About
Emmy nominee and award-winning filmmaker Kiyoka "Kex" Rhodes is a writer, producer, and director of films, commercials, and branded content for multi-screen platforms. She attended American University's School of Communication in Washington, D.C., earning a Bachelor's Degree in Film & Media Arts with a minor in Graphic Design.
Her television producing and directing credits have been with networks such as The CW Network (DCW50), Comcast, BBC Studios, and online with 60 Second Docs. In 2019, Rhodes received a Capital Emmy nomination for a suicide/substance abuse prevention PSA campaign titled "BTheOne". Celebrities such as Denzel Washington, Mandy Moore, Don Cheadle, Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga and more have also been featured in her work.
In addition, Rhodes has a background in public relations. At the American Bar Association, she issued press releases, produced videos, and photographed important personnel at ABA events such as a Supreme Court Justice and congressmen at the United States Capitol.
Apart from television and branded content, Rhodes is a passionate filmmaker and storyteller. Her directorial narrative work includes a short film Donut Give Up! a 2021 Official Selection at the Oscar-qualifying film-festival HollyShorts Monthly Screenings as well as DC Black Film Festival and Awesome Con. Her short film, Xosphere, won at the Rosebud Film Festival 2017, where she received a monetary prize of $1,000. After receiving several awards and recognition, her domestic violence awareness short film, Tunnel Vision ended its festival run at the 2017 Global Impact Film Festival in Washington, D.C. The screenplay of her upcoming short film, Desolate Dreams, highlighting the Japanese American incarceration and Black and Asian allyship, was selected as a semi-finalist and among the Top 50 of Cinequest Screenwriting Competition 2022-2023 via Coverfly. Her recent short documentary, Station 8, was an Official Selection at the 2023 DC Shorts Film Festival and Richmond International Film Festival. In September 2023, she was recognized by DC’s Office of Cable, Television, Film, Music and Entertainment (OCTFME) as Filmmaker of the Month.
Rhodes is the Founder and Creative Director of Kex Studios—an award-winning full-service production company specializing in film & video, branded content, and graphic design. Her client branded short film, The Ransomware Attack, was awarded two 2023 Telly Awards and a Davey Award for Directing and Branding. While in development of her debut feature film and fundraising for her upcoming short film, Desolate Dreams, Rhodes aims to continue using the art of film to tell stories with purpose and impact. #keepitmoving
Memberships & Affiliations:
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Chesapeake Bay Chapter)
ARRAY Crew/Impact
Black Film Allegiance
Asian Film Network
