Just Keep Playing

Justin sits down with musician and independent artist Kidd Doxx. Kidd is blazing his on trail in Sacramento and Nor Cal music scene having opened up for legendary acts such as Scar Face. They talk about that, how he got his start in music, what made him keep going, and more.

Justin sits down with actor, Sylvester Echols. Sylvester has worked on movies like Black Panther, Venom, and Pitch Perfect 3. They talk about balancing faith, family, and a day job while pursuing his acting career.

Justin sits down with Kiesha Jackson, founder of the Caleb's Kids Foundation. Caleb's Kids is a nonprofit organization that specializes in youth education and social support, mental health awareness, and suicide prevention. Kiesha shares how she took the tragic suicide of her brother and turned it into something beautiful that is helping hundreds of youth in the Detroit area and beyond.

Justin sits down with video producer, Caleb Butler. Caleb runs a video production company, Theo Media Pro, in Atlanta with his wife and three daughters. Justin and Caleb talk about what it was like making the decision to move his family from their home in Detroit to Atlanta all to chase his dream on this week's edition of Just Keep Playing!

Justin sits down with singer songwriter, Shannon Curtis. Shannon has been working full time as an independent artist for a few years now and is one of the pioneers behind the growing trend of house concerts. Shannon shares the epiphany that led her towards her path of doing music, and how she overcomes the fear that comes with taking her career into her hands. 

This week Justin sits down to talk about the making of his first album, Love Extravagant. It was really a trip down memory lane working on this episode. Justin talks about the push he needed from a friend to take the leap on producing the album, and all the lessons learned along the way, from learning to write songs, how things go in the studio, and all the funny and crazy stories that happened along the way.

Justin sits down with Amber Robinson an author, composer, pianist, and music teacher. Amber's journey has involved a few twists and turns. Amber started off teaching in public school, but during her time teaching she learned that she had an autoimmune disease, and that if she stayed on at her school and kept the hours that it required it could be life threatening. So she was forced to change course in her life. That led her to opening up a piano studio, something she's always wanted to do. As her studio grew, as well as her desire to reach more students, Amber decided to write a book, Piano Lessons for Kids, that has gone on to be a #1 seller on Amazon.

Justin sits down with Art Merriweather an sound/audio engineer, production manager, and tour manager all under his company, Incredible Music Group. Art's been doing this as a freelancer for about nine years now, and has worked with artist big and small to include some Grammy award winning artists. Art talks to Justin about the road that led him from playing the xylophone to being an sound engineer, the importance of balance, maintaining relationships, and not hitting pause on your life while you pursue your dream. Arthur shares some fun stories of mishaps and lessons learned while on the road. They also talk about the importance of mentors, and how talent isn't a replacement for hard work.

Justin sits down with artist and graphic designer Collin Schlicht of Art by Collin. Collin talks about how important it is to keep your vision in front of you during the lean times of your journey, and how you have to stay faithful to your vision and not lose heart when you encounter roadblocks. Collin and Justin also talk about how much they love Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse and the impact Stan Lee has had on their lives. 

Justin sits down with composer, singer-songwriter, and music biz career coach Cheryl B. Engelhardt. Cheryl has helped and mentored hundreds, if not thousands, of musicians navigate an independent music career and do it successfully. Cheryl shares how she discovered what her real purpose is with music, what she wants out of music career, and how her journey brought her to helping other musicians. 

Justin sits down with Nintendo content creator, N64 Josh. He tells stories of his love for Nintendo and how that led him on his path to becoming a streamer on Twitch and multiple podcast host. Josh shares how he overcame his battle with depression, having a job that he's not passionate about and how that can be a good thing, and more lessons that he's learned on his journey that he shares in his book, Another Castle, that shares life lessons illustrated by Super Mario Bros.

Justin sits down with hip hop artist and producer Mr. Phelps. He shares a powerful story about how his music reached some people that where on the verge of suicide, and his songs helped them see that they didn't have to make that choice. It's a story that shows the importance of us putting out into the world our creations and our ideas because we never know who they might reach. 

Justin sits down with singer songwriter Lauren Light. She's been doing music full time over the last few years. On our debut episode she takes some time out to share her story. A story that involves dealing with rejection, having the courage to take a leap, and being willing to put in the work to make her dreams happen.

Just Keep Playing with Justin Smith-Williams launches February 18, 2019. Justin is a musican/artist that dreams of the day when his music and content creation pays the bills full time. Follow along with his journey as he finds others along the way that are on their own adventure, and take the time to have a conversation about it. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app and share with your friends!