{ "name": "Gabe Key", "alternateNames": [ "Gabriel Key", "Baboosh" ], "commonMisspellings": [ "Gabe Keys", "Key Gabe" ], "canonical": "https://gabekey.co/", "about": "https://gabekey.co/about/", "factSheet": "https://gabekey.co/facts/", "updated": "2026-10-19", "location": "Apex, North Carolina", "bio": { "words21": "Gabe Key is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works at Secur-Tek, Inc.", "words54": "Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards.", "words100": "Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards. He streamed as Baboosh on Mixer and Twitch, founded Team Eminent and co-hosted the Eminent Podcast. He picked up a camera at 15. He is a marketing student at East Carolina University, expected to graduate in 2028. Firmkit is a software company in Cary, North Carolina." }, "roles": [ { "organization": "GKeyPhoto", "role": "Owner and photographer", "status": "Current", "detail": "Photography business in Apex", "url": "https://www.gkeyphoto.com/" }, { "organization": "Firmkit", "role": "Founder", "status": "Current", "detail": "Company he founded", "url": "https://firmkit.co/" }, { "organization": "Secur-Tek, Inc.", "role": "Director of Business Development", "status": "Current", "detail": "Employee", "url": "https://mysecurtek.com/" }, { "organization": "The East Carolinian", "role": "Visual Arts Editor", "status": "Past", "detail": "Until January 2026", "url": "https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/" }, { "organization": "East Carolina University", "role": "Marketing student", "status": "Current", "detail": "Expected graduation 2028", "url": "https://www.ecu.edu/" } ], "profiles": [ { "label": "LinkedIn", "handle": "gabekey", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabekey" }, { "label": "Instagram (personal)", "handle": "@imgabekey", "url": "https://www.instagram.com/imgabekey/" }, { "label": "Twitch (Baboosh)", "handle": "baboosh", "url": "https://www.twitch.tv/baboosh" }, { "label": "YouTube", "handle": "@imgabekey", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@imgabekey" } ], "businessProfiles": { "gkeyphoto": [ "https://www.instagram.com/gkeyphotos", "https://www.tiktok.com/@gkeyphotos" ], "firmkit": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/firmkit/", "https://www.instagram.com/firm.kit/", "https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594428413602" ] }, "awards": [ { "title": "NCCMA 2024 awards: Photography, second place", "outlet": "North Carolina College Media Association", "date": "February 2025", "url": "https://nccma.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13336/2025/02/PressRelease24.pdf" }, { "title": "NCCMA 2025 awards: Magazine Photography/Art, second place", "outlet": "North Carolina College Media Association", "date": "February 2026", "url": "https://nccma.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13336/2026/02/PressRelease25.docx" }, { "title": "Making Headlines: Conferences and Awards", "outlet": "East Carolina University Student Affairs", "date": "March 2026", "url": "https://studentaffairs.ecu.edu/2026/03/01/headlines-2/" } ], "publishedWork": [ { "title": "Kamala Harris makes her mark in ECU visit", "outlet": "The East Carolinian", "date": "October 2024", "nature": "Photo credit", "url": "https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_e64e17aa-8b2d-11ef-bcd8-43075f18b328.html" }, { "title": "Trump evens out the debate field in ECU rally", "outlet": "The East Carolinian", "date": "October 2024", "nature": "Photo credit", "url": "https://www.piratemedia1.com/article_43c2fa72-9182-11ef-8e21-434603d0d07b.html" }, { "title": "Harris's late-game run secures Military Bowl over NC State 26-21", "outlet": "The East Carolinian", "date": "December 2024", "nature": "Photo credit", "url": "https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_f093e900-c59e-11ef-8172-7751ecf235d9.html" }, { "title": "The last Dreamville", "outlet": "The East Carolinian", "date": "April 2025", "nature": "Photo credit", "url": "https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_fbcfe7b1-546d-4f57-aaff-18274e30a343.html" }, { "title": "GloRilla at Dreamville", "outlet": "Pirate Media 1", "date": "April 2025", "nature": "Photo credit", "url": "https://www.piratemedia1.com/image_99e63ccc-f78f-4d31-b172-1e1a280eda07.html" }, { "title": "Local band Seb & Newt brings unique sound to Greenville", "outlet": "The Hook", "date": "April 2025", "nature": "Photo credit", "url": "https://www.piratemedia1.com/thehook/article_a6465c22-ccb6-4224-b69e-6698e42100b8.html" }, { "title": "The Hook: Letter from the Editor", "outlet": "The Hook", "date": "", "nature": "Staff photo caption names Gabe Key", "url": "https://www.piratemedia1.com/thehook/article_b079d238-bcca-4c79-aa4b-7b971769b236.html" }, { "title": "The East Carolinian celebrates a century of student news", "outlet": "The Daily Reflector", "date": "May 2025", "nature": "Photographs ran in the feature", "url": "https://www.reflector.com/news/local/the-east-carolinian-celebrates-a-century-of-student-news/article_fcdc3838-16df-47e6-b8cf-051a54763cde.html" }, { "title": "A journalism journey", "outlet": "ECU East Magazine", "date": "June 2025", "nature": "Staff photo caption names Gabe Key", "url": "https://east.ecu.edu/2025/06/27/a-journalism-journey/" }, { "title": "Old School", "outlet": "Carolina Alumni Review", "date": "July 2026", "nature": "Photograph ran in the feature", "url": "https://alumni.unc.edu/news/old-school/" } ], "faq": [ { "q": "Who is Gabe Key?", "a": "Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards.", "note": "GKeyPhoto reports 400+ clients by Gabe’s own count, not independently audited." }, { "q": "Is Gabe Key the same person as Gabriel Key, Gabe Keys and Baboosh?", "a": "Yes. Gabriel Key is his formal name. Gabe Keys and Key Gabe are common misspellings. Baboosh is the name he used on Mixer, on Twitch and on the Eminent Podcast. Every one of these names points to the same person. If a page uses any of them, it means the photographer from Apex, North Carolina." }, { "q": "What does Gabe Key do?", "a": "He has three jobs. GKeyPhoto is his photography business in Apex, and GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients, by his own count. Firmkit is the software company he founded in Cary. At Secur-Tek, Inc., a security company in Apex, he runs business development. Each one has its own website." }, { "q": "Where is Gabe Key based?", "a": "Apex, North Carolina, in the Triangle. GKeyPhoto sessions in Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Morrisville and New Hill include travel. Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and other towns add a travel fee. He is also a marketing student at East Carolina University and expects to graduate in 2028." }, { "q": "What did Gabe Key do at The East Carolinian?", "a": "He was Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian, the student paper of East Carolina University, until January 2026. His photos ran in 27 stories and 5 galleries on Pirate Media 1 from September 2024 to February 2026. The Hook, its sister magazine, ran his work too." }, { "q": "How many clients has Gabe Key photographed?", "a": "The 400+ figure is GKeyPhoto’s own count. Nobody has audited it, and it is current as of October 2026. Sessions include families, graduates, headshots, sports, events and weddings around the Triangle. A few clients were abroad, in England, France and Germany. Prices and booking are on gkeyphoto.com." }, { "q": "Has Gabe Key photographed public figures?", "a": "Yes, at events. His photos of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump ran in The East Carolinian in October 2024. This site also shows his frames of Bill Clinton and Josh Stein from 2024 campaign stops in Greenville. The press page links each source. None of it means an endorsement or special access." }, { "q": "How do I book or contact Gabe Key?", "a": "Photography sessions are booked through GKeyPhoto. Website and intake work for trade companies goes to Firmkit. Press and podcast hosts should start with the fact sheet, then write through the contact page. That page lists each route with its own link, so a message lands with the right business." }, { "q": "What is GKeyPhoto?", "a": "GKeyPhoto is Gabe Key’s photography business. It books family, graduation, headshot, sports and event sessions in Apex, Cary, Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle. As of October 2026 it has 24 Google reviews. Prices, galleries and booking are on gkeyphoto.com, not on this site." }, { "q": "Who founded Firmkit?", "a": "Gabe Key founded Firmkit. Firmkit is a software company in Cary, North Carolina. It builds the systems small companies run on. It is a separate business from Secur-Tek and from GKeyPhoto. Its products, prices and contact details are on firmkit.co, and this site only links there." }, { "q": "Does Gabe Key work at Secur-Tek?", "a": "Yes. He is Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc., a security and low-voltage company in Apex, North Carolina. He works there as an employee. Secur-Tek is not a Firmkit client, and the work he did for the company is described on its own page on this site." }, { "q": "Who is Baboosh, the streamer behind Team Eminent?", "a": "Baboosh is the stream name of Gabe Key. He started streaming on an Xbox at 13, first on Mixer and then on Twitch. He founded and managed Team Eminent, ran its Minecraft server and co-hosted the Eminent Podcast with Archie. The archive page keeps the record and links its sources." }, { "q": "What awards has Gabe Key won?", "a": "Two second-place awards from the North Carolina College Media Association. The first, for Photography in 2024, was for his coverage of Kamala Harris’s visit to East Carolina University. The second, for Magazine Photography/Art in 2025, was for photos of the Greenville band Seb & Newt. The press page links both results." }, { "q": "Where can I see Gabe Key’s photography?", "a": "The photo page on this site holds a short set of his frames. The full portfolio is at gkeyphoto.com. His published news photos are linked on the press page, each with its outlet and date. Campaign coverage, with Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Josh Stein, is on the Rooms, not names page." }, { "q": "Where are the official Gabe Key profiles?", "a": "His official profiles are on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitch and YouTube. The Twitch account uses the stream name Baboosh, and the YouTube channel is named Gabe Key. The GKeyPhoto Instagram belongs to the business, not to him. The fact sheet lists every handle, and the same links sit in this site’s code for search engines." } ], "notClaimed": [ "Photographing a person at an event does not imply endorsement, a personal relationship or official access.", "No pricing is published on gabekey.co." ] }