We recently connected with Devin J. Ricks and have shared our conversation below.

Devin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

To me success is based on how you feel about yourself. Now in the beginning I didn’t think success was based on that. Of course we think about the wealth and financial freedom, which is an essential part of success, but the main ingredient is your perception of yourself. When you have great self-esteem, values, morals etc. those things will paint your reality and move you quicker to all of your heart’s desires. It’s like the foundation in a garden. When the soil is right, crops will grow. I believe that’s how you have to start out. If you do so, trust me, you will see things manifest beyond your wildest dreams. It’s not an easy/simple process, but it’s rewarding and necessary if you want to reach your goals in life; outside of hard work and consistency.

Devin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Of course. I’m an American film director, actor, media personality, and entrepreneur from Baltimore, Maryland. I’m known for creating and directing the Love Cycle Saga; a series of films that explore different aspects of love, including family, friendships, and relationships. I’m best known for my media coverage during the BET Hip Hop Awards (2017-2019), using my personality name “Fly Guy.” In addition to my filmmaking career, I’m also an entrepreneur with investments in several businesses.

I started my filmmaking journey at an early age; recording home videos with my family & friends creating skits. I went on to study film at Morgan State University and opened my own production company, Devin J. Ricks Productions. I specialize in filming/directing motion pictures along with videography services to bring people’s visions to life. My clients are always looking for something unique and are always amazed with the end result. With my movies, I aim to share beautiful love stories and help people navigate the complicated emotion of love through my films. Outside of my media & film company, I’ve also stepped into the lifestyle and fashion world creating the highly acclaimed, “No More Apologies” clothing line. The brand has been doing very well. I’ve been blessed to have celebrities showcase my line and I’m overall happy that the phrase itself is captivating and motivating for so many.

I’m most proud of all my endeavors. Filmmaking is where I’m most passionate, but my other business interests have grown on me in a special way over time. What I believe I do differently in my expertise is that I make sure I’m doing things different creatively. I stay true to myself and I believe that is what speaks to my clients & follows through in my work. It has been a journey; being a business owner, a creative and so much more. I’m thankful I’ve been allowed to get to know myself through my work & grow. If I had to do it all again, I’d choose this lifestyle each and every time.

Any advice for managing a team?

My advice is to relate and connect with your team on an emotional/mental level. Now that can be a tricky line to walk, but you have to do it professionally. Treat your team like human beings instead of hired help. It’s almost like a parenting style, but you have to be direct, firm and fair as well as understanding, accommodating, and realistic. It’s like an art form or a style of martial arts. The flow has to be productive and gentle with a sharpened code of conduct. You have to set the expectations from the start and hold yourself and everyone around you accountable. It can be a little complex; depending on the environment of every situation, but I believe if you move with these tools in mind every situation can be managed and give you productive results every time. Just like a coach on a sports team, you have to keep the energy fun and inspiring.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I can think off top of my head, is the lesson of trust within your career field. You learn quickly that you can’t trust everyone. Personally, with the entertainment business; which I feel is the most perplexing, I believe trust is a valuable lesson you can take with you in whatever field you come across.

The backstory pretty much is I put my trust into the wrong person starting out in my career, specifically talking about my filmmaking endeavors. Always verify and check your sources. I struggled with that earlier on in my career. Although things seemed great in the beginning, I should have done my due diligence in fact checking the person I was going into business with. A long story short, I lost “x” amount of dollars, but I learned something greater & grew so much. I just told myself, it’s the cost of the game. I believe it needed to happen this way because every level is just that, a learning experience. There will be more fish to fry and once you learn how to cook per say (if you catch my drift), then you won’t become an easy target for people to prey on you & try to take advantage of you. I’m just happy I’m on the other side of it, but it was a heavy lesson. My spiritual base was my main source of comfort, which is an incredible help; even till this day! Overall, changing my views on trust helped me so much; as well as expectations from others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheOfficialDJRP.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prime_time_dev/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialDJRP
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theofficialdjrp/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/devydev09
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DevTVDJRP
• Media Website: www.DevTVOfficial.com
• Lifestyle & Clothing Website: www.TheDJRExperience.com