DJ Qbert
DJ/Musician
San Francisco, California

In his quest to understand the secrets of the universe and discover the meaning of life, DJ Qbert is constantly learning and sharing knowledge with others. After a night of awe inspiring scratching he still takes time to meet everyone. Promoting the importance of finding balance in your life, loving what you do, and sharing that love with everyone around you, Qbert’s creativity has transformed (crabbed, flared and orbited) the world of scratch DJing. Reflecting on everything he said I am beginning to understand that all things happen at specific times for specific reasons. Maybe today is the day you are introduced to a truly profound DJ.

DMC
MC/Musician
New York, New York

“It’s not how you got here. It’s now that you are here what are you going to do?” These words were spoken by DMC while discussing his adoption. Since this life changing revelation, at 35 years of age, DMC has been championing adoption causes. I bring this to light because we all have a purpose. As DMC explained his purpose was to use his status, as a member of the world renowned rap group Run DMC, to help these children feel their worth. It poses the question how can we help others?
In The Career Cookbook interview DMC talks about what hip-hop means to him, offers advice on the music industry for aspiring MCs, and shares his love for the Cold Crush Brothers. 

DJ Annalyze
DJ/ Musician
Rochester, New York

I met DJ Annalyze at Thud Rumble’s Spin the Battle event in San Francisco. She was there to represent the females in showcasing her scratch skills. A few weeks later I reconnected with her in a Brooklyn coffee shop for The Career Cookbook interview. She spoke about the nomadic lifestyle of DJs, the challenges of being a female turntablist in a male dominated scene, and offered practical career advice on DJing.

Samer Hamadeh
CEO
New York, New York

Sometimes things are lacking or do not exist so we have to create them; this is how an entrepreneur thinks. Samer Hamadeh and his friends saw a shortage of insider information on careers in the marketplace which led them to creating their company, Vault. Ten years later Vault is still going strong providing quality content on careers for those seeking guidance. Come read about Samer, it’s CEO, as he offers advice for entrepreneurs on how to fund business ventures and what to expect in the long, but rewarding road ahead.      

Karen Lin
Freelance Music Video Producer/Filmmaker
Los Angeles, California

Karen Lin has always been interested in the movies and helping change the world for the better. While attending graduate school, studying Public Policy, she directed her first short film. Karen currently works as a freelance music video producer and has her own production company, ZuZu films, where one of her goals is to create projects that shine a positive light on Asian Americans.

Sachin Shenolikar
Associate Editor
New York, New York

Sachin Shenolikar has always loved sports and journalism, writing for his high school and college newspapers. He started working in book publishing, soon realizing he wanted to pursue a career in magazines. He then landed a freelance fact checking job while still employed at the book company. Sachin is a great example of someone putting in the necessary effort and energy to make his dreams come true. As a result he gets to channel his creative side as an Associate Editor at SI for Kids. Reward yourself by seeking out work that inspires you.  

Jason Hsiao
Freelance TV Producer
New York, New York & Los Angeles, California

Jason Hsiao changed careers as a result of the Internet boom and bust. He ended up in New York City as a Production Assistant on the Television show Crank Yankers. There he found a love for comedy and TV production. He has gone on to work on other comedy programs with David Spade and Colin Quinn. Keep reading to find out about the life of a freelance producer and how humbling, but rewarding TV jobs can be.