We caught up with the brilliant and insightful PJ a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

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

A lot of things factor into becoming successful. Hard work, dedication, and having a plan. However, there is one word that always seems to float around when talking about success. That is consistency. I go to a lot of different events where I meet entrepreneurs, artists, DJs, etc. Whenever they’re asked about what advice they would give to someone up and coming, one of the main things they would usually say is to be consistent. You have to keep pushing your brand. In this day in age, there are a plethora of ways that can be done. Social media, business cards, word of mouth, etc. I will say, it’s not always easy to be consistent with your work. That’s one of the facets of the business world that I’m still working on. You know the saying “Nothing worth having comes easy”? That’s what I tell myself whenever I’m getting off track. I know it sucks, it’s gonna take a lot of time, and you’re gonna hear a lot of “no’s”, but it will all be worth it in the long run. Success doesn’t happen overnight!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

What’s going on guys! Just a Queens kid who moved to the lively city of Atlanta. It was in 2019 that I decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. All my life, I never really liked being tied down to just one thing, so I knew I’d become a man with multiple ventures. After a few years of finding myself and experimenting in different fields, I officially decided the endeavors I wanted to embark on and made them my reality. I’m an entrepreneur, photographer, videographer, DJ, actor and model. I guess you can call me a jack of all trades. Whenever my clients have a vision but are stuck on how to properly achieve their goal, that’s usually where I come in. The need can vary from assisting on a certain look during a photoshoot to providing a set list of songs to play for an upcoming event. Those are the kind of problems I solve. My ability to adapt and cater to different types of niches sets me apart from my peers. I am very proud of how persistent and resilient I have been with pushing my brand. Social media has been my main source for booking clients and maintaining relationships. For my traditional folks, I even have business cards. To my potential clients, followers and fans, if you’re looking for someone who’s punctual, reliable, creative and accepting of criticism, then will not have any issues working with me!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is putting a smile on my client’s face. There’s nothing more fulfilling than knowing that your client genuinely appreciates your work and wants to book you again for future gigs. Not only is it reassuring to see and hear, but it motivates me to continue the good work and to keep pushing. Another aspect I thoroughly enjoy is the whole process of coming up with an idea, planning it out, and seeing it all come to fruition.

How’d you meet your business partner?

It was Halloween of 2021. I RSVP’d to power shoot at one of my associate’s studio. I invited a couple of my friends to pull up and get some content. My good friend Ty happened to come with one of his friends. He happened to be a photographer/videographer named Shan. We exchanged contacts that day and he ended up getting some shots of me at the shoot. From there, I would invite him to future events that I would either be working or attending. As time went on, a friendship started to build. Subsequently, I found out that he has a videography brand called The Shootrs. I checked out his work and was very impressed. On our way home from an event that we both attended, I made a proposal. I told him I wanted to be a part of his brand. I felt my skills combined with his would create a powerhouse brand. He loved the idea and gave me free range with the brand. Now we are both co-owners of The Shootrs. Business has been very steady since joining forces. We got a lot of content in store that’s ready to be put out. This move has been one the best decisions I have made as creative, and I think Shan can say the same!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/itsjustpj
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjustpj/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb4dWVnAK6Ex-C3OBqoLTvA

Image Credits
@khickin @shanbrwn_ @theshootrs @siah_