It's the summer of 2000, and I'm anticipating going into my 8th grade year of junior high school. I had big dreams of becoming the most successful pediatrician my small town of Opelousas, LA would have seen, and I told myself I was going to do whatever I needed to do to make that dream come true. I graduated from junior high as valedictorian of my class, and I was looking forward to my high school years to prepare myself hopefully going into my future as a doctor. As a teenager, like any other normal teenager, one of my favorite past times was watching music videos on BET. On one particular afternoon, I remember the network premiering this show called "106 & Park" with brand new hosts and TV personalities, AJ and Free. I remember watching that first show like it was yesterday. It didn't take me very long to say to myself, "Dang, that looks like a whole lot of fun. I want to do THAT for a living and whatever I gotta do to get THERE, that's what I'm going to do!" Just like that, in a matter of 30 seconds, my whole life plans changed.
The live audience members, the colors, the fashions, the music, the interviews, all of that was just so exciting for me, and from that very moment I made the conscious decision to pursue a career in music and entertainment as a TV personality. I researched, I followed AJ & Free's careers, I looked up the careers of other TV and radio personalities, and I set attainable goals for myself. It was so crucial to the point where I had everyone in my high school calling me "The Next Free of 106 & Park," and I was so serious about it.
Fast forward to my college years.
During my freshman year, I auditioned for BET Fresh Faces. I saw an ad about it on Bet.com on a Wednesday night. I paid for a greyhound bus ticket that same night and went to Houston, TX the following day. I was 17 years old. I completely sacrificed my first homecoming of my college years to audition for BET. I waited in line for 9 hours from 1am to 10am but ultimately, I didn't get chosen. I got past the 1st and 2nd rounds but that was it. After that moment, I pushed that dream to the side and veered into music marketing and promotions instead.
Now, I'm 18 years old. I'm with two of my home girls and I walk into this club that was being promoted by Webbie's brother. The party was so wack that I made a point to find the promoter and tell him. I walked up to this guy, looked him dead in his eyes and said, "Let me and my girls promote this party, and I promise you your next event will be poppin!" He looked at me, paused for a moment, then said, "Okay." August 21, 2007 was the birth of Glamorous Entertainment. His next party ended up being the BIGGEST pajama party Baton Rouge had seen. He ended up hiring us to promote his weekly events. Our company, Glamorous Entertainment, was the only female owned promotions company in Baton Rouge at the time, with an all female street team. We eventually took on other promo accounts.
While attending one of the parties we promoted, I noticed this chick walk in with all the local celebrities: Lil Boosie, Webbie, Foxx, the entire Trill Entertainment artist roster almost. The entire night I secretly tried to figure out who this woman was. She didn't give off groupie, in fact, she was telling them what to do! I then took it upon myself to find out. One day browsing Myspace, I learned she was the General Manager of Trill Entertainment, one of the most successful independent labels to come out of Louisiana, next to No Limit and Cash Money. I wanted a part of that, so I sent her a message simply saying that I started a new promotions company and if they ever needed any promo to give me a call. I eventually heard back from her and sure enough a month later she was calling to hire us to promote Foxx's "Street Gossip" album release. Her name is Courtney Scott, former GM of Trill Entertainment.
I believe we did a great job because we found ourselves sitting in the back of her car outside of a club one night being offered internships with the label. This of course was new to the three of us, but we looked at one another in silence and then all agreed to do it. Boom, in November 2007 we were now apart of the Trill Entertainment movement.
With the music business and the entertainment lifestyle at 19 years old, there comes trials and tribulations along with the glamor. Now that I was working with Trill, I had a lil status in the city. We worked very hard, but also played hard as well. Having local "celebrity" and being a party promoter, you are definitely on the club scene more than most. With that type of environment comes the money, attention from the wrong guys, jealous nature women, weed and alcohol; you are exposed to a lot of different things, people and situations. We've gotten robbed a couple times, I've seen people get shot and killed right next to me, I've been in the middle of some shoot outs, and I've lost some friends to that lifestyle and the jealousy. But through all of that, I never got caught up in any of it.
Fast forward to Spring 2008.
Around this time, we were gearing up to promote Webbie's "Savage Life 2" album in New Orleans, LA for the NBA All-Star weekend. That's when I was introduced to the National Promotions Director of Atlantic. I ended up assisting his New Orleans street team with Webbie promo. Little did I know, he had his eye on my grind and work ethic. You never know who's watching you. Once all of that chaos was over, I had my differences with the way Trill's GM handled certain situations, so I quit. I went on to do my own thing. One random day, I got a call from Atlantic's National Promo Director asking if I could find someone to handle a B.O.B. grass roots promo run in Baton Rouge. I told him "Sure, I'll find you somebody" and then hung up the phone. I think God slapped me in that moment to come to my senses because seconds later I called him back and said that I'd do it. I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do but I called all my DJ friends and asked them to come together at one of the local producer's studio to listen to B.O.B.'s mixtape. I set it up for B.O.B. to visit all the mom and pop stores in the city. I also called all the local magazine, TV and radio people to interview B.O.B. Later, I learned what I did was exactly what I was supposed to do. I was a natural at it. That was the birth of me interning for Atlantic. The following day the promotions director asked me to join the college rep team. That guy's name is Frank Johnson, former National Promotions Director of Atlantic and CEO of Task Force Marketing.
Now it's the summer of 2008, I'm in summer school and I'm going HARD for Atlantic. I also took advantage of my resources from the Mass Comm department and began making money as a videographer. The CEO of Trill took notice to what I was doing because one random day I received a Myspace message asking why I'd left the company. A couple weeks later, I got a call from the GM asking me to come in as a videographer. I accepted and I went from that to finding myself having a conversation about coming back to Trill as the Marketing Assistant. After negotiating terms and pay, I was the Marketing Assistant for Trill from August 2008 until things took a left turn for the company in 2009 - 2010. I was also still interning for Atlantic until I graduated from college in July of 2009.
Choosing to work for two labels, I had to give up some things. I had to sacrifice personal time, some friendships and even a relationship or two. People don't understand how demanding working in the music business is unless you are really doing it. I crabbed in Southern University's band in Fall 2006 and I gave that up, after accomplishing being section leader and receiving numerous accolades, in Fall 2008 so I would have time to focus on attaining my dreams of working in entertainment. I pledged Sigma Alpha Iota in Spring of 2006, but I couldn't come around and fraternize as much as I did prior to working for two labels, so unfortunately those relationships suffered with my frat sisters. I was in the social eye but I wasn't so social, if that makes any sense.
It took a toll on my personality. I began to form this "I don't really care about anything or anybody, except for what I'm trying to get done" type of attitude. I didn't really compromise much with other people's feelings or wants. I believe that's why my personal relationships in college failed, but I excelled in my school work and work for the labels. I disregarded a lot of things and people that didn't fall into MY initial plans. It was like I couldn't see anything, but what I wanted to see. With that, I didn't have boyfriends but I definitely had "friends" with benefits, which is never good. I don't care what anyone says. That is damaging to a young woman at the age of 21.
I had a great run with Trill and Atlantic. I was pretty much that chick, alongside Courtney Scott, in Baton Rouge, LA. We practically ran the social scene of that city. Working for Trill, I assisted Courtney with the day-to-day operations of the label, I had interns working under me as well, I managed national street teams of 14 different southern markets, we were coordinating some of the hottest events in Baton Rouge, and we worked with numerous professional NBA and NFL athletes giving back to the community. Working for Atlantic, I had my college campus on lock, partnering with different organizations to bring the artists on campus, coordinating meet and greets, and managing grass roots promo runs in the city. I even hosted SU's Spring Fest one year. I was the go-to chick for Trill and Atlantic in my city. I sacrificed my spring breaks to fly to NYC to shadow my bosses at Atlantic Records. Life was good for me.
And then BOOM, during the summer of 2009, God halted ALL of it. I'll never forget that day. Courtney, Turk (the Co-CEO of Trill) and I were sitting in the office late one night discussing some things. Turk got up and left to meet Mel, the other CEO, and that was that. Moments later, we received a message saying the Feds had picked up Turk and Mel at a local gas station up the street. That, along with Boosie getting arrested later down the line for a weed and gun charge, began the spiraling downfall for Trill Entertainment, as I knew it. We went from having a fully staffed office in Celtic Media Centre to letting everybody go and closing down shop. Until Turk and Mel got out of jail, it was ultimately just me and Courtney. Bail was set at $100,000 a piece and accounts were frozen. I was preparing to graduate from college so I had a tough decision to make. I remember sitting in that courtroom looking at everybody and saying to myself, "I need to make a decision. It's going to be me or them." After Turk and Mel were released from jail, Turk and I had a serious convo about what was soon going to be taking place. They had made plans to uproot the label to Atlanta. Standing outside of our old office, Turk had asked me to join them, but in that moment I felt God telling me, "I'm going to give you the free will to choose. I've been with you this entire time, but if you choose to go with them, then you are on your own." I looked Turk dead in his eyes and said that I loved them dearly and I thanked him for everything, but that was it for me.
At this point I was lost. I didn't know what to do or where to turn. I had just graduated from college, but all four years in college I was dedicated to working for Trill and Atlantic and was focused on that, so I didn't have any other job leads. I actually contemplated not pursuing my dream of being a music business and entertainment mogul anymore. It was that bad.
Now it's the Spring of 2010, I was in between dead beat jobs working for New York & Co. and some commission based marketing job. Courtney and I planned to move out of the house we were living in and I decided to move back home to Opelousas, LA before starting grad school at LSU. One day God sent an angel my way. I drove to New Orleans to have lunch with my big brother Marlon Favorite and he introduced me to his cousin. I had no idea that this woman would turn into one of my mentors and spiritual guides. God gave me favor with her because the night I packed my car up to go home, she called offering me a job working for BET in New Orleans. Of course I accepted. So I drove to Opelousas at 11pm to drop off my belongings at my mom's house. I woke up at 5am to drive two hours to make it to New Orleans in time to start working for BET the very next morning. Her name is Robin Kindrick.
Now, that job only lasted a month, but it was long enough for me to gain favor with my manager, Clive Bailey, to be referred for another position at CBS working for Nancy Grace's new show "Swift Justice." During the summer of 2010, I found myself moving to Atlanta, GA anyway. Who would have thought?
Atlanta was a whole other ball game. I didn't know anybody in the city but my cousin Bertell who I met while assisting the manager of his Capitol Records grass roots promo run in Baton Rouge and Clive, my boss at BET. I dove into it all head first without really planning anything out. At this point, I had the mindset of "just make it happen." Within two weeks of being in the city, I found myself in the studio with Bertell, Bryan Michael Cox and Troy Taylor. One thing about me, back then, I really didn't accredit God for any of the great things that happened in my life. I really felt like I was making it all happen on my own. But boy did He show me. When I first moved to the city I was working for CBS, but I lost that job in like 3 months because of social differences I was having with a co-worker. Then, I started working for Barbizon School of Modeling and Acting traveling all over Georgia representing the company at different high schools at recruiting events and career fairs. I also managed trunk shows and mall promotions at stores like Dillard's, Cache', Sophora, BeBe, etc. It may have seemed pretty glamorous but it was only a part-time job. I had car notes, insurance, rent and other bills, and the money wasn't really substantial or stable enough to keep me. I ended up being from pillar to post, staying with different friends, trying to "just make it happen" not even really knowing what I was making happen. I just knew I wanted and needed to stay in ATL. I fell deeper into the weed and alcohol. At the time, I didn't even
think about it becoming something like an addiction, it was just a part
of "the entertainment lifestyle" and you just don't think anything else of it. But I was doing more and more of it every day.
Although, God keeps his promises. January of 2011, He sent another angel my way. An angel who I was already familiar with because we both attended school at SU and he previously worked on Trill projects so we were already friends. One random night I was invited to go to the studio. Sitting in on the recording session, I ended up having a little fun and putting in my two cents. At the end of the night, I found myself signing what is called a split sheet. I hit up my mentor because this was something new to me and she ultimately set up a meeting with myself and Peniece Le Gall of SESAC, the Performing Rights Organization. That night I became a songwriter. That guy's name is TedyP.
Still, I didn't acknowledge God in any of it. He continued to break me down. Back tracking to October or November of 2010, while working at a jewelry store in Lenox Mall, I met someone. I believe he was another angel. God works in mysterious ways. Minutes after meeting him, I learned he was connected with close friends who also works in the music industry. This was a different encounter though. It was something about him that I liked and I pursued that interest to learn more. During this time, I had male friends. I was dating some high profile guys. I was going on dates, but I wasn't attached emotionally to any of them. It was something different about this one. Later on I learned that he would be my lesson on love that would teach me how to balance my time and efforts of pursuing my dreams with time and efforts of pursuing love, simultaneously. I eventually let go of everybody else I was interested in and solely focused in on him. God used him to make me vulnerable to break me down emotionally. Boom, Spring 2011, I fell in love. His name is Javon Dorsey.
Now of course, my situation would not be easy. God had another test in store for me. I reconnected with my old Atlantic Records college rep manager, Jamar Giddins, who is also the assistant to Frank Johnson. He learned I was in Atlanta, so he hired me to manage the grass roots promo for their newly signed R&B group. I was back in my element, but to my surprise and dismay, my love interest was a member of that newly signed R&B group. I had to make another decision. I felt like I had another shot and I wasn't going to let anything get in the way of it. I tried to make it work and figure out how to handle the situation, but our relationship ultimately suffered.
At this point, I was writing songs, putting together grass roots tours and still working part time jobs, but it still wasn't making me enough money to take care of myself. My bills were exceeding my income. I was still in between living situations. I found myself sleeping in my car for a couple days, but no one ever knew it. You would have never known my situation was that bad. I kept it together. I remember one night being in my car, I found the bible my mom gave me and just started reading scriptures from Proverbs and Psalms. That day I felt God telling me, "You've got to get connected to Me." I heard what He said, but I totally didn't listen. I kept doing what I was doing and He broke me down even more.
April 2011, after all my promo runs were completed, my car got repossessed. I'll never forget that phone call. I was in the studio writing a song which got interrupted by a call from my mother and the car dealership telling me I had 24 hours to turn in my car or legal action would take place. I was behind in payments like $2,000. I remember calling around asking for help and someone actually told me I should go to the local strip club. Good thing, I had more sense than to listen to that foolishness. Even though I went through a lot of rough times, I never gave in to the pressures of fast money by degrading myself: videos, urban modeling, stripping, none of that bullshit. That day, I made the decision to give up Atlanta and go back home to Opelousas, LA. So I packed up my belongings, and I left. It didn't even phase me. I just knew I had to "keep it moving."
I was at home in Opelousas for all of maybe three days before I got a call from Jamar telling me he'd hired me for Musiq Soulchild's "MusiqIntheMagiq" album release promo in ATL. I also received a phone call from Motion Family to assist in the production of Big Krit's "Country Shit" video shoot. So I was faced with another decision to go back to ATL but I felt this was my chance to give it all or nothing, one more time. I was offered to stay with a mutual friend so once again in the matter of a week I was moving BACK to Atlanta in May of 2011. You can only imagine what my attitude on life was at this point. I'm 23 years old, no car, and I'm just out here trying to get it. Nobody could understand me at this point. It's crazy because once you see a certain level of success in this business, it's hard to just accept anything less. You almost become a "mad man" or woman trying to obtain your goals. But once again, I didn't acknowledge God in any of it.
Even though I was stripped of everything, the spring and summer of 2011 seemed pretty good. I started attending church every Sunday which was great for me spiritually. It opened me up to a relationship with God. I was spending a lot of time with my dude when he was in town from promo, and we seemed to be growing and learning more and more about one another. I seemed to be enjoying life. Managing promo tours for Atlantic, I felt like I was finally on my way to growing within the company, so I was happy. Little did I know, there were more trials and tribulations to come. I learned that certain people who were some what close to me didn't want to see me succeed. It was almost like I reached a climax, as far as I could go on my own, and there was nothing left to take place but the falling action.
I met the group's project manager who allowed me to fly to NYC to shadow her in Atlantic's office for an entire week. While I was in NYC, I learned that one of the group's managers called her on Memorial Day to tell her that he didn't want me to work on their project. That put me in a very tough situation with the label and with their project manager. I ended up fighting through that. Although, that was the first disappointment. In June 2011, I was offered by Atlantic's Project Manager to interview for her and another Project Manager's assistant position. I just knew I had that in the bag. I knew by August of 2011 I would be moving to NYC, but I didn't get the position. That was the second disappointment. Then my relationship with my dude took a left turn and I hadn't spoke to or seen him for like 4 months. That was the third disappointment. Around August 2011, Atlantic offered me a promotions manager position instead. I was supposed to start September 1st but then out of no where I found myself competing for that position with the person who formerly held that title. They went back and forth twice about it. I had the job, then I didn't have the job. I didn't have the job, then I had the job. September went by, then I was supposed to start October 1st. Ultimately, I didn't get the job because later on I learned the same person who called the project manager, threw more salt on my name with the radio regional who'd I be working under. That was the last draw for me. By this time, I'm not caring about anything too much. "Trust" was the last word in my vocabulary. I moved out and went to stay with someone else and was at my lowest point in life. I was smoking and drinking, not really monitoring how much of it I was doing. I was in and out of clubs, mostly because of work. The most interesting part of it all, I still managed to find my way to church, every single Sunday. I was praying for something to happen, not anything in particular, but just something. I felt like I was in complete darkness.
One day, God heard my prayer, and answered it.
He sent the dream team to deliver me from it all. During the Fall of 2011, I was getting closer with the Bishop and First Lady of my church and I agreed to assist the Bishop in planning a conference for the young adults of our congregation. That, spiritually, forced me to stop smoking.
Then Robin, one of my mentors and spiritual guides, started praying for me and prophesying over me. She gave me scripture to read. She helped me to deal with my personal issues and job related issues. She helped me to see the light and helped me to understand what it is I was doing and not doing. She challenged me to do better for myself and be a better person.
One night, I was just fed up with it all. Sitting in complete darkness, I tearfully cried out to God to tell me what I needed to do. I don't remember how long after that moment, but He used Robin as His vessel, a prophetess, to tell me if I move back home and give up everything I was involved in from trying to pursue this dream on my own, to my relationships, to holding on to Atlanta and everything involved with this lifestyle, that in six months He would restore me back up and take me places I could not have dreamed of. All I had to do was give up everything and get connected to Him. I didn't even hesitate. The very next day, God made a way for me to get back to Louisiana. I spent Thanksgiving in ATL w/ my dude and his family and two days later I was on my way back to Opelousas, LA.
Fast forward to January 2012.
I'm back home, in the country, not really knowing what the plan is for my life. All I know is, God made me a promise and I'm holding Him to His word. At first I said I was going to get a job. I interviewed at a lot of different places, but no one hired me. All of my job experience was is in music marketing and television production. There aren't really many opportunities for that in Opelousas. At this point, I'm focusing on building my relationship with God and getting back focused on enrolling into grad school. I totally disconnected myself from social media and didn't really communicate with anyone from the industry or past relationships. I dedicated myself to attending bible study as well as going to church every Sunday. I was spending a lot of time with my family and catching up with old friends from high school. The change of scenery and calmness of the country was actually quite refreshing for me. I started looking at being home more as a spiritual retreat. I became content with the idea of staying in Louisiana and I also thought about the possibility of starting a life and foundation back home. I prayed every single day and put God at the center of my life. I saw the light and felt God' presence.
It wasn't all pretty though. I definitely had my moments where I broke down and cried, still kind of lost and feeling defeated in it all. But being home taught me how to put ALL my trust in God, that He would completely provide for my life. He gave me a promise, but His question to me was, when it's all said and done "Can I trust you with My complete favor?"
It's now March (the 4th month) and one day during prayer, I asked God for direction on what to do. I simply heard Him say, "Fast. Fast every Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 3pm. Do not consume any food or water during that time." So I fasted for two months straight, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I ended up praying for friends and family, along with myself, to the point where I had this extensive prayer list. One by one, things I had been praying for were coming to pass. That showed me the power of my faith in God.
It's now April (the 5th month) and I'm starting to think back on the promise God had made me. I'm beginning to pray even harder and hold God to His own word, staying in faith and remaining obedient. One Sunday, a man walked up to me after service and asked if I had been baptized. Weeks earlier, I had contemplated the thought but I didn't know what to do to follow through. Even while the man asked me this, I heard myself give him an excuse saying, "No, but I'll just do it another time." As he continued to talk to me, I didn't hear anything he was saying, but I heard the Holy Ghost say, "This is your chance to get everything you've ever wanted." I got baptized that day. I believed that's when the gates of heaven opened for me and blessings were poured out.
It's now May (the 6th month). At this point, me and my mom had a disagreement about me going to grad school that led me to move in with my sister. I was STILL going through stuff. It definitely gets the hardest when breakthrough is right around the corner. I moved in with my sister, still praying very hard for my breakthrough to happen, believing in every word God spoke to me within these six months. I had been at her house 2 weeks before I got a call from World Changers Church International in Atlanta, GA. I was being offered to interview for the Executive Assistant position to the General Manager of Arrow Global Entertainment, the umbrella for Arrow Records, Arrow Soul and Arrow Entertainment. God had been working behind the scenes in my favor the entire time! My faith, praying and fasting had moved some major mountains. I got the call on a Friday afternoon. I returning the call on Sunday. The HR recruiter called me back on Monday and I was back in Atlanta interviewing for the position on a Wednesday. I got hired the exact same day. Now, I am 24 years old and the Executive Assistant to Cappriccieo Scates, the GM of Arrow Global Entertainment and former Senior Director of SESAC. God kept his promise, because little did I know it's a Gospel/Christian label as well as a secular R&B, Pop and Hip Hop label. I also have potential to grow within the company and one day run a satellite branch of the label in a city of my choice. We are a national and international label. The possibilities are unparalleled to any other company I've ever worked for before. With God's direction, I'm still writing music, I'm on my way to becoming a music mogul and I may even get to still work in television, if the Lord works it out that way. All I had to do was turn my life over to God and put Him first.
I'm beginning the next chapter of my life and I'm just getting started.
I hope this inspires someone who's chasing after success in this music industry to put God first and at the center of their life.
That's my story. Thanks for reading. I'll probably end up writing a book, produce a TV show and make a movie or something once I hit 20 years in the business. Stay tuned for more..... :-)
-J.Couture
