synerG Young Professionals Artists Feature – Keira Lindgren
Keira Lindgren is a photographer and videographer in Greensboro who specializes in content creation for musicians. She freelances as a live music photographer for multiple blogs and was a photographer for SXSW Festival 2022. Keira moved from Canada to Greensboro in 2018 for an internship with Arch Capital Services LLC and is now a Multimedia Communications Specialist for Arch Capital Services. She holds a B.A. in English & Creative Writing from University of Western University. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with her dog and grabbing drinks at Boxcar Bar & Arcade in downtown Greensboro.
1. Where are you originally from and how did you find your way to Greensboro?
I’m originally from Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. When I graduated college in 2018, I moved to Greensboro for an internship with Arch Capital Services as a Multimedia Intern and participated in Campus Greensboro’s Fellows Program. After my summer internship was done I was hired on full-time and decided to stay in Greensboro because I had made great friends in the creative community and wanted to explore it more.
2. Tell us about how you got into photography and media. What connections did you make in Greensboro that helped facilitate your growth?
My first job in media was working for my college as a promotional photographer and videographer and whenever I participated in extracurriculars I was always inclined to be involved with the communications/media side of things. When I moved to Greensboro the first thing I did was reach out to local music venues and offer to volunteer to take photos and build up my portfolio. Most of my connections with artists and other local photographers came from those gigs. I fell in with a really supportive community where we recommend each other for jobs and opportunities, give and receive advice, and generally build each other up.
3. What is your favorite/most exciting opportunity you’ve had in photography and media since coming to Greensboro? (Can be anything you’ve done since you’ve lived here whether actually IN Greensboro or not)
This past March I was offered a spot on the photo team for SXSW. I had built out a portfolio based on photos I had taken of Greensboro’s music scene and was accepted, so I was able to fly out to Austin TX for a week to shoot for the festival. It was a great experience because it was like an intense boot camp for event photography and I was able to photograph things I never have before like film premieres and keynote talks.
4. What are some of your favorite spots in Greensboro?
I always like to check out shows at Flat Iron because they host a wide variety of musicians and don’t tend to stick with only one genre. etc.gso is also a cool artist collective on Grove St. that hosts an assortment of events for the arts community in Greensboro. For lunchtime walks with my dog, our go-to route is stopping at Lawn Service for a coffee and a pup cup and then heading to Green Hill Cemetery for a stroll.
5. What advice to you have for Young Professionals that are interested in becoming more connected to the Greensboro art and culture community?
Greensboro has a super vibrant creative scene and since it’s a smaller city everyone tends to be friendly and welcoming. My advice would be to leave your comfort zone and attend events you might not normally go to – that’s usually how I end up finding new friends and connections (and my new favourite bands).
