Shots Fired has been viewed by more than 30 million viewers over the last six weeks and received exceptional reviews for its content. The show, based in a small North Carolina town, is speaking to the very essence of what is happening in today’s society. Behind the scenes is Keisha Boyd, owner of Pickett PR Group. She is the music publicist and is working to share the amazing, original sounds from the series.
Shots Fired featuring Sanaa Lathan (The Perfect Guy), Stephen James (Race) as well as Academy Award winners Helen Hunt and Richard Dreyfuss, exposes the depths of police shootings in racially charged environments. The series, created by Reggie Bythewood (Notorious, Beyond the Lights) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (Beyond the Lights, Love & Basketball, Secret Life of Bees), is one of the most talked about in TV history and is stimulating conversation across the nation. Integral to the storyline is an incredible music soundtrack, which offers intergenerational songs with an array of original music created for the series. Veteran music supervisors, Jabari Ali and John Houlihan, were tapped for this special project in an effort to fuse the perfect mix of musical genres including hip-hop, blues, gospel, R&B and alternative.
Subsequently, Jabari Ali (Paragon Film Music) asked Pickett PR to come aboard to handle the music branding and publicity for this project.
“This is probably one of the most important projects I will ever work on. Police brutality and abuse of power is a real issue; and has been for many years. This show is representative of our world – right now! It puts it right in your face,” says Keisha Boyd. The original music in this series is just phenomenal. It amplifies the role of the characters and makes the audience feel the scenes in the show. As the publicist, I had to truly listen to the lyrics in order to tell the story of how the music moves you.”
Several well-known entertainers, producers and writers came together to create the highly anticipated soundtrack. The show features music from BJ the Chicago Kid, Aloe Blacc, Da Honorable C-Note, Leon Bridges, Antonique Smith, Swizz Beatz, NAS, Antony Hamilton, Mali Music, Sunshine Anderson, Jay Z, Ro James, Heather Victoria, Emeli Sande, E-40, Scarface, Ruff Endz, Big Bill Morganfield, Dionne Farris, Marqus Clae, Shire, Sabrina Starke, Gene Noble, Marion Hill, and Big Sean.
Keisha Boyd is equipped with more than 18 years of experience in journalism, public relations, event planning, marketing and community outreach campaigns. As a graduate of the illustrious Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), Keisha offers a diverse and multi-cultural background to her business partners and its clients.
“FAMU laid the foundation for me as a PR pro! We worked hard in J-School at FAMU. It is there that I learned that it may take some late nights and early mornings to get the job done. My professors taught me the skills I needed; and I learned how to become a true professional. I will forever be grateful to FAMU, Dr. Hawkins and my J-School FAMU-ly!”
