Keane Eye Production Company lead by black couple

BY SELINA McCALLUM

This couple vowed to love each other for better or for worse not only in their marriage, but in their business partnership as well.

Gary and Joanne Keane are co-founders of Keane Eye Production Company. They have worked with construction and renovation companies, realtors, life coaches, music artists and pharmaceutical companies.

“We don’t have one specialization like other people do. We specialize in music videos, photoshoots, graphics, logos, website design, and brand management,” said Gary.

Gary and Joanne met through friends and started dating. Gary wasn’t the marriage type, and he made that clear on one of their dates.

“I wouldn’t say that it was quite the love story. To me marriage was definitely number one on my list. After we started to get to know each other, I was able to change his mind. We just gel really well together, and the rest is history really,” said Joanne.

Joanne has been doing freelance graphic design for years now, but she never really took it to the next level because of juggling life, being a wife and the mother of an adorable two-year-old boy.

It was only six months ago that they decided to take Keane Eye Productions seriously.

“My passion is just graphic design and being able to work with different people who want to be able to build businesses. I like to use my creativity to communicate their messages through great visuals,” said Joanne.

Joanne was in the Advertising and Graphic Design program at Humber College for three years. Their strengths have helped build the company and network with other creatives in the GTA.

“I’m a people person. I’m an entrepreneur at heart. When I was small, I used to sell things and make profit. But life kind of takes its course and you need what I call a safety net — immediate, steady wages, so I ended up taking jobs that are not my dream to do,” said Gary.

Many people put their dreams on hold, or do not go after them altogether because of the pressure to make money in a stable career. But the couple has been able to pair up and be a dynamic duo.

“I’m working with not only my wife and partner, but my best friend. When we were dating it got to the point where I would only want to do things with her and stop doing things with my friends,” said Gary.

Of course, in every relationship and partnership there will be highs and lows.

“The highlights of working with my husband is knowing that I’m actually building with my partner. It’s not often that you hear a husband and wife teaming up together to build an empire, and I call it an empire because that’s what we want to build,” said Joanne. “It’s really nice to know that you can do it with someone whom you trust one hundred per cent. I enjoy hearing his perspective and his side of things because sometimes graphic designers can have tunnel vision.”

The couple keep each other motivated and also balance each other out.

“Many nights we fall asleep on each other because we’ve just gone over our work again and again by her adding something or me adding in something. One thing that’s good but also bad is that both of us are perfectionists. I know when to stop, but my wife on the other hand, will just keep going and going or do it over again,” said Gary.

The next steps for the Keane’s is to expand their business.

“We are hiring people on certain jobs just so we can get a feel for what our company can possibly turn into. We’re always looking to collaborate with people, we don’t want to just stick to ourselves because we realize that if we want to cater to all these areas, we won’t be able to do it on our own,” said Joanne.

When it comes to raising a two-year-old son and building a business simultaneously, it can be hard to have a work-life balance.

Gary says that the best way to build a business with your partner, is to understand each other better than anyone else does.

“There’s so many challenges and struggles. My advice is that you better be well connected and best friends with each other. It can’t just be a relationship, it has to be much stronger than that,” said Gary.

Joanne is extremely grateful for her family who steps in to take care of their child even when it is a last minute notice.

“I would definitely say that family support is paramount. There are times where we get called to do a shoot, do an interview or even attend a meeting, and we always need someone to watch our son,” said Joanne. “Whether it be family or someone close to you, you need someone who is reliable and dependable. There would not be Keane Productions without our strong family support.”

Although the couple only started their business together six months ago, they hope to make an even bigger impact in the next six months here in Toronto and with their connections in the UK. Their goal is to leave their fulltime jobs to put more effort and focus into Keane Eye Productions.

“Be on the lookout because we have a lot of things in the pipe and a lot of things that we’re doing,” said Gary.

To book a shoot, video or meeting with Keane Eye Productions, contact them on Instagram at Keane Eye Productions.