Age: 24 Location: Los Angeles Hometown: Tuskegee, AL
Chad Wilson is an enigma if there ever was one. This was my first interview and he was actually the inspiration for this entire project. We became friends on Myspace a few years back and I've been intrigued with him ever since: he's a creator, entrepreneur, humanitarian and according to Essence Magazine he's a Do Right Man. In this interview I discover how he pays the bills, where he came from, and just a tad bit more about the mystery that is Chad J. Wilson.
chadjwilson: I’m getting ready for a wedding planner to come by and pick my mind apart
missyasmine: getting married?
chadjwilson: i told her I hope I can get married someday. I’m way too busy to even hold down a girlfriend. I want one- I have interests. I told the planner maybe we should date each other
missyasmine: what is this the millionaire matchmaker????
chadjwilson: she said she's uber busy too! I can match make for sure- especially in business. I’m the best when it comes to putting partnerships together. that’s kind of what my company does
missyasmine: okay.... and which company is this, you have a billion gazillion?
chadjwilson: The Operator Group
missyasmine: okay cool
chadjwilson: BOXeight is my home base though
missyasmine: Let’s back track a bit, first tell me what you wanted to be when you were little
chadjwilson: I definitely wanted to be Optimus Prime from the Transformers!
missyasmine: well you kind of are that- you're a definite transformer
chadjwilson:: my dad would sit me down in front of the TV with an 8hr tape that he made for me and I would watch it over and over. so yes, I guess I became that, a Transformer...literally and figuratively
missyasmine: hilarious! when I first friended you on Myspace I just did it because you seemed cool and I wanted to know what you did. now probably like 2 years or so later I still really don’t know but you show up everywhere
chadjwilson: oh awesome, yes I love how the internet has taken out so much of the ambiguity in meeting new people. every time I Googled myself, I always see Chad Prison Pal from NC - not a good feeling but I finally took a hold of my internet presence and started to really invest my time in interacting with the public. most of the clients now we have been introduced thru Myspace or Facebook
missyasmine: that's powerful
chadjwilson: friends and colleagues alike
missyasmine: so you went to Tuskegee right?
chadjwilson: right, born and raised...Schooled in Tuskegee Alabama: The Pride of the Swift Growing South. I never thought I would go to TU. I thought it was cliché, especially after going to white private school for so long- kind of got brain washed plus I spent every summer at TU in a summer program learning or doing something there
missyasmine: so lets talk about your educational background. What was your major? what do you think your undergraduate career provided you?
chadjwilson:: I went to TU with no idea of where I wanted with myself- I did so much in High School. I was in Speech and Debate, Choir, Theatre, Football, Student Government, Mascotting.
missyasmine: oh okay, you were one of those lol
chadjwilson: [I was] all over the place and so I was this burnt out Liberal Arts kid and my mom wanted me to get brushed up in Math. so I did a Pre Engineering Program called FASTREC
missyasmine: okay
chadjwilson: Tuskegee has one of the top engineering schools in the country for HBCU's. so I did that and it sparked old flames of wanting to be Optimus and Doc Brown(Back to the Future) and loved it! so I stuck with it
missyasmine: cool
chadjwilson: but I got involved with Media in Student government and got introduced to a guy that founded our student TV station and he put me onto TV Production
missyasmine: okay- I see the link!
chadjwilson: and that's the beginning of how I made it to LA. he got me an opportunity to work at the BET Awards while I was doing an internship with John Deere in Iowa. Well, I saw a great opportunity and future in Entertainment/Production
missyasmine: cool, what year did you do the BET Awards?
chadjwilson::2005
missyasmine: and did you tie things up at TU?
chadjwilson: basically in the end of 2006 I said goodbye to Tuskegee. 3.5 yrs in the program. I made the decision to follow my passion for music and television
missyasmine: was it a 4-year program?
chadjwilson: 5 yr
missyasmine: cool, okay. what was the first leap that lead you to leave school?
chadjwilson: at the time, I was getting so many work opportunities every time I came to LA that it made sense to stay and focus on it
missyasmine: how'd your parents feel?
chadjwilson: well, my mom kind of knew- she had a feeling. During Christmas I would come out [to L.A.] and work and that last time I didn’t come home for Christmas. she said," sure stay just come back in time for school" but my mentor and I were overwhelmed with work at BET. and well, it was a hard decision, but I made it. she was shocked...
missyasmine: whoa
chadjwilson: but over the years [while she’s] still learning about every new thing that I do, she has grown to appreciate my decision
and I’ve never run home when things have been hard so my parents respect that. I’m their only son, only child but I had to make on my own regardless.
missyasmine: I feel that! tell me about some of the other challenges you faced when you first made the transition
chadjwilson: Well, I definitely faced issues of learning who my friends were and whom I could trust. I hate to say it, but there are a lot of shady people in LA but I learned so much from that. I never had any troubles with drugs/partying/drinking/sex so I’ve always had that in check from experiences and wisdom from my parents and being a bad boy sometimes in my teenage days. I was raised around professional actors when I was 9-13 so I matured beyond my age
missyasmine: interesting
chadjwilson:so I was exposed to a lot as a child that kept me ahead of my peers never any peer pressure to do things, but I did have my own pressures of wanting to explore some of things my parents told me wouldn’t be a good decision for me but I’ve always tried to learn on my own.
missyasmine: I feel you. so tell me, what exactly is it that you do? How do you keep the lights on?
chadjwilson:right now I’m The Operator for BOXeight Studios. that entails in developing our existing client base creative management for our photographers and artists that are members here, digital management of our work and equipment, and just growing our collective that is BOXeight
missyasmine: what does creative management consists of
chadjwilson: finding clients that suit the photographer’s style, introducing them to new opportunities, business development, and strategy.
missyasmine: okay. Cool, thanks for breaking it downnnn!
chadjwilson: yeah, I'm a very creative person but I have a little of business sense which a lot of artists lack. so I’ve used that to position myself as a protector of those who can't manage that. [As for keeping the lights on,] we are doing our best [ ] in this economy. we've engaged in smart partnerships with new media developments, new artists
missyasmine: cool. So, what are the other things you're involved in?
chadjwilson: I’ve always had a passion for non-profit humanitarian work. so I'm constantly developing my non-profit efforts as well to give children the same opportunities I had as an adopted youth
missyasmine: is that how you got caught up with Essence?
chadjwilson: I'm not really certain how I got recognized for such a prestigious honor, but whoever recognized me, I really appreciate that opportunity for allowing me to tell my story
missyasmine: how'd you find out you were being featured?
chadjwilson: the writer that was handling my story contacted me thru a business partner of mine and told me they wanted to nominate me as Essence's Do Right Man of 2008. It totally caught me off guard...I thought they wanted information on him actually! that exposure initiated a lot of different conversations about what I'm up to
missyasmine: hah! things happen so crazily and unexpected sometimes. I randomly knew 4 of the Do Right Men, mostly through Howard U
chadjwilson: hahaha those are good guys but we all were definitely competitive
missyasmine: really?
chadjwilson: yeah, it was crazy in the beginning between a few of us. everyone I knew was pulling for me
missyasmine: how'd you end up on everyone's [well, mine anyway] guilty scripted pleasure, Baldwin Hills?
chadjwilson:oh boy... as for Baldwin Hills- it was funny being apart of that network [BET] so long and then watching those kids grow up Justin, who's one of the character's on the show, his writing partner Rose of BWB, invited us to come they were having a party for their publishing deal
missyasmine: oh okay, that's what I thought
chadjwilson: yeah but I had nooo idea they'd put me in that many shots for the party
missyasmine: I was like, "is that Chad Wilson from Facebook?"
chadjwilson: I was kind of embarrassed lol
missyasmine: really? why?
chadjwilson: I don’t know, I can be shy a lot of times about being on camera.
I'm a behind the scenes kind of person, so that kind of exposure can have a large effect on me it was fun though
missyasmine: seemed like it. I love LA!
chadjwilson: I love LA too. I love NY, but LA I appreciate coming home to everytime. I leave but there's no other place like it
missyasmine: yea I just moved back to Atlanta from NYC. but I’ve been on LA since I did the BET Awards in 07
chadjwilson: I want a spot out there
missyasmine: yea I lived in Harlem on ACP and w.112th right by the park
chadjwilson:: I want to spend more time in Harlem
missyasmine: Harlem feels like home, it’s really a warm place in all that commotion
chadjwilson: I'm usually in Brooklyn, the city or the Bronx but the few times I've been there to hang with my people from GFCNY it was cool
missyasmine: what's GFCNY
chadjwilson: GFCNY is a marketing company / crew headed up by Mickey Factz
missyasmine: oh, I have his mixtape such a small world! just about everyone [] is connected in some way
chadjwilson:of course that is the world we live in Mickey and his partner Saint but Steve-O, Precize, Shyvonne all of them live in Harlem
missyasmine: I know of Shyvonne too! she's my soror
chadjwilson: go Delta, my mommy is a Delta. Shavonne’s
music is taking off
missyasmine: That's what’s up! I saw her performing at Village Underground one Sunday
last fall. she's another one that has sooo many hustles
chadjwilson: oh yeah I met her as an intern for BET in LA. Its funny how life takes u in circles
missyasmine: So, where'd you live when you first moved to LA
chadjwilson: I lived Downtown on 5th and Hill and then moved to the Hollywood Hills Then moved to the Valley in Woodland Hills
missyasmine: did you have money saved up or were you couch cruising?
chadjwilson: nah this was a constant hustle -working and paying rent. I know of a few times where I’ve had to crash but never for long periods. but I’ve made it back downtown now
missyasmine: okay cool, what's the best advice you can give to people transitioning to the west coast. it seems to be the new move
chadjwilson:: hmmm you better be ready to work for everything you want
no one is going to give you anything, unless you're trying to sacrifice something you have. if you come here and you're lazy, you're going to end of being someone's pet, a couch cruiser, or homeless on skid row and that’s no way to live. you don’t need a plan - you need to know how to be flexible because things take time to happen out here. I can say in 3yrs, I’ve accomplished A LOT. but I know I have the world at my fingers and I’m going to take it
missyasmine: that's awesome! I don’t know if I’ve come that much closer to truly understanding your function: but I have definitely learned a lot
chadjwilson: you don't need to understand it - just know I work for everything I have ;-)
chadjwilson: I’m getting ready for a wedding planner to come by and pick my mind apart
missyasmine: getting married?
chadjwilson: i told her I hope I can get married someday. I’m way too busy to even hold down a girlfriend. I want one- I have interests. I told the planner maybe we should date each other
missyasmine: what is this the millionaire matchmaker????
chadjwilson: she said she's uber busy too! I can match make for sure- especially in business. I’m the best when it comes to putting partnerships together. that’s kind of what my company does
missyasmine: okay.... and which company is this, you have a billion gazillion?
chadjwilson: The Operator Group
missyasmine: okay cool
chadjwilson: BOXeight is my home base though
missyasmine: Let’s back track a bit, first tell me what you wanted to be when you were little
chadjwilson: I definitely wanted to be Optimus Prime from the Transformers!
missyasmine: well you kind of are that- you're a definite transformer
chadjwilson:: my dad would sit me down in front of the TV with an 8hr tape that he made for me and I would watch it over and over. so yes, I guess I became that, a Transformer...literally and figuratively
missyasmine: hilarious! when I first friended you on Myspace I just did it because you seemed cool and I wanted to know what you did. now probably like 2 years or so later I still really don’t know but you show up everywhere
chadjwilson: oh awesome, yes I love how the internet has taken out so much of the ambiguity in meeting new people. every time I Googled myself, I always see Chad Prison Pal from NC - not a good feeling but I finally took a hold of my internet presence and started to really invest my time in interacting with the public. most of the clients now we have been introduced thru Myspace or Facebook
missyasmine: that's powerful
chadjwilson: friends and colleagues alike
missyasmine: so you went to Tuskegee right?
chadjwilson: right, born and raised...Schooled in Tuskegee Alabama: The Pride of the Swift Growing South. I never thought I would go to TU. I thought it was cliché, especially after going to white private school for so long- kind of got brain washed plus I spent every summer at TU in a summer program learning or doing something there
missyasmine: so lets talk about your educational background. What was your major? what do you think your undergraduate career provided you?
chadjwilson:: I went to TU with no idea of where I wanted with myself- I did so much in High School. I was in Speech and Debate, Choir, Theatre, Football, Student Government, Mascotting.
missyasmine: oh okay, you were one of those lol
chadjwilson: [I was] all over the place and so I was this burnt out Liberal Arts kid and my mom wanted me to get brushed up in Math. so I did a Pre Engineering Program called FASTREC
missyasmine: okay
chadjwilson: Tuskegee has one of the top engineering schools in the country for HBCU's. so I did that and it sparked old flames of wanting to be Optimus and Doc Brown(Back to the Future) and loved it! so I stuck with it
missyasmine: cool
chadjwilson: but I got involved with Media in Student government and got introduced to a guy that founded our student TV station and he put me onto TV Production
missyasmine: okay- I see the link!
chadjwilson: and that's the beginning of how I made it to LA. he got me an opportunity to work at the BET Awards while I was doing an internship with John Deere in Iowa. Well, I saw a great opportunity and future in Entertainment/Production
missyasmine: cool, what year did you do the BET Awards?
chadjwilson::2005
missyasmine: and did you tie things up at TU?
chadjwilson: basically in the end of 2006 I said goodbye to Tuskegee. 3.5 yrs in the program. I made the decision to follow my passion for music and television
missyasmine: was it a 4-year program?
chadjwilson: 5 yr
missyasmine: cool, okay. what was the first leap that lead you to leave school?
chadjwilson: at the time, I was getting so many work opportunities every time I came to LA that it made sense to stay and focus on it
missyasmine: how'd your parents feel?
chadjwilson: well, my mom kind of knew- she had a feeling. During Christmas I would come out [to L.A.] and work and that last time I didn’t come home for Christmas. she said," sure stay just come back in time for school" but my mentor and I were overwhelmed with work at BET. and well, it was a hard decision, but I made it. she was shocked...
missyasmine: whoa
chadjwilson: but over the years [while she’s] still learning about every new thing that I do, she has grown to appreciate my decision
and I’ve never run home when things have been hard so my parents respect that. I’m their only son, only child but I had to make on my own regardless.
missyasmine: I feel that! tell me about some of the other challenges you faced when you first made the transition
chadjwilson: Well, I definitely faced issues of learning who my friends were and whom I could trust. I hate to say it, but there are a lot of shady people in LA but I learned so much from that. I never had any troubles with drugs/partying/drinking/sex so I’ve always had that in check from experiences and wisdom from my parents and being a bad boy sometimes in my teenage days. I was raised around professional actors when I was 9-13 so I matured beyond my age
missyasmine: interesting
chadjwilson:so I was exposed to a lot as a child that kept me ahead of my peers never any peer pressure to do things, but I did have my own pressures of wanting to explore some of things my parents told me wouldn’t be a good decision for me but I’ve always tried to learn on my own.
missyasmine: I feel you. so tell me, what exactly is it that you do? How do you keep the lights on?
chadjwilson:right now I’m The Operator for BOXeight Studios. that entails in developing our existing client base creative management for our photographers and artists that are members here, digital management of our work and equipment, and just growing our collective that is BOXeight
missyasmine: what does creative management consists of
chadjwilson: finding clients that suit the photographer’s style, introducing them to new opportunities, business development, and strategy.
missyasmine: okay. Cool, thanks for breaking it downnnn!
chadjwilson: yeah, I'm a very creative person but I have a little of business sense which a lot of artists lack. so I’ve used that to position myself as a protector of those who can't manage that. [As for keeping the lights on,] we are doing our best [ ] in this economy. we've engaged in smart partnerships with new media developments, new artists
missyasmine: cool. So, what are the other things you're involved in?
chadjwilson: I’ve always had a passion for non-profit humanitarian work. so I'm constantly developing my non-profit efforts as well to give children the same opportunities I had as an adopted youth
missyasmine: is that how you got caught up with Essence?
chadjwilson: I'm not really certain how I got recognized for such a prestigious honor, but whoever recognized me, I really appreciate that opportunity for allowing me to tell my story
missyasmine: how'd you find out you were being featured?
chadjwilson: the writer that was handling my story contacted me thru a business partner of mine and told me they wanted to nominate me as Essence's Do Right Man of 2008. It totally caught me off guard...I thought they wanted information on him actually! that exposure initiated a lot of different conversations about what I'm up to
missyasmine: hah! things happen so crazily and unexpected sometimes. I randomly knew 4 of the Do Right Men, mostly through Howard U
chadjwilson: hahaha those are good guys but we all were definitely competitive
missyasmine: really?
chadjwilson: yeah, it was crazy in the beginning between a few of us. everyone I knew was pulling for me
missyasmine: how'd you end up on everyone's [well, mine anyway] guilty scripted pleasure, Baldwin Hills?
chadjwilson:oh boy... as for Baldwin Hills- it was funny being apart of that network [BET] so long and then watching those kids grow up Justin, who's one of the character's on the show, his writing partner Rose of BWB, invited us to come they were having a party for their publishing deal
missyasmine: oh okay, that's what I thought
chadjwilson: yeah but I had nooo idea they'd put me in that many shots for the party
missyasmine: I was like, "is that Chad Wilson from Facebook?"
chadjwilson: I was kind of embarrassed lol
missyasmine: really? why?
chadjwilson: I don’t know, I can be shy a lot of times about being on camera.
I'm a behind the scenes kind of person, so that kind of exposure can have a large effect on me it was fun though
missyasmine: seemed like it. I love LA!
chadjwilson: I love LA too. I love NY, but LA I appreciate coming home to everytime. I leave but there's no other place like it
missyasmine: yea I just moved back to Atlanta from NYC. but I’ve been on LA since I did the BET Awards in 07
chadjwilson: I want a spot out there
missyasmine: yea I lived in Harlem on ACP and w.112th right by the park
chadjwilson:: I want to spend more time in Harlem
missyasmine: Harlem feels like home, it’s really a warm place in all that commotion
chadjwilson: I'm usually in Brooklyn, the city or the Bronx but the few times I've been there to hang with my people from GFCNY it was cool
missyasmine: what's GFCNY
chadjwilson: GFCNY is a marketing company / crew headed up by Mickey Factz
missyasmine: oh, I have his mixtape such a small world! just about everyone [] is connected in some way
chadjwilson:of course that is the world we live in Mickey and his partner Saint but Steve-O, Precize, Shyvonne all of them live in Harlem
missyasmine: I know of Shyvonne too! she's my soror
chadjwilson: go Delta, my mommy is a Delta. Shavonne’s
music is taking off
missyasmine: That's what’s up! I saw her performing at Village Underground one Sunday
last fall. she's another one that has sooo many hustles
chadjwilson: oh yeah I met her as an intern for BET in LA. Its funny how life takes u in circles
missyasmine: So, where'd you live when you first moved to LA
chadjwilson: I lived Downtown on 5th and Hill and then moved to the Hollywood Hills Then moved to the Valley in Woodland Hills
missyasmine: did you have money saved up or were you couch cruising?
chadjwilson: nah this was a constant hustle -working and paying rent. I know of a few times where I’ve had to crash but never for long periods. but I’ve made it back downtown now
missyasmine: okay cool, what's the best advice you can give to people transitioning to the west coast. it seems to be the new move
chadjwilson:: hmmm you better be ready to work for everything you want
no one is going to give you anything, unless you're trying to sacrifice something you have. if you come here and you're lazy, you're going to end of being someone's pet, a couch cruiser, or homeless on skid row and that’s no way to live. you don’t need a plan - you need to know how to be flexible because things take time to happen out here. I can say in 3yrs, I’ve accomplished A LOT. but I know I have the world at my fingers and I’m going to take it
missyasmine: that's awesome! I don’t know if I’ve come that much closer to truly understanding your function: but I have definitely learned a lot
chadjwilson: you don't need to understand it - just know I work for everything I have ;-)
Chad is the man! Nah honestly one of the realest people i've ever met in my life. Your day will come homie. -CurT@!n$
ReplyDeleteYea, he definitely is a cool guy! I'm happy he was my first interview and he's honestly the reason I wanted to do this project. I look forward to seeing what he does in the future.
ReplyDeleteI luv the concept of this whole blog. this is the is tha bomb.com yas- and this chad is a cutie
ReplyDeleteYESSSSSSSSSSSS- a new distraction from actually doing my job at work!
ReplyDelete