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

Melvin, appreciate you joining us 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 originally from the Philadelphia area. My primary background is in IT. I’ve worked IT desktop and network support as a career since graduating college back in 1998. Although my dream was to be a DJ/Music producer since I was a child, I took the traditional post college career route. I figured when the time was correct, I could do both IT and music within a stable financial environment. I’ve worked IT in various industries such as the healthcare, insurance, and software fields.

After my divorce in 2007, I moved to Arizona to start a new life. I got a job working in a small accounts receivable software company shortly after my move to Arizona. Being that I did not have any ties to my life in Philadelphia, such as children or assets to split with my ex-wife, I found this to be an exciting time to rebrand myself in a totally new environment. In order to work towards balancing my IT career and music “hobby”, I would have to build new social relationships in this new environment.

Of course, things operated at a totally different pace than that of Philadelphia on a social level. There were ups and downs when dealing with local venues involving the music business. Luckily, I had a small, but good, like minded circle of friends for support. But, things weren’t moving as fast as I had wished for. My job at the software company began to become stressful as there were lots of internal changes over the next few years. I began to question if Arizona was the place for me.

I knew a few people in San Francisco and made my first ever visits there. I instantly fell in love with San Francisco. It reminded of an east coast town with the same pace of life that I was used to from Philadelphia. My time at the software company was coming to an end as I was laid off from there. I instantly made the decision to relocate to San Francisco. Even though, San Francisco was a totally different and much more expensive place to live than Phoenix (at the time), I was ready for that challenge.

I was excited to land a new IT job and meet new friends and social contacts. However, I found myself having a more difficult time finding a job than I did in Arizona. I eventually started with a small company that developed immigration tracking software solutions. I found it to be a good learning experience, but it was not the perfect fit for my skill set in IT. I began to settle in to life in San Francisco. I found that the everyday hustle of public transportation in the city life was not all what it was cracked up to be – especially with the very expensive cost of living. I found myself having a very difficult time establishing social contacts for DJing.

I believe every city has its own social cultures that may have pros and cons compared to any other city. Somehow, my time in San Francisco involved very little momentum in working towards my dream of being a DJ…. Even on the hobby level. The low point of this transition was being laid off again at that software company. I asked myself, how could this happen again??Faced with another big decision in my life, it came down to choosing to stay in San Francisco to find another job to continue the uphill grind, or retreat.

Then, a good friend back in Phoenix offered for me to come back and start a music endeavor. I would move back to Arizona to live with a friend who was planning a tour to perform concerts all over the country. I was able to DJ for him while touring from city to city. I made many contacts and friends during those travels. I put my IT career on hold for a couple of years after moving back to Arizona, It was a decision for an opportunity that I was glad I made. I had the chance to travel overseas for tours as well. Eventually, I went back to working in IT, but I had a stronger foundation for my DJ business I established in 2014. Today, I work as an IT tech for a school district and I love my job. My DJ business is still thriving as I continue to live the dream.

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?

I work as an all purpose DJ and a music producer. My DJ services includes private and public events, weddings, festivals, and also concerts. I have a mobile DJ business module that allows me to travel locally and perform remote events. My experiences from past events are are very diverse. Upon touring nationally and internationally, I am able to DJ various musical genres. In 2017, I made a nomination list in the Phoenix New Times as Best DJ.

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

Working people in society can always support artists and creatives by enlisting their services or visiting the venues that artists and creatives display their talents in.

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

One rewarding factor as a wedding DJ, is to conduct the events for a couple’s happiest day of their lives. I tell my clients to make sure they enjoy their day because it is understood that a lot of work and money went into preparing for that day. Not only I am playing music for the couple, I am helping to create memories for a lifetime for the couple, their families and friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.djdn3.com
• Instagram: @dn30001

Image Credits
Melvin Raymond