Jennifer Davies has always had a connection to the music industry.  Her father, Scott, is the general manager of the entire American DJ group of companies. But that doesn't mean she had to join the company. She had another job before that. You can say that
position was a wild and wet ride…pun intended. She became a supervisor at age 17 at Raging Waters, Southern California's largest water park. "It was a very difficult job for me, though," Davies said. "So I decided to talk to some of the people who work in the office here at American DJ about the experience. I decided to come and work for American DJ. I started off by doing a lot of office work and clerical work. I would answer telephones and would do all the odds and ends. If someone needed help with data entry, I would go do that. If someone needed help with invoicing, I would do that. I'd work at the switchboard."
That experience was crucial for Davies. She learned structure and kilobytes worth of information about how a company runs. "It really helps me now," Davies said. "If someone needs my help in any aspect of the business, I have the ability to go to any department and help. I am now a jack-of-all-trades. If a department needs help with Photoshop, I can provide assistance. If someone needs help in data entry or order input, I'll be there whenever I can. I can even go on the switchboard for a few minutes while someone goes to lunch. It's amazing how diversified in the business I've become. If anyone needs my help, I feel grateful I can provide that for him or her.
"I've been around the business for 25 years, since I was a baby," she added. "I've seen all the different aspects of the company. I can thank Joe Fucini for getting me involved in the marketing aspect of the business. He had a big influence on me. I looked at every aspect of the industry and felt marketing was vast. He helped teach me that having great marketing skills not only would help me in this industry, but those skills would also easily translate to any other industry." Fucini's company, Michigan-based Fucini Productions, handles all public relations for American DJ. But to everyone at the company, he is more than that. Fucini is a member of the family.
Another mentor to Davies is her father. "I look up to him," she said. "He's a great teacher. He gives me all types of advice when it comes to the music industry. One phrase he always says that I really remember is, 'You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.'" The famous American proverb means it is easier to use polite arguments and flattery as opposed to being confrontational.
Davies moved up in the ranks to her current role. In addition to her role as marketing director, Davies runs something in which she takes great pride: the ADJ
Advantage Rewards Program, the first online rewards program in our industry, which is targeted to end users but is beneficial to dealers, as well. "Late in 2004, I got together with my father and asked him about starting a rewards program for our customers. We worked out of all the kinks and launched the program at the 2005 Mobile Beat show."
Female Perspective
It remains a fact that women are a minority in MI. But women at DJ companies? Perhaps you can count them on one hand. Jennifer Davies has never thought about that, however. "I have been a part of American DJ since I was so little, so being a female never swayed me one way or the other. It is funny, though, that I sit in the office
with a pool of men. There's my desk and then there are 15 men surrounding me. But, other than that, I'm strong willed and goal oriented. So, it doesn't matter. But I will admit there are times I walk into an event where there are 50 men and one
female: me. That does make me say, 'Wow.'"
Davies added there are times when DJs come up to her and say how it's great to have a female in the industry. Male DJs dramatically outnumber their female counterparts. "I'm not sure why there are so many more males in the DJ industry," said Davies. "But I can say the number of females is growing. For example, when I was at the NAMM show, we were collecting information on DJs and I got a lot of great information from females.
"Why we're seeing more and more females DJs is hard to determine," she added. "But I believe one reason is due to the technology. Years ago, women weren't so interested in spinning vinyl. Now, the industry is more technological. Women feel very comfortable working on computers and enjoy working on them."
Surfing and Snowboarding
In addition to her job, Davies is seeking a bachelor's degree in business marketing at the University of Phoenix. "I really like the school because you can work toward a degree on your own schedule," she said. "It's a really nice option for full-time working adults."
In 2010, Davies purchased a home with her boyfriend. They have been dating for two years and have known each other for 12. "We met in auto shop [class]," Davies said.
Davies likes barbecue-style parties at her house when not working or studying for her bachelor's degree. She also considers herself an outdoorswoman. Living in California provides many outdoor options. "I remember my sister and I went snowboarding one morning and it was so warm we were wearing tank tops," said Davies. "It was too warm, actually. So, at 1 p.m., we went home, grabbed our surfboards and went straight to the beach. Snowboarding and surfing in the same day. That's a day I will never forget."
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