Today we’d like to introduce you to Efgen “Effy” Mijana.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up, I was always that friend that organized all the group events. I loved the intricacies of coordinating, planning, and over planning. I feel some kind of comfort in planning something to such detail then seeing it come to fruition. After I moved back to Dallas from living in Austin to go to school, I realized I hated the bar scene in Dallas. Everything was all about uptown and the vibes there were snooty, young/drunk/messy, and from experience racially motivated. There are plenty of instances where people of color are not welcomed into different bars due to the way they dress or for no apparent reason. I didn’t want to give my money to places like that. I wanted to spend my money in a place that actually wanted me there. I started hanging out in Deep Ellum more and liked the vibes of the neighborhood, but I wanted to create an event that I would enjoy going to. Something where the main goal was to network and just have fun. Somewhere you could mingle with people, have some drinks, and enjoy good music.
After talking to a couple of my mates, they pointed me to the direction of a couple of friends that were looking to start hosting events around Dallas. My first experience with organizing an event was with a collaboration group called VISIONS. It was composed of three people (Myself, Mathias Carthen/DJ Waygood, and Zak Sadik) and we each had our own specific passions. I was a passionate project manager that organized for pleasure and in my regular 9-5, Mathias was a DJ with many hidden talents, and Zak was good with marketing. Our first events were centered around hosting art shows and including musical and DJ acts. We realized the people in our lives were talented and we wanted to showcase that. We each knew a talented DJ, musician, painter, photographer, etc. and we wanted to give those people a platform to showcase their art. We threw four parties as a VISIONS collaboration and when Zak moved out of state, we started organizing our own events. Mathias (DJ Waygood) still plays all over Dallas for corporate and leisure events and does a lot of other projects including lighting for a couple of music videos. Currently, I’ve been throwing events in the Deep Ellum area at different venues including Dada, Prophet Bar, Mac’s at Southside, and my favorite location is this private loft in Deep Ellum (I love intimate events). I throw events for the anti-social kids that don’t want to be out, to begin with. An event where you can hear premium DJ blends, not the usual music you hear everywhere, and I love to support my female artists!!
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?
It’s been really hard every step of the way. Getting venues in Deep Ellum to trust in your vision is nearly impossible, nobody wants to try something new. They all think they have the formula that will work for them and they’re not willing to listen to outside help. One of the events I threw at Prophet Bar was going on while they had a rave next door at “The Door”. People started to hear the music next door and spilling into the bar, I’m talking the bar was packed from stage to door. I hadn’t seen Prophet bar jumpin’ like that in years! Which was awesome, but we were getting paid by people paying at the front door so our revenue at the end of the night didn’t reflect how well the event did. At the end of the night, the manager at Prophet Bar was very impressed and promised we would work together again soon.
A couple of weeks later, I reached out to him about an event I wanted to throw at his venue. This time, I wanted to make sure we got the money we deserved because he knew we could bring a crowd to liven up the place. You’re not going to believe this, but the manager offered myself and my 2 DJ team $100… to split between the three of us… it was an abysmal offer and I denied it immediately. For people that don’t know, DJ’s can make $200+/hr. on a Friday or Saturday night. So, to ask us to play from 9pm-2am for only $33/each was at the least disrespectful. You deal with things like this all the time, bar owners take advantage of the talent and pay them scraps of the $1000s of dollars they receive every night. They know you need them more than they need you because finding a space to host an event in Deep Ellum is nearly impossible. My advice to other women that want to get into event curation would be to network around Dallas, meet a lot of people that think like you, and have similar ideas. They can help connect you to musicians, bookers, and people that could give you that one break to open the door for you. The only reason I’ve done what I’ve accomplished today is that my friends have always been there to support me. Whether that’s to play an event for free, to borrow equipment from, or to pass on a booker’s information. You need a solid team around you, always.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I curate events for the Dallas nightlife whether it’s a party with DJ’s or an art showcase. I enjoy managing every aspect of an event and getting to see everyone enjoy themselves in the process. My happiness comes in planning the details. My events are special because they encompass this lax “going out” experience where you can concentrate more on meeting people and hearing music at a reasonable volume, so you don’t have to scream over it. A lot of people my age are sick of the typical bar/club scene where you spend all this money to get into an event and sit in a section where the music is so loud you can’t enjoy the company. I’m all about curating an alternative going out to experience centered around networking and good music.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
In everyday life, I feel there’s been a shift in social expectations for women and how we interact with each other. Before, women were expected to be homemakers, moms, wife’s and if you didn’t fit that mold society thought you were different, less feminine, and even inadequate. Women have been standing up and saying, I can do anything I want regardless of what’s expected from me and regardless of what people will think. The beautiful thing is, women are helping other women. And that’s the aura I feel in my work. It feels like I’m living in a special time for women centered around empowerment and togetherness compared to competing amongst each other.
Pricing:
- Free Consultations
- Hire me to curate your event from start to finish: $200
Contact Info:
- Address: East Dallas, Texas
- Email: efgenefrem23@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/effy2308/
Reach out to her via Instagram for more details
Image Credit:
@ciaraellebryant, @aldosandart, @aidaahmed, @yungursaminor
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