Women’s History Month Spotlight: Rosie Ruiz

Photo courtesy of Isabella Roach.

As part of our Women’s History Month series, OTR is shining a spotlight on inspiring women in the music industry who are making their mark. In the vibrant North Texas music scene, few understand the intricacies of both performance and promotion like Rosie Ruiz. As the founder of Sleep Pour Productions, a Dallas-based creative services company focused on independent artists, and a seasoned booking agent and marketing manager for indie rock band, mkn coffee, she has played a pivotal role in the scene’s booking and promotion landscape. However, she recently stepped into the spotlight herself with the release of her first single, “don’t shut me out” under the artist name kee. In this interview, she shares insights into her journey, her debut single, and the impact she hopes to make through her work.

Hi Rosie! It’s great to speak with you. You’ve done great work in the North Texas music scene, and I’m interested to hear more about your journey. Can you tell us about your path into promoting local music and what drew you to that side of the music industry? 

Rosie: I've been involved in music in many different ways—from writing songs to creating album art and editing music videos. But I'll start in the middle of the story for brevity. When Blake Kleisinger started mkn coffee, I saw that he was juggling so much—creating a brand, building a social media presence, writing more music, producing it, and even trying to book shows. I didn’t necessarily realize I wanted to help more—I just wanted to help him. I wanted to take some of the load off and support him however I could, beyond just the creative side. 

So I asked Blake if it would be okay for me to start reaching out to venues, and he was totally on board. He even gave me the fancy title of “Business Development and Marketing Manager.” From there, I sent out about ten emails to venues across Dallas, Denton, Richardson, and Fort Worth—and eight of them responded. Suddenly, I had dates booked and was learning how to handle all the behind-the-scenes work: building lineups, coordinating with other bands, and figuring out the lingo of booking. 

The turning point for my passion was seeing people actually show up to our first booked show. Even if it was just a handful, they were people I didn't know, enjoying the music. That experience made me want to keep going—create more shows, grow our presence, and continue seeing new and familiar faces come out to support mkn coffee. That’s how it all started. 

Can you share a memorable experience or success story from your work with mkn coffee that highlights the impact of your efforts? 

Rosie: That's hard to say because I feel like we’ve done so much over the past three years—from playing at Six Flags, to getting invited to play at Trees, to our album release show. So it’s definitely difficult to choose just one memorable experience. 

Some of my favorite moments honestly come about by chance. You never get a “yes” if you don’t ask, right? I’ve had a lot of moments where I just randomly slide into someone’s DMs or comment on their Instagram and say, “Hey, this is mkn coffee. We’d love to play your event—let us know if you’re interested.” And when they respond with, “Yes,” it’s kind of wild. Like, wow—I didn’t actually think that was going to work! It makes you feel a little special because you realize, “This never would have happened if I hadn’t asked.” 

But if I had to pick one truly memorable experience, it would probably be our EP release show. That night felt like such a turning point for us. There was so much work that led up to it. Blake was working insanely hard to finish mixing and mastering our first EP. We had the release date on the calendar, and he was staying up until 3 a.m. and waking up again at 6 a.m. to keep working. On the other side of that, I was up with him, trying to figure out how to burn CDs, what print materials we needed, and how to make the night memorable. 

There was also the branding side—social media strategy, planning our media package, designing a zine. I always call it “scheming”—just coming up with a plan to make all of the work the guys were doing really last, to give it a kind of permanence. We poured so much into that night. And when we walked into the venue, we were surrounded by our friends and these amazing bands—Laredo Two, Tzion’s Lagoon (now Eileen), and Midnight Session. It was really special to share that moment with them. 

Any time you play a show, there’s that nervous feeling—like, what if no one shows up? Your own mom might not even come. But that night, the amount of people who came through those doors was overwhelming in the best way. People traveled from all over—Fort Worth, Euless, Dallas, Plano, Richardson, Arlington—to see us. It was so moving. 

I met people I’d never seen before who recognized me from our vlogs or Instagram. They knew who Blake was. They told us they’d been following us and came specifically for the new music. Hearing that made all those late nights and all that work worth it. It was just a huge relief—because people do care. And that’s something really special to hold onto. 

So yeah, I’d say that was my most memorable experience with mkn coffee. 

How do you approach promoting a band like mkn coffee, and what strategies do you find most effective? 

Rosie: Well, I would say that when it comes to promoting a band like mkn coffee, I wouldn’t necessarily approach it with a one-size-fits-all mindset—like, “If your band is like mkn coffee, here are the strategies to use.” Instead, you really have to ask yourself: Who is my artist? Who is this band? 

Once you can answer that, and you have a few clear identifiers—like, for example, “My artist is a Christian,” “My artist has an excited, energetic personality,” and “My artist’s favorite color is orange”—then you can build a brand around those qualities. It starts with understanding who you're working with and who you want to represent. Essentially, you’re figuring out how to show the world who this artist is. 

Once you can answer that question, you can start building a brand—and then build your strategies around how to make that brand both unique and relatable. I find that asking the right questions leads to the answers that shape your entire approach.  When it comes to a band like mkn coffee, sure, social media is a key tool. Everyone says that because, at this point, it’s an industry standard. You're expected to have a certain number of followers on TikTok, solid engagement on Instagram, and so on. But the problem is, when you start tying numbers directly to passion, it can become overwhelming. 

Yes, you need to understand your goals and what you want to achieve—that clarity helps with decision-making. But when you start boxing yourself in with metrics alone, it can actually make it harder to market yourself. It can feel exhausting and limiting. 

So, my advice: know who your artist is. That understanding will guide everything—from your branding to your strategy. Once you’ve developed that identity, express it visually through photography and video. When you do that well, people will know who you are, what you represent, and what you stand for. And from there, they’ll either align with your message—or they won’t. But either way, you'll be building something real and recognizable. 

What are some of the most rewarding aspects of your job in booking and promotion? 

Rosie: Seeing people walk through the door after you've spent countless hours preparing for an event—from ensuring the lineup makes sense to reaching out to artists, talking with bookers, providing the venue with all the necessary information, backlining the kit, getting the gear there—all of those things that it takes to make a show happen—is incredibly rewarding. But it’s not just about seeing people show up; it's about watching them enjoy the show—dancing, singing, laughing, having a good time. That is the most rewarding aspect of booking and promotion. 

Additionally, seeing the artists get to showcase their message, who they are, and share music with people who love music is just a beautiful thing to be a part of. I wholeheartedly love creating shows for those two reasons. 

What role do you believe women play in shaping the music scene, particularly in local communities like Denton, Texas? 

Rosie: That’s an interesting question because I feel like the music industry is often pitched as polarizing—but in reality, if you step back, you see that most of us in the music scene want the same thing. We all want entertainment, we all want to hear and tell stories, and we all love music. 

When it comes to the role women play in shaping the music scene, I think it’s the same kind of role anyone plays—regardless of gender. In my experience, men run sound, and women run sound. Men do booking, and women do booking. Men lead bands, and women lead bands. We’re all contributing in meaningful ways. And I think it can actually be divisive to try and separate how men impact the music industry versus how women do—because at the end of the day, we’re all working toward the same goal and building the same community together. 

How do you handle the pressure of promoting a band, especially when it comes to meeting expectations? 

Rosie: You have to know your goals and be in alignment with your band. Once those are understood and mutually accepted, you need to view it like a game. It has to be fun, with passion at the core. The moment metrics overshadow the "why" behind your work, it becomes a chore. Remember, you're doing this because you love music and believe in the project. If you maintain a balance between your passion and your goals, you can go far. 

How do you stay connected with the local music scene and discover new talent? 

Rosie: Well, I’m all over social media. I literally have nine Instagram accounts—some of them are for businesses I work with—but yeah, I have a lot of accounts. I’m constantly checking out what’s being posted on my feeds. I look at who’s tagged in posts, then I’ll check out what event they played at, look into the venue, or check out the event name. That’s how I do my research—through social media. I look at lineups and think, “Oh, I don’t know that band,” then I go check them out, give them a follow, and see what they’re doing. I’ll also look through comments and likes—there are just so many little networks within the scene. There’s a Denton community, a Dallas scene, the broader DFW area… I haven’t really tapped into Fort Worth yet, but I’m getting there. 

So yeah, I basically just follow the people who follow other people, dig into show flyers and lineups, and that’s how I stay connected and find out who the new hot musicians are in the DFW area. 

What’s one piece of wisdom or a lesson you’ve learned in your career that you wish you could share with your younger self? 

Rosie: You can't do this alone. It's okay to ask for help. You can't take photos, get video, manage the merch table, ensure the stage is set, unload and load the car, and make sure the other bands are ready—all at the same time. It's too much for anyone, and you're not a superhuman. 

Now, I've had moments where I had to do all those things, and I managed, but I was mentally exhausted. Doing everything by yourself is too much. Build your community, grow a team, and communicate with them. Make sure everyone can do their part. The moment you try to take on the world alone is the moment you'll burn out. You need to be there for your team, so be comfortable with loosening the reins and giving others opportunities to contribute. 

It’s clear that you bring passion and dedication to everything you do, including your music. Your recent debut single, “don’t shut me out,” is a testament to that. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your recent single and how it reflects your journey in the music industry? 

Rosie: “don’t shut me out,” at its core, is about my longing for an emotional connection with a family member — someone who feels close by blood but distant in every other way. Although the song could apply to any close relationship where distance has taken root. I’ve been grappling with silence, unanswered questions, and a deep yearning to understand both the other person and myself through our relationship. There’s this powerful sense of emotional inheritance — like they hold pieces of the puzzle that could help me understand who I really am. I never thought that I would release a rock song. I grew up listening to grunge, post-grunge, alt, indie rock, scene, etc., but a lot of the music I would write would take on this Americana singer-songwriter persona, and it was suffocating! I only knew how to play the acoustic guitar, so there was only so much I felt I could do creatively. When I wrote “don’t shut me out,” I desperately wanted it to be a rock song. I brought it to Blake, and I explained to him my ideas for the song, and he brought it to life. 

Did you face any unique challenges in promoting your own music compared to the bands you typically work with? 

Rosie: Honestly, yeah—a little bit. I actually find it easier to promote myself in some ways just because I know how to create content. I know how to find trends on social media, and I understand what the expectations are to be “successful” online, so I know how to do it. 

The hard part is really just making time to promote myself. My end goal isn’t necessarily to become famous for my music—I just want people to hear it. I love the song. I shamelessly love my song “don’t shut me out.” It has everything I love in a track—angry girl rock. I’m such a sucker for it. 

I love what Blake and I created together, and I’m super passionate about it. I don’t care if it makes money or doesn’t, if it gets 200 streams or a million. I just love that it’s out there, and that people can hear it. Even though the song is heavy and sad—and it does make me sad to think that some people relate to it—it also makes me feel less alone. Knowing people connect with it, that they take their own meaning from it, really means a lot. 

It’s not just my song anymore. It belongs to whoever listens to it, and whatever it means to them. That’s one of the most special things about music. So yeah, the hardest part for me isn’t the content creation—it’s just carving out the time to prioritize myself. 

How do you balance your responsibilities in promotion while also being an artist yourself? 

Rosie: I feel like I touched on this a little in the last question. Basically, I’ve had to set a rule for myself: if I’m going to promote something for another band, I need to make a post for myself, too. It’s kind of like, “Okay, if I’m already in the mindset, I might as well get something out there for me.” It keeps things balanced and helps me stay consistent. 

Most of my promotion is online. Since I’m so involved in creating shows through Sleep Pour Productions and working with mkn coffee, I don’t really have time to promote “on the road,” so to speak. So the internet is where I focus my energy. When it comes to my solo project, kee, I honestly have fun with it. I treat my Instagram like it’s low-key a meme page. I don’t take it too seriously, because a lot of my music is serious—it has heavier themes and emotional depth—so I like having that contrast. 

It’s already hard enough when someone listens and goes, “Wow, that song’s pretty heavy.” I also don’t want to come across as this super sad person because I’m not. I just go through things, I get emotional, and I write songs about it. That’s how I process. So, the lighthearted social presence helps keep things balanced and true to who I am. 

Are there any plans for live performances or events to showcase the single? 

Rosie: Right now, I don’t have anything in the works, but I’d definitely love to organize some kind of girls’ event—like an all-girl lineup where I could also feature my project. The challenge is that I don’t have a full band. My project is more of a solo/duo situation. Blake and I collaborate—he helps me take the songs I write and really elevate them with his talents. 

When we’ve performed in the past, it’s usually been me filling in with mkn coffee, and they’ll learn a few of my songs, or Blake and I will do an acoustic set together. But moving forward, if I’m going to perform live—especially to showcase “don’t shut me out”—I want it to be fully plugged in. I feel like acoustic guitar limits the sound and energy of the music I make. 

So yeah, for any future live performances of kee, I’d want a full band to bring that sound to life. I’m not closing the door on it—it’s definitely something I want. I actually have a new single coming out soon called Sleeper People, and as I continue to release more music, I hope a proper showcase will naturally grow from that.

Rosie, it was great to speak with you. Thank you for sharing your time and experiences with us. Your insights have been incredibly valuable, and we’re very excited to see what you’ll be working on next! Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share?

Rosie: It’s really cool to get the opportunity to share my story and give you insight into the work that I do. I’m very passionate about all of the projects that I’m a part of, and I hope that the work I do has a lasting impact on others! 

As Rosie continues to make an impact in the North Texas music scene as a media creator, agent, and musician, her insights serve as an inspiration for those looking to follow a similar path. Her journey highlights the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and passion in overcoming challenges and achieving success. Whether through her professional achievements or her unwavering support for independent artists, she exemplifies what it means to thrive in a constantly evolving landscape.

You can find Rosie on Instagram, Sleep Pour Production’s official website, all things kee on her LinkTree, and check out “don’t shut me out” on all streaming platforms.