We had the good fortune of connecting with Johnnie Judah and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Johnnie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I have always been somewhat of a conservative guy in business so risk was kind of an extreme to me. I preferred comfortable and risk shakes up comfort. However, at this point in my life risk is necessary for forward movement. For the majority of my DJ career I had been timid and afraid of risk, specifically the unknowns involved with it, and as a result it kept me in a stagnant state business-wise and limiting my ability to reach the masses. Here recently, after coming to the realization that I have more sand at the bottom of my hourglass than the top, I have decided to take more risks and although I have suffered my share of setbacks It pales in comparison to my progression as a DJ and business owner.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a DJ. I manipulate music, sounds, and video to creative a unique media experience. What sets me apart is my computer hardware and software expertise. My skills allow me to not only curate video DJ sets totally in house, but I can also take it a step further by customizing my work to my liking without limitations presented by relying on outside entities such as graphic designers or video editors. I got to where I am today with perseverance and a supportive wife. It was not easy, I definitely took the stairs of trial and error. I overcame challenges by going back to science class days and understanding that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So when I elevate or progress, basically moving forward, there will be obstacles and they tend to grow/multiply proportionately with my progression. As a result I had to hone my ability to hurdle obstacles of any size. Basically I went from judging the size of the obstacle to judging my ability to hurdle. One big lesson I learned is to drop my trust issues and DELEGATE. Think like a boss, don’t try to do everything. While it’s cool to say you did it all yourself from the ground up you could tire out before you get where you want to be. What I want people to know is it’s never too late. I left corporate America in my mid-to-late 30’s to enter a hip hop related profession and we all know hip hop is geared to the young, not the old. But if you believe it, you can achieve it.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them through the “Dirty South”, to place you normally might not know about. Now granted we may hit some upscale spots like Tru Kitchen or the all new Jamies Rhythms in Dallas, or maybe Club Ritzy or Seven Lounge in Fort Worth but I would want to take them to enjoy some home grown borderline country town stuff. We will hit up Lulu’s Lounge in Fort Worth for a good ol’ Southern Soul/Blues “hood” experience. A visit to One Unit Motorcycle Club’s OU Lounge in Deep South Fort Worth. I would absolutely have to order some loaded potatoes from my favorite chef Christinia with A Taste of The Kingdom Catering for some midnight snack action. We would definitely hit the Deep Ellum area and chill at The Freeman for some good seafood. Me being a media guy I would take them to a studio or two, namely Villa Koola in Dallas or Platinum Wick Studios, both of which have nice podcast studios and cater to the underground music community.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to send a very special shout out to my initial mentor, James Futrell. This guy showed me the basics, gave me a DJ speaker system to start out on, and sent clientele my way. Every time I learn a new technique, acquire new equipment, or hit pretty much any DJ-related accomplishment big or small I think about him and often call or text just to tell him thank you.
Website: http://johnniej.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/johnnie_johnnie
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/johnnie-judah
Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnnie_judah
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamjohnniej
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxBQSNI12g3jjKM9lQ6TD5w
