About 15 years ago I
quit my corporate office job in hopes to fulfil my teenage
dreams...to be a rapper and run my own independent hip hop record label. Yes you heard right...a "rapper." Everybody,
especially my parents, thought I was crazy but I had to give it a
shot! I didn't want to be that guy 20 years down the road thinking
“Could've, should've, would've!” Along with rapping, my passion was in finding
musical talent and putting them together to produce something
special. I loved meeting producers, going to local live shows to
talent search, and putting it all together in the studio.
However, I learned
that running a label involved a lot more to it than the music side.
Being independent with little funding meant that I had to wear many
hats which included publicist and marketer. In these roles I had to
produce public service announcements to radio, create bio's for my
artists, conjure up creative slogans for our marketing handbills and
posters and also write media invitations. Although I recognized the
importance of all this writing, they were extremely challenging and were my least liked tasks. Because of this experience I
have a whole new level of respect for the individuals who do this
professionally.
Long gone are the
days at the office and studio. My present days pecking away at the
keyboard now consists of duties involving my work at an elementary
school and a community living organization. This involves
communicating through email, writing entry logs, incident reports,
and adapting lesson assignments.
Needless to say I
didn't make my millions through the music industry but those sure
were good times!
Cheers guys!
Rod
Great! Rod, I knew, from the first day in TESOL class, you must be someone of story! Appreciate your sharing! Now I know you were once a UFC boxer and rapper! That's fantastic! That's great treasure for one's life! That experiences and capabilities will surely carry you to a brighter future!
ReplyDeleteMany people have their dreams so did I, even though you could not fulfill your dream now, you don't know may be one day. I appreciate that you tried to work hard for you dream , it isn't in vain as you went through the process what you had learned, music and writing, you can using in your present job especially the writing. ---Carol
ReplyDelete