Meet Shelter Ukpe | DJ and Visual Motion Graphic artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shelter Ukpe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelter, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I really didn’t have much of a thought process behind starting my own business. I just had a dream, and i wanted to turn it into a reality. Sure there was some planning in what path I wanted my business to follow, but I mainly just made the most of every opportunity that was given to me. Life is an adventure that you either enjoy or dread, and I choose to enjoy the ride as I see where it takes me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Well if you haven’t already picked up on it by now, my business is DJing and making motion graphics for other artist and/or bars to use as part of there shows or night time entertainment. It’s hard to say what really sets me apart from others that do what I do, because we do interact with one another and share ideas and techniques. I do enjoy passing on what I learn to other people that are either stuck or up and coming, because it just leaves a good feeling with me seeing people grow and really enjoy what they’re doing. I got where I am today with help from people already well established in what I’m pursuing, so why not pass on the knowledge? Granted it wasn’t easy to make it to where I am, especially when it comes to meeting the right people. I’m definitely blessed to meet everyone that I’m know now, because without them I wouldn’t be able to keep the joy and happiness that I had when I first started this venture.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ummm…..wow yeah so many things to go do and/or see. Yeah, where to start? Monday – definitely hitting up a dope food spot (there are so many to choose from) then, take them to experience the “Turtle Races” at Whiskey Garden. Yes, it’s a party that has turtles racing each other as part of the entertainment, Tuesday – hitting up another food place then ending the day at El Chingon in Fort Worth for Taco Tuesdays and drinks. Yeah, another party there as well. Wednesday – hitting up another dope food spot, then more than likely Whiskey Garden for Surf ‘n’ Turf. What happens afterwards depends on how exhausted I am or my guest(s) is/are. Thursday – Probably spend the day sleeping and resting, then at night there’s so many places to choose from. It really depends where all my friends are at since we could end up in Dallas, Fort Worth, or even Denton for the night. There is a good chance I would use this day to just rest as well. Friday – Catch a light meal and get ready for my gig since I DJ Friday nights at a venue. The venue varies each Friday so i can’t say for sure. Keep tabs on my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat to find out where. Saturday – Catch a meal at another spot, then I would either be DJing that night or I would go out and network while visiting friends at their gigs. Good chance, I may end up doing a “guest DJ set” without being told how long or when. i usually find that out while I’m there. Sunday – I’ll keep it short and say Sunday Funday Shenanigans in Dallas or Fort Worth……..or in both cities. usually starting at noon and ending at 2am. This includes me DJing as well either during the day or at night. This is a rough summary, but this be the general idea of what a week would typically be……..somewhat. It varies with the nightly activities.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people that contributed to this, this will be probably the longest ever. I know there will be names that I probably would forget to add as well, because everyone that had a chance to work with played a big roll. The main people I want to shout out is my Mom and Dad for really supporting me in making the decision to pursue DJing as a career path. I, also, want to shout out my sister Fallon for all the encouraging words she gave me to keep going with it. Outside of them, just use my Facebook friend’s list and you’ll get a pretty good idea of how long of a list this really will be if I was to go through with all the mentions. When it comes to visual graphics, all the credit goes to Cynthia Long for getting me hooked on it. She showed me the basics, and it all just took off from there.

Instagram: @iamshelter_

Twitter: @iamshelter281

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Other: Snapchat: @iamshelter