Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Deterding.
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in the Kansas City area, where my interest in business and marketing started at a young age, thanks in part to experiences like Exchange City. That early curiosity grew into opportunities to participate nationally in Business Professionals of America and DECA. At the same time, I developed a deep love for theater and the creative arts.
For a while, I thought my place in theater was on the stage. Eventually, I realized that what I loved most was helping the people on stage bring their visions to life and making sure their work reached the audiences it deserved. Whether through production photography, poster design, event promotion, or full marketing campaigns, I discovered that my passion was helping other artists tell their stories.
Along the way, I have been incredibly fortunate to learn from and collaborate with some wonderful people and organizations. Padgett Productions was an invaluable source of support, encouragement, and education in my creative journey. The Kansas City Fringe Festival has also given me opportunities to work alongside talented local artists, including playwright Prisca Jebet Kendagor, with whom I’ve helped market multiple productions. We are especially excited about an upcoming show at Missie B’s next year!
Through my experiences in business, hospitality, marketing, photography, and theater, one belief has remained constant: **we accomplish so much more when we lift one another up.** I’ve always felt that talented artists and passionate small-business owners deserve the opportunity to succeed without a lack of visibility being the thing that holds them back. Sometimes all someone needs is another person willing to share their knowledge, make an introduction, or help shine a light on what they’re creating.
That philosophy has shaped not only the work I do but also the way I approach my relationships within the community. I love sharing what I’ve learned, connecting people, and finding creative ways to bring attention to the incredible talent that exists all around us.
Kansas City has given me so many opportunities to learn, grow, and connect with remarkable people. Even as my own journey continues to evolve, I will always be grateful for this city and the creative community that helped shape me. More than anything, I’m grateful to have played even a small part in so many other people’s stories. To me, that’s what community is really about: recognizing that when we invest in one another, we all have the opportunity to grow.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I think some of the most valuable lessons come from the challenges we face along the way.
One of my biggest setbacks came when my previous social media accounts were hacked and subsequently deleted. Years of work, connections, content, and creative projects were suddenly gone, and I found myself having to start over from scratch last year. It was incredibly frustrating, especially when so much of what we do in marketing relies on building relationships, maintaining visibility, and establishing trust over time.
Another challenge has been navigating an industry that is constantly changing. Between evolving algorithms, emerging trends, and the shifting social and political climate, it can feel like the rules of marketing change overnight. What works today might not work tomorrow, and staying relevant without losing your authenticity can be a difficult balance.
I also think we’re facing a much larger challenge when it comes to the relationship between social media and community. We live in a time when building brand recognition and maintaining a strong online presence can also expose individuals and businesses to negativity, misinformation, and unnecessary conflict. The growing presence of bots, fake accounts, and misleading content, combined with limited accountability on many platforms, continues to create division in spaces that were originally designed to bring people together.
For someone who genuinely believes in the power of community, that’s probably one of the most disheartening parts. I want to help people connect, discover new talent, and support local businesses, but sometimes it feels like the very tools we rely on to accomplish that are working against us.
Still, I believe those challenges make authentic connections even more important. They’ve taught me to be adaptable, to value relationships beyond follower counts, and to remember that meaningful engagement matters far more than simply going viral. At the end of the day, I’d rather help someone build a smaller, genuinely supportive community than a massive audience that doesn’t truly connect with what they’re creating.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Frame the Fun Photography & Entertainment?
Frame the Fun Photography & Entertainment was built around a simple idea: creativity should be accessible, collaboration should be encouraged, and everyone deserves the opportunity to have their story seen and celebrated.
We are a small creative business offering photography, marketing and design support, event consulting, and entertainment experiences. Our work has included everything from capturing live performances and community events to creating promotional materials, supporting theatrical productions, and helping bring unique event concepts to life. We also offer a 20-foot inflatable movie screen, which allows us to bring a little extra magic to gatherings and special events.
What makes Frame the Fun different is that we don’t approach every project with a one-size-fits-all solution. Every person, business, and event has its own personality, challenges, and goals. I genuinely enjoy getting to know the people behind a project, understanding what they’re trying to accomplish, and finding creative ways to help them get there.
My background in hospitality, event management, business, and the performing arts has given me a unique perspective. I understand both the creative side of bringing an idea to life and the practical side of making it successful. Sometimes that means stepping behind the camera, sometimes it’s developing marketing materials, and sometimes it’s simply helping someone work through an idea and figure out the next steps.
I’m especially passionate about working with local artists, small businesses, and community organizations. Some of my favorite experiences have involved documenting performances, supporting independent theater, and collaborating with people who are creating something simply because they believe in it. There is something incredibly rewarding about watching someone take an idea they’ve been carrying around and turn it into something real.
What I’m most proud of isn’t necessarily a particular photograph, event, or project. It’s the relationships and trust that have developed along the way. When someone invites me to be part of something they’ve worked hard to create, I don’t take that lightly. I want them to feel that I’m just as invested in seeing their vision succeed as they are.
I also believe that being a small business should never mean thinking small. You don’t always need an enormous budget or a massive following to create something meaningful. Sometimes you just need the right people, a little creativity, and someone willing to believe in what you’re building.
Ultimately, I want people to know that Frame the Fun is about more than the services we offer. It’s about collaboration, community, and creating opportunities for people to be seen, heard, and celebrated. I never want someone to feel that their idea isn’t big enough, their business isn’t established enough, or their story isn’t important enough to deserve attention.
If there’s one thing I hope people associate with Frame the Fun, it’s the feeling that they have someone in their corner who genuinely wants to see them succeed.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I would say my greatest strength is my curiosity and ability to recognize connections where others might not immediately see them. I jokingly refer to it as my “spiderweb brain” because my thoughts rarely travel in a straight line. Instead, I’m constantly connecting ideas, experiences, people, and information, looking for patterns and possibilities.
I’ve always had a very investigative way of thinking. I love asking questions, understanding how things work, and looking beyond the obvious answer. Sometimes that means identifying a problem before it becomes one, and other times it means finding an unexpected creative solution by connecting ideas that initially seem completely unrelated.
That way of thinking has been incredibly valuable in marketing, event planning, photography, and working with other artists. It allows me to see not just what something is, but what it could become and how all the different pieces might work together to make it successful.
I think curiosity is really at the heart of it all. I’m never content to stop learning, and I genuinely enjoy discovering new perspectives and sharing what I’ve learned with others. My brain might look like a tangled web from the outside, but I’ve learned that some of my best ideas come from following those unexpected connections.
Ultimately, I think my success comes from being willing to look a little deeper, think a little differently, and recognize potential in places where others might not have thought to look.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.framethefunkc.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61574527793141/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-deterding-64042731a/
