Where you grew up and your background can often have surprising effects on our lives and careers. We’ve asked folks from the community to tell us about how their background has affected them.

Krisiz Jay | Songwriter & Recording Artist

That’s a great question. And one I get often due to my accent and mannerisms. I’m from Memphis, Tennessee. Growing up in Memphis was an essential part of my life, due to how things can go from alright to messed up quickly. Memphis impacted my mind state in ways I couldn’t imagine at first.  Read more>>

Nicole Kasper | Co-Founder and Head of Management – Odyssey Entertainment Group

I grew up in Salinas, CA, an agricultural heartland renowned for its affinity for country music. I started singing Country music at 9 years old, thanks to my mom introducing me to LeAnn Rimes, The Chicks, and Trisha Yearwood on our drives. The sounds of Leann Rimes and Patsy Cline fueled my ambitions to become a country music artist. Read more>>

Jeremy Johnson | Co-Founder Johnson Talent Management

My childhood was spent on our family farm, eight miles down a gravel road from a town of 500 people, called Elkhorn, in Canada. We lived on the prairies in a tight knit community, where everyone still knows everyone, and their cousins, and their grandparents, and their pets… you get the picture. Being raised in the country, raised cattle, drove tractors and went to church. Read more>>

Kito Denham | Audio Engineer, DJ, Producer & Recording Artist

I was born on an Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA but raised in Columbus, OH. My mother’s side of the family resides here so majority of my immediate family is here also. Growing up, I was exposed to music and art at an early age. Funk music was really popularized here in Ohio so that was a big part of my youth.  Read more>>

Bing Fu | Actor

of Knoxville. For those who might not know, it was known as “The Secret City” as it was developed and built in secrecy during World War 2 as part of the Manhattan Project – the U.S. effort to develop an atomic bomb.  Read more>>