WHO IS MR.KOA?
Founder & Creative Producer of KING OF ARTS INC. – providing photography & visual branding for celebrities, athletes, corporate and professionals.
BACKGROUND
I was born on July 30, 1990, by my mother Rose Malcolm-Streete with emotional support from my father Craige Donald Campbell. I say emotional support for obvious reasons; men have nothing to do with birth. My birth city is Ottawa, Ontario, but I didn’t actually live in that city until much later in life – we’ll get there. I suppose my parents found some humour in giving me one of the longest names to write on paper as a child - Craige Ryan Malcolm-Campbell. Also, koodos to both of them for raising me at the age of 21, because God knows I definitely was not ready to have anything following me around at that age.
Now, where should I take you from here? There are literally a million different paths I can take you on, so I guess I’ll have to choose one and we’ll just make our way to the others… eventually. Let’s first finish discussing my parents so we can move on to more interesting things. As I mentioned, they had to deal with my little ass running around at a very young age. With them both still in school attending York University, I’m assuming the stress of school, life, a relationship, and my big ass head slowly caused them to separate. There are definitely more reasons I’m sure, like the fact my dad is religious and my mom is not; or maybe that my dad is very structured and my mom is very free. Who really knows, I don’t think I’ve ever asked to be honest; maybe one day. Bottom line, they never got married and I never experienced living with both of them under one roof – probably for the best in hindsight. So now the question arises: who gets Ryan?
LIFESTYLE
Is ball life? Well, if you asked me that question 10 years ago, the answer would absolutely be yes without hesitation. Basketball however wasn’t actually my first love – it was soccer. I was fortunate enough to have athletic parents provide me with genes containing the best of both worlds, which lead to the Erin Mills soccer house league in Mississauga being the first official team that I would play for. From what I remember, I was a pretty good soccer player based on my raw talent and athleticism; but I was never a finesse or flashy type of player. I was placed at the forward position by default for my speed, strength, and ability to score. Soccer consumed my competitive interest from about age 6 to 11 before I found it boring and discovered a new love – basketball.
For some reason, I’ve always cheered for the underdog more than the fan favourite. I think that comes from my personal experience dealing with adversity and often being counted out. There was just something about Tracy McGrady’s story that just resonated with me and made him my player of choice and motivation to pursue basketball. I became obsessed with T-Mac – I would dress like him on the court rocking his shoes with one long sock over my calf; I would emulate his style of play by dribbling and pulling up mid-crossover; I would even wear his #1 jersey number and refuse to play with any other number on my back. Then one day it all stopped – I still loved Tracy, but I wanted my own identity. Once I hit high school, I wanted to be me. I wanted to have my own look, my own style of play, and my own jersey number. I wanted to create my own story.
BUSINESS
It didn’t take long to realize everything in this world is a business. Until you decide to build something for yourself and create your own wealth, someone else will always have the final say. Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with working for somebody; especially if you love what you do and receive the feeling of satisfaction from it. I however, don’t believe I am, or will ever be, wired that way. I didn’t see myself working for someone else and truly being content ever in my lifetime. I would take jobs at many different establishments already knowing in my head that I was not like the other employees. A job for me was solely for financial purposes in order to fund my true passions in life. They say “money makes money” so it would have been foolish of me to never work at all and try to grow my business projects on hopes and dreams - hopes and dreams don’t pay the bills.
I wish I could briefly walk you through all the layers to my story – but I’ll do my best to summarize. Athlete turned business professional turned entrepreneur – I have had to pivot many times in my life to bring myself to this stage in my career where I can truthfully say I’m living in my purpose. After getting injured on my university basketball team, my initial goal of playing professional basketball was immediately derailed and I had to find a new identity. During this searching period in my life, I chose to graduate university and settle down in the corporate life for four years while I figured out what my new life would look like. After much trial and error, I stumbled into exploring the creative side of my brain and fell in love with design and creation. I made the decision to quit my full-time salary position in February 2018 and haven’t missed a bill since. Fast-forward to today, in January of 2022, I made another giant pivot in my life and left my hometown Toronto, Canada to expand my business and brand with a move to Los Angeles, California. I am currently the Founder & Creative Producer of my corporation KING OF ARTS INC. – providing photography & visual branding for celebrities, athletes, corporate and professionals.
