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This high school valedictorian and son of a Baptist minister surprised everyone back home in West Virginia by making a name for himself in the club world with sexy dance mixes of country hits. Combining his love for urban  and pop music with major label country talent, he became one of the premier producers of country dance remixes, producing over 60 remixes for many of country's top starrs, including Tim McGraw, Wynnona, Tracy Byrd, Bryan White, Patty Loveless, Neil Diamond and Lynyrd Skynyrd. As a result of these award-winning productions, his talents as a producer, writer and programmer were sought after for work on singles, records, commercials and films in genres ranging from country to pop to rock.

 

In 1998, he joined iV, inc. As part of a diverse entertainment/marketing consortium, Keller's roles included Director of A&R for iV records, Creative Director for iV publishing and a writer/producer for iV music, the commercial music arm of the company. Keller plays key roles in the signing of iV records' artist Wes Cunningham to Warner Brothers, LA and the signing of iV management artist Tom Mabe to Virgin, Nashville. At the same time he produced a number of commercial spots for regional and national campaigns and developed a catalog and writer roster of iV's publishing company, which has successfully seen the placement of songs in a number of network shows and feature films. Keller's hard work and unique, creative problem-solving talents resulted in his eventual promotion to Vice President of Creative Development at iV.

 

In the Autumn of 2002, Keller drew on his experience in the worlds of art and commerce and launched transparent creative management, inc. The new company, formed with partner Mandy West, is designed to develop and execute brand management strategies for a roster of clients that includes corporations, advertising agencies, commercial music houses, record labels, publishing companies, marketing firms and entertainers. Additionally, they provide contract creative services for a growing number of corporate clients and agencies.

 

After an unexpected turn of events in the Spring of 2005, Keller returned to iV music, this time not as an employee, but as the company's new owner. With a vision for positioning iV as the hub for a creative community with a focus on audio branding for advertising, Keller hopes to help his broad network of writers, composers, artists, labels, publishers and managers benefit from new trends in branded marketing. Keller has lead the company on to winning the 2006 "Boards Idol" competition in New York, besting music companies from New York, Los Angeles and London and then on to its first National Gold ADDY for sound design work on an Audi spot for Saatchi & Saatchi, Frankfurt. In 2009, he moved the company beyond the States, incorporating iV2 in Frankfurt, Germany, with his partner Uli Reese. In less than a year, iV2 has established itself as one of the premier "go to" audio brand resources in Europe. iV has the dubious honor of providing the spot for the infamous, Telly winning "Trojan Pigs" commercial, The O'Reilly Factor, The Colbert Report, and VH1's Best Week Ever. They have continued their controversial streak by recently providing music for Burger King's "BK Texican" commercial that was forced off the air after a complaint from the Mexican Ambassador to Spain. 

 

Steve brings with him a rich background that includes experience as a CCM artist with two singles that broke into the CCM Top Twenty charts. He holds a Bachelor's in Psychology, a field in which he's published, and is a trained community building facilitator for the Foundation for Community Encouragement and Dialogue in Diversity study circles. In 2008, Keller completed a condensed MBA through the Scarlett Leadership Institute, a division of the Belmont University's Massey Graduate School of Business. He is also a regular featured speaker for the American Advertising Federation. His skill as a communicator has created a demand for his services as a copywriter for web content, bios, business proposals and direct marketing campaigns. He continues to be in great demand in the commercial music world as a writer and producer. From 2002-2004, he served as President of the Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID), has worked with NARAS to help fine-tune their Mentor/Apprentice Program and served for two years as Education Chair for the Nashville Advertising Federation. He understands the importance of interpersonal relationships and appreciates the delicate balance between making money and respecting artistic integrity. In addition to his years of experience, Keller is also connected to the Nashville music and advertising industries through a number of professional affiliations: AFM, NARAS, NAF, NEL, SOLID, GEMA and ASCAP.