We had the pleasure of meeting Jovan Johnson through a casual email inquiring about a website domain. Little did we know this would set the stage for what would be the biggest gift of Hope our charity could ever imagine…
The direction of The Free Art Foundation (TFAF) has always been to seek a better more tailored marketing approach so our audience doesn’t get lost with too much information. So far our efforts were not lacking but our efficiencies were. Our website name is too long, its too hard to market it… We want people to easily find us and easily share us because our message is one of Love, Johnson made that possible. After a few emails back and forth we nailed down a time to connect. On 6/4/2020 Johnson aligned the stars forever with a new face and the Hope of a stronger more efficient voice. Johnson was moved by our message and graciously gifted us the domain, tfaf.org.
Johnson has provided us with the Hope and with the Tools to reach more people. Every person we touch from here on out is part of Johnson. TFAF’s mission is to create and foster Hope and provide a platform for all that want to give back. Johnson did exactly the same for us but on a huge scale. Its a simple formula that creates countless ripples of Love reaching endless amounts of people. Provide Hope and a platform for those who want to spread Love. The new face tfaf.org and @tfaforg will provide countless marketing avenues to focus on kids in need. We are beyond excited to see where this will take us. We have always had the drive and now we have the vehicle and we owe it all to you, Johnson.
We want to share as much of Johnson’s story as we can because he is an ambassador of Love and Love Wins.
Bio
A California licensed attorney, Johnson pioneered a legal practice focused on representing mobile game and app developers on transactional matters in 2010. Always excited to market his firm, Johnso & Moo, he focused on evolving his skills in a consulting capacity, through jobs with notable tech firms, and with businesses owned by his marketing company. He is a serial entrepreneur who enjoys helping grow businesses that decided to support black businesses by providing free SEO recommendations. Johnson is a chocolate chip cookie aficionado, fish burritos, and acai bowls.
What do you enjoy most about your career?
I’m privileged as I’ve been able to layer my hobby of website marketing, and specifically search engine optimization, on top of a career based on practicing law. While I’m still active with Johnson & Moo, a law firm that I co-founded in 2010/2011, I spend a lot of my time optimizing websites. This provides me with a creative outlet for problem solving. I find it engaging and challenging–it feeds my mind. It also allows me to channel my competitiveness in a productive way.
What hurdles have you overcome in your personal life and/or career?
The biggest career hurdle came during law school when I realized that I no longer want to work in the world of professional sports representation. I’ve had a lot of unique jobs, including working for the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, Dennis Rodman’s agent’s office, and USC Football all before I was 21 years old. The reason that I went to law school was to bolster my credentials in an effort to be a sports agent. While I was still young, I spent 12 years working and sacrificing to further engrain myself in the sports world. This was the first time that I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. This humbled me and I had no idea what to do. This hurdle was valuable in the long run despite being difficult for years.
Do you have any advice for someone starting out in the career or in life in general?
Make a plan for what you want to do and figure out how to get there. There may not be a direct path from where you are to where you want to go. People you know may not know any path to help get you where you want to go. That’s ok–don’t worry about it. Contact people who do what you want to do. Find out the conferences they attend and volunteer. Read the articles they read. Do not limit yourself to doing what they say. Do what they do.
Also, do you best to improve your current skill set, wherever those skills lie. You may be surprised by how things you learn now help you down the line. Search engine optimization wasn’t a thing when I started college. Mobile app and game law was not a thing when I started or finished law school.
If you could tell your younger self one thing based on what you know now, what would that be?
Dream bigger at every stage. It’s easy to get stuck in a place or on a path you don’t want when working for someone else. Check in with yourself to make sure what you’re doing supports your desires and goals. Figure out a way to make changes if it does not.
Write about what you know. Writing wasn’t something I enjoyed. I wasn’t good at it. The professional benefits to writing can be unbelievable.
Who is your hero or mentor that you can share with and what made them important in your life?
Bruce Jones is my mentor. He has been a family friend since I was a kid. With a background in entertainment as a producer and director, and business as an entrepreneur and marketer, Bruce’s experience has aligned closely with my endeavors.
He has always been interested in me and what I’m doing. He’s a great listener, remembers, and provides thoughtful advice. He has been an invaluable part of my introspection and evolution.
Thank you, Jovan! We love you, Man!