Swizz Beatz isn't the only music in the family with a cushy side gig. Today, Alicia Keys was announced as the new Global Creative Director of BlackBerry.
Research In Motion (RIMM) held a press conference today in New York City to debut its new BlackBerry 10 (BB10) operating system. RIMM has officially changed its name to BlackBerry and its CEO & President, Thorsten Heins, demonstrated the features of new products like the Z10 and Q10 smartphones.
Barron's has been live blogging the event and mentioned the Keys announcement.
Today it isn't just about unveiling new product, says Heins. There's been a lot of speculation leading up to today. The company is engaging with a number of creative entrepreneurs and artists and working moms. The company has created a new position, a “Global Creative Director.” Someone who is a time Grammy award winner, a wife and a mother … Alicia Keys!
Keys comes on stage and talks about how after a long relationship with BlackBerry, she “left you for some other phones I saw at the gym that were a little sexier and had more bling” but now she's glad to come back into a relationship. She goes into an extensive run-down of things she loves about BB10, including the time-shifting feature of the camera. Keys is going to work closely with the carriers, app developers, talk to “other super women who love BlackBerry, a big demographic. It's a big job, a super hands-on role, but I really want to do it.”
Keys jumped on Twitter quickly after the reveal. Excited2jump right in2my new role as Global Creative Director of@Blackberry! #BlackBerry10 #keepmoving #forwardthinking," tweeted the "Girl On Fire" singer.
"Alicia Keys has come to BlackBerry because she believes in the product and technology, and subscribes to our overriding philosophy to 'Keep Moving': to empower people through mobile computing and communications,' add Heins in a press statement. “We are excited she will be bringing to us her enormous capabilities, as well as a vast network of relationships in the entertainment, social media and business communities, to help shape our brand and grow our business.”
With the rise of the iPhone and Android smartphones, the BlackBerry has fallen out of favor and has been struggling to regain users. Do you think a co-sign from Alicia Keys will help their prospects?
(by Alvin aqua Blanco)
