We had the good fortune of connecting with Jai Carter Keshia Walton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jai Carter, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We wanted to bring the best elements of story telling to life through creating a unique platform using anime as a base and real life experiences to create a production company that has never been created before. Not only are we leading in the industry with a great business model, our growing Facebook Group and Instagram are showing that people are extremely enthusiastic about the projects and collaborations we have in store. We had a different launch model ready to introduce Nothing Less Than Us Productions, but it was far more important to launch now and let our mission and vision show people who we really are. We, like many fighting today need our voice to be heard and we also want to contribute more and create a movement that is long overdue. We have vowed to make Juneteenth a reality in communities that are not aware of the long history and pledge to raise awareness and celebrate African Americans and all that they contribute in the world. Not just in a challenge because what we are creating will revolutionize the world. It is an important revelation and mantra for us moving forward and the power that it represents will only help inspire the movement.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We are a unique business that shares a vision of joining anime with expression through storytelling to create a company that works with authors, writers, producers, and illustrators to make content that reflects the ingenious and innovation of our people. We take the feedback of our audience seriously because we know that by listening to our audience, our products will resonate. We are most excited about how we plan to impact communities and the work that we are collaborating on that includes producers, illustrators, and writers from around the world. Giving back and volunteering is a significant part of our values and we value the community with every fiber of our business. We are sponsoring the #JuneteenthPledgeNotChallenge movement for June 19th and collecting donations to further the cause, ultimately making Juneteenth a day that we will celebrate for generations to come. Professionally, the Nothing Less Than Us team has accomplished many hurdles but we are where we are now because we believe that we have what it takes to make a company that has never been done and make it succeed in today’s time. It has been challenging and not always easy but with each roadblock and the harder things became, we grew stronger and stronger than who we were previously. Some of the lessons that we have learned are that patience is a virtue and we don’t need to rush the process to create something great that we can share with the rest of the world. Another thing that we have learned is to trust our partnership and team. We may not always agree in a process but we have unconditional trust in each other that will lead us to an outcome of success no matter what. We want the world to know that we recognize that, for many people, the most significant barrier in anime is accepting what it represents in its many different forms and showing people that anime is a culture that is apart of us all. Our company represents that there is nothing less than greatness, honesty, virtue, and commitment to our audience, ourselves, and the message that we deliver.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
While many activities are closed, out of business, or have the limited capacity I think that the most important hang out spot has become people’s homes, so I would make my place more comfortable than ever before. It serves as a one-stop-shop for entertainment, temporarily of course. I think that since COVID-19, it has shown me how much I took the little things for granted. In those moments when we are tired of being sequestered at home and we just want to get out of the house for a few hours, I think that the best time now is being able to grab a bite to eat and drive around with friends and family. One place that I would recommend would be my best friend and I favorite Korean spot in Carrollton called Gen Korean BBQ. The food is worth it. Another spot that is great is called Blue Fish. They have the best sushi and pear sangria in the world.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to recognize one of our close consultants for being there through all the winding roads that we have endured through the ends leading up to now. Veronica Carter has been pivotal in providing direction and has been especially supportive in getting our company off the ground. She came aboard a few months ago and has been a shining gem to our operation. She has the same key values that we have instilled in ourselves and what we hope to have in each employee of the company. Thank you so much for the help you have provided along the way. You are an inspiration.

Website: nothinglessthanus.com
Instagram: @nothinglessthanus
Facebook: NothingLessThanUs

Image Credits
All Images created and credited to Keshia Walton, original designer