Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Outlet.
Hi DJ, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started in 2005 at a time where the internet was still very new. There were no smartphones, so the internet was only accessible from a computer. Social media was at its infancy, with Facebook being mainly known for college students and MySpace being the most popular platform. Radio was still the most popular and powerful platform for artists to promote their music.
As a recent high school graduate from Pikesville High School in Baltimore County, MD, and after being a college student at Norfolk State University for less than 48 hours, lol, I decided to withdraw from school to pursue my dream of becoming an On-Air Radio Announcer. Little did I know that my dream would come true in less than 30 days; but it wasn’t how I thought it would be.
My plan was to return to Baltimore, continue working part-time both at Domino’s Pizza and with my mentor Mr. Don Pierce at NTV Management. Knowing that Mr. Pierce and NTV had been in the music business since 1996, handling marketing and promotions for the biggest artists, record labels, corporations, and radio personalities, I just knew that this would be my opportunity to land a job or internship with the local radio station, and one day work my way up to being on-air.
However, after listening to my on-air cassette demo, Mr. Pierce had a different idea. He said, “You sound good and if you want to be on the radio, let’s start our own radio station, an internet radio station.” And that’s exactly what we did. We launched “Worldwide Radio”, less than 30 days from being on a university campus, making my dream an instant reality. Although I was very thrilled about the idea, this was a time where internet radio and podcasts were more of a hobby, so initially, I only saw Worldwide Radio as a stepping stone to get to FM Radio. I never imagined that Worldwide Radio would evolve into 2HotRadio and continue to exist for decades to come. However, Mr Pierce and his executive team had the foresight to see that FM Radio would eventually decline and the internet would soon be the world’s leading source for entertainment.
So I continued to work with Mr. Pierce and the team as an on-air personality and host as we prepared to take the show on the road as part of a music contest called Making the Next Hit. In 2006, the contest was built as a platform and opportunity for indie artists who are otherwise ignored and overlooked. Since then, we’ve never stopped. We’ve been traveling across America providing platforms for indie artists to promote their music during major events such as the Superbowl Weekend, NBA All-Star Weekend, BET Awards Weekend and more.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Nothing is ever a smooth road, haha. We’ve seen many obstacles and struggles along the way. In the early days, it was difficult getting people to buy into the idea of an “internet radio station”. Then dealing with venues that are afraid of “hip-hop” and don’t want to host a hip-hop event. My biggest struggle not too long ago, back in 2015, I can remember being on a vacation with my wife that was already paid for, but all my additional funds being tied in to promote my business, I didn’t even have enough money to buy food, and having to split meals to make it through the trip!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We specialize in helping artists and business owners attract more fans and customers. What sets us apart is that we find the artists that are most overlooked. The ones that people pay no attention to. This is what we are proud of brand wise. We give EVERYONE a fair opportunity!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Follow us @2hotradio or check out our website www.2hotradio.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.2hotradio.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/2hotradio
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/2hotradio
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/2hotradio
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/2hotradio
