“Real World: Denver” alum & rising DJ Davis Mallory talked about his passion for music and his experience in the music industry in this edition of “A Conversation.” (Photo property of Andre Rowlett)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Imagine you just finished participating in a season of one of MTV’s most recognizable reality TV shows of all-time! While everyone is celebrating at the show’s after-party, one single question haunts your mind: “What am I going to do next?” That was the question Davis Mallory asked the producer of the show at the wrap party and was trying very hard to answer.
Ten years ago, producers of MTV’s The Real World selected Davis to be one of seven castmates that starred in the Mile High City edition of the iconic docuseries. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Davis began a quest to work at MTV and its parent company: Viacom. He became a correspondent for several LOGO websites including AfterElton.com, TheBacklot.com, and NewNowNext.com. While he interviewed several artists including Ellie Goulding, Janelle Monae, and NERVO, Davis also added host to his resume and later became the host of the Grand Ole Opry’s Opry.TV.
In addition to his hosting responsibilities, Davis dove face first into the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) genre as Astralwerks Records’ Marketing Coordinator. Under the watchful eyes of his mentor, Glenn Mendlinger, Davis assisted in the creation of numerous campaigns that highlighted new projects from music superstars David Guetta, Empire of the Sun, Kylie Minogue, and Swedish House Mafia. While he continued to work in the EDM industry, Davis decided to do something he had longed to do: become a DJ. He began his training at the Dubspot School of Electronic Music in New York City (NYC). Under the tutelage of mentor Tyrone Jason Lee (owner of Rong Records) Davis went from DJing at the famous NYC nightclub Pacha to performing at the CMA Fest and working with artists such as Aaron Carter, Nikki Williams and Ruby Amanfu.
Davis took time out of his busy schedule to sit down for A Conversation. In this edition, Davis opened up about his passion for the entertainment industry, his favorite interviews and how working at a record label reignited his desire to become an artist.
Jacob Elyachar: When did you get interested in the entertainment industry? How did that passion lead to the desire of having a career in media?
Davis Mallory: Having a career in the entertainment industry was in my blood. One of my uncles managed Amy Grant for 20 years, and when I was a little kid, I got to meet her backstage at her concerts. After he had managed her, he worked with Contemporary Christian artist Michael W. Smith. Meanwhile, another one of my uncles is a songwriter that wrote songs for Wynonna Judd and Sixpence None the RIcher. In addition to those experiences, I also grew up singing and by the time I was a senior in high school, I was in an a cappella group. It was made up of five boys and five girls, and we gave over-the-top vocal performances at our church. Three of the guys that were in the group have gone on to become quite successful in music. One of them won the Dove Award, which is Christian music’s equivalent of a Grammy. Another one wrote songs that were sung by Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Meat Loaf, Julianne Hough and Rascal Flatts and the third guy has some songs that were performed on the Nashville TV Show. After watching my peers excel in the music industry, it made me want to pursue my childhood of dream to go on the performers’ side of the music industry as well.
JE: You have worked for countless media organizations. How important is it to fine-tune your writing and interview style to match their respective brand voices?
DM: My first opportunity was to work with After Elton, which is now defunct and they (Viacom) transitioned the website into The Backlot. At the time, there were not music bloggers, and I would have to showcase what I would do for them. This was my opportunity to reach for one of my dreams. After I had finished filming The Real World, I wanted to work for MTV—and was given the chance to interview for a position at MTV’s Music Programming department. One question that they asked to me during my job interview was: “What music blogs do you read?” Because I lacked any knowledge of music blogs, I did not get the job. But, one lesson that I learned was that I should read some music blogs. Once, I started reading music blogs, I became much more efficient and even gained a giant music library, because I downloaded every track that they recommended. One blog that I became a fan of was Arjan Writes. He now works as Head of Pop/Dance Programming at Apple Music beforehand as Head of Pop/Dance Programming at Beats by Dre under Jimmy Iovine. I reached out to him and asked if I could interview him for After Elton. After interviewing him and learning more about his process, he helped me grow much more confident in my ability to become a better music blogger.
JE: What have been your favorite interviews? What made those interviews stand out?
DM: One memorable interview that I conducted was an over the phone interview with Janelle Monae. I knew that like me she was from Atlanta, and I asked her about her thoughts about The Real Housewives of Atlanta. She did not like that question, and I felt very uncomfortable, and it is one of the most embarrassing moments of my career. Outside of that awkward interview, I enjoyed talking to Ellie Goulding, because I followed her career since underground music blogs had been talking about her. I always like interviewing artists that I am a fan of, it makes the interview process more fun.
While he worked at Astralwerks Records, Davis worked on several marketing campaigns including David Guetta’s “Nothing But The Beat.” (Album cover property of Astralwerks, EMI & Virgin Records)
JE: In addition to being an excellent interviewer and writer, you also worked in numerous music companies in marketing and sales on several major album campaigns for David Guetta, Kylie Minogue, Swedish House Mafia and Brad Paisley. How did these projects help you grow as a professional in the entertainment industry?
DM: I worked for a record label that had Kylie Minogue, David Guetta, and Swedish House Mafia as a part of their roster. I was there at the height of at least both David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia’s careers. When I worked on a David Guetta project, we purchased media buys and created banners on Spotify and websites such as Just Jared and Perez Hilton. I learned a lot on how record labels spend on media and the analytics that measured how successful our campaigns were with our target audience. I was doing more grassroots marketing when I worked on several Swedish House Mafia projects. The label would host album listening parties, and I had to build these CRM databases of LGBT clubs, music blogs, nightclubs and University Student Activities representatives. I would also have to service nightclubs, colleges and Billboard radio stations. I learned about the personal touch that went on these marketing campaigns. I was also involved with festival promotion where we gave stuff away at Coachella, South by Southwest and other music conferences. Finally, I would be looking at treatments for music videos for some of the label’s smaller artists. I would also participate in marketing meetings such as brainstorming a campaign around Empire of the Sun’s single: “Alive.” It was one of the most rewarding parts of my job. That experience helped me prepare for what I currently do as a consultant and videographer for Nashville-based artists. Pairing DJs and producers from all around the world with Nashville-based artists and helping them create remixes of their music and filming video content for their channels. I passed on the lessons that I learned at a big EDM music label, which helped them increase their fanbase.
JE: Do you have any dream artists or producers that you want to collaborate with?
DM: I would love to work with Calvin Harris! He is a DJ who also sings and produces incredible music for other artists. He is also an artist that aspire to be. I also work as a DJ as a primary source of income and would like to get to a place where I can drop my songs into my DJ set that people enjoy. I love EDM music, but I think its cool when the producer sings on their songs, too. I admire Disclosure (brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence) because they sing and produce their tracks. It would also be a dream to work with Max Martin. He is so successful at making catchy pop music and I would love to break into the pop music world. Finally, I would like to collaborate with both Diplo and Dillon Francis. I follow both of them on Snapchat while Dillon is just hysterical and uses his Snapchat to create his TV show; Diplo is all around cool. While I like working with EDM artists and producers, I feel like my voice has a country twang to it. So, I hope to be an EDM artist that can also sing country.
JE: If you had the chance to meet with aspiring singers, songwriters, and producers who want to work in the music industry, what advice would you share with them?
DM: I was thinking about this question the other day. I think the biggest reason that I have experienced success (and hopefully continue to be successful) is that I have out to a lot of people. I will make personal goals such as reaching out to as many artists’ managers, booking agents, producers or A&R people. You cannot wait for people to reach out to you and even though you might hear a thousand “No’s” before you listen to a “Yes,” you still need to keep going. If you believe in yourself, shout out your successes and reach out to people for co-writing opportunities and get to know people in the entertainment industry, because in the entertainment industry: it is not just about what you know, it is who you know that will get your foot in the door.
For more information about Davis, visit his website!
You can also connect with Davis on social media. Visit his Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat (his user name is DMALLLZ), Twitter & YouTube channels!
To listen to Davis’ music, visit his pages on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify & VEVO!
