Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Khattak. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The story of K.Co begins in 2016 when Stephanie left a job in corporate IT. While she was interviewing for similar tech jobs, she began creating visual art, and over time chose a different professional path, opting to blend her creative, business, and entrepreneurial skills and start K.Co. Initially, it was an art-centered PR agency, then evolved into a visual arts and tourism-focused program consultancy. Like many other small businesses, K.Co made a “pandemic pivot” in 2020, expanding its arts focus to include broader culture, history, and other local favorites, and moving from in-person service providers to online publishing of guides, maps, and other travel resources for small-town road trips and independent travel.
In 2022, we will launch K.Co Press and in March, publish our first physical book, Ten Texas Towns. This hardcover book features professional photography and unique observations from ten of our favorite Texas road trip destinations. (And yes, it was very hard to narrow down!)
Stephanie handles business operations, digital and website development, writing, and publishing for K.Co, and James is the photo editor outside of his day job’s work hours. Together, we select locations, plan itineraries and shape content, develop editorial narratives and make creative decisions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been smooth in the sense that it has been really, really fun. We get to spend most of our time finding, highlighting, and sharing interesting places for others to connect with and support! It is also very rewarding to engage with and learn about so many new communities. At the same time, there is a lot of research, planning, content creation, and PR tasks that must be done, and done well for us to successfully support our mission. And we spend many days away from home, which can be rough. The challenge has been in balancing the fun and excitement of travel with the necessary behind-the-scenes work and home life to make the biggest impact for us as a business, for the destinations that we highlight, and for readers and others who count on us. But life is short and there is a lot to see, and our curiosity keeps us motivated to overcome challenges and keep going.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In 2021 alone, we visited 46 towns, and only three of those were major cities! When we visit a place, we spend our time in its downtown, main street, and local, state, or national parklands, so we cover a lot of unique and interesting territory. (And more than a few Buc-ee’s stores!) By doing so, we are able to connect people with destinations and local treasures that they may not otherwise consider. And we share actionable steps that make it easier for others to do what we do. Through online maps, digital guides, and beginning in 2022, physical books, we inspire and empower others to find their own local favorites.
We also offer speaking, writing and collaborative partnerships to local CVBs and civic groups, hotels, destination marketers, and other organizations who want to leverage their town’s local culture, history, and unique sense of place to attract and engage. What we may consider to be a town’s “hidden gems” aren’t hidden at all to the people who live there, and ultimately, we all benefit when they share their stories and welcome visitors.
The journeys we share in our small-town travel guides are usually accessible by car—for road trips in Texas and the surrounding area—affordable and easy to adapt to the needs of many travelers. Some are even along passenger train routes! And, by highlighting travel in small-town America and more rural communities, ideally, in our small way, we are also helping support them by driving attention and contributing to their creative economies.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
We love to work with CVBs, civic groups, hotel, and tourism companies, and others who want to attract visitors, engage locals, and highlight their cultural communities in unique ways. We offer creative and content partnerships; photography and copywriting services, and we are always happy to speak to groups, sharing insights and facilitating new ideas.
When Ten Texas Towns publishes in March, in addition to travel, history, and culture aficionados, it will be perfect for local bookstores, hotel or cultural center gift shops, and independent businesses with a local focus. Connect with us on social media or email us to be among the first to know when it publishes, or ask about pre-orders and review pages.
Finally, a great way to support us is to invite us to visit your town! Get in touch with us on social media or through email to let us know about your local interesting and fun finds in Texas and around the country.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@kcoarts.com
- Website: www.kcoarts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kcolocal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCOARTS
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcoarts/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsGmoRdd38n8x_uDOUqjKcA
Image Credits
James Khattak, K.Co
