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Life history:<\/strong> <\/span>At the age of four, Keenan Beavis was already entering entrepreneurship, albeit in an unusual way. He went door to door selling bugs: caterpillars, ladybugs, mosquitoes, you name it. “People bought them, but I’m not sure how many customers my dad paid,” laughs Beavis. <\/span><\/p>\n By the age of 12, he had created the 27th most viewed YouTube channel in Canada, and in high school he started a successful t-shirt company. He studied finance and economics at the University of the Fraser Valley and was part of the Ch’nook Indigenous Business Education Scholars Program<\/a> <\/span>at UBC. During this time, he launched Longhouse Media, a marketing agency that focused primarily on video production, first as a sideline in 2018, and soon as a full-time gig after graduation. Specializing in growing revenue for companies from $500,000 to $5 million through digital marketing strategies, Longhouse Media works across a variety of sectors, including municipalities, Indigenous organizations, publicly traded companies and educational institutions.<\/p>\n When the pandemic caused the video production side of the business to drop from 40 percent of its revenue to 5 percent, Beavis and his team pivoted and began offering a broader range of digital marketing services, such as now search engine optimization, digital advertising and web design. and the brand Between 2020 and 2022, Longhouse Media grew 380 percent, becoming a seven-figure business.<\/p>\n Named after the traditional meeting place of indigenous culture, Longhouse Media is a place where people come together to work toward common goals, says Beavis. He is part of it M\u00e9tis Nation British Columbia<\/a> and, at the local level, the Waceya M\u00e9tis Society<\/a> in Langley. “The longhouse symbol is in line with what we do,” says Beavis. “We work towards a common goal with our partners, helping their visions become reality.”<\/p>\n Bottom line:<\/strong> The company has served more than 300 customers over the past four years and has earned 115 five-star reviews from Google. It also offers a program called the Longhouse Media Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Award, which includes a $1,000 scholarship, entrepreneurship training and a workshop on web design, digital advertising and graphic design. In total, the company has 10 team members, ranging from specialists to customer service personnel. <\/p>\n