PUTINWORKTV, a local online publication dedicated to covering Boston’s artists, hip-hop scene and cultural conversations through daily coverage and original video content, is rewriting the story of Boston’s music scene
When Robert Kelley-Morgan started PUTINWORKTV in 2022, he was responding to a gap he saw every day in the city’s music scene. As a longtime talent manager in Boston, he noticed that emerging artists had very few places to turn to for regular coverage. Many were creating strong work and building local followings, yet large outlets rarely picked them up.
“A lot of artists don’t have press,” Kelley-Morgan said. “There wasn’t a definitive source publishing every day about what’s happening in Boston and beyond.”
PUTINWORKTV developed from that need. He wanted a place that covered industry updates, local music and the culture surrounding it, while also giving artists space to speak for themselves through interviews.
The early work of building the platform involved a small group of collaborators who believed in the idea. Along with his director of operations, Stephen Lafume, and other contributors, Kelley-Morgan converted an old Rent-A-Center in Dudley Square into a functioning studio. They recorded video interviews, edited stories and began defining what the publication would look like. He described those first few months as a community effort, built from the ground up with whatever resources they had.
Documenting Boston’s cultural diversity is a central part of PUTINWORKTV’s mission. Kelley-Morgan said he often hears people repeat the idea that Boston lacks Black artists or a strong Black community. He pushes back against that narrative and sees the publication as a way to highlight what is already here.
“You walk through the city and see Cape Verdeans, Dominicans, Haitians, Black Americans, Jamaicans, Vietnamese and so many other communities of color,” he said. “We are a melting pot.”
To him, telling those stories is necessary for understanding the city as a whole. PUTINWORKTV publishes several pieces of content daily across its website and social media platforms. The video series, including PUTINWORKTV interviews, has become an important way for audiences to connect with artists. Kelley-Morgan said that while writing remains important, many people engage with culture visually first, especially on social media. He sees the videos and the written coverage as working together rather than competing.
The publication recently received early recognition when it was nominated for Music Publication of the Year at the Boston Music Awards in its first year, continuing to be nominated many times after that. Kelley-Morgan noted that PUTINWORKTV was one of the few Black-owned platforms on the list and emphasized how the acknowledgement mattered both to him and the community it represents.
PUTINWORKTV also connects to his talent management company, PUTINWORK. Running both allows him to stay closely informed about the local scene without feeling the need to manage every artist he supports.
“At one point, I tried to manage the whole world,” he said. “PUTINWORKTV lets me showcase artists while also keeping me informed about the environment I operate in.”
As the platform grows, Kelley-Morgan hopes to develop more in-depth stories and bring additional writers onto the team. He described the current phase as slow and steady, with a focus on building a sustainable structure rather than expanding too quickly.
