BIO

At age 10, Keelan Cheza received an insightful gift from his mother, his very first camera. Keelan, whose early influences include the timeless photography of Richard Avedon, Edward Steichen, and Helmut Newton, spent his early childhood years in the Shenango Valley, a small community some 75 miles Northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Though small town life didn’t provide much exposure to diverse cultural experiences, Keelan’s own varied heritage of Italian, Austrian and Czech ancestry, served as a foundation for his appreciation for all culture and ways of life.

Encouraged by a teacher, his family and photography awards he received as a high school Senior, Keelan continued his artistic education into college. Soon after, pursuit of a progressive environment lead Keelan west to the world renowned Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. As a college student, he began to learn the business first-hand while working as a photography assistant, as well as a freelance photographer. He graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in June of 1997 and by August relocated to Los Angeles. Within 6 months of moving to the sprawling metropolis, Keelan opened a studio in downtown, and began freelancing full-time.

Keelan continues to broaden his impressive photography portfolio, which includes Dream Works Records, Paramount Pictures, True Meaning, NVI Latina, JNCO Jeans, Z. Cavaricci, Foot Action, Pepperdine University, The Shooting Gallery, You Media, Startel Telecom, UNleashed, Latin Girl and All About You magazines.

He also continues his quest for cultural awareness and progressive knowledge and is actively studying African history, world culture and the roots of Spoken Word/Rap and Hip-hop. His goal is to combine his creative talents and produce inspiring documentary films that mirror his motto, “Seek the Truth, Demand and Deliver Equal Rights & Justice”.

Keelan Cheza, - artist, photographer, director, visionary, - is a work in progress, ever-changing, evolving and continuously moving forward.

--by Carmen Jones