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

Hi Mr., what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Great question! I can’t answer that question without giving the back story. Moving forward, the reason why it is a great question is because many think about starting a business but very few execute. With me, it really started when I turned 17 years old. As I was growing up where I lived, it was really more about the conventional jobs like your typical blue collar positions or Corporate America. I tried them all! Not only did I try them all, I tried both industries on many conventional levels thinking that was what I was supposed to do because I was worried about making sure I fit in even though I knew I was different from the climate that was presented to the city. The feeling I possessed during that I knew I was not built to be in that specific environment. It was just not for me! So, my hardheadedness or insubordination, if you will, came from me knowing the fact that I was not that type of person. Mind you I was only 15 or 16 at the time. I was very young but I knew. I couldn’t hold a job down but I could always get one. I never put myself in position to be comfortable to keep that job because I was always thinking about something else. The very thing I was thinking about was how to entertain the people because deep down in my heart, bones, and blood I knew I would entertain people. I remember when I met an individual and we started talking about life and life goals. I began to speak on my life and life goals and became involved in the fashion industry first. I then thought this is dope and I realized that it can be done. I always had a niche for fashion because both of my parents were/are very well dressed so I knew I could make due with what I knew.

At the age of 19 I was hired at #1 mens formal wear shop in the city. I never thought I would get hired but I saw the ad and just figured I would apply. I received a call for an interview and immediately got excited because I knew the job was mine. I have always been huge on “as long as I get in the door” I was going to be straight. S/O to Cedric because he was the one that called me AND he was black but he didn’t know I was black. I accepted the interview not knowing what I was about to get myself into. I had braids at the time but I was well spoken. I shopped in my G-Pa’s closet because he had a look I wanted to go for which was obviously a mature look provided the age I was at the time. I wore olive green as the dominant color to be exact. During that time olive green was where it was at…LOL. I was interviewed and to make this long story short, I was hired! I was shocked that it only took a day or so to get a call back but I was not surprised that I was hired! I was the only black sales associate at that time let alone the youngest sales associate. While working there I learned a lot. I learned to deal with people on a prestigious level. Previously, I spoke on dealing with many different people but this job taught me how to capitalize on that. There was a common ground everyone played on and that was “looking and feeling good” as men. Mind you, I definitely stated earlier what was available to me career wise in the city. What I began to understand was that all the previous jobs I had there were men who wanted to look nice whether it be while at work or off work and I had the skill and talent to show anyone that walked through that storefront, they could be what they desired. I immediately figured out to not only sell products but to sell myself in order to sell products. Moving forward, I started thinking I can really do this and began to create a business within a business with the teachings of senior sales associates, management, upper level management, and executives. As I was working there, many would come in there from many different walks of life but all wanted the same thing and that was to look good. I was able to match clothing like no other and of course I took pride in that. I would get off work and attend many collegiate parties dressed in company attire with feedback and attention that was grand to the confidence. I then began to receive clientele from the collegiate crowd also. I knew that if I was able to do it for a company then I would be able to do it for myself! @mister_houze

By the age 21, I began to model tuxedos and I got paid to do so. All I did to make that happen was introduce myself and inquire about an ad they had in the window of the shop for bridal shows. I expressed my interest as well as was able to sell myself based on the skill set I acquired at the mens formal wear shop. Not only did I start modeling tuxedos but I was a face for some other things as well. One day I got a call from the tuxedo shop and they informed me that someone had come in there to solicit sponsorship for a fashion show. When the tuxedo shop hopped on board they immediately thought of me. I received a phone call from the tuxedo shop and they gave me the contact information to the curator of the fashion show. Now, simultaneously I had this vision of starting my own clothing store. I had some very great ideas that were ahead of their time which are currently in play for many others in the fashion industry but I couldn’t do it then because I did not have the capital to execute those ideas let alone protect those ideas. I started designing and making my own clothes, many of which I don’t have anymore; however my mother still has a pair of jeans I designed for her when I was around 16 yrs old. All the while I kept coming up with new ideas. Going back to the fashion show, I accepted the stylist position for the fashion show. It was a moment that changed my life forever and played a pivotal part in my life. It was something that was very huge for me and many didn’t understand that, especially where I grew up. I was the youngest one doing what I was doing and I was the youngest one with the thought process I had. I am not saying this to take away from anyone else’s thought process because many had very great ideas. I just was the youngest executing. I moved through the city differently and I had a tendency of rocking with all walks of life which was uncommon as I was growing. People tried but I was actually doing it but once again they didn’t know how I moved through the city because I never spoke upon my vibrations. I never stuck to one specific peer group. I wanted to learn and the only way to do so was to BE DIFFERENT! I rocked with the young, my age, older, different cultures, races, colors, creed, and backgrounds! It didn’t matter to me but what I did know was that I was different. So I took it upon myself to create what I knew and what I began to create was something that was designed for me and most importantly for the masses. At times it was hard to digest and/or get across to others. I wanted to be ahead of the curve so I did a lot of research on major cities and the industry in those major cities. Majority of the time it was at bookstores that supplied all the fashion magazines one could think of.

During my involvement with the fashion show I met a DJ. Then is when my journey in entertainment started. He became a staple in my forward progress in entertainment. I would always accompany him at gigs and he started to introduce me to other DJ’s. As time progressed I found myself around social circles that needed DJ’s for their parties so of course I took that as an opportunity to express that I knew one. At that point I booked my first DJ. Once I booked my first DJ, I realized that I enjoyed the process of doing so. I knew that is what I was meant to do and I was on to something. During all of that I was also around promoters, producers, musicians, and artists. I myself have always been a writer, made music, a motivator, a strong willed individual, and a mentor. I have always been someone to lean on, a poet, a king, a listener, a go-getter, and the shade and comfort for many. I have always been a Leo, a protector, observant, vocal, and positive. I have always been forward thinking, for the people, misunderstood, and I have always been ME! Once I began to understand that, I knew it was GAME TIME! @mister_houze

What should our readers know about your business?
So, I left off when I knew it was GAME TIME! I knew it was game time because I realized what I was capable of. During that time I had a BEST FRIEND named “Illz” who I had known since 2nd grade and was very like minded. We knew that we had something special regarding the Entertainment/Music industry and we wanted to be involved. In high school we really meshed due to a detention we had together. LOL……I knew he wrote and he knew I wrote so to pass the time, we started writing bar for bar notes during detention all the while making sure we did not get caught by the residing teacher. So what did we do next might you ask? We set out to obtain our own equipment. For “Illz” 21st birthday, I was able to acquire 2 12″ Techniques and a mixer. Before that we were always writing and making music because I had purchased a Yamaha 270 Keyboard and I had a Karaoke Machine with dual tape decks so we thought we were studio monsters and definitely were not. My Yamaha wasn’t the best but we could create the feeling that we were looking for at least at that time. I remember if my board was unplugged too long then everything I created would get erased. I could only save 3 compositions with 6 tracks per composition at a time on it. I was young so I recorded them on tape with the karaoke machine and did not save them to a disk at the time because I didn’t know better. Don’t ask where those tapes are now because I couldn’t even begin to tell you…..LOL. As time progressed, we stepped our freestyle game up and we started to battle each other. I would take my keyboard and karaoke machine to house parties, set up, and get it rocking because there were other MC’s as well. Trust that we thought we were killing the game! LOL We were just some Midwest kids that loved the Entertainment/Music Industry and wanted what other regions around us had and had access to. We would always be excited to share information with one another whether it was something we read or saw. Once we got to a certain point, I knew there was more to it than the information we were getting. So, I set out to find out what more was. I had a car at the time but I didn’t want to use it so I would hop on the city bus and ride around the city to see the city from a different point of view. Also, to use the people skills I had acquired when I was 19. I yearned for the opportunity to get “vocal with the locals” and I did just that! “Illz” never understood that at the time but of course he grew to understand it to the fullest. As time progressed, I started hanging out with my aunt who went by “Shy” at the time. By the way, she has a book called “Poetic Medicine” OUT NOW! She took me under her wing and took me to my first poetry show which led to the introduction to spoken word. When she took me to my first show, I immediately fell in love because I had finally found my kind of vibe. When I heard it I knew instantly I wanted something to do with that form of artistry especially due to me having a liking to writing. I expressed my interest in it with her and she gifted me Soul Tree which later became S.O.U.L. Tree. Which stands for Strongly Opinionated Urban Living Tree. It was supposed to be an entertainment company but essentially turned into a clothing brand. @mister_houze

When I got a grasp on spoken word I banned together with a couple of gentlemen I call brothers and we formed “The 3 Wisemen” and started curating spoken word shows. My role was event coordinator. From libation specials all the way down to seating schematics. I didn’t steer away from it because I had learned the importance of things like that from the mens formal wear store. We put our shows together and they were successful. While we were doing that we received a phone call from a prominent event connoisseur in the city to promote for a major comedian out of Chicago named Sonya D. That is when I realized that entertainment is what I was meant to do. I then became even more excited. Of course as many things in one’s journey, it didn’t last due to internal differences.

Once that happened I started curating my own shows and events which became successful as well. Once I had that experience under my belt I then over time presented an idea to “Illz” about a record label. “Illz” had some pets in his home and every time I would arrive they knew I was there. So one day I stated this is an animal house. From that moment forward we began to make music and plot on our next move. I moved out of the city we lived in and went off to school where I gained more knowledge of the entertainment/music industry. I received my degree in Entertainment & Media Business with Management and revisited the idea of a record label name with “Illz” that became “Animal Houze”! It was not easy at first because it was a start-up. Nothing is easy when it first starts because the culture of the company had not been established just yet. It was all about making records and shaking hands all the while being protective of our brand and product. After some time differences set in and we split but never disrupted the energy we created to produce “Animal Houze”. We knew where we started and we knew where we planned on ending so that kept us at ease with one another. Overtime, I took the label to another level and created other additions to the label which in turn turned it into a fully functioning label/entertainment company and still building. I saw it for what it should be and for what my initial business partner saw it to be.

The reason why it is called “Animal Houze” in all Greek Letters is because we were never a part of a fraternity but we always felt like we had our own all the while showing high respect for the collegiate ones. I wanted to create my own. I set out to create something for our fellow brothers and sisters that were never a part of or never got an opportunity to be a part of one, but on the entertainment/music side! The vision was to create a conglomerate of industry professionals under one roof metaphorically speaking and get whatever one needed regarding their entertainment/music needs. We would all play a pivotal role in one another’s career and future with the knowledge that we could all count on each other to deliver. Whether it be production, photo’s, video’s, entertainment/music business, consultations, marketing, promotion, entertainment/music law, networking, etc. I sought out to create a one stop shop. Now, the movie “Animal House” was an inspiration because of how it was about the Greek Life and how we were living at the time. Of course I became intrigued by the HBCU Greek Life and that became even more of a monumental example. At that point I began to build! The very first event under Animal Houze was the “Animal Houze Music Awards”. That was the company “Going Public” not to be confused with an IPO. I just wanted the public to know we were here and we were not going anywhere. That was a success and I obtained 2 wonderful artist named “Metane” and “P-Butta” who of course have music out now. Since then Animal Houze has taken strides to do the impossible as an Indie Label and will continue to climb as much as God will allow us to! @official_animal_houze

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am huge on my guest seeing what they want. If they are coming to visit, I like to give them the opportunity to provide their ideas on what they would like to see or experience. Whatever happens from there….happens! I want to give them an opportunity to explore and please themselves. I am not a big itinerary type of person. Not even when I go visit someone. @official_animal_houze

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To be honest I have a very large list of significant people to S/O! They know exactly who they are! Hands down my Parents and Grandparents. Anyone else, if they are reading this and I currently communicate with them then this goes out to them as well. My network and dealings stretch far and wide so I have to keep the answer to this question light! @official_animal_houze

Other: Company IG Tags

Corporate Animal Houze IG: official_animal_houze

Founder/CEO Instagram: @mister_houze

Artist Department Metane (Pronounced Meh-Tane) IG: @thisismetane P-Butta IG: @butta2dap

Film Department IG: @upfilmz

Radio Department (Coming Soon) Animal Houze Radio IG: @animalhouzeradio

DJ Department: Animal Houze DJs (Coming Soon)

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