Meet Roscoe Compton-kelly | Entrepreneur and Drag Personality

We had the good fortune of connecting with Roscoe Compton-kelly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Roscoe, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
My business, Diamondfire Productions, is focused on not only supporting the local LGBTQIA+ nonprofit community, but additionally supporting our emerging drag talent as well. Several years ago, one of our queens, Marsha Dimes, developed the idea of hosting drag brunches as a mechanism to raise money for various nonprofits in North Texas that supported LGBTQIA+ individuals. Through these drag brunches, we’ve raised over $300,000 for various nonprofits doing amazing work here in North Texas. When Marsha decided to step down as the lead to focus on other projects, three of us decided to pick up the mantle and continue to the host the brunches.Since I hosted my own events with my drag persona, Shantaè Morgan, I had a lot of the back end operations already set up to support tickets sales and donations, so it was easy enough to fold the brunches into the business model and expand upon it. During this same time of transition, I was contemplating and speaking with other queens of how we could best support our emerging and current drag talent as well. Many of these queens start with nothing, and honestly drag can be super expensive – costuming, makeup, jewelry, undergarments… the list can grow very quickly. I decided that we could expand into supporting other events that requested drag talent, and use this to help connect super talented queens to events or gigs that paid well, and would help support them along their drag journeys. While many of us perform in bars or restaurants, I wanted to expand upon that and move into other events, like weddings, liquor tastings, corporate events and other avenues that the art of drag would be well received and celebrated, but also open up our talent beyond just the Oaklawn area.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started the art of drag roughly 10 years ago. What started as something fun, soon blossomed into a mechanism in which to support our community, specifically LGBTQ nonprofits. I was able to take a passion I had for performing arts and combine that with my desire to serve my community. I think most great businesses always start off as a passion- you have to believe in what you are doing in order to make it successful.

Over the years I built my personal persona of Shantaè Morgan into a brand. It was all trial and error, but I learned to adapt quickly and make changes swiftly. In 2024 I went through a major life shift and job transition. With a window of opportunity now presenting itself, I knew that I wanted to take my art and do something more to not only support non-profit organizations, but also support our amazing queens who did these shows for little or no compensation. I created Diamondfire Productions as one of the way to support our queens but also continue to support amazing organizations and expand our reach well beyond where we are today. The evolution of my drag and even my thoughts on how I took my persona of Shantaè Morgan and built her into a brand were spawned through the support of many of my fellow queens, who knew my heart and my desires for something that would set in motion an opportunity for us to all have a chance to make change in our community.

I have multiple businesses and every one presents its own unique challenges. You have to thoughtfully weigh the choices that you make when you first start your business, because any slight misstep could cost you more than what you anticipate. Most entrepreneurs I know aren’t working with unlimited budgets, so you learn to do a lot with a little. I create and develop everything myself from my collateral, websites, social media, etc, and have leveraged skillsets learned from my previous corporate and nonprofit roles to leverage with my businesses.

What I find exciting and challenging is that I am selling not only a persona, but also services and myself as a brand. It’s not simply performing, but speaking engagements, MC’ing special events – even hosting weddings! I’ve found that I’ve created a most larger portfolio of services or projects that I can bring to the table. This work truly speaks to my creative side and allows me the ability to really lean into a lot of my passions around marketing, design, and creative performance.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in the State and Thomas area currently, and it would be one of the first places that I take them.It feels as if you’ve left Dallas and stepped into a neighborhood in New York or Boston. So many amazing little restaurants and bars tucked away between modern townhomes and old Victorian style houses with amazing foods and drinks. Of course no trip would be complete without a night out on the town in Oaklawn, taking in a fabulous show in the iconic Rose Room, having a drink at Woodys Sports Bar, or catching some live music at Alexandres. Dallas is foodie delight if you’re an explorer and the sky is the limit to what you can savor. From Saint Rocco’s on the west side with generous Italian dishes along with its gorgeous view of the Dallas skyline to enjoying the entire vibe and feel of Paradiso in Oak Cliff. There is something for everyone. Norma’s, Johnathan’s and Market Diner would definitely be on the breakfast menu for each day, and you have to stop in Lucky’s for the amazing home cooked meal feel and friendly staff. A little culture at the Perot Museum would be on my list as well as a tour of the African American Museum in Fair Park, with its rich history of Dallas’ past. For hot summer days a dip in the lazy river at the Anatole is a must, and trip to Klyde Warren Park is definitely an experience.

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?
I’d like to dedicate my Shoutout first and foremost to my fellow Sisters in Action. These queens have supported me, lifted me up, and have become a significant part of my family over the last 10 years. I would not be where I am today if it was not for their love, fierceness, bravery and occasional makeup tip. Of that group, a special shout out to my drag momma, Demanda Refund one of the fiercest people I know.She has always encouraged me and pushed me to be even greater than I could even imagine for myself. I have to shout out both of my parents, who developed an entrepreneurial spirit within me. They taught and exposed me to thinking strategically, being adaptable to ever changing environments, and allowed me to be creative and never stifled from doing something that I wanted to try – all talents that work well for an entrepreneur. They are also amazingly supportive in this journey of drag with me, and it’s something that I cherish every day.My close family and friends have been there every step of the way to support me, whether coming to a show, helping spread the word on social media, or recommending me to other talented friends or people. Danny Lee Cabrera, aka Liqour Mini, was the first person to ever paint my face, and from that moment Shantaè was born. I will always been grateful for her and the support she has given me over the years, as I’ve watched her own star rise.

Website: https://www.shantaemorgan.com

Instagram: @shantaemor

Linkedin: Roscoe Compton-Kelly

Twitter: @roscoecraigco

Facebook: Shantae Morgan

Image Credits
Mark Mayr
Kelsey Willis
Michael McGary