Member Spotlight: Keema Bouyer!

Introduce yourself and profession to our readers:
​Hello. My name is Keema Bouyer and I am founder of The Queen's English PR. My agency specializes in Branding and Public Relations for Beauty & Lifestyle Brands and Non-profit organizations. We also offer consulting, event and red carpet management and a la carte PR services.

What inspired this area of interest?
​When I was younger I wanted to be a talk show host or an investigative report/anchor. My "idols" were Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters - big hair and all! :) I majored in Mass Communications and although I did a B-roll I completed my internship at a PR firm. I was given the opportunity take the lead for a Non-profit Campaign called Christmas in July. The organization completed renovations for senior citizens in an underserved area. It was then that I realized that behind the scenes was where I needed to be. I could outline, plan, execute and still be apart of the "media scene". Fast forward six-years post graduation to about 2007. I wasn't one of the lucky ones that got a job in the industry and I tried my hand at event planning a few times but it just wasn't the same. My Pastor asked me to write a press release for him not realizing at all that I had formal training in this area. So that one opportunity reignited my passion for PR. For the next 5 years I acted as the "unofficial" publicist for my church as it related to community involvement. I was able to greatly improve my writing skills and build an impressive media list. In 2012, I decided to make myself official and launched The Queen's English PR.
What are some of the notable clients/projects you've worked on?
​One of my favorite client campaigns is Charessa Sawyer (Simply Charessa) and The Charge Up Campaign. The organization focuses on the celebration of cancer Survivors. Most recently, she hosted the Pink Champagne Gala in Atlanta, GA and it was amazing! This project alone helped me learn more about myself as a publicist than any other client that I have worked with in the last four years!

I have also had the pleasure of working with Nicole Banks (Empress Nic). She focuses on women empowerment and education of how to handle your business. So working with her, I gained a lot of business knowledge from the different seminars that she hosted.
Although Charessa and Nicole are both Event Producers - their brands are so different that I was able to get key takeaways from each of them.

What primary struggles do you find women have in the area of PR with their business?
​I  believe that understanding your worth is HUGE. I think that we know what we should charge but the nurturer in us often allows us to be taken advantage of when it comes to being firm in our rate sheets and always wanting to help someone - especially if it is something that we truly believe it.

From my own personal experiences, I have been  burned a few times because of this. So, I would encourage any person that struggles with this to find the meaning of the word No. And I speak this to myself as well. No, my services are not discount. No, I cant manage your social media pages. No, you can't submit payment 10 days after your payment is due.
No is a powerful word. People will respect you for standing firm. They may  not like it but if they want to do business with you that have to accept your terms.
What is next for your brand in 2016?
​Oh wow! I have quite a few things in the works. First, I will be hosting a monthly segment called "Let's Talk PR" on This Needs to Be Said Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/thisneedstobesaid). It launched in August and will air the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 230pm EST. I will be interviewing publicists in various industries and it will be advice for other publicists and business owners.
The interviews will also be available in both digital and print via Urban Tymes Magazine. 
In September, I will be celebrating four years in business and will launch my Life of Publicist t-shirt line.

How can readers connect with you online and through social media?
Please visit my website and sign up for our email list at www.queensenglishpr.com 
Follow my PR journey on ​Twitter, Instagram and Periscope @queensenglishpr
I have also been doing a late night BrandSnap on SnapChat @keemathepub