Conversations with DaVeon Smith

Today we’d like to introduce you to DaVeon Smith.

DaVeon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story starts in South Los Angeles, California where I was adopted and raised by a single mother and her mother. At an early age, my mother instilled the importance of education, music & hustle in me. My educational endeavors gained me acceptance into one of the most prestigious colleges in the nation, Dartmouth College. There I explored numerous passions in different capacities. I served as a team manager for the basketball team, a mentor to a few of the educational enrichment programs on campus and most important to my current story, a campus DJ.

Once I graduated in 2015, I accepted a job with a financial services firm in San Antonio. This was not my original plan. The original plan was to pursue a job in the sports or entertainment world; then head back to school for a joint JD/MBA degree. God had other plans. I decided to pursue a career in financial services where I gained direct exposure to while in high school and at the same time continue my passion of DJing. The journey has not been easy on either front. However, slowly but surely I started to find my footing as a financial professional and as a DJ in the city.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
One of the biggest struggles I’ve had as a professional and a DJ is proving to those who are in a position of influence that I am ready for the job. I would not be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for people taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to prove myself. At my first company as a professional, I was overlooked for major promotions on two separate occasions. Both left a bad taste in my mouth, so I sought out a company who truly believed in my skill set and potential to excel as a professional. As a DJ coming from another city in another state, it was tough to land the type of opportunities I’m seeing now. However, through the trust and faith of a few DJs (DJ Fuzion, Tha Dark Knight, DJ XBoyRD, and DJ Therapy) who allowed me to cover for them, shadow, and learn from them; more work eventually came in. And with those opportunities, came more opportunities to prove myself.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
One of my biggest goals is to prove to people that you can thrive in your 9-5 but still fuel your passion projects or entrepreneurial endeavors on the side.

On the professional front, I work for one of the largest investment managers in the US. I work specifically with the Consultant Firms who advocate for our investments. The thing I’m most proud about is that despite being one of the few black professionals on the consultant relationship side of the business, I am able to champion the firm’s diversity efforts. This has allowed me to potentially open doors for others who look like me in the workplace and lift as I climb.

When it comes to DJ’ing, I’ve been djing for 9 years now. It started as a way to share my love for music with others. Now I DJ at three different venues (Safehouse Drinkery, Box 903 & Three Legged Monkey) on a weekly basis, with pop up gigs at other venues throughout San Antonio. In my opinion, what sets me apart is my penchant for west coast music and my ability to incorporate requests of the crowd into my already existing sets. My proudest two moments as a DJ came from other people trusting and believing in me. I’ve been able to DJ for Kona Grill in San Antonio several times, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the city (Thanks, Dark Knight). I also had the opportunity to DJ for the reigning 6th man of the year, Jordan Clarkson for a private event celebrating his winning of the award (Thanks, Calvin).

I know I have a long way to go to cement my legacy as a major player in both of these arenas. However, I’m excited at the prospects of the future.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
For DJing, I like listening to other DJs edits and mixes on SoundCloud, Mixcloud, and Youtube. Some of my current favorites are DJ R-Tistic, DJ Ajumu, DJ Mighty Mouse, of course, Soulection Radio.

In terms of the professional world, I love listening to the Riordan recorder podcast. I was featured in the first season but it is hosted by the Riordan Programs at UCLA-Anderson Business School. One of the biggest reasons why I chose to pursue financial services as a career was the instruction I received from the program in high school. Listening to other professionals who are affiliated with the program tell their stories is inspiring to say the least. They also give valuable insight on how to navigate the professional world as a minority.

Contact Info:

• Email: bookdkrisp@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/smithdwessonn
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djdkrisp
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/djkalikrisp