Overview
Sammy Khalid is a concept designer, illustrator, and NFT artist who grew up in Dublin, Ireland. Sammy mainly works in the entertainment industry, specifically film/TV and animation, and designs characters, sets, vehicles, and props. In addition to this, as an illustrator, he creates artwork for different brands, games, and publications. Moreover, as an NFT artist, he creates personal artwork that he sells through digital ‘galleries’/platforms to collectors.
Sammy states that ever since he could hold a pencil, drawing is something that he has absolutely loved. While in college, Sammy learned about drawing fundamentals, the filmmaking process, how to research, and working within a team. It was around this time that he realized he wanted to be a concept artist.
Sammy put a hold on his social life and made an 8-hour daily painting schedule to simulate working in a studio. Luckily, he had been living with his parents who were supportive, so he didn’t need to pay rent, thus, giving him the time to really focus on becoming better at drawing. At this point, Sammy had already started making money through freelance storyboard gigs and editorial illustrations. Sammy did not spend his earnings on materialistic items, instead, he re-invested his money into mentorships in environment design, matte painting, and character design from some of his favorite artists. They helped him build a professional portfolio that got him into the film industry where he first started working in a VFX house as a concept artist/matte painter.
Since then, Sammy has been working full time as a concept artist/illustrator and got the chance to work on great projects such as Black Mirror, Artemis Fowl, and League of Legends for dream clients like Disney, Netflix, and HBO. This job has given him amazing flexibility to work from anywhere in the world and garner immense success.
Last year Sammy set himself the challenge of creating 365 daily paintings outside of his client work. This was extremely difficult but very rewarding at the same time as it increased his following on Instagram from 600 to over 20000 in the space of the year. After hitting the 10k mark, Sammy did not need to look for clients, as they pursued him themselves. Sammy states that he is extremely grateful for his success. Although his journey to success has been full of challenges, he could not have asked for anything better because he gets to do something that he loves.
Process
- 1
CONSULTATION
We had an initial consultation call with Sammy Khalid, where we identified his goals and requirements. On the call, we discussed the PR strategy we would implement in the upcoming months.
- 2
ROADMAP TO SUCCESS
Based on the needs of Sammy Khalid, we worked with him to build out a roadmap of publications, a timeline, and a trajectory for success that will best elevate the digital authority of his brand.
- 3
GET TO WORK
We sent him a questionnaire that we would leverage to craft his content. Then, we began the process of content creation and getting him featured on the agreed publications.
Challenge
Sammy Khalid had a good following on social media platforms such as Instagram. However, he had almost zero press when he approached us. So what we needed to do was to present Sammy Khalid’s story from a unique angle, and leverage our network of connections to get him featured in numerous media publications.
Strategy
- Create powerful content that showcases Sammy Khalid’s story in a unique way.
- Boost brand credibility and authority by positioning Sammy Khalid as a leader in the design industry.
- Leverage Sammy’s story along with our network of connections to get him featured on major publications.
- Generate enough press so that it could later on be used as leverage to get on even bigger media outlets if needed, and at the same time lay the foundation for social media verification.
Featured On
Results
- Got Sammy Khalid featured on some major publications like Yahoo News, Disrupt Magazine, The Hustler’s Digest, and many more.
- Created strong content and strategically got it placed on major media outlets to position Sammy Khalid as a leader in the design industry.
- Tremendously boosted press exposure, brand credibility, and Google search presence for Sammy Khalid.
- Attained a lot of powerful media coverage, hence laid the initial foundation for social media verification in the future.
What Sammy Has To Say
