Desmond Witherspoon

ARTIST, MUSICIAN, BUSINESS OWNER

It has become more understood as time passes and the music industry gets further and further decentralized: You can’t make much happen with talent alone. Competition is high. There’s so much to know and keep track of. Not everyone has your best interest at heart. It’s better for a talented artist to know what they are really doing out here. Many veteran artists have diversified their skill sets to accomplish the goals they have in the music industry more efficiently. Easier said than done, of course, but all one needs is a good example. And for that, we can look at what Desmond Witherspoon is doing. Having groups like UGK and Outkast among the artists that helped shape his creative perspective, Desmond is an appreciator of art - his own and the work from the hands of others. He’s teamed up with a few like-minded individuals to assist other artists to help curate their audio and visual content. By interacting with these burgeoning artists in various stages of their careers, he’s able to conceptualize how he wants to navigate the industry as an artist and better instruct other artists on how to do so. Coming from a city that has a music industry constituted of individuals rumored to not work well with one another, Desmond and a few associates took a couple elements; actual teamwork and consistency to create an entity with a name that grows stronger as time passes, Media Sensei where Desmond serves as Chief Officer of Operations.

Photos by Ruzoy @iamruzoy

The Dallas Texas based broad spectrum audio and visual creative agency is responsible for putting together presentations such as Bae or Boot, a reality dating series, and a cooking show entitled Screenshot Skillet along with hundreds of music videos from artists such as Smoody, Erica Banks, and Asian Doll. Through Media Sensei, Desmond along with C.E.O. Jalen Jones has been working to recreate a Hollywood situation in Texas by rendering their services to artists belonging to national markets, but also by imparting knowledge to their local market. Desmond warns, “It’s great getting numbers online, but there’s still a lot of power in having a group of people willing to show up and spend money for you. The ability to move even just 20-30 people like that shows that your music has real value and people are willing to take action for it.”