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

Hi Mazi, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Both of my parents are entrepreneurs, so thats all I saw growing up. I never saw my father or mother punch a clock, they were always doing their own thing, from restaurants to cafes, to jewelry stores print shops, etc. That’s what was instilled in me since a kid, be my own boss.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m most known for my work as a video director, but I tell people often, that I am a “visual artist”, meaning I create visuals and I do so in many different disciplines. But I do love cinematography. I began my career doing music videos, I’ve worked with Cardi B., Akon, French Montana, Lil Kim, Ceelo Green, Redman, I mean the list can go on and on, but lately I have been focused on narrative work. Movies and TV. I recently finished a horror movie titled Xavier, I’m extremely excited about that. I wrote and produced it, and co-directed it with my friend Chatejah George. The movie is the first African American masked serial killer, and honestly I think he’d kick Michael Meyers ass in a one on one. Aside from that I have another project called “Til Death Do Us..” about a married couple and infidelity, it’s a thriller. Both projects are releasing in couple months, plus I have a reality show called “Weight For Love” about these beautiful plus sized women looking for love. I’m always working on something, that’s just who I am, I really am one of those people that enjoys his work because it’s my art, it’s my escape from the world, it’s my safe space. I enjoy analyzing the interests of the human mind and finding ways to translate that into visuals. It’s not always easy to be a professional artist, most of us struggle in the beginning, I’ve had nights that I’ve slept in my car just because I refused to give up on myself. I think for me the way I overcame my challenges was through faith first, I truly believed in my talent, and not just in a non-verifiable way, but in a real examples way, I knew I had talent. Something that helped me whenever I would ask “why hasn’t it happened for me yet?” is something I read about the “10,000 hour rule”. which states that the key to achieving true expertise in any skill is simply a matter of practicing, in the correct way, for at least 10 000 hours. I told myself that until I reach 10k hours I should have NO expectation of success. That relieved me of so much stress, and it forced me to just go harder in my craft. I would also make sure to consume positive and motivational content, there is a book called “The Secret” I would watch the video version regularly and work on attracting the right things to me. One lesson I’d say I learned over the years is that you have to be willing to do things even when you don’t feel like it. Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard. I want the world to know that I think outside the box, that’s who I am, and I am a marketing & promotions genius. I will come up with the greatest ways to get people to see you or your work. That’s why outside of my visual work, I have an agency; The Mazio Company. (www.TheMazioCompany.com) and I work with creatives to pair their art with visibility plans.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a recent transplant to Georgia, but some of my favorite places to go are Atlanta Underground for First Fridays, it’s an event that happens the first Friday of every month, put on by the Arts Atlanta I think. Anyway, it’s a VIBE, they have music, food, poetry, film, comedy, games, and a bunch of Art. I love it, I go every month, and let me tell you, it’s a bunch of attractive people there too. My other go to spot to chill is Ponce City Market, I can get some food or stop in the crystal store to get some sage, or whatever. Sometimes I just pull up with my laptop and do some editing when I need a change of scenery. Also they have the rooftop as well to take a date, and get into those activities as well. I don’t really go out to clubs, but I’d throw in some bowling and roller skating too, gotta go skating if you in the A. And maybe get a bite to eat from Slutty Vegan, Milk & Honey, and That Burger! (I like their menu a lot).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would definitely like to shout out my cousin and mentor Kedar Massenburg, he taught me a lot about the music industry ever since I was younger. He used to be the head of Motown, but he also discovered and signed Eryka Badu, India Arie, D’Angelo, Kem, and a few others that kicked off the whole Neo-Soul era. He has always been like a big brother to me, and even managed my career for awhile, so I have to shout him out.

Website: www.ThemazioCompany.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/DirectedByMazio

Linkedin: Mazi Oyo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081337208573&sk=about

Image Credits
Rickey Allen

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.