Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Jackson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cameron. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Well, the engine and initiative for this business date back to grade school. DJ’ing was something that I did on the side for fun, and over the years, it developed into a hobby. While in school, my primary focus was sports because there were no other outlets for people like me in my community. Creative art programs were declining and becoming scarcer as I got older. Football was one of the only positive outlets I had and was able to share with my friends. However, while it was able to get me through high school, and a less than a handful beyond that, I witnessed many of my friends not be awarded that fortune. I watched far too many of my peers fall victim to the Los Angeles lifestyle, so when I realized football on the collegiate level was not for me, I decided to use that energy and drive and put it into entrepreneurship. With the loss of one passion (football), I reverted to another (DJ’ing).
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, as everyone often says, “nothing worth doing is easy,” – of course, I have experienced many bumps and mountains on the way. My biggest obstacle was funding. My team and I struggled to find funding to begin the program. It’s easier to get others to believe in your desire to help the community and give back, but it becomes monumentally more complicated when asking them to believe in it enough to invest in it. We are constantly working hard to find consistent funding so that we can give back to the youth that are in need, and we believe in this so much, and the impact it has at an early age, that we will continue to push through whatever comes our way.
As you can imagine, COVID-19 has been an extreme hurdle to overcome. As of now, we have halted operations and are working on ways to be prepared for the youth when the Nation comes out of this pandemic.
Please tell us about Controlling All Media.
Controlling All Media strives to bring hands-on media experience to inner-city youth. We provide them with the tools to expand their creativity through multi-media outlets, while simultaneously driving and manifesting their entrepreneurial mentalities. It provides the youth, especially those who are expected to excel in sports only, another outlet in the creative realm that is no longer provided or encouraged in inner-city schools. It teaches them ways to manifest their passions and hobbies into businesses, and at this early of an age, allows them to invest and believe in themselves and their ability to create the life they desire to have.
I am most proud of the ability to give back to the youth, and to hear stories that are so much similar to mine, and only different and more positive because of the role that Controlling All Media played for an individual at such an early age. I value being able to share, both myself and other peers, about how if Controlling All Media was available to us at an early age, the effect it could have on our outlook on life and our careers.
What role has luck (good luck or bad luck) played in your life and business?
Of course, there are always setbacks or “bad-luck” within every aspect of life—consider the way COVID has affected so many startup businesses such as this one. But we have also had a lot of good luck and a ton of blessings. We got approved for our 501(c)(3) status; we’ve been able to have events and give back in many ways, we’ve been able to reach out to the youth and allow them to see how it’s developed from the beginning, and so many more.
We are incredibly grateful for where we are as a company today, and looking forward to the many blessings, big or small, that are to come in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: controllingallmedia.org
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @controllingallmedia
Image Credit:
Instagram @ bj.coulter
Instagram @scenesbytom
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