Meet Ryan Perez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Perez.

Hi Ryan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
SHNEAKY Entertainment and Consulting was born out of necessity in August of 2017. As a young musician growing up in Southeast Los Angeles, there was always so much talent in the region but not enough infrastructure. There were few organizations that focused on the arts in a serious way and even less spaces that would give artists and musicians a chance. After 11 years of being an event planner, promoter, trumpet player, DJ, MC, Rapper, and the frontman of my own Alternative Hip Hop-Rock Band, I could not find a sustainable way to live off my creative endeavors. In 2013 I transferred to UC San Diego where I continued to DJ, perform, and throw events across campus, eventually leveraging my experience into an event specialist position at the university and learned how to program on a whole other level. During my time at UCSD, I stayed connected with my community in Southeast LA, traveling back often to perform and DJ at community events, which kept me informed of an artistic renaissance happening in the region.

In 2017, I moved back to LA with the intention of going to grad school at UCLA while using my new found knowledge and skills to facilitate this artistic movement, but life had other plans. I began gravitating to spaces that were looking for programming and connecting with people who were serious about creating a sustainable economy for creatives in the Southeast LA region, which is the mission of SHNEAKY Entertainment and Consulting. Using my knowledge of content creation, event planning, marketing, engagement, and data collection, as well as my growing network of musicians, artists, and creatives of all kinds, SHNEAKY E & C aims to create an infrastructure that facilitates the arts.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In my experience, one of the greatest struggles is having people take me serious, and an extension of that is having people see the value in what I bring, which eventually translates to worth / cost / pay. The reason it is so hard to make this lifestyle sustainable is because people don’t value the arts the way they used to. Venues are trying to increase profit by underpaying the entertainment, promoters are taking advantage of artists by putting the burden on them to bring people and pay the overhead through pay-to-play ticket sales, and production companies are less likely to take a chance on new artists that might not bring in revenue. Luckily there has been a shift as local and state-level government agencies direct more funding toward the arts economic sector. With the establishment of the SELA Arts Festival on the LA River, the SELA Art Center, the SELA Artists Guild, and the SELA Arts Foundation, as well as the work being done with the SELA Collaborative, the arts are being seen as a legitimate and necessary part of society that should be elevated and invested in. Raising the profile and worth of the “Local Artist” and allowing me and my crew, the Monster Mashup Clan to thrive.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
To most people these days, I’m known as SHNEAKY: DJ, MC, Anything You Need, 1/3 of the Monster Mashup Clan and CEO of SHNEAKY Entertainment and Consulting. I’m a socially conscious artivist that creates Hip Hop using my eclectic and diverse taste in music derived from my 15 years of Deejaying all types of events across California. SHNEAKY has also deejayed or performed in Arizona, Florida, New York, and Mexico and when I’m not curating a vibe or reanimating a dance floor, I’m elevating people whom I respect and I think deserve recognition on my podcast “Recognition and Respect,” which is live-streamed on Twitch and can be found on the Monster Mashup Clan Youtube. Aside from my own personal pursuits, I also use my talents and company to serve my community, such as showing an alternative lifestyle path to students at career day, providing entertainment at a resource fair, or making the experience of getting a vaccine less stressful with some good music. The thing I’m most proud of and that sets me apart from other people in my field is that operate from an interdisciplinary perspective, which encourages me to collaborate with different sectors of society and create more opportunities in often unexpected places.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Show Up! So much of the “work” in networking is just being present in the moment, right place, right time. The more places you are the more chances you’ll have for it to be the right time.

Bring Value. In any situation or collaboration, do your part in bringing value to the relationship. Show up early, provide technical support, knowledge, or resources within reason and without being taken advantage of.

Stay Consistent. People are going to come and go. Teams will be formed and break apart. You will most likely get screwed over more than once. Just stay true to yourself and stay consistent in your work and ethics, eventually you’ll attract the right people to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shneakyentertainment.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/officialshneaky
• Facebook: facebook.com/officialshneaky
• Twitter: twitter.com/officialshneaky
• Youtube: youtube.com/mmupclan
• SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/shneaky