Joycelynn Okezie graduated from VSU in the summer of 2015 with a degree in Business Marketing. Her love for music led her to start her own online magazine, Crown All Queens (CAQ), which is also an Atlanta based Creative Agency. Joycelynn is a rising force in the music industry with a lot of A&R work under her belt. She started as an A&R scout in 2010 for producer Rich “Younglord” Frierson and worked alongside him until 2015. She has also worked with numerous up and coming artists. She is now working with Lawton “Agent” Bouhourie as an A&R for Warehouse Music Group’s Roc Nation imprint where they have presented many artists for potential deals.
Her personal project, CAQ, is to highlight artists, particularly women, “The inspiration behind CAQ came from wanting a respectable platform for others like me. As a creator and lover of music, from a business aspect I felt that strategically it was the right move.”
The idea started as a YouTube channel and through hard work, she expanded her platform.
“I never imagined I would be here honestly. I started a YouTube channel at 15 as a hobby, which was what CAQ, was before it existed, a promotional platform for new upcoming talent. The channel attracted record labels and industry executives up my alley. They loved what I was doing. From the opportunities YouTube granted, it inspired me to expand my vision further into something feasible and long lasting.”
Joycelynn also has her own media company, JokezOnMedia, where she specializes in photography/videography, “It’s a play on my name and everything I embody. My aim is for my clients to feel happy, satisfied and confident after collaborating with me. I started last March simply taking graduation photos for my graduating class and after an overwhelming response I never put the camera down.”
Joycelynn enjoys being employed in the field of her choice, “It feels satisfying. Not everyone is going to be excited by you monetizing from what you love versus being trapped at a dead end job. You just have to go out and do it whether you get paid your “true worth” or not. Build yourself up. Create your own opportunity. At times you realize it won’t be given to you due to being a “creative” with a college degree. It takes more, that’s merely the first step.”
She also has some advice for students looking to get involved in the media field, “I went to school for Marketing. Marketing is so vast. When it comes to attaining a corporate job you really have to have a specialty in this job market. I didn’t have one. Don’t be afraid to figure things out as you grow because that’s exactly what I’m doing, living life. School is not the end all be all. Many folks don’t work in their college major field. It’s not up to VSU to prepare you. You determine your own fate. I felt prepared as hell but realized I was only prepared on my own terms and not enough for the job market. I work hard for everything so for me, it showed that there is more work to be done. The traditional route may not always work. It’s 2016. You can do anything your heart desires.”
She also encourages students to build their portfolios and take full advantage of internship opportunities. You can check out CAQ here, if you would like to apply for a writing position you can email a resume and cover letter to info@caqrecords.com. You can also view her videography work here and photography work here.
HCXO!