BEHIND THE SCENES

Forget a village. It took an entire metropolis of creative, hard-working and very patient people to make KB4Jeep happen.

After months of research, brainstorming and a flurry of emails back and forth between the digital marketing company, graphic designer, photographer, consultants, and Super-Intern, it was time to pull the trigger. Shooting days were crazy fun! Locations included forest trails, a local park, and even Kelley’s driveway. There’s a special dynamic when hiring people who are also friends. It’s magic.

Other than the tick Edwin found on his back after laying on the ground in the woods to set up a shot, no blood was shed and no one was hurt, but we sure had a lot of fun.

Why? (Straight from the VO’s Mouth)

When considering marketing strategies for 2015, I asked myself, what it was I really wanted in my voiceover career. The answer? To voice for a brand I love, and I love Jeep. This campaign was a passion project requiring me to not only manage a 6.4L HEMI V8 engine’s worth of moving parts, but also to balance that with my full-time job as a voiceover talent.

Sure, it’s cost me a lot of money, but I’ve also invested countless hours, sleepless nights, and a huge chunk of my heart in doing something never before done in my industry. Along the way, I had a trusted agent turn my investment into a knife in my back when he took an audition I garnered through the KB4Jeep campaign and sent it to the rest of his roster then gaslighted the entire incident crushing me and my trust in the talent agency model.I truly thank God for agent Jeffrey Umberger supporting me and restoring my faith in agents after that happened.

Chatting with industry colleagues about it, people said things like:

• “Are you really sure you want to try this?”
• “You’re crazy…good crazy, but definitely crazy.”
• “Can I hire you to do my marketing?”

The Results

Did Jeep or their creative agencies ever hire Kelley’s voice? Nope. But…

• KBVoiceovers’ bottom line increased by almost 40%.
• KB4Jeep won 4 Telly Awards and a Studio Daily Top 50 Award for creativity as well as landing KBVoiceovers on the Bulldog 100 honoring the top 100 businesses in growth owned by UGA alumni.
• KB4Jeep paved the way for a content creation partnership with the South’s largest Jeep Wrangler Dealer with the Quick Car Tips video series.
• KBVoiceovers once owned 20% of Jeep’s Twitter (now X) voice.
• More than $75K in free publicity was generated for voice talent Kelley Buttrick much of it in media consumed by those who hire voice talents like AdWeek, PRDaily, ProductionHUB and CampaignUS.
• KB4Jeep solidified Kelley Buttrick’s status as a thought leader in not only the voiceover industry but also in operating a business in the gig economy; small business marketing, solopreneurship, marketing and content creation.

The Team

• Later Talent Agent Representation: Jeffrey Umberger, Umberger Agency (now ACM Manager)
• Photography: Pitter Productions
• Graphic Design: Notobella
• Audio Post and Male VO: Zak Miller, 50to1 Studios
• Original Digital Marketing Agency & Video Production: Prolifik
• Creative Consultation: Lisa Biggs, Ron Huey, Sara Waters, and Jim Spruell
• Super Intern: Paige Smith
• Grammar Guru: Allison Floyd
• Media Pitches: See Spark Go
• Website Redesign: MONSTERS Unlimited
• Later Video Content Producers: Kelley Buttrick, Zak Miller, Mystery Joe
• Printing: Athens Printing
• Friends Willing to Share Their Talents and Lend a Hand: Dr. David Gaines, Ashley Harp Sheppard, Missy Minardi, John Spalding, Holly Craig, and my awesome family