Meet Jadon Joyner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jadon Joyner.

Jadon, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The story of my life has been me always being put in unfamiliar settings and being forced to lead. As a child, I was always interested in just about everything from music and sports to architecture and drawing. During high school, I was fortunate enough to attend Hotchkiss, a boarding school in Connecticut. I developed a love for just about every art form including visual art, music, theater, and dance.

However, the most transformative experience for me during school was me having the ability to travel abroad on three separate occasions. I traveled to China twice and Florence, Italy. I additionally have a love for basketball and track and definitely thought I was going to play basketball in college.

With all my leadership experience and everything else I did in high school, I thought the college acceptances would roll in… they didn’t. I remember praying to get into USC and being denied. This was one of the most difficult times in my life. I only got into two schools and ended going to a small school in Ohio. It was a very hard period for me, and I found my self questioning God about why I was in this position.

But I feel the bigger picture never reveals itself until later. I had an amazing time at Ohio Wesleyan. I made life long friends and cultivated a further love for track. But I knew that I wanted more from my college experience. So I reapplied to some schools and was accepted to the University of Southern California (USC), my dream school.

From there, I had a new focus because I knew exactly what I wanted and took advantage of every opportunity I could. I walked on to the USC Track & Field team, was the president of the gospel choir, was a founding member of B.E.A.M. podcast, started IgnitUS (an entertainment company), DJ’d countless parties, became a photographer, traveled to 9 countries, got engaged, and just recently graduated this past winter…

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Growing up in a single parent household has its obvious struggles, but as I mentioned before, all the rejection at the end of high school truly ripped me apart. I was so used to being on top, working hard, and getting what I wanted.

But that rejection truly humbled me, and I believe I am a better person for it. I understand now that closed/locked doors sometimes is the best thing that can ever happen to you. There is serious character development in failure. I understand now that my struggles and setbacks were merely God setting me up for my future.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am creative. As a photographer, I seek to constantly create and capture the raw essence of the world around me. Through my lookbook (thelookbookusc now yo.nicefit ), I seek to highlight the fashion sense, character, and individuality of students at the University of Southern California and beyond.

I am most proud of the Ebony: Living Gold visual series. In this series, I set out to continue the dialogue about colorism while simultaneously highlighting the tremendous beauty of darker skin through photography. #IAmLivingGold

As a DJ, my roots are founded in hip-hop, soul, R&B, reggae, dancehall, soca, and afrobeat, but I aim to create a unique party experience that not only keeps everyone dancing and grooving but also exposes people to different music from all over the world.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As of now, the biggest plan is marriage! I met the greatest woman in the world at USC while planning a party. I still don’t know how she puts up with me, but I am glad she does. I will say being with her these past three years (almost) has been the most amazing, challenging, and rewarding experience of my life.

We plan to continue traveling the world and seeing as many countries as humanly possible. I hope to DJ more festivals and explore more types of photography including lifestyle and nature all while keeping God first.

Also, I want to learn Mandarin and provide more opportunities for others to travel and learn more languages. I cannot wait to see what God has in store next…

Contact Info:

• Website: jadonjoyner.com
• Phone: 917-733-6734
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: bklamode
• Facebook: Jadon Z. Joyner
• Twitter: JadonJoyner_
• Other: yo.nicefit (Fashion Instagram)

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