We were lucky to catch up with Kerollin Francois recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kerollin , thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Yes I have been able to earn a full time living from my creative but I wouldn’t say it was like that from day one. When I began djing it started as a hobby so I started off charging the split I used to get from shadowing my first DJ mentor DJ Olympus. When I started djing on my own I taught myself gig to gig and as I got better I raised my prices. I soon saw the value that I brought to events and parties and I realized that my hobby turned career could make much more in the corporate arena where the money resides. I met a few pretty influential people in the city of Gainesville and they pushed me to do things in areas I never thought I would be. I produced podcast for The University of Florida as they transitioned to online courses, I produced commercials and podcasts for political members running for Gainesville City Positions, I created mixes and djed for radio stations ie. 98.9 Jamz and Magic 101.3. And my biggest milestone id say to date, becoming the Official Gator DJ and Djing the basketball games for a division 1 SEC college team.

Some advice that I would give would be to make connections with others in your field. Reach out and ask questions, see how they price their services and how they structure those services. Assess the value that you bring and charge according to your market.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

It started with DJing and has grown into something I wouldn’t have imagined. After tearing my hamstring and ending my football career at the University of Florida, I felt lost. I ran into a local DJ on campus while heading to one of my Computer Engineering courses and caught an interest in what he was doing. I was always into music as a kid I used to run the sound system at church and learned multiple instruments that I unfortunately never mastered. But seeing him on campus sparked something in me and after shadowing him for some time and helping guide his events by monitoring crowd engagement, he passed on the reigns to me. I taught myself gig to gig and had soon became the go to campus dj. But after a while I wanted more than just house parties and talent shows, I wanted club residencies. I began going to the places I wanted to dj at and introduced myself to everyone of value there. Building those relationships is one thing that I will say really slung shot my career forward. I began djing almost all the college nights at all the clubs and did so for a few years and got the opportunity to move into the corporate arena.

So, I not only DJ but I am also a sound technician. I can install and wire sound systems, as well as lighting and video. I can Operate, monitor, and adjust audio and video equipment to regulate the volume and ensure quality in radio and television broadcasts, concerts, and other performances. I can record, convert, mix and master audio and video. I also co run a studio here in Gainesville, Five G Studios. I can produce podcast and commercials.

I’d say what sets me apart is my ear for sound and my creativity. I look to enhance what the customer wants and not change it. My goal is to blow your mind with quality and Ingenuity.

I am most proud of the fact that my brand isn’t stuck in one particular lane. I’m open ended. I can dj at a country club or a college basketball game in front of 20,000 diverse faces. Just depends on the day.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

One thing I would say would be paying for the value the creative brings. Many artists spend way more than they make just on equipment not to mention the amount of unseen hours that went into them being as good as they are at what they do. So you shouldn’t lowball for that.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes, I’d say the subtle art of not giving a f*ck by mark Manson would definitely be one taught me to get out of my head and be present. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill taught me how to chase my dreams and a video on YouTube by Dr. Myles Monroe – Be careful who you ignore I’ll let you watch that and tell me what you get out of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mixcloud.com/DJFrancolive/
• Instagram: @francois561
• Facebook: @djfrancolive
• Twitter: @djfrancolive
• Youtube: Djfrancolive
• Other: Twitch @djfrancolive