Meet Jason Damico

We were lucky to catch up with Jason Damico recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jason, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

I’m a big believer and practician of positive thinking. I’ve seen tremendous life changing results from it. Growing up I was more of a pessimist by default, but this rapidly began to change about five years ago.

In 2020 during the beginning stages of the pandemic, I stumbled upon a veteran’s excerpt version of Norman Vincent Peale’s book “The Power of Positive Thinking.” For whatever reason, growing up as a Christian this was the first time I had ever really captured the full embodiment of how vitally important our thought word is.

I later on bought the whole book off of Amazon. It felt like a missing piece to the puzzle of life was finally found. It really was a catalyst for me in my self-development journey and completely changed the way I viewed prayer life as well as how I talked to myself in my inner dialogue.

There are many other wonderful authors and speakers on the subject of optimism that I highly espouse such as Kevin Trudeau, Jim Rohn, Abraham Hicks, Maxwell Maltz, etc. but Peale was the primary catalyst who piqued my interest.

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?

I’m a proud Raleigh, NC native and grew up in an art-appreciative household.
My mom played classical piano from an early age and my dad played guitar in various bands throughout high school. They both pursued careers outside of the arts but always encouraged and supported me in my creative proclivities and endeavors.

There were always instruments laying around the house. I began tinkering around with the piano as a toddler. But ultimately, I showed an innate love for percussion and drumming—so my parents started taking me to drum lessons at around four years old.

My first professional acting job was, of all things, as a baby model at 18 months old. Someone approached my mom and said they needed a mother/infant pair for a magazine shoot. So that was my first official paid gig! I still find that funny to this day.

Mom had gotten me into some reputable agencies in NC. I continued to build credits as a childhood actor for both regional and national TV commercials and films. I enjoyed taking classes and performing in Raleigh’s own productions at Theatre in the Park, Raleigh Little Theatre, North Carolina Theatre, etc. They played a tremendous part in my training and development as a performer.

A big music “a-ha” moment for me happened when I was 12 and my dad introduced me to Deep Purple. We were going on a road trip and stopped at a Barnes & Noble to pick up some music for the drive (this was at a time when they still had many CDs for sale). I remember him just scanning an album with five dreary and out-of-focus figures on it. He put the headphones on me as Highway Star faded in and my mind immediately exploded. I was like, “whatever this is, I have to do it.”

In high school, I started to play guitar more and became obsessed with Stevie Ray Vaughan. I wanted to be him. Looking back on it now it was kind of hilarious. But I was the kid literally up until the wee hours of the morning on school nights playing along to his records. I’d watch videos of him on YouTube set at half-speed with the screen flipped upside down—this way I could study every subtlety of his hands from his POV. I was hooked.

After high school, I took a gap year to just record and play music. I had formed The Jason Damico Trio when I was 16. Eventually, it would become Jason Damico & The New Blue—the name that still stands to this day. We were playing anywhere and everywhere in the Triangle just trying to gain traction and experience. Around that time, I also won my first Carolina Music Award for Youth Male Artist of the Year in 2011.

At 19, I self-produced/performed and released my first record Blood, Sweat & Blues. This would eventually land me a management deal in NYC as well as help me acquire contacts within the Triangle Blues Society. I won The Triangle Blues Society Solo Challenge in 2014 and advanced to compete at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN.

Towards the end of my gap year, my pro-education parents lovingly coaxed me into obtaining a college degree. They always told me, “we don’t care what you get it in, but you’re getting something—you’ll always have it in your back pocket.” And with folks that are literal part-shareholders of your business, I figured it wouldn’t be wise to ignore such an admonition.

I had toured Berklee College of Music in Boston, Julliard, and PACE in NYC, but the atmospheres just didn’t feel quite right for me. I was a homeschooled kid throughout most of my life, so I wanted something much more flexible than I could do on my time while pursuing my career and building credits. Hence, William Peace University’s School of Professional Studies Program in Raleigh came into the picture.

In 2013, I enrolled in WPU’s SPS program, which essentially allowed me to obtain a Bachelor’s in Business with a Focus in Leadership entirely online. This would allow me to travel freely back and forth from NYC during production pilot seasons as well as tour with the band.

It took me nearly six years to finish my degree while continuing my career pursuits—but I was able to graduate Summa Cum Laude while also maintaining enough music industry presence to take home another Carolina Music Award for Rock Male Artist of the Year in 2015.

After graduating from WPU in 2019, I was ready to take on the world. With classwork and exams finally behind me, I was in the process of fully relocating to NYC as well as looking forward to touring the US blues-rock circuit with undivided attention and commitment.

And then the pandemic hit.

While the world was shut down, I tried the best I could to stay positive and productive. I had already started The Jason Damico Show in 2019—but in 2020, I saw a tremendous opportunity to keep the momentum moving via Zoom.

The show became a lifesaver. Not only was it a way to document stories of incredible artists and creative entrepreneurs in NC, but it also built relationships internationally. Over 130+ episodes in, I have learned so much from a diverse pool of talented people—from all walks of life. It has single-handedly been one of the biggest blessings for me personally and professionally.

Throughout the pandemic, I also wrote/recorded new music and produced other artists remotely. I landed some great UGC commercial contract work for companies like TikTok, 1-800 Flowers, Wolf & Shepherd, Adobe, and many other great brands.

As things began to slowly open up again, I was fortunate enough to work with legendary blues-rock icons such as Eric Gales, Gary Hoey, Kenny Aronoff, etc. on some recent single releases—one of which would garner a new career milestone with four GRAMMY® Considerations.

I’m constantly juggling a multitude of opportunities spanning different sectors within the industry. I’ll be honest, sometimes I wish I wasn’t as spread out as I am. It’s a lot to manage even with multiple managers and agents working alongside me. But I always knew from a young age that I would never work a traditional 9-5 and the only desk you’d find me behind is one with a recording console on it.

The bottom line is I love what I do—even if I don’t know exactly what it is that I do at times. But that’s precisely the magic of the arts and entrepreneurship. And all of my fellow artists reading will know exactly what I mean when I say that “you don’t choose this path—it chooses you.”

Regarding the business and brand specifically, the three main career passions in my life at this point are music, acting, and production. My umbrella company New Blue Entertainment, LLC handles my intellectual property as a recording artist/creative while also operating and managing a multi-room recording studio and production house located in the Triangle near Jordan Lake. It also serves as a label and oversees coordination for all live music events and touring for Jason Damico & The New Blue.

I started dabbling in music production after having a few negative experiences early on with outside producers. At around 15, I began building my own recording studio. I did everything I could to push myself more and more in learning the process.

I told myself that I would always be “the artist’s producer” and proudly adopted that mantra because I wanted to treat every artist with empathy and respect.

I’d further learn how to do this at Manifold Recording Studios in Pittsboro, NC—which I was blessed to intern at for a little over a year while in college. Working in a world-class
environment like that helped me develop and refine proper studio etiquette, problem-solving skills, and overall understanding of the music production process.

As a songwriter and recording artist, I resonate most with organic music—specifically rock and blues. But I love all genres. I just try to take a little bit of everything that I like and create something with a touch of originality. A great song is a great song—especially when it can effectively communicate and inspire others in some way, shape, or form that is relatable.

Growing up as an actor, I always felt comfortable in front of a camera and on set. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time behind the camera directing various projects as well as editing in post-production. Wearing so many different hats generates an experiential advantage.

There’s so much that goes into the medium of film and on-screen storytelling. The more you know, the more value you can provide us as a creative asset, and the more respect/awareness you can have for everyone else involved in a project.

As a content creator, I have a huge passion for documenting people’s unique stories and experiences. The Jason Damico Show is a platform that focuses on the artistic and entrepreneurial community of the Triangle—conducting interviews in an informal yet educational and entertaining manner.

Guests have often praised the atmosphere of the show to be “healing and therapeutic”—propelling positivity into the often-negative saturated space of social media. I take great pride in effectively creating a safe space for talented people to express themselves so freely.

Ultimately, I’ve been fortunate enough to build and continue to shape a career that is dynamic with complementary passions. There’s music ubiquitously in films and TV. There are infinite performance aspects required in music. And both art forms rely heavily on production savviness, conscientiousness, and core competencies within various content creation skillsets.

Comfortably interweaving and combining those skillsets and experience banks is probably what differentiates me (and my team) the most within the arts & entertainment industry.

As of recent, one of my recent film contributions to LAWS OF MAN (created by Phil Blattenberger) is now out in selective theatres as well many of your favorite streaming platforms such as Amazon, Google Play, etc. I played a severely injured German Solider who is facing his last moment before death in a riveting scene with Jackson Rathbone and Jacob Keohane. I also had the honor of contributing an original song entitled “Torn in Two” to the soundtrack as well as my rendition of the famous Elvis song “That’s All Right.” Both songs are available for listening on all of your favorite streaming platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, etc.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

At this point in my journey, I’d have to say the top three most impactful skill/knowledge qualities would be the following: Sales/Interpersonal Skills, Perseverance/Self-Determination, & Faith.

First—Sales/Interpersonal Skills. No matter what field you are in, it’s vital that you know how to sell yourself and to do so with deftness, dexterity, flexibility, sincerity, and empathy. I firmly believe that +90% of people fail to achieve the greatness that they are capable of because they are unable to close deals or make their own opportunities when push comes to shove. A lot of this is due to lack of skillset, but also generally just frankly not having the interpersonal and social skills to do so.

Looking back at my life and career so far, I can say that whenever I lacked even slightly in this area it limited me from certain pools of potential opportunities. Granted, your skillset and abilities must match whatever it is that you are selling—you have to be able to deliver—but in order to deliver you must be able to correctly obtain the lead and then take the order (or even better yet, sell a prospect a product or service that they didn’t even know that they emphatically needed and ultimately change their life for the better). Knowing what I know now, I would have put a little more time and effort into studying and regularly practicing sales skills earlier on. As Zig Ziglar says, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Being competent in sales and interpersonal skills greatly helps make this possible.

Second—Perseverance/Self-Determination. The next step in knowing how to present yourself and sell you and/or yourself is dogged perseverance. Let me be clear: YOU WILL BE REJECTED IN ANY WORTH WHILE AND CREATIVE ENDEAVOR OR PURSUIT. What matters is what you do with it—how you handle it—especially on the thousandth time of missing the target.

As Thomas Edison brilliantly put it when reflecting on inventing the lightbulb, “I didn’t fail one thousand times, I discovered one thousand times how NOT to make the lightbulb.”

And as much as you must persevere against the world, you must also grow comfortable and content in the ability to persevere against your own self. Because that is the true definition in my opinion of shear perseverance and being self-determined—doing what needs to be done and taking initiative to do so—especially when no one is there forcing you to do it or even more importantly when you don’t necessarily “feel” like it.

Three—Faith. Above all, you must believe in what you are doing. Everything manifests first from the mind. If you can see it, and you can “feel” what you see before it is in the 3-D, then you already have it. You will waver, you will stumble—it’s inevitable—we are human. But that’s where the combination of perseverance + faith comes in. When they are combined, then you will successfully be able to keep moving forward without throwing in the towel—no matter how bad it looks or gets. Never give up.

Regarding how folks early on can best develop or improve on these skills, I think first and foremost fostering and developing a high level of self-awareness is paramount. Author and speaker Kevin Trudeau talks about the consciousness/competence matrix which I think directly applies.

In summary, Quadrant 1 represents unconscious incompetence, which essentially means someone not knowing what they don’t know. Quadrant 2 comes next, which is conscience incompetence, translating to someone knowing what they don’t know. Then there is Quadrant 3—conscious competence—which equals to possessing the ability to do something but having to think about it while doing so. Then finally there is Quadrant 4—unconscious competence—which means the ability to do something automatically.

Quadrant 1 is a dangerous place since it is somewhat of a self-fulfilling blackout. Thankfully, life itself through trial & error, parents, friends, family, and especially good mentors and system blueprints can help get us out of this space. Quadrant 2 can be equally as dangerous if no action is taken to eventually learn the steps or systems rise to Quadrant 3 and then through repetition eventually reach and enjoy the benefits of Quadrant 4.

Masters of a skillset, subject, craft etc. reach and stay at Quadrant 4. What most people don’t realize is that it takes more than just your focal skillset in entrepreneurship, the creative, etc. to excel. The more positive life skills you can garner, nurture, and eventually master at a Quadrant 4 level will directly increase your chances of success in whatever you do. With that said, I’ve found that for me personally, beyond the obvious acts of creating, performing, and/or producing—the more that I’ve focused on applying Quadrant 4 abilities to the three main areas mentioned above (being Sales & Soft Skills, Perseverance/Self-Determination, Faith), the much more success I’ve experienced when attempting to reach my innermost dreams & desires.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

In reference to my first answer on this interview, Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking” has played an important role in my development. I would highly recommend it to anyone at essentially any stage in life. Here are a few valuable and impactful nuggets of wisdom and takeaways:

– Believe in Yourself: You have to have a “humble yet reasonable,” as Peale puts it, amount of self-confidence to really accomplish anything worthwhile in life. Looking at yourself through a lens of inadequacy or an inferiority complex is just setting yourself up for failure. Believe that you can do it, and you will!

– “Expect the Best and Get It.” In other words, always be reaching for the positive no matter what the circumstance is in life – because your thoughts do truly continue to create your reality as you move forward in time. If you want the best for yourself, then expect the best for yourself and you’ll get it. And even if you perceptively “don’t,” it will still be alright because everything works out for the good if you believe so.

– Gratitude is Key: Gratitude truly is the key that unlocks all doors of blessing. Being thankful for what you have and thanking God in advance for great things to come tunes you into the frequency that receives blessings. There’s no substitute for the power of gratitude and how it will change your attitude as well as the whole atmosphere around you.

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Image Credits

New Blue Entertainment, LLC

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