WHERE WE SERVE YOUTH, ADULTS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
KMA teaches and empowers youth ages 14-24 with the technical skills and soft skills across the music production, fashion design, and video production industries.
Captivate your audience with engaging short animations that highlight your brand’s key messages. We offer Visual Storytelling, Animation, and Motion Graphics.
Our state of the art music production studio offers a rich history of Bay Area artists and bands creating and mastering award winning albums.
Our Fashion Innovation Lab is a clothing production center and job training incubator that teaches youth how to screen print & design merchandise.
KOO Labs Design Center and Production House serves as Kingmakers of Oakland’s community-based hub outside of schools. The goal of our center is to empower students and opportunity age youth with a space to develop marketable skills across multiple industries. KOO Labs will be an incubator for youth-generated music and video, and a community space for discovery, discussion, and enterprise.
KOO Labs Community Program Manager
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Managing Director Media & Technology
Brenden Anderson is a mission-driven leader who works towards empowering and and vancing underserved communities by continuously expanding their opportunities for edication, skill development and career success. With a Masters in Ed Tech he is uniquely positioned at the convergence of education, journalism, multimedia production, and workforce development to support students of color in manifesting their life and career success. He strategically aligns and integrates his experiences, skills, and partnerships to close gaps and provide solutions to schools, youth organizations, educators, parents and students.
Media & Technology Manager
Damari is a stagehand, audiovisual specialist, video editor, and aspiring creative thinker. He considers himself a conduit through which stories are told – stories that present struggle and endearment; a quest for self-understanding & systems relationships. Damari is here to document transformations of the self, community and beyond.
Director Youth Voice and Leadership & Kingmakers Music
Jahi is an international artist, educator and curator based in Oakland, California.
Contractor: Media Productions
James C. Earl-Rockefeller, III is a videographer and production specialist for Kingmakers of Oakland Communications Department. “Rocke” began his career in entertainment as a professional stand-up comic in 1986. Moving to Oakland, CA in 1992 presented him the opportunity to appear on BET's Comic View (1st Season) and work for The Soulbeat Television Network, a 24 hour "black owned" network, broadcasting music videos, entertainment and community programming. Rocke is a sports Public Address Announcer for Stanford University, Laney and Merritt Community Colleges and the Oakland Athletic League.
Studio Manager and Head Engineer
Studio Manager and Head Engineer, Kevin oversees the day-to-day operations of two recording studios, ensuring smooth management of client bookings, studio scheduling, and the overall workflow. He has expertise writing, recording, producing and performing music. Experience working with rock, pop, hip-hop, R&B and art/experimental musicians. He is the main recording engineer and vocal producer, as well as mixing engineer, producer and arranger on the Grammy-winning album “The Movement” by Alphabet Rockers. He co-wrote a lot of original music alongside Madame Gandhi for the MSNBC produced documentary "Periodical" that released in 2023.
Contractor: Media Producer
Born and raised in Oakland, California, Ramasses Head has produced a successful reality DVD series, Six independent feature films over 40 music videos along with many corporate and educational productions. Over the years he has produced projects in Los Angeles, CA, Atlanta, GA and Miami FL, in addition to the Bay Area. His work has been featured on HULU, VICELAND and BET Networks.
Artist and Creative Director
Senay Alkebu-lan is a 22 year old artist from West Oakland whose art practice revolves around creating a visual framework to empower Black youth. His relationship to a multigenerational legacy of Black Activism translates to an exploration of heritage and very direct political messaging. He has navigated his place as an artist through international travel and exhibition, public art, and in depth community engagement using mediums such as apparel design, drawing, photography, film, and exhibition curation to communicate his ideas.
Most notably, Senay Alkebu-lan is the founder and creative director of Madow Futur Clothing Co. Madow Futur combines the Somali word for Black and the French spelling of future to speak specifically to the conditions of Black/African people with the statement that “Black youth are the future”. With messages that connect local pride to international issues, each garment is a wearable demand of equality for all oppressed people. His designs combine a militant DIY streetwear attitude with futuristic undertones and strong political themes, stripped down to simplistic elements in both form and content.
Animation Program Manager
theo@kingmakersofoakland.org
Theo Hollingsworth is a creative producer and storyteller dedicated to using animation to amplify Black voices. As the lead of Kingmakers of Oakland’s animation program, he mentors young creatives in storytelling, motion graphics, and digital production. With experience at Pixar, BAYCAT, and as an independent creator, Theo has worked on a wide variety of animated series, music videos, and other educational content. His focus at KOOLabs is providing hands-on experience and real-world opportunities, ensuring students develop the skills to thrive in creative industries.
