Meet Ken Branson | 13-Time Convicted Felon turned Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ken Branson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ken, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
When I started mental health therapy, I realized that I had started stealing money back in the 7th grade. My grandfather had this big, thick green ashtray filled with silver coins on his nightstand…just what I needed to go to the payphone to call my girlfriend over the summertime. The thrill that was presented when there was only 1 way in and 1 way out to get those quarters, was like a gateway drug. Needless to say, that first thrill was one that I chased for several years at every job I worked at. Everything was all good until I was caught taking about $40,000 from the ATMs I worked on, which landed me 13 felony larceny charges and prison time. After all this was behind me, I noticed the need for risk was still apart of my life. One of my mentors, who had to be lead by God, introduced me to Video Production and it was on and poppin’ from that point on. Since 2007, I’ve earned millions of dollars from making onsite prints at youth basketball games and other special events, from producing captivating video stories for businesses and non-profits and even from live streaming…all which present some sort of thrill for me. Once I found a legal and moral way to switch the hustle in my life, I never turned back to those criminal ways. Now, I empower others to turn that same negative energy/behavior into something more profitable and ethical.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Earlier we talked about risks and now I’d like to further define it by using the term “Immediate Gratification.” Having things RIGHT NOW has always been apart of my life. I was making $800/week as a 20 year old but didn’t have enough patience to stack my money and get what I needed the legal way. When I started rechanneling that energy into entrepreneurship, I was able to produce studio quality prints onsite at basketball games and other special events. At the time, it was game-changing because only one of my colleagues were doing it on that level, and that was Rick Crank, my mentor for several years. That same concept still applies today where we aim to get some video stories produced and edited in 24 hours or less…or the clients gets 50% of their money back! What a dope way to 1) satisfy my immediate gratification issues AND 2) set myself apart from other industry partners.

One of the ways I got to this point was by not having any other choice. Many of my colleagues desire full-time entrepreneurship but they refused to burn the boats in case they have to retreat. Another way is by collaborating with some of the dopest industry partners on the east and west coast…The MasterMIND. I center myself around people who are better than me at certain aspects of what we deliver to our clients.

I think the word easy is subjective but it was definitely no walk in the park. I loss a lot of friends, I loss lots of time with my children. There were moments my bank account was deep in the hole and there were moments where I had $10,000 for a whole month without it being dedicated to anything. Nevertheless, the two biggest lessons I learned from it all was 1) do the work and the results will appear, regardless of what it looks like in the moment. 2) Create systems and processes that will allow your business to fully operate in your absence…or else you’ll experience burn-out on a whole new level.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting Durham, I’d find an event surrounding black culture to attend. There are always cultural events happening here in Durham where amazing food trucks gather, some type of entertainment and of course the people of Durham, who’ve always had my back.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people who played an intricate role in my success and I’m sure I’ll leave MANY people out but here are a few individuals and groups of people who I’d like to give credit to:

My Family – I came from the epitome of work ethic. My grandfather and uncle was and my mom is an entrepreneur. My step-father probably only missed a handful of days (literally) at work since he’s been in my life starting in 1990. They are the base of the reason I am successful today.

Dr. Kedrick Lowery – He invited me to the A/V training in the basement of the church in December 2007. That was the start of my business.

Latresha Davis – She gave me a job at Red Lobster when I first moved to Durham, NC from my hometown. Latresha taught me how to work my way up the ladder until the senior executive team decided I hadn’t created a body of work worthy of them making me a salaried manager, making $40K a year. I’m so glad that they never promoted me because I probably would have gotten comfortable there and never built my business.

Cory Rawlinson & Jason Jowers – They allowed me to live with them until I got on my feet. I’m forever indebted to them.

Craig Williams and Chris Lockamy – The introduced the idea of onsite prints and then gave me the opportunity to take pictures and print them out at Youth Basketball Games in 2009/2010.

People in positions of power in corporations, colleges, universities and organizations who sometimes saw me at youth basketball games or out in the community doing free or low-cost work to build my portfolio.

Professors and advisors at NC A&T, ECPI & The Art Institute who custom tailored my education to fit a 13-time felon who needed to pay $1000 of restitution and child support JUST to stay out of prison.

Wedding & Event Planners who trusted me to deliver results to their clients.

Businesses and Non-Profits all over Durham, the Triangle and up/down the east coast.

Books: How to Win Friends and Influence People and eMyths.

Website: https://basementtobalcony.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basementtobalcony/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmproductions/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074614257145

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MasterMINDProductions