Search engine rankings. Optimization. Customer engagement. These are what keep Ryan Key busy these days, now that he runs his own media company with his wife, Lena (also a Full Sail grad). After graduating from Full Sail in 2009 with his bachelor’s in Music Business, Ryan tried the employee route, working for a small ad agency in his hometown of Fort Worth, TX.

But when the company’s partners broke up the business so they could all go do their own thing, Ryan followed suit and founded Keyhouse Media, an interactive creative agency specializing in online marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing, mobile app development and corporate video.  
“We’re primarily an online marketing specialist concentrating on small and midsize businesses locally and nationwide,” explains Ryan, who has clients from Fort Worth but also San Jose, Austin and a handful in Florida.

Keyhouse’s clients are diverse, ranging from landscape businesses and martial arts studios to construction companies and medical and healthcare product resellers. “We help these businesses grow and transition into the digital age.”

Ryan sees his role as not only getting the creative work done but also educating his clients about effectively using tools like social media.

“Often our clients don’t really care how we do what we do; they just want the web traffic,” says Ryan. “But we try to teach them about the importance of client engagement and help them understand how to create future business with digital tools such as mobile apps and social media.”

Helping his clients see that online marketing can be as affordable as they need it to be has been a rewarding part of his professional life.

“The really great part of our business is when we get a call from a client saying they got five new leads from something we did.”