We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Corey Sampson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Corey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I am taking a risk being a content creator, because I am currently investing more time and money in video / audio equipment, so I can produce better content. I’m also investing more time into writing & recording new music. Some might view this as a waste of time, but that doesn’t bother me, because I’m doing something that I am passionate about.
This does not affect my day job, but it does affect my personal life, because now my free time is very limited. However, I think it’s necessary because now I’m a step closer to reaching my goals.
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 back background and context?
Well, I’m originally from Easton, Maryland. When I was a kid, my father was still DJing and working at a local radio station. Besides mainstream music, he was the person who inspired me at the time. However, I wasn’t interested in Djing, I was actually more interested in becoming a rapper. So I started working towards that goal when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I was basically hooked the first time I saw the movie Krush Groove. Me and one of my childhood friends would pretend to be Run-D.M.C.
After high school I did a couple of semesters of college and later joined the US Army. During my term, I started going to local recording studios and recording tracks. I was always passionate about writing and later photography and videography.
When I decided to get back into my creative space, I relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in 2017.
I haven’t had any mainstream success yet, but I have accomplished a few things in the past year. I’ve had a few viral videos on my TikTok account, and so far I have over 9 thousand followers and over 2 million views. I also have over 3 thousands followers on Facebook, and over 1 thousand followers on YouTube. Besides that, I released some independent music and me and some friends started a new podcast.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Having complete control. In terms of music, I enjoy doing things on my own terms. I can write, record, and release songs whenever I want and maintain full ownership of everything. This also applies to video content. If I was working for someone else, I don’t think it would workout unless we shared the same vision.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Financial freedom. The goal is to become a full time content creator and entrepreneur. I would like to earn a living doing something I’m passionate about and also collaborate with others. Create more income streams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisiscls
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisiscls
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coreylsampson
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thisiscls
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HesTooOpinionated
- Other: Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@manicsophistication CLS EP: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1712305193