EVENTS: Made in the DMV Conference (Washington, D.C.)

I consistently find myself hearing about or getting invited to a bunch of different industry events, and now I'm starting to actually go check some of them out. As I've stated before, it is my goal to get out there and learn and network with people, all in the hopes of growing professionally and personally, and having a good time too!

Today was the first annual Made in the DMV Conference, which featured music and media professionals in various workshops and panel discussions, giving their advice to mainly upcoming music artists but also bloggers as well. Some of the panelists included Tony Lewis, Jr. (DCorNothing), DJ Heat (WPGC 95.5), DJ Money (WKYS 93.9), Zechariah Wise (Depth Charge), Angela Byrd (IGotIt4Free), DJ Marauder (The Fader), Kayenecha Daughterty (Grammys DC Chapter), Rob Markman (MTV), and so many more! Topics included monetizing your movement, branding, submitting your music to media, and a ton of other great material that was absolutely FREE! The best way to really make it in this industry is to learn how it works and then take that information and hustle. It was great to see so many people out, and it wasn't just artists. I saw fashion designers, graphic designers, bloggers, and a bunch of others all there to learn, discuss, network, and grow. It was amazing.

There was also a concert/showcase for handpicked upcoming artists tonight as well, though I wasn't able to make that. I'm sure it was amazing though! Check out some of my pictures from the Made In The DMV conference below!

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The conference was a great experience, I'm sure, for upcoming artists that were present, especially from the DMV where it's a struggle to break into entertainment. They got to listen to seasoned vets in the industry who know what they should and shouldn't be doing from production, to licensing and publishing, to interfacing with the media. AND IT WAS FREE. Seriously, if you are an artist from here, and you didn't go, you missed out! It was also good for me because there were two blogger panels that gave me some insight on what I should be doing for Spotlight, reminder points on the basics and why I do what I do, and overall encouraged me to keep working towards my goals as an entertainment blogger. Every year, things get bigger and bigger, and, at the same token, harder and harder, but being surrounded by these talented professionals reminded me that I can do this.

Looking forward to next year's conference! Great job to all those involved!