Meet Brandon Shabazz | DJ & MC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Shabazz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Create a space where I can help create employment not just for myself but for others. I appreciate the lessons and experience that I gained from the corporate world but I realized that there was a ceiling in that environment both financially and creatively.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our business is built on 3 pillars- Service, Diversity & Creativity. I come from a service background in the corporate world and service is the first and most important pillar I wanted to build the business on. When looking for other entertainers to join our team I wanted a diverse group that represented America. Diversity in age, race, sexual orientation but most importantly; diversity of thought. Once the second pillar was established I wanted to focus on creativity. I never wanted our business to be creative enough to adapt to an ever changing world. With Covid hitting all of, we have the team in place to pivot and adapt. With my business partner and I having extensive corporate backgrounds we took the structure from our past to bring something new to the DJ and entertainment world. It wasn’t always easy. We had plenty of times where we wondered how we would pay ourselves. The best thing we could have ever done was to network and assist other professionals. Partnering with others and giving without expecting to receive have paid huge dividends for us. Since we first formed we have went from 2 DJs to a team of 12 entertainers all with varying skills. Rather than force new team members to adapt solely to us, we join forces to adapt to one another.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Food and music are extremely important to me. Every day would be centered around food. Whether it’s Blacks BBQ or fine dining at Trulucks and everything in between; I would make sure that our activities would be centered around that. With us still dealing with the pandemic and many places being shut down permanently it’s hard to do this exercise. If Cap City Comedy weren’t closed we would have to go for a good laugh. We would definitely have to go to Parker Jazz Club and The Elephant Room. The 360 bridge hiking trail and going through the hill country to enjoy a wine tour are also musts. I’d probably spend the last few days relaxing at the Horseshoe Bay Resort.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shoutout Marilyn Katherman. Marilyn is someone who is a generation older than me with a completely different background. She was my boss when I was in my 20’s in the corporate world and was what I considered a true ally from an affluent white community. She encouraged me to go back to college, taught me about financial literacy and pushed me in my corporate career at 3 different businesses to achieve heights I never expected. When I left the corporate world to become an entrepreneur she continued to encourage me even though she knew nothing about the space I was venturing into. Among my close family members they know how important she is to me but I’m ashamed to say I’ve never really told her how important she has been in my life.

Website: www.premieraustindjs.com
Instagram: djbrandonshabazz
Twitter: TheSolutionaryE
Facebook: djbrandonshabazz
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCInKy268p2FVFmonSGDV2eg

Image Credits
John Moody w/Moodyography