Anne: well. Hello everybody. It's Anne Duffy and welcome to the Just DeW It podcast. I'm so happy you're with me today. ' 'cause I have somebody that has helped me so much this past, year for our retreat. She made us look like we were. Golly, on a rocket ship to stardom as she did the videography for our retreat.
I met her in Scottsdale, with one of Vanessa Emerson's businesses, and then also saw her at SEN and she is just An amazing young woman on her way to making all of us look great. But before I introduce her, I wanna tell you a little bit about her. Kyra Rahn, founder of Key Reel Productions, draws on her acting roots to produce speaking reels.
That create powerful first impressions. She and her fiance just wrapped up a year of working from the road in their renovated school bus, and she recently was stranded in Paris on a solo trip. Hello, Kyra. How are you?
Kyra: So good. It is an immense joy, uh, to be in this moment talking to you, Anne, like this is, just filling my cup right now.
It's amazing. So thank you so much for having me.
Anne: Well, filling my cup too, because first of all, I didn't read your bio until just the second, didn't realize you and your fiance and I saw your ring when I saw you at the retreat in November, and you're engaged and I love it. Of course, I love being married.
as I told you, we just celebrated 50 years.
fun fact. Your wedding and our wedding are a day apart. And so, you know, that's that good vibe. Isn't that just good juju for your long lasting, relationship. So you guys work together, that's kind of cool.
Kyra: So good. Yeah, we were in a tight space, Spontaneously wherever we wanted to be for about a year. And it was fabulous. It was an amazing adventure. And it's amazing the people that you meet out there in situations where you need help in situations where you're just looking for community, like people are so good. And that adventure was such an affirmation of that for real.
Anne: There are good people in this world, and I mean, we need so much more of that. And I just love that you feel that way as a young person out there in the world, and especially in a school bus that's renovated. I mean, that's kind of cool. Tom and I just stayed in our first rv.
Kyra: So Tom and I went to see the Polar Express and we were trying to find a place to stay and there was an Airbnb rv. We stayed in it. So I kind of know what it's like being in a school bus and I actually have that experience just from last weekend.
Anne: So, let me tell you, amazing. You drive that around and you can get places and, oh, that sounds like the old, VW bus, if you will, and you can go around, you're just. calling me back 50 years ago when I back 75, we got married and that was when that was just all happening.
And so, look at you now. You're, reliving my past and for real doing gusto. So I love that so much.
so you tell me a little bit before we got on today and started recording that you were in theater and dance and all of those things. And that doesn't surprise me 'cause I've seen you speak.
Not only are you a phenomenal videographer and if you wanna see her wares, just please go on Instagram. On our do life retreat, Instagram and on the LinkedIn and everything. 'cause all of those clips are from Kyra. So she just made the magic come to life the magic was in the room and that's what you do.
And that really lends itself to me, understanding that your background was theater because you know what it takes to put on a production or give an experience for the audience.
Kyra: Absolutely, absolutely. There was so many lessons in actor training, but one of them right, is how do you walk into a room and.
Just surrender yourself to being a complete fly on the wall. Like how do you find the gravity of the connections that are happening, the magic moments that are happening, the essence of the room. And so that has absolutely been an amazing tool as we transitioned into right, capturing extraordinary gatherings and creating a piece that represents it fully And Just thinking about emotional intelligence and the ways that we can tune into, those things that are really gonna leave an impact in rooms and. Like, I'm so, so grateful for my time as an actor training to be that because it absolutely led me to this place where we're now telling stories of people who are making incredible differences in this world.
And you know, there's so much to that. so it's been an incredible journey for sure.
Anne: it's a gift because we know if you're in the room, I, what I think about what you delivered for us was the magic that was there in the room. That you almost had to be there to experience it.
And I mean, I've had other clips over the years and they were good and all that, but your clips were like, I got goosebumps when I was seeing them. You, I just, now I understand. Why you are getting all these gigs and why you are so sought after. So congratulations for taking all of what you've learned and your love for theater and, and the experience of, what the audience sees and putting it into something that is really.
Actually a business and something that you can, you know, take it from the school bus to possibly, you know, maybe an RV you know, if you
Kyra: wanna
Anne: take it to the rv and beyond. So then before we really get started on that too, like what happened in Paris? Like how did you get stranded in Paris and what happened?
Kyra: Yes. I was there on a very ambitious. Timeline. I was there for 48 hours by myself. Oh, okay. I know, right? We were like, my dream band. Both of them were playing in the same show and I thought, oh my gosh, I just got into the credit card points and miles. We gotta do it. We gotta do it. I went there, had an amazing first day.
I stayed in a hostel. I had a backpack and I am pretty sure my hair was in like two French braids, and I'm like walking down the streets of Paris and I'm just excited to be there. And I'm walking. I'm in this busy area. There's this beautiful arch. And I feel this pull, like do you ever have those moments where you're like, I just feel this gravity, to go somewhere, but I was on this mission to go get pistachio macarons from
Anne: mm-hmm.
Kyra: The Shae. Like, that's where I was going. And
Anne: gotta check that box.
Kyra: Gotta check that box. So I was like, okay, well come back to the arch later. And so I continued on my path and then there's this woman, who's shouting across the crowd, does anybody speak English? And I was just about to pass her. And then like, sweet little.
Pig tailed. Kyra was like, yeah, I speak English. And she asked me to sign a petition and then I walked away without my wallet or passport or anything. Like I didn't have any cash. I thankfully had my phone in my hand and. Okay. I, yeah. Yeah. So didn't
Anne: see it going there. Okay, keep going.
Kyra: Didn't see it going there.
So this is 12 hours before my flight back to the US and I'm here all alone. I have no way to do anything. So I go back to the street corner, I'm like panicking, trying to like make eye contact with any French person. And I feel that gravity again into that arch, so I run in there and I I should have known better because I was at the Louvre Museum.
Anne: Mm-hmm. Oh
Kyra: yeah.
Hello. and so I run up to security and my French at this point was pretty, hopefully earnestly rusty. But in this panic, adrenaline mode, I ran up to the security and I was like, all of this French started coming from like my subconscious, like just victim to pick pocket and grammar came out of nowhere.
It was, it was the most insane thing. And what ensued was a movie scene, he was like, oh no. And like backup came and they're chasing people down. These like, people were out there with these like cardboard clipboards you know, taking people's money and so they're like patting people down.
We can't find them. there's this man who I was like, convinced is my guardian angel, you know, helping me try to find my passport. 'cause they like ditched them. And so there were French policemen pulling up on motorcycles. We never found these women. They were long gone. But after a trip to the US Embassy wasn't as easy to get an emergency issued passport as I thought, but by God's grace, we made it happen.
And I got on the flight with like $0 and like torn up shoes. Like it was an adventure. But I'm so grateful and like the lesson is like, I think about that gravitational pull all of the time to like go through that arch I know you're trying to go this way. On this path, but what is that?
Right? Like what is it when we're getting those whispers, right? Mm. To do something and it's like maybe the detour is actually the fastest route to the destination. Yeah. And like it's those moments of protecting us from things that are like not in our best interest. And so, It's
Anne: an intuition, it's a gut feeling.
I think it's very feminine, by the way. Mm-hmm. I think that we listen to it. Yeah. Doubt that you'll ever get pickpocketed again.
Kyra: Never like did
Anne: you feel it at all? Did you feel anything or,
Kyra: you know, it was interesting. So there was one woman who I was talking to and she was like, so nice.
She's like, you're so beautiful. Where are you from? And then I was actively giving her money because I knew like I was. Being scammed, right? But I was like, okay, if you're out here scamming people, like I can help you out here are like 20 euro. And then this other woman came up right next to me and she was like whacking me with her cardboard clipboard and saying like, miss, miss, miss, miss.
And I just got so overwhelmed and the first woman started to get angry, like she wanted more money. And so I just like backed up and I was like, I gotta go, I gotta go. And I was like putting my wallet back into my side purse. With everything and they just snatched it. So it was such a,
Anne: so they snatched you.
Oh, wow.
Kyra: I know. They're so skilled and I was so naive.
Anne: And you know what, I love how we started this whole thing about how many good people are on. I know. Except in that, in that in the, Luv in the Paris area there.
Kyra: Right.
Anne: Oh.
Kyra: But there were so many good people who got me home. Yeah. Like so many amazing people.
And yeah. I'll never forget. Seeing this man for the first time, like it was a mutual, like, whoa. we are here for each other in this moment right now. And he was such a calm, protective
Anne: gentleman
Kyra: moment. Yeah.
Anne: Angel.
Yeah. I believe there are angels. I love that. well, a great story.
I love how you tell it. You tell it with such verb, and, I have goosebumps just even thinking about it and Oh my gosh. That's gonna be a good one. You're up on stage. I can just see that coming to life again and again and again.
And also the whole message of. Good people, you know, it is principle number three. We say good dues. Find good dues, but really good people. Find good people. and that is so true and I think in this world today, there's just so many good people. We just stay focused on that and do what we can in our little circles where we are.
That makes a big difference. And, but you're showcasing everybody. There's a big, difference that you can make. With a good speaker reel, and I know so many I've been involved, you know, with, speakers Consulting Network and Vanessa's is the Dental Speaking Institute.
And then of course we have our own retreat now, so I'm actually a scout for that. How does it help them if they have a good speaker reel compared to just, giving me like an email or a, sheet of paper or something like that. What sets that apart and what can you do for them?
Kyra: So we know in this moment that video is. Royalty And it's so, true. Like in this moment it's so powerful. Like I nerd down all the time 'cause I'm like, how did we as humans figure out how to capture a moment that is happening in real time and like capture the waves and particles and like put them into a little SD card and then project them out for the world to experience this moment in real time again, like it just blows my mind.
This is so cool. And it's. This avenue for people to experience our energy, like our authentic energy, the way that we show up, and in a way, right, it brings to life the page, the course description, the photos in a way that is just. It's three dimensional, right? Mm-hmm. And so we talk all the time about like, not having one these days is like a photographer not having a portfolio where you're like, Hey, can you come take our portraits?
Mm-hmm. let's see your work, make sure it's a right fit. And they're like, oh, actually, like I've done a bunch of work, but I don't have any to show you. And you're like. I think we're gonna move on. And there are so many stories of this happening. I just actually heard one yesterday of, a speaker who is being scouted by a study club and they asked for her reel or any kind of video and she didn't have any, and they said, I'm so sorry.
We have to move on. Just because it's becoming part of systems and processes to vet speakers in this way. And so having one is amazing and having a good one is so important because this is again, like. People's first impression of our energy. Mm-hmm. Our spirit, our presence, the way that we bring ourselves to the moment.
And so it's such a great way for people to get to know us and to see us in action in magic and. We define a good one as being clear, like it is very, very, very concise. The problem that you solve for the people that you serve. I think there's also this misconception that these speaker reels and especially sizzle reels are like us flash, bang, big stage, like mm-hmm.
All of the cool effects, which is amazing, and it creates energy and these reels are not about us. Right. They're four meaning planners about their people and how we can help them. And so that's what we do. We, go, we travel, we capture those moments on stage. And then we. Distill them to an essence like the core of, of what you are in a way that it is memorable in a way that gets you on that short list of people and, and Right, like a photographer gives over their portfolio.
You're like, okay, yeah. Like maybe let's have a conversation now and just make sure that. We are a right fit, if that portfolio has a bunch of grainy photos and like the kind of exposure's kind of weird or like, it's just not a right fit, We're gonna move on. So it's like representing our best selves.
Mm-hmm. bringing that to the forefront so that people can say, I don't know what it is about you, but I wanna get to know you more. Yeah.
Anne: And that's so special because. As we know in this day and age, what the meeting planners are looking for is energy.
Kyra: Mm-hmm.
Anne: And if you have a low energy speaker or you don't get goosebumps from what they're saying.
or something that's intangible that you can't even put your finger on. And uh, charisma. Yeah, I guess it is. But you've gotta be able to have the charisma come out in your reel and, and having your background. You pull it out every single person that we had at our retreat, and I just, I love reliving it.
I could watch all those reels like over and over and over again, and I don't know how you did that, but you have an editing process apparently. Yeah, and you guys took so much footage, then how do you boil it down to something that is like. Short, clear, concise, and impactful,
Kyra: right. This process started, so I actually got my start in production, um, in documentary, and so Oh, I would go right, and it's like you have massive amounts of content and so much happens over like three months. The first documentary I did was about moms of Children with Rare Diseases and how, oh.
That isolation is just suffocating. and how the medical system could be structured in a way where it serves that population better. And so it's like all really important work. And there are so many themes happening and so much B roll, right? Like so many people, like it was, a show that was being created.
So we had actors on their feet and like conversations and all these things like months and months and months and months. And they say, Kyra. We need you to take all of this footage and put it into 90 minutes. I was like, okay, here we go. And we create this arc. And then they said, okay, Kyra, we need to take these 90 minutes, all of which are so curated important, much like our keynote, right?
Mm-hmm. Where we're like, made up of so many things. And then we distill it down into like 90 minutes. And you know, we have these audience interaction moments and stories that we tell, and these really, we like to call them truth bombs. Yeah. These nuggets that are just right give you goosebumps. So take all of that and put it into three minutes.
A minute, and it's like, I do that. Right? And so we've created this process, of what we like to say or visualize as filtering, right? So like filter number one is this an electrifying. Moment, right? Because we wanna put our best out there. I also, had a stint in casting, actors.
And so, my task, especially as an intern, was to go through all of the headshots all the headshots, okay. All of the videos, right? And we're looking for roles. We're looking for roles, but. like I'll never forget, flipping through these and what we're looking for is like that electricity that like spark in the eye that like, I don't know if you're a right fit right now, but I'm so gravitated to you right now that like, I just want more, I just want more of this.
So that's like filter number one is like, is this magnetic? And then it's about distilling down to an essence of like what is again that problem that you solve for the people that you serve, and what is that emotional journey and how do we tell that story? Not with more, but less, like how do we be really concise and capture those moments where people feel it, because that is so much more powerful than just.
Telling it, is when we can show it. So
Anne: yeah,
Kyra: it's, a process that is constantly being tweaked and developed and improved and We're in this moment now of like, how do we keep. Telling stories that are so unique to each person, right? Like, we don't really want to create a template, you know, moment of like, we do this and then this and this, and this, and this, right?
But like, how do we create parameters and then play within the structure, within the parameters and still capture the like. unique essence of every individual because truly, like there are so many speakers on like burnout or leadership or, osha like
Anne: right,
Kyra: how
Anne: boring stuff.
Some of them it's boring. Not, not, not burnout so much. but OSHA's certainly give you,
Kyra: right?
Anne: Yeah,
Kyra: totally. Like how are you bringing your specific essence to this topic in a way that is like unforgettable and magnetic?
Anne: Yeah. And that the person that's actually seeing it is experiencing it and is going to act, is, motivated to take action steps to follow up on what they learned in that, talk. That's, a beautiful thing that you can give to all of us out there trying to, deliver our message. because I always say I'm a talker, not a speaker. I give so much credit to the speakers.
I just love those guys and I think it's fantastic. I've done it. I can do it, but I prefer having a microphone. With no script and just letting it rift. Yeah. That's my chi, if you will. I love the fact that you can pull that out. I've seen it so often, and now I understand it. And the other thing that I love about it is Your experience of living in the school bus
Has given you experience of taking, 50 feet of whatever and putting it into like this little teeny thing. good at decluttering apparently. Mm-hmm. And keeping it very very brief, very important though.
you get the important details that. really give you the emotion, and that's what we're looking for. Emotion, in a short period of time. what is that magic number now for a clip?
Is it 60 seconds? What is it?
Kyra: so I've heard an experience like that for like a fully produced speaker reel, like 10 years ago it was like five to 10 minutes. Okay. And then like three years ago it was like three minutes, and now it's more like two minutes and 45 seconds is kind of what we did.
Okay. But, um, those one minute ones are serving so well because we're so used to it. Like that's the format that we're used to experiencing one piece of content, as we scroll. so I think we've been trained in a way to really appreciate and hang on to those one minute. Reels. Mm-hmm. which we really enjoy as well.
Like the one minute and then the, like the two minute 45 seconds, which is just like more of a holistic story.
Anne: You get the whole story, but in that one minute, yeah. You can really get the feeling the, goosebumps, the like, I want more. And that's really what you want from a speaker's reel.
You want them to say, oh, I want more.
And this person delivered. are you involved now with the National Speakers Association and Oh yeah.
I, I'm sure you are. Yeah, because you get a foot in the door and then all the doors open. So tell me about that. What's your favorite way to collaborate with the speakers?
Kyra: So as a solopreneur and knowing that like so many speakers and coaches and consultants out there are also solopreneurs I love, and this is part of the reason we love going to conferences and gatherings, is because we love community so much and there are moments where we're building our business and it is a very solo journey.
It reminds me of. when I was auditioning, in la like actor self tapes were the way that you got in the door, right? Similar to the way that we show up and we talk on camera for social media, or we create reels and all these things. And I remember like, you know, the vacuum of the lens is so intimidating and there's not another soul in this room.
Oh, okay, okay. And I'm creating this energy and it's like, I don't know if this is what they're looking for or if this is what's hitting the mark. And so, that experience inspired me to create an event. called Noted, and this is the speaker's day on set. And it is a place where we.
Invites eight to 12 speakers to come and gather all of the ingredients necessary for a rockstar speaker reel. And so a, this is a place of fun. Like how do we make this moment that can sometimes bring up some nerves or intimidation or like self doubt and just really, really, lift each other up in this moment.
And it's also a super, super. process that comes with a lot of preparation, a lot of guidance, a lot of how do we show up in this moment with incredible clarity about what we're creating here. And so the day on set is really big. It's really ambitious, really efficient. our goal is to pack the speaker marketing portfolio full of assets.
So we get stage footage. we do. On camera interviews, testimonials stage images. We do headshots, branding shots, and we also bring in, some sort of supplemental material. This last time we did a podcasting workshop noted before that we did, uh, social media workshop where we talked about LinkedIn strategies as a speaker.
So ways that we can gather, get everything we need, and also grow our list of our. Speakers that we love to refer, to build community, and to just have a really fun time doing it. And so noted is, our current favorite way to,
Anne: so that's an event you're putting on, that's called Noted.
Kyra: Yep.
Anne: And if you're a speaker and you wanna get noted, get booked, you know, so often it's like even just publishing, so I published two magazines, a lot of times like, is anybody reading us it? It's just, it's such a huge, like you say, a vacuum out there, is anybody watching this is any, so I think just to have the camaraderie of that group and then the expertise that you have with your background, your energy, I mean, I could just see you drawing out the best in all of them.
I mean, you know, if you don't have it, and that's what you wanna do, you need to get it. And so tell me how do we get in touch with you because, Not only that, but like, even if you're looking for a, a high level position, this seems like a really good thing for people that just not necessarily wanna be up on stage and speak, but also just wanna be able to.
have impact in a room they're in. it goes far beyond. I think you have to be able to communicate and just to go through this process would help you boil down your message and be able to make it impactful because when I think about it, the message I've been talking about.
Fordo, the origin story hasn't changed.
But I could see myself needing a little help, maybe tweaking it and, getting it a little bit more concise, if you will. you know what? I'm not an expert in that. and I could use some expert advice.
So tell me how do we get in touch with you? Yeah. And how do we become I love the name noted. That's beautiful. gives them a little bit more expert status and shows up like they really know what they're doing. How do we get in touch with you?
Kyra: Yeah, I am on LinkedIn, Keira Ron. You can email me at Kyra.
That's KYRA at Key Reel Productions. We're about to, go through a very exciting rebrand and so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for the new name. But right now it's Kyra at K-E-Y-R-E-E-L productions.com.
Anne: That is awesome and we will have it in the show notes and then we'll change it up in the show notes when they come.
this again because we just rebranded our whole website. We just got a new website, we relaunched at the retreat and you
Kyra: did so good.
Anne: You know, we have to keep moving, right? Moving and shaking them with the times and just exploring new opportunities. But you're right, video is. the place and nobody has a long attention span.
So you, if you're going to put a video out there, it better be good. Mm-hmm. And we are, recipients of your work. Thank you very much. Thank you. and Lanny for being there with us and just. You know, showcasing us, one of us. Your dues, you're honorary dues. And we'll see you next year at our retreat, which is the same time next year.
I told you to lock that in, right? I think Carla did. Oh,
Kyra: yeah.
Anne: So November 12th through 14th and Charlotte, North Carolina, it will be our 10th anniversary. Woo-hoo. For due. And so that's gonna be, I don't know the, the doors are gonna blow out and, If you wanna be, there and be captured you need to show up.
That's what it is. that is where the magic happens. And to be able to, showcase that for us. We are very, very grateful. I'm gonna wish you a wonderful Christmas and holiday season because we're right on it here now girl, and we're ready to go. and I also wish you and your husband years of wedded bliss.
Like I've experienced it. I know, because our dates. August 23rd. August 22nd. It's the same
Kyra: weekend. It's good luck.
Anne: It's good luck. It's just the best. It's just the best. So you take care. Lovely to see you dear, and I will see you on the road. And if you're listening to us, everybody do remember to keep doing you.
Thanks Kara for being with us. Love you, Kara. Ron, we'll take you. Love
Kyra: you so
Anne: much. We'll see you later.
