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

Hi Jason, thanks for joining us today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

I’ve made a lot of investments over the years—some great—some not so great. I’d like to share two particular decisions which required investments of time, money and energy that have ultimately resulted in positive outcomes and returned multitudes of dividends.

The first investment was inspired by an experience I had at 15 years old. I had a high school band with some buddies. We were pretty good. We ended up placing second in a fairly distinguished regional battle of the band. Our prize consisted of 10 hours of free recording time at a nice local studio.

We scheduled a date and time to record as a group—however, due to various circumstances, I was the only member who showed up to the session. Being a multi-instrumentalist, I saw this as an opportunity though. I could just track everything myself and work with the engineer one-on-one.

So that’s precisely what I did. In 10 hours, I had a full song completed. Was it GRAMMY® material—no. But not too shabby for a sophomore in high school having to make the best of it.

At this point, the light bulb went off for me. I proved to myself I could record multiple instruments and vocal parts in a professional environment. What if I could teach myself the ins and outs of engineering and music production? This would grant me more power and control on my end as a creative as well as create other opportunities to earn another stream of income producing.

Hence, nearly a decade and a half later and well over $50,000 invested in gear plus countless hours dedicated to the craft of music production, that investment proved to be one of the most fulfilling decisions I ever made. I’ve the had the privilege of working with world class musicians & artists, winning multiple Carolina Music Awards, obtaining music placements in award winning TV shows & films, as well as accumulated at this point 14x GRAMMY® Considerations. And it feels like just the beginning!

The second investment falls similarly in suit. In 2019, I saw a void in the Triangle area of NC. There were (and still are) a tremendous amount of talented artists, creatives & entrepreneurs in the area whose stories I felt needed and deserved to be shared and documented for two primary reasons—to celebrate their work as well as also document their stories for others to learn from. Similarly to the Joe Rogan format, I wanted to create a space for these opportunities to occur.

Hence, The Jason Damico Show was created. This began with making a decision to invest about $3,000 worth into camera gear and accessories to shoot the show with an HD multi-camera format that would prove to be competitive aesthetically, sonically and content-wise. Five years later and over 150 episodes in, the show has expanded to hosting guests nationally as well as abroad—garnering thousands of subscribers and viewers/listeners per episode. Not to mention also creating a networking pool full of powerful and valuable connections.

Jason, 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?

I’m a proud Raleigh, NC native and grew up in an art-appreciative household.

My mom played classical piano from an early age and my dad played guitar in various bands throughout high school. They both pursued careers outside of the arts but always encouraged and supported me in my creative proclivities and endeavors.
 
There were always instruments laying around the house. I began tinkering around with the piano as a toddler. But ultimately, I showed an innate love for percussion and drumming—so my parents started taking me to drum lessons at around four years old.
 
My first professional acting job was, of all things, as a baby model at 18 months old. Someone approached my mom and said they needed a mother/infant pair for a magazine shoot. So that was my first official paid gig! I still find that funny to this day.
 
Mom had gotten me into some reputable agencies in NC. I continued to build credits as a childhood actor for both regional and national TV commercials and films. I enjoyed taking classes and performing in Raleigh’s own productions at Theatre in the Park, Raleigh Little Theatre, North Carolina Theatre, etc. They played a tremendous part in my training and development as a performer.
 
A big music “a-ha” moment for me happened when I was 12 and my dad introduced me to Deep Purple. We were going on a road trip and stopped at a Barnes & Noble to pick up some music for the drive (this was at a time when they still had many CDs for sale). I remember him just scanning an album with five dreary and out-of-focus figures on it. He put the headphones on me as Highway Star faded in and my mind immediately exploded. I was like, “whatever this is, I have to do it.”
 
In high school, I started to play guitar more and became obsessed with Stevie Ray Vaughan. I wanted to be him. Looking back on it now it was kind of hilarious. But I was the kid literally up until the wee hours of the morning on school nights playing along to his records. I’d watch videos of him on YouTube set at half-speed with the screen flipped upside down—this way I could study every subtlety of his hands from his POV. I was hooked.
 
After high school, I took a gap year to just record and play music. I had formed The Jason Damico Trio when I was 16. Eventually, it would become Jason Damico & The New Blue—the name that still stands to this day. We were playing anywhere and everywhere in the Triangle just trying to gain traction and experience. Around that time, I also won my first Carolina Music Award for Youth Male Artist of the Year in 2011.
 
At 19, I self-produced/performed and released my first record Blood, Sweat & Blues. This would eventually land me a management deal in NYC as well as help me acquire contacts within the Triangle Blues Society. I won The Triangle Blues Society Solo Challenge in 2014 and advanced to compete at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN.
 
Towards the end of my gap year, my pro-education parents lovingly coaxed me into obtaining a college degree. They always told me, “we don’t care what you get it in, but you’re getting something—you’ll always have it in your back pocket.” And with folks that are literal part-shareholders of your business, I figured it wouldn’t be wise to ignore such an admonition.
 
I had toured Berklee College of Music in Boston, Julliard, and PACE in NYC, but the atmospheres just didn’t feel quite right for me. I was a homeschooled kid throughout most of my life, so I wanted something much more flexible than I could do on my time while pursuing my career and building credits. Hence, William Peace University’s School of Professional Studies Program in Raleigh came into the picture.
 
In 2013, I enrolled in WPU’s SPS program, which essentially allowed me to obtain a Bachelor’s in Business with a Focus in Leadership entirely online. This would allow me to travel freely back and forth from NYC during production pilot seasons as well as tour with the band.
 
It took me nearly six years to finish my degree while continuing my career pursuits—but I was able to graduate Summa Cum Laude while also maintaining enough music industry presence to take home another Carolina Music Award for Rock Male Artist of the Year in 2015.
 
After graduating from WPU in 2019, I was ready to take on the world. With classwork and exams finally behind me, I was in the process of fully relocating to NYC as well as looking forward to touring the US blues-rock circuit with undivided attention and commitment.
 
And then the pandemic hit.
 
While the world was shut down, I tried the best I could to stay positive and productive. I had already started The Jason Damico Show in 2019—but in 2020, I saw a tremendous opportunity to keep the momentum moving via Zoom.
 
The show became a lifesaver. Not only was it a way to document stories of incredible artists and creative entrepreneurs in NC, but it also built relationships internationally. Over 130+ episodes in, I have learned so much from a diverse pool of talented people—from all walks of life. It has single-handedly been one of the biggest blessings for me personally and professionally.
 
Throughout the pandemic, I also wrote/recorded new music and produced other artists remotely. I landed some great UGC commercial contract work for companies like TikTok, 1-800 Flowers, Wolf & Shepherd, Adobe, and many other great brands.
 
As things began to slowly open up again, I was fortunate enough to work with legendary blues-rock icons such as Eric Gales, Gary Hoey, Kenny Aronoff, etc. on some recent single releases—one of which would garner a new career milestone with four GRAMMY® Considerations.
 
I’m constantly juggling a multitude of opportunities spanning different sectors within the industry. I’ll be honest, sometimes I wish I wasn’t as spread out as I am. It’s a lot to manage even with multiple managers and agents working alongside me. But I always knew from a young age that I would never work a traditional 9-5 and the only desk you’d find me behind is one with a recording console on it.
 
The bottom line is I love what I do—even if I don’t know exactly what it is that I do at times. But that’s precisely the magic of the arts and entrepreneurship. And all of my fellow artists reading will know exactly what I mean when I say that “you don’t choose this path—it chooses you.”
 
Regarding the business and brand specifically, the three main career passions in my life at this point are music, acting, and production. My umbrella company New Blue Entertainment, LLC handles my intellectual property as a recording artist/creative while also operating and managing a multi-room recording studio and production house located in the Triangle near Jordan Lake. It also serves as a label and oversees coordination for all live music events and touring for Jason Damico & The New Blue.
 
I started dabbling in music production after having a few negative experiences early on with outside producers. At around 15, I began building my own recording studio. I did everything I could to push myself more and more in learning the process.
 
I told myself that I would always be “the artist’s producer” and proudly adopted that mantra because I wanted to treat every artist with empathy and respect.
 
I’d further learn how to do this at Manifold Recording Studios in Pittsboro, NC—which I was blessed to intern at for a little over a year while in college. Working in a world-class
environment like that helped me develop and refine proper studio etiquette, problem-solving skills, and overall understanding of the music production process.
 
As a songwriter and recording artist, I resonate most with organic music—specifically rock and blues. But I love all genres. I just try to take a little bit of everything that I like and create something with a touch of originality. A great song is a great song—especially when it can effectively communicate and inspire others in some way, shape, or form that is relatable.
 
Growing up as an actor, I always felt comfortable in front of a camera and on set. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time behind the camera directing various projects as well as editing in post-production. Wearing so many different hats generates an experiential advantage.
 
There’s so much that goes into the medium of film and on-screen storytelling. The more you know, the more value you can provide us as a creative asset, and the more respect/awareness you can have for everyone else involved in a project.
 
As a content creator, I have a huge passion for documenting people’s unique stories and experiences. The Jason Damico Show is a platform that focuses on the artistic and entrepreneurial community of the Triangle—conducting interviews in an informal yet educational and entertaining manner.
 
Guests have often praised the atmosphere of the show to be “healing and therapeutic”—propelling positivity into the often-negative saturated space of social media. I take great pride in effectively creating a safe space for talented people to express themselves so freely.
 
Ultimately, I’ve been fortunate enough to build and continue to shape a career that is dynamic with complementary passions. There’s music ubiquitously in films and TV. There are infinite performance aspects required in music. And both art forms rely heavily on production savviness, conscientiousness, and core competencies within various content creation skillsets.
 
Comfortably interweaving and combining those skillsets and experience banks is probably what differentiates me (and my team) the most within the arts & entertainment industry.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I was fortunate to have grown up with the rising-tide of the information age—so there’s always been a plethora of resources available to me. However, with a plethora comes an overload. What I wish I knew earlier in my career was this: only truly listen to those who are completely qualified to share information and advice with you. If someone has been where you currently are and is now where you want to be, then listen to them as well as their resources. If they haven’t—don’t! Anything uttered under that threshold is just opinion and can’t be taken as provable and repeatable fact. Paradoxically, you ultimately have to listen to your gut. But following that formula when curating through who to listen to and their resources will lead you to higher success rates more effectively and faster. Success is a formula and it leave clues.

From a more specific and practical standpoint—here are some resources that are a great place to start regardless of whatever industry or field you find yourself in:

The Bible
Think And Grow Rich—Napoleon Hill
The Power of Positive Thinking—Norman Vincent Peale
Your Wish Is Your Command—Kevin Trudeau
The New Psycho-Cybernetics—Maxwell Maltz
Ask And It Is Given—Abraham Hicks
See You At The Top—Zig Ziglar
Rich Dad Poor Dad—Robert Kiyosaki
Me, Inc.—Gene Simmons
Hung By The Tongue—Francis P. Martin

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is partaking in the synergistic multiplication of goodwill. In other words, having the ability to create “good” in the world while being who I am and doing what I love to do. It’s extremely rewarding to see the positive impact and ripple effect that your work can have on people. That to me is perhaps the most fulfilling aspect of creating—besides also knowing intuitively and spiritually that you are simply doing what you were created and put on this earth to do.

Another profound and rewarding aspect of creating is the fact that whatever you create transcends time and remains long after you are gone. This is true for any medium of creation—businesses, inventions, innovations, books, musical works, films, etc. What we create has the potential to positively influence for generations.

One of my favorite memes is a photo of Eddie Van Halen holding a note card up in the studio that says superimposed “I will always be with you… just push play.” To me, that says it all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jasondamico.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdamicoofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jdamicoofficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-damico-96831262/
• Twitter: https://x.com/jdamicoofficial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jasondamico
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7uUmUs9J7XhdPss0T61003?si=FfuGGhUzTF2mMHBEjLOBJA&nd=1&dlsi=d2e9e9df550b48d1

Image Credits

New Blue Entertainment, LLC