardner says, “From Anansi till now, stories have changed over time. What used to be only word of mouth has turned the traditional media to a world of noise. Today, telling good authentic stories helps us create a space where you can stand out in a crowded marketplace.”

The Storyteller Agency. Co celebrates a year in operation and she just launched her own luxury brand, @luxuryja on Instagram.

“I’m also a travel advisor to celebrities and am often asked to create an itinerary and curate experiences for anyone who wants to enjoy Jamaica fabulously through my platform @luxuryja. Luxury to me is not just about expensive things, it’s a way of life. We could be in the mountains and have a spread of fabulous food and wine. It’s easy to create that simplicity on our beautiful island.”