Panelist
A serial entrepreneur in marketing, publishing and event production and one of the few African American coffee roasters, Kris D. Christian has made it her life’s work to solve challenges and meet needs.
It all started with a knack for market research. Kris began her career on Wall Street as an financial analyst at Barclay’s Capital and William Blair & Company. Tracking trends, building models and assessing performance, she realized her passion was stronger for people than profits. In 2011, she left the world of investment banking and became a full-time entrepreneur.
Sticking to her strengths of analysis and pitching, in 2011 she founded FAME Enterprises and began offering innovative integrated marketing campaigns. Six years later, Kris’ first business has grown into a national multimedia conglomerate.
There are four companies under the FAME umbrella: FAME Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), FAME Media ( MADE Magazine TM ), FAME Events, and FAME Studios . FAME IMC’s core is strategic brand development and content marketing. The company has earned clients ranging from global brands such as BMW of North America and Time, Inc., and rising national startups like Mielle Organics and The Vanity Group, to personal brands including Actress Adrienne Bailon of The Real and Grammy-Winning Artist NE-YO.
FAME Event’s niche is activating multicultural campaigns in metropolitan markets. Offering a comprehensive suite of marketing services and specialty advertising, the company has produced premier cultural and lifestyle events in key markets, such as BMW’s National Women Who Pay It 4Ward Honors Brunch Series, The Road to ESSENCE Festival, and Howard University’s Alumni Homecoming Event. And, FAME Studios, a contemporary creative studio, is leading the way in print and digital media, producing millennial-driven content including its hallmark print and digital magazine, MADE Magazine TM . MADE Magazine TM has garnered attention from a flourishing community of millennials of color featuring entertainers including Gladys Knight, Spike lee, Sanaa Lathan, Brandy, Charlamagne Tha God, Keke Palmer, and Meagan Good to name a few.
From the ill and discriminated to the silenced and underserved, Kris is passionate about empowerment through personal connections and stories. Her personal story is what led to founding her most recent venture, Chicago French Press (CFP). A coffee enthusiast, Kris has always wondered why she couldn’t have strong and flavorful coffee. Day in and day out, she diluted her strong roasts with sugar and creamers. Until finally, the entrepreneurial light bulb went off to make the change herself.
In 2016, she found the solution: custom-roasted organic coffee flavored with natural fruits, nuts and chocolate. Beyond robust brews, CFP is “grinding for a cause.” O ffering nine flavors, each brew directly impacts: Gun Violence, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s Disease, Arts Education, Cancer, World Hunger, Veterans, Homelessness, and Mental Illnesses. From combating urban crime in her current city, Chicago, tofinding a cure the Alzheimer's Disease that her maternal and paternal grandparents battled, CFP is a continuation of her work of meeting needs.
When she’s not at work, you can find Kris at board Associate meetings for iMentor Chicago or teaching Entrepreneurship 101 at Fellowship Bible Academy. A member of Alpha Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and graduate of Howard University, her foundation for community involvement was laid early. If you want to stay updated on Kris or her work, find FAME online:
FAME Integrated Marketing Communications: www.fame-imc.com
FAME Events: www.fame-events.com
FAME Studios: www.fame-studios.co
MADE Magazine: www.made-magazine.com
Chicago French Press: www.chicagofrenchpress.com