ATLANTA — Johannes Escobar is stepping into his power as a multi-talented creative, innovator, executive and leader.
There are no ceilings for the Oakland, California native as he continues making a positive impact in the music, fashion and entertainment industry in Atlanta community.
“I’m a first generation American. My parents both immigrated from Central America. My mother is from Nicaragua, and my father came from El Salvador to flee from warfare in their countries,” he said. “Through their own journeys of desperation and dreaming of a better future for themselves, they moved to Oakland and called California home.”
Once Escobar graduated in 2020, he says California was one of the hardest hit states due to COVID-19. That’s when he decided to take a leap of faith and move to Atlanta.
“I saw Atlanta had a bustling ecosystem. I knew for me to continue to grow my career, I would have to make that move,” he said. “Without taking that leap of faith, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today.”
Six months after he moved to Atlanta, he started working on building different brands for artists and worked on fashion, one of his passions.
“When it comes to fashion, what I love the most is the gratification of people who can experience styling, fashion, and having brands placed in the biggest magazines in the United States,” he said. “There’s nothing that I would ever trade this for. I get to really express and see what I envision for the future.”
Escobar, a junior at Clark Atlanta University, has been enrolled in Go Dark music and entertainment industry pipeline program since September.
Go Dark is an industry pipeline program which focuses on providing students with the knowledge, support, skill sets and resources they need to thrive in the music and entertainment business. The program is run by executive director Kyle Campbell and music executive Cortez Bryant.
Earlier this month, Escobar was a panelist for the Perfect 4 Mula Summit that was held at Culture Lab in Atlanta as part of Go Dark Cohort 4. Panelists for the summit also included Ja’Mese Jones, Marina Skye, Johannes Escobar, Cortez Bryant and Troy Carter Jr.
“I met Kyle Campbell at a fashion event. I told him about my aspirations and what I achieved on tour and he’s taken me under his wing. I’m able to have mentorship through Cortez Bryant, Project Go Dark, through the 10-week music executive panel series that he produced for Go Dark. Kyle’s a superstar.”
Escobar says some of the biggest lessons he is learning in the Go Dark program is the importance of talent relations, how to structure a team around an end-all goal, how to pivot, how to be versatile and networking.
Escobar says having people like Josh King, Bryant and Campbell in his corner is “invaluable.”
“Mentorship is everything,” he said. “It all begins with a vision, but at the end of the day, it takes that refining, guidance, missteps and having that sense of encouragement is everything. I would not be where I am today without mentorship.”
Escobar is also an executive at Blueprint Group in Atlanta, where he learns directly under Bryant, and other executives about the business.
“My boss Cortez Bryant is a music extraordinaire,” he continued. “Cortez and his team at Blueprint Group build up the careers of so many artists that I admired growing up, including Drake and Nicki Minaj.”
Escobar says networking and mentorship in this music and entertainment industry changed his life.
“When I stepped into my power and into my purpose, I had the support system to help my visions come to fruition.”
Escobar says his family has had a monumental impact on him.
“I’m blessed to say I’ve had a plethora of mentors,” he said. “Before I moved to Atlanta, it was my family. My mom’s name is Johanna, and I am her namesake, Johannes. Seeing my mother’s journey motivated me. I saw the amount of work that she put into raising three kids, simultaneously going to school at night, while working to give us a better future.
Escobar says that his older brother Oscar helped to instill work ethic in him at a young age, while his younger brother inspired his drive. Escobar adds that his father expanded his way of thinking and inspired him to learn about business.
Without the right support, proper planning and executing of his vision, it would remain an idea.
“I have a vision, and I’ve always had a vision,” Escobar said. “When I moved to Atlanta, my longtime mentor Josh King would always help me to take the right steps to pursue my visions as a professional. He helped me expand my thinking. He encouraged me to go into fashion and continue building so I wouldn’t stay in one spot. I went from a stylist to a publicist.
Escobar says his family, friends, mentors and idols all inspire him to keep going every day.
“When I feel burnt out, at the end of the day, the impact that I’m going to make for the future is way greater than the struggles and adversity that I’m facing now. Through the support of God, my family, my friends, my mentors, they inspire me to keep going,” he said. “You can’t do it by yourself at all. I want to be a philanthropist one day and changing someone’s life is an aspiration of mine.”
Escobar encourages anyone chasing their dreams to work hard and take a leap of faith.
“Taking that leap of faith is everything,” he said. “You’ve got to be fearless. It’s okay to be afraid and it’s okay to feel nervous, but do not let that stop you from chasing after your dreams. Don’t let that stop you from taking that leap of faith because the fear of regret is far worse than the fear of failure.”