Welcome to Mindshift Power podcast, a show for teenagers and the adults who work with them, where we have raw and honest conversations. I'm your host, Fatima Bey, the mind shifter. And welcome. Thank you everyone for joining our show today. So today, we have on a special guest on, Mario Johnson, AKA DJ Hollywood out of Albany, New York, and he is the founder of More Music, Less Violence.

How are you today, DJ Hollywood? I am well. I am well. I'm super blessed, man. And, yeah, thank you for having me as a guest on your podcast.

很高興邀請你，希望你能激勵年輕的聽眾。跟我們聊聊DJ Hollywood吧。你是誰？做什麼的？是的。

這個問題問得非常好，可能會說得非常長。但簡單介紹一下，我想說，我是來自紐約布魯克林的年輕黑人企業家，目前住在首都區。我來到這裡是為了在哈德遜谷社區學院踢足球，我整個青少年時期，也就是18歲以下，都在從事運動。後來，我出櫃進入大學，開始從事運動，這有點像是劇情的轉折，也有點像現實的打擊。所以，我最終離開了球隊，但後來又留了下來，在那裡拿到了學位，然後進入了奧爾巴尼大學。不久之後，我成為了DJ Hollywood。

And, you know, the rest is kind of history. Okay. So you own you're the founder, rather, of what, of More Music Less Violence. So tell us about what that is and how it got started. Yes.

Correct. So more music, less violence is a community concert series, that sparked up in 2020. It was we all know what happened during 2020, but, specifically, you know, in regards of the music realm, there were no performances happening. So from 2018, which is the year I graduated UAlbany, to 2020, I curated, you know, 15 independent artist showcases is what I call them. And, with the pandemic, you know, I wasn't allowed to, you know, do, you know, social gatherings were basically frowned upon.

所以，你知道，當情況稍微緩和下來的時候，我就有了個想法，基本上就是做一個快閃表演。而且，如果有人知道特洛伊的河濱公園，我們就去了那裡。他們在那裡，你知道，民調本身就提供了管道。你知道，我看到了一個機會，就打電話給一些藝術家，我們真的做了一個快閃表演。那也是在喬治·佛洛伊德事件的背景下。

And, you know, just violence was it was weird. It was weird because everyone was still inside, but there was still violence happening. And on the other side of things, you know, music was also still, you know, coming out. So that's kind of what sparked the idea in regards to more music, less violence. And then the feedback was great.

So from there, ended up doing it, you know, the legit way, not, you know, just popping up in a park because we definitely could have got in trouble because we didn't have any permits. But, you know, it was all a peaceful environment. So, you know, I wasn't really thinking about it too much. And you're only going to be there for an hour or two. So we did it the legit way in 2021 is where it officially, you know, started.

之後，我們從咖啡館開始，到大型舞台，再到與大型機構合作，甚至獲得資助。所以，三年過去了，我們在這裡已經舉辦了六場演出，準備好與任何支持這場運動的人合作、建立聯繫、共建平台。你覺得你做的事情有什麼效果嗎？當然有，當然有。

所以我們最重要的事情之一就是，你知道，把社區凝聚在一起。它為人們提供了一個安全的空間，一個我們稱之為「療癒」的時刻，你可以身處其中，離開時的感覺和進來時的感覺完全不同，就像我們演出時一樣。你知道，我非常重視這一點。我有一句名言，這場運動的名稱，基本上是修辭性的。你知道，這是顯而易見的。

但是，你知道，你獲得的經驗是無法言喻的。所以我可以坐在這裡告訴你，一場更具音樂性、更少暴力的演出會帶給你怎樣的感受。但是，你知道，你進入那個空間，置身於一場更具音樂性、更少暴力的演出氛圍中，就像我說的，是無法言喻的。這聽起來很棒。你覺得它幫助你與更多年輕人建立了連結嗎？

是的，是的。所以，實際上，我們的演出對藝術家沒有年齡限制。我邀請過13歲的孩子表演，也邀請過10歲的孩子表演。

Really? Yeah, for sure. For sure. Even younger than that, which is crazy to think about it because the 10 year old that I'm talking about, she performed at the first one in 2021, which she was eight there. And, the news came through to that to that one.

So we've done six. The news has been to five of the six. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah.

It's been great feedback. So at the first ever one, the news came through, you know, kind of surprised us, did interviews with us and stuff. But within that clip, they said that her name is Ivella. They said that she stole the show and truly she did. And she did a cover of a Lauryn Hill song and she blew the crowd away.

So, yeah. So eight years old, 10, 13. We've had 15, 16 year old old perform, 18, all the way up to my guy, Doc Horton, man, who, we're gonna be doing a a more music less violence collab soon at Procter's Theater. Doc is 65, and you would have no idea he's 65. He does, like, he does Motown covers, and he just Mhmm.

他把觀眾驚艷到了。今年一月，他真的為我們在奧爾巴尼首都代表處舉辦的首屆年度慶典拉開了序幕，那正是馬丁路德金紀念週末。沒錯，他看到了他和他的樂團。是J街樂團的Doc Horton。他們奠定了基調，你知道，他們簡直把現場氣氛烘托得沸沸揚揚。

And And it was, you know, it's a pleasure. But, yeah, it'll definitely allows me to connect with youth because I try to push, you know, positive music and just, you know, self expression without the use of cursing. So that's another thing with the shows. It's almost a standard for people. I tell people not to curse.

And if or if you have a song that has cursing in it, I tell them to clean it up, you know, but to also have a message within your music as well. So, yeah, I love that it allows, you know, me to share my platform and, you know, share with other talent of of all age levels. So we're talking about the importance of the influence of music. How important how important do you think music is, period? That's a great question.

I think music is super important because we we we take for granted, you know, how much we listen to music. You know? It's in commercials. It's, you know, it's, it's in, you know, we're on Instagram and TikTok and YouTube and all that every day, you know? And, you know, music is something that, you know, Bob Marley said it.

He said one thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain, you know? And, something like that is just so it's it's universal. You know? It's it's it's something that a person could never, you know, hear a song before and, you know, kind of and two people just meet and, you know, kind of enjoy a moment with a song they both never heard of before, you know? And, yeah, it's just so much to it, you know, and it's so powerful.

And, you know, my YouTube, my YouTube channel is it's more than music, because for a while I kind of wanted to frame that as the business. The business is more than music, LLC, but I wanted it to be specifically, it's more than music, because legit, it's, you know, it's more than music. It's it's healing. It's emotions. It's, you know, therapy.

And, you know, it's it's amazing thing what what music can truly do for, you know, for everyone, all ages as well. So music brings people together. That's definitely true. Music is is one of the the few mediums that can bring people together who just otherwise might not be together. But does music do things for people on a deeper level?

Yeah. I think so. I think so. I think, you know, even when, I've I've I forgot what's the exact scenario, but they say, you know, like when a woman's pregnant and you, you know, you put, like, headphones or, like, you play music around the kids, you know, in the womb, they'll, like, move around and stuff and you'll get some type of feedback from that, you know? So it's crazy that even a unborn child can feel, you know, the energy and the frequencies of music.

And at the same time, you know, it it before, you know, it was like rap or, like, singing, you know, there was there was poetry, you know, which rap and singing is almost, poetry with a beat behind it. You know? Right. And, yeah. Yeah.

I think it's it's definitely something that, you know, we kind of underplay just because we have it. We have music. You know, we have the access to music, but it's almost like like back to, like, the pandemic. It's almost like someone taking away from you the opportunity to go outside and be around your loved ones. You're like, oh, crap.

You know, like, I didn't realize how much I actually enjoy, you know, being around, like, my family. So Mhmm. You know, if if someone and I and I I ask this to people sometimes too. I'm like, what would you what would you do? Would you take away your sight, or would you take away your hearing?

And people are like, oh, man. Like, you know, like yeah. Right? And and people are like, man. Like, I couldn't imagine not being mono.

And it's funny because most people bring up music. You know, they're like, I can't picture not being able to hear music. And then some people are like, you know, people put sight into the play and they're like, Yo, I'd rather, you know, see where I'm going. But, yeah, it's something that, you know, it's a very deep music is a very deep thing that I feel, doesn't get the full recognition it does. But I feel like at the same time, if if you know, you know.

我認為音樂也會影響我們的情緒，這在我看來並非無關緊要，因為我們可能會聽一首歌讓自己陷入憤怒。這首歌本身並沒有引發憤怒，但它喚醒了我們內心深處的憤怒。沒錯，沒錯，沒錯。

聽聽那些讓我們流淚的音樂。這首歌本身並沒有讓你哭，但它喚醒了那些本來應該流出的眼淚。對。你知道，有些音樂能激勵你去做你需要做的事情，因為靈感早已存在。它只是需要一點推動。

So for the I'm saying that for those who are listening, who think that you that your music program doesn't have an effect on your students. You're wrong. Because a lot of times when budgets get cut, music programs and other, you know, what some would consider artistic programs get cut, and they shouldn't be. They are extremely important, and they have effects that we can't necessarily see through a test on paper. But they definitely have an effect in people's mindset.

And I just wanted to point that out, you know, as well. Now, I wanna dive into this, and this is not really a segue. It's just changing the subject because it's because it's necessary. So I wanna point something out. So you work full time right now.

Correct? Yeah. Yes. Seven seven years. Seven years.

你的全職工作是什麼？我是全職創業家。所以，就像我說的，這又回到了我在介紹裡說的。這個問題回答起來很長。但是，說到創業，你知道，我是全職DJ，職業DJ。

I also do content creation, so I, you know, make my own flyers. I'm, you know, doing my own design work. You know, I create my business cards, all that stuff. Then it goes into, you know, me sometimes doing content for other people. Along with that, there's, me doing interviews for, you know, my YouTube channel even though, you know, it's not monetized as yet.

You know, it's something that has to be built upon. I've gotten paid to do interviews before. Typically, I don't, charge people to do interviews because I know I'm still in the building phase. Along with that, I do showcases as well. So I curate, you know, shows and, you know, different events for people to attend to.

And then my newest, you know, baby in business is my photo booth. So I also own a photo booth as well, which is a good combo for when I do, you know, private events, you know, it's holiday season. So holiday parties, and specifically weddings as well. You know, that's that's a big one. So, yeah, you know, everything kinda falls under all the above.

I also teach kids how to DJ as well. So that's another, you know, avenue and maybe something I'm I'm forgetting. But, yeah, that's kinda like, you know, just a different, avenues and of of revenue. And, it's cool that it's, you know, basically all based music and the arts. So I love it.

好的。現在我想分析一下你剛才說的一些內容。你剛才提到的大多數項目，你大部分都能賺錢嗎？是的，是的。

是的，是的。實際上，我所說的大部分，我想說是85%到90%。是的。這其中涉及到某種形式的時間補償。我指出這一點的原因是，現在有很多青少年正在聽我們演講，他們想要創業。

And I think it's important to point out different fact about entrepreneurship and not just say, yay. Own your own business. Be your own boss. Make your own money. Whoo.

And leave it there. I wanna point out the fact that you're you're listening to a man who has his own business, but he does many things within that business to make all of the financial ends meet. Correct? That is that is very, very true. So he doesn't just DJ.

一切都與DJ工作息息相關，但他做的不只一件事。所以，如果你想自己創業，要知道，你可能需要在同一領域同時做幾件事。我做這個，也做思維轉換師。這個播客只是我工作的一個分支。而且，你知道，我還是個雙重創業家。

So Mhmm. So I have a different business that I I do as well. So now you also have your your, more music, less violence. That is, soon to be a nonprofit. Correct?

Yep. Yeah. Yeah. We're in the final stages of forming it into a nonprofit. Thought about it for a while in regards to what what, you know, how I wanted to form that part of the, you know, of the umbrella.

And, yeah, it felt right to go into the not for profit space, because I know we could connect with a lot more organizations who have a similar, you know, purpose and mission statement as we do. I think it's beautiful that you're taking your business skills and and using it, to also run a nonprofit. Thank you. And what I also wanna point out is the fact that, you're listening to DJ Hollywood. He has, his own business in addition to the nonprofit.

He's not trying to live off of his nonprofit. And I'm saying that because not just teenagers, but a lot of people will have a big dream, and they jump too high, too hard, too fast, and they jump into something without using any wisdom or planning. Agreed. Agreed. What advice do you have for those who are looking to start their own business, not just DJing, but start their own business, maybe related to your field because every field has different nuances.

What advice do you have for any youth that are looking to start, to become an entrepreneur like you? Initially, I would say that, you so I have I have a thing called the, the PPP, which is, you know, find your passion, you know, find your purpose, and then figure out how you could, you know, turn it into a paycheck. So that's the PPP. But what I will say is that, you have to understand that, you know, basically, you are your own boss as an entrepreneur, which there's pros and cons to that. So Mhmm.

你知道，就像上週末，我做了一個行政決定，一天做三場演出。你知道，一開始只打算做兩場。但與此同時，第二場演出正在進行。我得到了機會，也拿到了第三場的邀約。明白嗎？

所以我必須自己做那個決定。你懂嗎？沒人會說，嘿，去這兒，或者，你知道，別去那裡。這個決定完全取決於我自己。當然，我當時很累，但我知道參加第三場活動的好處，以及這對生意有什麼好處。

And in the same breath, you know, now I know. Okay. Well, you know, if the event ends at 2AM, now I have to pack up and go home. Now I'm probably going to sleep around 3AM, and now I gotta think about what do I have to do the next day. You know?

Now the pros of being, you know, a entrepreneur, I could wake up whatever time I want, but that's also a con in regards of I could wake up anytime I want. So if I wanna have a lazy day, okay, cool. So I go to bed at two or I go to bed at three. Excuse me. I wake up at eleven, let's just say, or twelve.

And now I gotta, you know, get up and motivate myself to figure out, okay, you know, whether it's a list of things I gotta do or, you know, me scheduling stuff in my calendar. But, you know, things gotta get done, you know, nonetheless. You know, there's no, there's nobody kind of micromanaging you. There's no, you know, boss that's telling you, you know, what time to clock in, what time to clock out. You know, it's almost a twenty four hour shift in regards of, you know, being an entrepreneur.

還有別的事情，你知道，資金管理。你還得考慮稅收。真討厭。不過，是的。是的。

Yeah. Beyond that, you know, it's it's just you gotta really be able to lock in and and, especially if you wanna be successful as a as a business owner, you know, for for a while. Even my mom, you know, she was like, are you really surviving off of, you know, DJing? And I was like, yeah. I actually am.

And it took her a while to you know, it took a while for her to, you know, for her to sit in, you know. But one time she called me, and she called me up, and she was like, hey, DJ Hollywood. And that was the first time I ever heard her call me DJ Hollywood. Oh, really? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And, from there because she has me on Facebook. So that's what it is. So she see she sees more and more and more people kinda gravitating towards the movement and the brand.

So she's just like, oh, wow. You know, she sees me drop, like, you know, some merch. And she's like, yo, like, I want a hoodie. You know, just little stuff like that. And, you know, me just realizing, you know, okay.

You know, basically like that that, that moment for your parents, you know, where they're like, oh, okay. Like, you're doing something you love. You're making money. Like, I'm not. I don't ask her for money anymore.

我很少這麼做，除非我真的很為難。不過，你知道，我偶爾有機會給她一些錢，懂嗎？所以，這對創業者來說，真是個超級福利。不過，是的，這絕對不是一週一次的。絕對不是，你知道，這也是個問題。

Another thing is, it's okay to also be to to not be a boss. You get what I'm saying? Because more or less, bosses need workers as well. You know? Like, peep there needs to be there's more there's elements to a team.

Granted, there's only one, quote, unquote, boss, but at the same time, a boss is nothing without his workers, if that makes sense. You know? Mhmm. Or a boss is as good as his workers Right. Are.

So, that's just something to keep in mind, you know, like, you don't have to go into entrepreneurship. But, you know, even recently I just, you know, accepted, having an assistant, you know, something like that is so key because now if the assistant is out of tune now that kind of like I have to tweak stuff on my level because I got to get the stuff done that she was supposed to get done, you know? And, yeah, there's there's a job for everyone. I tell that to, you know, everybody when especially when it comes to entrepreneurship, you know, when you see movies, you know, there's multiple when when the credits roll, there's at least 50 plus people in the credits, you know, and everybody plays a pivotal role within that movie. So, yeah, life's a movie, man.

去吧，去做自己的超級明星。我想回到你剛才說的話。當我問你關於創業的問題，以及你對年輕人有什麼建議時，你說的第一部分，換個說法，我會說你必須做好計劃，運用智慧。嗯，嗯。

So you were talking about the fact that you took on a third gig, for the day. You said, I can fit this in. Okay. I can do it. So then you did it, and you were able to six you know, you were able to succeed with that.

對。但即使真的到了那個時候，為了做出這個決定，你也必須規劃好圍繞著這個決定的各項因素。嗯。我之所以指出這一點，是因為有時候，不只是青少年。有時候我們也會非常興奮。

We we wanna go, yay. I like that idea. Let's do it. But then we don't think about the aftermath of that decision. Okay.

What does that mean if I take on this element, if I take on this assignment, if I take on this task, if I take on this whatever? I think in business, a lot of times, we don't not just in business, but sometimes in planning our lives. And and as a teenager, you could be taking on too many clubs in the school, taking on too many extracurricular activities. You can overwhelm yourself. And we have to be wise in in in the decisions that we make.

這就是我從你剛才解釋的，你知道，你昨天經歷的事情中聽到的。是的。不是昨天，而是星期六。是的。是的。

I agree. I agree. You definitely have to, you know, especially within entrepreneurship, things have to be well thought out, you know? And, you know, the planning is definitely a key thing because even with, you know, the event Saturday specifically, I had to, you know, nothing was ready. So at the moment that he the the person reached out to me, nothing was ready.

所以我其實不得不這麼做，真是夠瘋狂的。讓我也解釋一下。婚禮方想讓我多待一個小時，但我已經接受了對方的第三個工作。所以我心想，好吧，我不能再拖延時間了，因為那樣只會把事情搞砸。當然，第三個工作的收入比我多待一個小時的收入還要多，這也是我做出這個決定的原因。

But, Yes. So I had to basically rush home now to because it was a photo booth event. I had to rush home design, some type of template, because it was like a theme party. So I had to just come home design. This happened in probably about twenty minutes, and then I was out the door again, which means I had to bring the photo booth come and the photo booth is not not light at all.

所以我必須把照相亭搬到樓上，一邊編輯第三個活動的圖形，一邊把上一次活動的照片拿出來，然後導出到U盤，接著設定設計，基本上就是設定圖形。我甚至把活動佈置在照相亭裡，然後把照相亭搬回車裡，再開大約二十分鐘的車去活動現場，快速佈置好。所以我準備十二點到兩點去。換句話說，你剛才說得好像這是一個很容易的決定，但其實這需要一些工作。不。

For sure. For sure. And and I I was very close to saying no. But like I said, I knew the benefits of you know, that was the space that I wanted to be in because I knew, you know, future clientele was also there, but also the person that reached out to me was a good friend of mine. So I was like, you know what?

You're you're hitting me up at 7PM for a event that's at ten, but I'll do you one favor, and I'll yeah. And I'll get there at twelve for you. And we could just do a two hour time frame, and, you know, people will get their pictures and everybody's happy. So So you negotiated when when given the offer? Yeah.

當然。當然。創業一定是這樣的。你知道，一般來說，你應該隨時協商自己的價值。但具體到創業，胖子喬說得最好。

He said, set your price and live your life, you know, and, let people see the value in it. The people see the value in it. They'll pay it and then some. And the people who don't, you know, start charging charging double when they come back. They're just taking up your time and energy anyway.

Let them walk away. But what I also hear is that you didn't sacrifice quality in your delivery. And I think that's so important because sometimes people say, oh, yeah. I can do this. I can rush and do this, but then they get they give rushed quality.

從我剛才聽到的話以及你剛才提供的細節來看，你並沒有這麼做。你確保你設定了一個主題。你確保你刪除了舊內容，並且仍然進行了專業的演講。對嗎？對。

No. And it's funny you say that because that's exactly the thoughts in my head. I was like, because the photo booth has default, like, templates, you know, for, like, the home screen and stuff like that. But one of the things that I'm I'm super big on with the photo booth is I tell people I can customize it to your event, you know, and that comes with the pricing. That comes with the pricing.

我說可以，我可以客製嗎？你寄給我，隨便什麼都可以。我會根據你的活動量身訂做。嗯，嗯。嗯。

那一刻我心裡明白了，我當時在想，有沒有預設的？因為它好像是粉紅色主題。所以我就問，有沒有預設的粉紅色拍照亭圖片？我當時就想，你知道嗎？瘋狂的是，我手機上有個App，用來編輯拍照亭模板，婚禮進行的時候，我很快就在手機裡編輯了一些東西。

太瘋狂了。哦天哪。這簡直是編不出來的。我簡直是快速地編輯了一些東西。然後，等我回到家，我又在電腦前對它做了精細的調整。

But, yeah, it was it was crazy, man. It was crazy. But, yeah, so much sacrifice as an entrepreneur that you got to make. And, it comes with planning, preparation, and, of course, last but not least, execution. And discipline.

因為你們剛才說的很多內容都牽涉到自律。至於你們所有人，我不在乎你們的年齡。這是給青少年的。我不在乎你們的年齡。我不指望沒有自律就能成功。

他們，對。他們，他們從不分開。他們從不分開。好吧，DJ Hollywood，很高興和你聊天。在我們結束之前，人們怎麼找到你？

是的。很高興和你聊天。大家可以在Instagram上關注我。我主要在Instagram上發文。我經常在那裡發文。

D j h o l l y w, the number eight d. So that's DJ Hollywood. Don't forget the eight. DJ h o l l y w eight d. You could check out more music, less violence as well on Instagram.

It's exactly how it sounds. More music, less violence. We also got a website as well, that were, you know, we launched earlier this year, moremusic,lessviolence.org. We'll be tweaking the website along, you know, the the upcoming months, you know, leading into next year because we have a lot of events that we're planning and a lot of collaborations we're planning. And, yeah, you could also my wife's my website as well, djhollywood.com, if you wanna hear any of my mixes and stuff.

在YouTube上，如果你想看我的任何採訪，或是我演出期間發布的內容之類的，那就不只是音樂。好嗎？不僅僅是音樂。法蒂瑪，我很感謝你。感謝你提問。

No problem. The DJHollywood.com, is that spelled the normal way or with an eight? No. It's never normal. It's never normal.

It's DJ Hollywood. Don't forget the eight. Be special. Yes. Yes.

DJ Hollywood. Don't forget the eight, man. I literally looked it up on the Internet, and I see no other DJ Hollywood with the eight. And I think that was probably about 2016. I changed every single platform to reflect DJ Hollywood with the eight.

我喜歡這樣，因為我就是那樣。如果大家都這麼做，我就得想辦法與眾不同。沒錯。沒錯。沒錯。沒錯。

So well, it's been a pleasure having you on, and I hope that, hopefully, we've inspired some young entrepreneurs and, some other used to get more into music. I I think we've hopefully, we've accomplished both. And it's been really, really great having you. Yes. I appreciate it as well.

And, yeah, good luck with the rest of the podcast, and enjoy the rest of your 2023. And now for a mind shifting moment. Entrepreneurship is a beautiful thing. I hope you were just inspired by the story of his journey for his way of work. If you're considering entrepreneurship, I want you to remember some of the key elements that you heard in today's session.

Solutions have to come from where you are. Don't expect everything to fit into a perfect little box because it never will, especially when it comes to entrepreneurship. But most importantly, take whatever skills you have, however, big and small and make a difference in your community. That's bigger than anything else you can do. Thank you for listening to mind shift power podcast.

Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel at the mind shifter. If you have any comments, topic suggestions, or would like to be a guest on the show, please visit FatimaBay.com/podcast. Remember, there's power in shifting your thinking. Tune in for next week.