Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stina Dias. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Stina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Working in this industry has always been misunderstood. With it being male dominated & it being surrounded by nightlife most people can think certain things in a negative way. “Shes Always Outside” is what I get a lot! It’s crazy because what people see on social media they compare it to simply having fun. When in actuality every time I step into an environment where a mic is present I’m either working or setting up an opportunity to grow and become better at my craft. I know its fun to go out and dance and drink your favourite liquor and socialise with really dope people ; but people don’t see when you’re tired or exhausted or simply just don’t feel like it. Just like any job it can become tiring; but because of the demand of energy and interaction you can’t rest.

Also in this business people think that people that are in the industry love going outside, or being in the mix. I AM A HOME BODY ! Being “outside” is fun because of the perks of being on crowd control but when you are working around it 3-5 nights, with 2-3 gigs in a day, it gets exhausting. This industry moves so fast. From trends, to music to sayings to being cancelled and all of these play a part in what your job looks like for that day.

Working for yourself is also another thing that I feel is misunderstood. It is so glorified on social media with all the dope content and inspiration you can put out. What I fear people don’t understand that when you trade in that 9-5 you also trade in the safety net of a consistent check. How I view my life is ” If I don’t work, I won’t eat”. So instead of working 40 hours a week. I’m working 24/7 . Whenever an opportunity comes you have to be ready to move with the flow; Even the same if an opportunity is no longer available. I love it though! It makes each win so worth it !

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?

I am an experience first and foremost. My entire goal is to make everyone in the room feel seen and special. I am able to change the entire vibe at an event with my voice.

It all started when I was in middle school, back home in Kansas City, Missouri. My good friends older cousin wanted to put together a street team to help promote teen parties. We had every inner city middle and high-school on lock. These parties were huge. Eventually, I started doing my own parties at some of the major venues in Kansas City. I became known for throwing lit events.

When I moved to Atlanta in 2013 I decided to attend Clark Atlanta University. During my time at CAU, I was able to make connections and get experience that I do believe helped me continue on the path of hosting/events/entertainment.

I always loved people and the ability to entertain them, so choosing this field was pretty much a given. It came so natural to me to speak in-front of large groups of people in a party/nightlife situation. The first time I picked up a mic in Atlanta was 2018. My good friend asked if I wanted to host a ladies brunch. Me being me, I said absolutely. The event went so well & I just so happened to have known the owner through passing in different lounges in Atlanta. The rest is truly history! I’ve been hosting ever since.

September 2020 I fully committed to being a host and media personality. It was the scariest thing ever; but in hindsight that was probably the best decision I ever made in my life.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

OMG! Yes! When I tell you I feel that my journey was very much needed and pertinent to my current success. However, if I knew what I knew now I probably would have saved myself a lot of heartache and disappointment. I knew that I had resources and had great connections with amazing people ; I just was not sure how to play off of knowing them and essentially asking for a ” handout” or favour. Most people in the industry are used to being used, and I didn’t want to be the same way; so I never asked for help. I wish I would have known how to network properly and effectively. Almost impossible to read a room if you aren’t sure who’s in it. I also would have wanted to experience more opportunity with media personality and radio earlier. I feel a lot of the major stations had the opportunities, I just didn’t know about them.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Whew child ! This is a good one. So essentially I have been in Atlanta for about 9 and a half years. For a good part of those years, I was down here by myself. I had to simply unlearn that one everyone isn’t raised the same and not everyone truly wants to see you win; even though they know you deserve it. I had to unlearn hardwork equals opportunity when in actuality network equals opportunity.

I simply started seeing, and I hate to call it this, random people popping up on major events as the host or media personality. Now, I am no HATER, but I do believe that Atlanta has a funny way of associating people with events just because of who they know. It was a point where I was getting passed up for a lot of events and gigs because people were either undercutting the business or knew who ever was over the event to get the job. And at the same time I didn’t know their journey, so it put me in a weird space for a while.

I used to wreck my brain wondering why and then I had to stop and say; instead of complaining on what you don’t have put yourself in the position to get it. I had to unlearn that even though I felt I worked hard enough it was always something else that could be done to achieve where I wanted to be. I still do it to this day, look at the glass half full instead of half empty. I had to unlearn comparison & to stay steady on my path.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stinadias.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stinadias/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-dias-3bb1485a/

Image Credits
James D. Love