This Chamber Member spotlight features responses from Owner and Publisher of Big Island Pulse, Kristen “KT” Thario
Tell us about yourself, and what led you to your business:
I was born and raised in San Diego and relocated to the Big Island in 2003 after finishing my BA in Fine Art. I entered social work in 2004 as a Youth Advocate, working islandwide to provide children and families with resources and stability.
In 2013, I re-entered the family business of real estate investing and property development. Shortly after, my passion for music and singing re-emerged and I became the lead singer—known as “KT Sunshine”—for various rock n’ roll bands on the Big Island.
Big Island Pulse approached me in 2017 to host a travel show called “Passport to Adventure,” which led me to host several more shows and interviews for the company until 2019, when I transitioned from on-camera personality to proud owner of BigIslandPulse.com.
Please visit Our About Page to learn more!
Tell us about your business and your role in it.
As owner and publisher, I oversee all aspects of our amazing team’s work. We currently have 13 subcontractors that provide services to our 50+ digital advertising accounts. Learn more about our team HERE!
What does a typical day look like?
If I’m not already in meetings, my mornings are typically spent checking emails and playing with my two handsome German Shepherds. After that, I’m usually reaching out to people directly and following up on various story leads, graphic design requests, checking our social media accounts, and responding to an array of emails and messages. Of course, as with most everyone these days, Zoom meetings dominate my life, so I’m usually meeting with folks to make sure they have all the information they need to set up their digital advertising accounts and that we are meeting their deliverables.
What makes your business unique?
We really are a full service multimedia company. We offer a variety of services for businesses including digital graphic work, website design, social media management, videography, photography, voice over, green screen, commercial creation and so much more. You can check out Our Services page to learn more.
We offer a positive public platform to share stories, pictures, videos and songs about the wonderful things happening around Hawaiʻi Island. Positive messaging and free public content allows maximum exposure for our digital advertising partners to be seen and appreciated for what they bring to our community. 1.9 million page viewers in 2020 enjoyed our articles, videos, resources, including our amazing event calendar, and we aim to keep expanding our audience and content! Our team is made up of some of the most truly thoughtful people I have ever met. They are dedicated, loyal, hardworking, creative and fun, you should see our group texts! They motivate me and one another when times are tough to keep going and make it happen.
Why did you choose Hilo (area)?
Our services and content are available island-wide, but we love the Hilo side for the lush rainforests and waterfalls!
What inspired you to join the HICC?
Other friends in the business community spoke so highly of the Hawaiʻi Island Chamberʻs knack for helping businesses network and connect to resources, so I knew I wanted to be a part of it!
Are you involved in other community organizations?
Yes, our team, in partnership with Downtown Improvement Association and Recycle Hawai’i helped to promote and support small businesses in downtown Hilo during the holiday season through reviving the thinklocalbuylocal.org campaign, which highlighted businesses, hours and safety measures being taken to allow people to get all their holiday gifts and goodies locally! We also feature pet adoptions through KARES and the new Hawai’i Animal Kuleana Alliance on our website weekly. We are also involved with The Palace Theatre and helping to promote all the awesome events, music and shows they offer. We also help to support Hilo Medical Center Foundation with all of their integral public health and community outreach including their various fundraisers that help support HMC and the staff’s vital frontline work, especially since COVID started.
We are always looking for ways to expand our connections to be able to do more good work for our community. We are here and ready to help!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Since COVID has hit our tourism industry so hard, my team has put a lot of creative energy into how we can continue to support our local economy and businesses first and foremost. We’ve put our attention and resources into digitizing our platform, services, packages and offerings to help businesses stay connected to consumers and most importantly keep people safe.
How can our members reach you?
They can contact us through our inquiry form:
CONTACT US
Or send me an email at kt@bigislandpulse.com
We believe a rising tide lifts all ships and it’s up to each one of us to look at how we can help one another a little more every day. No one can do it alone. Collaboration benefits everyone and every aspect of our island. In 2021 we hope to continue to reach out and help our neighbors recover from the aftermath of the pandemic.
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