Today we’d like to introduce you to Officially.Booked owner of The Booked Group.
Hello The Booked Group, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Well, it all started when I was just a small child, directing all of my cousins in dance-offs and faux fashion shows at my great-grandmother’s house. As we were in the backyard, I would like them up and choreograph dances for them to follow, but even from their acting in church plays, directing the church choir, and leading the praise and worship team.
Also, a big part was played inside of high school at the Baltimore City College High School the best high school in the world, I was a part of everything, choir, catwalk, speech & debate, and mock trial. Getting to where I am today, I had many mentors, but I did what needed to be done, I worked for free, I interned, and I studied under many people taking every opportunity I could in the field I wanted to be in. I am interested in Frank E. Johnson (Def Jam & WPB networks & the hip hop caucus, and Tracye Stafford (iKon Entertainment) helping with the production of major concerts and booking major artists. Working at Greibo directly under Sharon Page (the director of the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation) & Shelonda Stokes (president of Downtown Partnership) grew my love for production and festivals.
They taught me so much in my time working at Greibo from budgeting to sponsorship. It pushed me to open my own boutique PR & production agency called the Booked Group. Now, I work with restaurants & clubs, specifically Rymks Bar & Grille where I am the general manager, but also, I work with the top promoters in the city specifically events we have grown so much in our time of working together from the biggest parties to even creating one of the biggest weekend takeovers in the US. He groomed me to be able to take my talents outside of Baltimore.
We’ve conquered, Atlanta, NYC, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Miami & so many more cities to come, we created something so special that we joined forces with 3 other promoters and now all 3 of them equally have become my clients for a weekend called NAW (not another weekend) we’ve taken over 3,000 people to Houston & Atlanta and we plan on taking it out the country. Those promoters Hfrinks, 856 Chris, Larry Luv & Madeintywon are special to me because they allow my creativity to shine during the weekend and they are so easy to work with. Along with Javon Bond & Hfrinks who is my brother we created with YG Teck one of the biggest self-funded tours for a Baltimore artist the 90-day run tour, YG Teck is a great artist and I love working with him.
Not only is he hard working but he drives himself to progress as well as he pushes himself to do more. Cultivating new businesses and creating new concepts is why I’m here and I can’t wait to see where my business goes in the future, I’ve worked with so many great artists in Baltimore, Money Jake, Blue Benjamin Sleepy, TMC da Don, Will get the Juice, Tate Kobang, Turk P Diddy, and sooooo many greater artists. That I love.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been smooth at all; this has been a difficult road. From being overlooked and being doubted, it’s hard every day to wake up realizing that people don’t want you to make it. It is also hard because not every day is going to be great, and you aren’t going to win all the time. There are broken days and also lonely days.
It’s also hard working in this business because people think you’re soft because being openly gay certain people don’t want to work with you until they see you working with someone else. I hate the stigma in the black community that straight & gay men can’t be friends because I want to be the one to break that barrier & stigma.
We can be friends, all of my clients and friends that are male are 100% straight and I hang with them almost every day, but the reason I love them is because they accept me for who I am and embrace me as family.
As you know, we’re big fans of the Booked Group. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am the CEO & owner of the Booked Group. The booked group is a boutique PR, celebrity booking & production agency.
I specialize in concerts, club events, event management, festivals, and artist bookings. We have booked a lot of artists that come to town during CIAA and just regularly from Euphoria nightclub, Medusa Nightclub, Select Lounge, Patapsco Arena, and more.
What sets me apart from everybody else is I was born and raised in Baltimore City, I starved for this and even had a lot of sleepless nights. I’ve prayed and cried for this and also not only are we professional but it’s 2 of us myself & my sister and partner @janaimichelle both Baltimore City born & raised.
I want readers to know we are fast and efficient and we have the best prices in town. Also, we know the ins and outs of the industry and have a lot of connections. We offer artist PR services and touring management for artists locally & globally.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
Yes, I’ve learned to value what you have and to stay focused, don’t become lazy, and come up with different ways to shift your business. I learned also to trust God more because he will always give you the answer.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @officially.booked or @thebookedgroup
- Facebook: Davonte Miller
- Twitter: @officiallybookd
Image Credits
Myron – @photomaticsmith, Stylist – @iam.bwill, and Grooming – @yada.quan & @tierratuggle
