About Us
Who We Are
House of JOY is a boutique culture strategy firm founded by Kelli JOY Richardson , Emmy Award winner, CROWN Movement co-creator, and 30-year veteran of brand and cultural strategy.
We're senior people who do the work, direct access to the strategic thinking, not layers of handoffs.
Our edge isn't scale, it's access. Three decades of relationship-building with coalition partners, cultural voices, community organizations, and industry collaborators. That network doesn't show up on an org chart, but it shows up in results.
What We Believe
Relationships and reach: Trust built over years complements media buys
Action and awareness: Do the work before you advertise it
Movements and moments: Build things that outlast campaigns
Senior thinking on every project: Direct access to the team doing the work
How We Work
Every engagement is led by Kelli and our senior team. When the work requires additional capacity - research, production, creative - we bring in collaborators we've worked with for years.
No scrambling. No strangers. Just trusted partners who know how we operate.
Most of our work is project-based. We scope to what you actually need, not what inflates our retainer.
What We Do
Culture strategy and activation for brands that want real impact.
Cultural Strategy & Insights
We help brands understand what actually matters to communities — through research, listening, and years of lived experience.
Audience research • Strategic positioning • Opportunity identification
Coalition Building & Advocacy
We build coalitions that amplify impact — bringing together organizations, advocates, and community partners around shared purpose.
Coalition strategy • Partner recruitment • Advocacy campaigns • Grassroots engagement
Purpose-Driven Campaigns Drive Impact
We create campaigns designed for impact, not just impressions — strategy through execution for initiatives that move culture.
Campaign strategy • Messaging & content • Talent partnerships • Impact measurement
Events & Experiences
We produce experiences that bring communities together — from intimate gatherings to national activations and awards shows.
Event strategy & production • National tours • Talent coordination
About The Founder
Kelli JOY Richardson
Founder & CEO
I am a movement architect who alchemizes pain into purpose-driven systems change.
Yes, I build brands and create award-winning campaigns. But what I actually do is translate cultural insight into measurable business impact and structural transformation that lasts.
I've spent 30+ years at the intersection of brands and culture, helping companies show up in communities as partners, not tourists. My unique value lives at the rare fusion of two worlds that rarely meet: the elite strategic discipline of corporate giants like P&G, BET, and Dell, and the raw, lived experience of navigating family trauma, mental health advocacy, and racial justice.
That combination gives me three things most executives simply cannot offer:
The ability to build a business case for compassion
The skill to translate cultural truth into corporate action
A proven track record of demonstrating tangible ROI on social change
The work speaks for itself.
I built BET's first comprehensive marketing and communications department, and helped the network win its first-ever Emmy Award. I co-created the CROWN Coalition, which has passed hair discrimination legislation in 30 states, protecting 28 million people and shifting culture. I have partnered with Dove, Easterseals, Progressive, Paramount, AARP, and The Ad Council on initiatives that changed laws and improved lives.
Along the way, I built something equally powerful: relationships. With advocacy organizations. With talent. With community leaders. With creatives and strategists who became long-term collaborators and co-conspirators in work that matters.
When a community is fractured or when an organization needs to bridge the gap between its mission and the real world, that's when we do our best work. We've helped dismantle systems of harm by translating cultural pain into legislative power. I’ve turned my family's private struggle into a national support system. We alchemize trauma into testimony, and testimony into lasting, systemic change and powerful results.
House of JOY is a network built over 30+ years – now fully activated for the work that matters most.
“I started House of JOY (formerly JOY Collective) after my father passed in 2012 because I realized life is too short to do work that doesn’t impact people. My dad named me Kelli Joy and shared with a friend that he wanted me to honor my name by creating joy — for myself and for others.
House of JOY was born from that clarity to build an agency that transforms pain into purpose and work that changes lives.”
The Joyful Method
A three-pillar framework for building impact that lasts.
Relevant Community Integration Show up where people are. Build from the ground up. Earn trust before you ask for attention.
Meaningful Experiences Create moments people remember. Events, activations, and experiences that bring communities together.
Trusted Messengers Amplify voices the community already trusts. Partner with talent and advocates who have real credibility, not just followers.
Our Principles
Tackle real pain points: Research what actually hurts and then create tangible actions
Do real work before you talk: Action before advertising
Create movements, not moments: Build things that outlive campaigns
Show up consistently: At their events, not just yours
Secure executive champions: Leadership matters
Build coalitions through trust: Relationships before transactions
Champion action, not just awareness: Give people something concrete to do