Meet Phil Peerman (DJ Phil Anthony)

We recently connected with Phil Peerman (DJ Phil Anthony) and have shared our conversation below.

Phil , thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I’ve never really struggled with losing creativity. What I continually struggle with is time management and prioritization. It’s not that I’m unorganized but rather, I have a tendency to find too many things interesting. Layer on top of that all those pesky adult responsibilities, and my bandwidth becomes scarce. I become overwhelmed, and my creative output struggles as a result. Here are some things I’ve personally done to manage this dilemma:

Physically, I have narrowed my focus to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I’m no longer a soccer player, rock climber, mountain biker, snowboarder, or scuba diver. I do work out, eat well, and periodically attend a yoga class, but those all support my martial arts training and the ability to progress while minimizing injury. Sleep is another massive piece that I had neglected for far too long. It’s amazing how you can go to bed after working on an unsolvable problem, only to wake up with the solution while making your first coffee.

Mentally, I read daily in the morning and at night. The subjects vary widely and are evenly split between fiction and non-fiction. I am also happily married to an extremely supportive partner who ‘gets me.’ She understands and respects my drives, and more importantly, she sees when I’m faltering and will call me out in a gentle way. I also spend a fair amount of scheduled time connecting with friends while continually expanding my network. You never know when a conversation with a trusted friend or a new contact will result in the next idea for content or an opportunity to DJ to an audience unknown to you.

If I were to summarize things, nurturing creativity requires a delicate balance of discipline, curiosity, socializing, and self-care. By embracing these principles and continually reevaluating my goals and priorities, I find I can navigate the complexities of modern life while keeping the creative flame burning.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Like many recent origin stories, Seattle House Mafia emerged during the Covid era. Seattle House Mafia consists of three founding members: DJ Sang-Do, Paul Velocity and myself, Phil Anthony. We started innocently enough, sharing our love for dance music by posting both team and individual DJ mixes on YouTube. Once the Northwest weather warmed and Covid restrictions began to lift, we periodically set up at our local city beach for renegade DJ sets, inviting friends, family, and always open to passersby.

As each of us began upgrading our studios, which had largely lain dormant prior to the pandemic, we started to include some short gear reviews on our YouTube channel in our ‘Gear Heads’ series. From there, we asked ourselves how we could promote the amazing community of artists and industry personalities with whom we’ve shared the dance floor and the decks for the last 25 years. This is where our ‘Industry Interviews’ series was born, consisting of a 60-minute interview and an exclusive 60-minute DJ mix from the Seattle House Mafia Headquarters.

Outside of Seattle House Mafia, we all work as professionals in various sectors of the technology industry. Our shared corporate experience allows us to leverage our individual strengths as we continue to build the Seattle House Mafia brand.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Curiosity—the willingness to continually learn new things and tap into my insatiable curiosity—has proven invaluable for my own journey. I am an avid reader, constantly expanding my knowledge in a variety of topics such as music, health, martial arts, science, psychology, meditation, and religion. This trait also serves me well when I have the opportunity to get to know someone. One of my greatest joys in life is building deep connections with my fellow humans. I don’t have to share their specific interests, but if someone is passionate about a particular subject, art form, or craft, I want to understand the ‘why’ behind their obsession and absorb anything they are willing to teach or share on the topic.

2. Getting comfortable with discomfort – Like most sane people, I love to be comfortable. However, for me personally, comfort is a temporary reward rather than a state I’m constantly striving for. There have been times in my life where I’ve been very comfortable for long stretches, and as it turns out, I’m not nearly as creative, productive, or engaging during these ‘soft’ times. Because so much of our society fixates on being comfortable, I have to be very intentional about seeking out discomfort. The easiest way for me to do this is by pushing myself physically. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, cold plunging, yoga, and resistance training are all activities that aren’t comfortable, yet I do them religiously. The intent is never to punish myself, as some may assume, but rather to put myself in a state of struggle that fosters growth, new perspectives, and ultimately creativity. And yes, when the hard work is done, I will absolutely reward myself with some limited comfort.

3. Promoting and supporting others to promote yourself – Self-promotion is a bit of a sticky topic. In the corporate world, as in the arts, it’s often seen as a necessary step to get ahead or get noticed. However, I would argue that if you authentically support and promote your friends, co-workers, music community, local artists, etc., your own promotion and visibility will naturally follow. With Seattle House Mafia, we’ve built a platform to amplify some of our favorite DJs, producers, and industry personalities. Our vision for our ‘Industry Interviews’ series is to provide fans and the larger dance music community with the opportunity to get to know the artists they see performing on weekends, or to learn the story behind a certain track they may have on repeat in their car. Simultaneously, we offer artists a platform to share their unique journey— who they are, their struggles, goals, dreams, desired changes in the dance music community, and the legacy they hope to leave behind. Through this endeavor, we’ve formed many new friendships and deepened existing relationships. Our hope is that we’ve played at least a small role in gaining artists more attention and exposure, while also giving recognition to their hard work and achievements.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
At 51, I’ve become very aware that the ‘do everything by yourself’ strategy is neither reasonable nor sustainable, and I’m reminded of this painful fact frequently when I fail to ask for help early. I’ve settled on the compromise that I should always be competent in my own weak areas, but it’s much more effective to be proactive about outsourcing to those with more interest and expertise. This allows me to double down on my own strengths and passions, which make me a unique asset. In my experience, the most effective way to do this is to become part of a team with some very clear non-negotiables. First, you have to trust that all team members have each other’s backs. Second, each member must have a strong grasp of their own strengths and weaknesses and execute accordingly. Third, each team member must have permission to speak freely, to disagree, and to challenge the other members. Fourth, members need to constantly reflect to determine if they are making ego-driven decisions or decisions that align with the larger goals and initiatives of the team.

Seattle House Mafia is made up of three equal partners with three very different sets of skills, all built around our shared love of quality House Music.

I love to connect on a deep level with people, but I can come across as fairly shy to people I don’t know. It’s always been a funny balance for me; I’m often too shy or too intense when meeting people for the first time. My partner, DJ Sang-Do, on the other hand, always seems to know someone wherever we go and is constantly met with smiles and hugs. On the rare occasion he doesn’t know anyone, that will last all of 3 minutes as he works his magic, making lifelong friends and connections out of a room full of strangers. Sang-Do has been instrumental in introducing me to so many people that I’ve wanted to meet and collaborate with. He is masterful at removing those ‘first meeting’ barriers and building immediate trust. Sure, I’m competent enough these days, but this is his superpower. Why would I not lean on his unique talents?

I’ve been in tech sales and consulting for the last 25 years. A poorly kept secret is that I don’t necessarily love technology. To be clear, I love my customers, I love facilitating great outcomes via technology, but in general, I only know enough to be dangerous, continually making people and relationships my main focus. Enter Paul Velocity. He not only has a drive and passion for technology, but I’ve never met someone who can so effortlessly take that knowledge and apply it to branding, exposure, sentiment, and strategy, etc. Whether it’s video production, developing logos, taking world-class photos, or creating a social media presence, Paul is a massive asset to the Seattle House Mafia team, seamlessly translating our varied efforts into beautifully packaged, quality content.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Matthew Sumi

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