Baller Behind The Scene – Kimatni Rawlins

Kimatni D. Rawlins is the founder of Automotive Rhythms Communications, LLC, an urban automotive media and marketing portal consisting of print, internet, radio, network TV and internet TV properties. In the six years of its existence, Kimatni and Automotive Rhythms have positively educated urban auto buyers on how they view and purchase vehicles.

Kimatni established the company in 2001 to serve as the communications liaison between automotive companies and the urban car-buying market. His forte is divided amongst journalism, media outreach and automotive marketing within urban, sports, youth and entertainment sectors. Prior to spearheading Automotive Rhythms, Kimatni directed the Communications and Special Projects departments for On Wheels, Inc. (OWI), which publishes African Americans On Wheels, Latinos On Wheels and Asians On Wheels magazines. His seven-year tenure with OWI and preceding term with Jaguar Cars of North America, Inc. has given him vast knowledge on the mechanics of the automotive industry, both internally (corporate) and externally (markets).

Kimatni — in essence, a Driving Rhythm — travels the world assessing new automobiles and their corresponding technologies for millions of readers and viewers. As an automotive journalist, he has covered hundreds of automotive product introductions and test scores of new cars, trucks, SUVs and CUVs. Accordingly, Automotive Rhythms provides car buying guides and auto columns to an array of national publications and websites including Vibe magazine, Vibe.com, Uptown magazine, African Americans On Wheels magazine, BlackPlanet.com, Show magazine, and many more. Furthermore, Kimatni is the host of Automotive Rhythms TV, www.ARtvLive.com, which can be found in 15 million homes on Comcast’s Vibe On Demand and throughout the web on over ten online video websites.

When it comes to automotive safety, Kimatni is no stranger. His initiation of seatbelt awareness campaigns, in conjunction with NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), for Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volvo is a testament.

In addition, Kimatni is a leader in business relations, establishing countless partnerships between urban firms and premier automotive corporations including General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, XM Satellite Radio, Shell Oil, Harley-Davidson, Ford, Lincoln, Volvo, Volkswagen, Land Rover and Jaguar to name a few.

Kimatni is a recipient of the 40-Under-Forty Achievement Award and is the current urban spokesperson for Shell Oil. On top of his roles as President and Publisher, Kimatni is a member of a variety of professional associations. He serves as President of the Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA) and is a member of the Motor Press Guild.

Kimatni D. Rawlins received a Bachelor of Science in Business and a Minor in Marketing and Economics at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA., where he lettered in football.