Today we’d like to introduce you to John Griggs.
Hi John, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My story begins way before I can remember. From what I was told I was born with drumsticks in my hand. Be that true or not, for as long as I can recall music has always been a major part of my life. It came easy to me. I learned to play bass guitar and piano by ear and with my dad being a musician himself I followed his every step and became a sponge to any and all knowledge that pertained to music. My dad along with my siblings taught me about everything from Jazz to gospel to r&b, hip-hop, and even entertainment management, which led to my overall career choice. I remember taking it so serious at a young age. I signed up as a songwriter with ASCAP in middle school. I must’ve been 12 at the time, and I later made an attempt to start at label at 15. I was extremely ambitious, but knowing what I wanted to do was clear as day to me. Never changing that vision, I decided to major in Business and Mass Communication at Alcorn State University with the goal of entertainment management in sight. Attending Alcorn gave me a chance to develop in places I hadn’t before by learning the ins and out of working around radio and tv. This led to putting shows together on campus, and eventually around my home state, creating a platform that wasn’t there with and for artist. One of which I manage today Josh Waters. After graduating I continued to work closely with Josh and other artist eventually moving to Atlanta, Ga in 2018. In the time from that move till now the growth has been exponential. I’ve been honored enough to learn from industry greats like Big K.RI.T., WLPWR, Smoke DZA, and a few more. This goes without saying but the knowledge I gained from them, and others made a lot of things possible. I’ve grown from looking into the window of the music industry to experiencing levels of it in real-time. I’m grateful to say the least. Choosing entertainment management has taken me places I’ve only imagined. Being from a small town in Mississippi, my greatest joy has been living the dream. Seeing my artist perform at notable places like SOBs in New York and even the Echo lounge in Dallas, TX, knowing the work I’ve personally put in has made every decision from childhood until now worth it.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth is not the word I would use, but I will say that it has been blessed. The biggest struggles I’ve faced on this road came in two forms. One being the mental and spiritual challenges and the other being finances in the process.
The mental and spiritual toll has been the greatest struggle because the road never seems to end. In my honest opinion it has been one of the longest roads I’ve ever traveled and the lesson I’ve had to learn is grace. It wasn’t until recently that I even appreciated how far I’ve come. I spent a lot of time seeing the distance instead of appreciating the part of the road I’d traveled already. In short, “I was my own worst enemy.” I was beating myself up in a world that already attempts to beat me. It wasn’t the early nos or lack of resources; it was how I mismanaged expectation that led to doubt and worry that shouldn’t have been.
Finances is the simplest struggle to explain but it had a part in my mental battles as well. I bet my life on my dream by quitting a six-figure job and stepping out on faith by moving to GA. I was willing to do whatever it took, and I placed my funds wherever I felt they needed to be in order for things to happen. In the beginning, it was great. Money was coming in via shows, merch, and music sales but it became really rough during covid. Granted Covid affected us all, but in the time during and shortly after I started to question if my purpose was still in music. Staring down eviction and repossession amongst other things, I totally forgot all that had been accomplished up to that point. I was drowning. I’d completely accepted the idea that every move I’d made in my life must’ve been a mistake. Like many of us, I had to reset. It took a lot of reading, meditating, and journaling, but through this, I learned the grace I spoke of previously. It was such a serious thing for me that I took every message I wrote to myself and turned it into a book entitled “Growth Through Gospel” in order to help others like myself identify and manage their struggles as well.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an artist manager and author, and I specialize in getting things done. My job is to bring my artist and opportunity together in order to build growth in multiple ways. From the very beginning, I adopted the mentality that if something needed to happen, I wouldn’t sleep until I made it happen, and I believe that has made me successful.
I’m most proud of how I’ve faced challenges and still managed to see things through.
What sets me apart is the anointing/calling on my life. I could say it’s the hard work, but many work hard. For me it’s work plus the job I have to do for the most high. That alignment has made me beyond great at what I do.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I believe luck has played a huge part in my life and business. There’s a quote by Denzel Washington that says, “luck is when opportunity comes along, and you’re prepared for it”, and I’ve worked on being prepared every day of my life. I believe in seizing the moment, and to be anything less than prepared when luck/chance knocks would be an injustice to myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/Growth-Through-Gospel-Messages-Spiritual/dp/B09WJ47J7X/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thats_griggs?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Image Credits
John Zirker
