Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Mays.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been someone who believed in creating opportunities instead of waiting for them. My journey has definitely not been a straight line, but that’s honestly what shaped me into the entrepreneur and creative I am today.
A lot of people in Phoenix know me as “The Illest Period” after “1period” as a DJ, but my story goes much deeper than music. I’ve spent years working in behavioral health and community services while simultaneously building my own businesses on the side. For a long time, I balanced helping people professionally during the day while DJing nights and weekends, trying to build something bigger for myself.
Music was really my first major creative outlet. DJing opened doors for me to connect with people, create experiences, and build relationships. Over time, I realized I wasn’t just passionate about music — I loved creating moments, energy, visuals, and memories overall. That naturally expanded into photography, videography, drone work, event production, and even other service-based businesses.
One thing I’m proud of is that I’ve never boxed myself into one identity. I’ve learned how to adapt, evolve, and build multiple streams from my all of my passions. Whether I’m DJing a wedding, capturing content for a business, helping organize community programs, or running a hauling job, I approach everything with the same mindset: show up professionally, create value, and leave it better than I found it.
The journey definitely came with challenges, uncertainty, and moments where I questioned myself, but I think entrepreneurship teaches you resilience more than anything. Right now, I feel like I’m entering a new chapter where all of my experiences — creative, professional, and personal — are finally connecting together into one bigger vision.
Phoenix has played a huge role in that story. This city has given me opportunities to grow, reinvent myself, collaborate with amazing people, and build businesses around the things I genuinely love doing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road, but I think the struggles are what gave me the perspective and work ethic I have now.
One of the biggest challenges has been balancing stability with entrepreneurship. For years, I worked demanding jobs in behavioral health and community services while trying to grow creative and service-based businesses at the same time. There were periods where I was working long shifts during the day and then DJing nights and weekends, constantly trying to figure out how to build something sustainable for myself without burning out.
Another challenge was learning how to wear multiple hats. When people see a DJ or creative entrepreneur online, they usually only see the fun or polished side of things. What they don’t see are the late nights editing content, responding to leads, handling scheduling issues, investing in equipment, marketing yourself, dealing with slow seasons, or wondering where the next booking is coming from. Building a business teaches you quickly that talent alone isn’t enough — consistency, adaptability, and discipline matter just as much.
I’ve also had to overcome the mindset of feeling like I needed to fit into one lane. For a while, I questioned whether it made sense to pursue multiple passions and business ideas at once. But eventually I realized that being multi-dimensional is actually one of my strengths. Everything I do connects through creativity, people, service, and creating experiences.
Like many entrepreneurs, there have been financial risks and moments of uncertainty too. Investing into gear, learning new skills, and betting on yourself can feel scary, especially when there’s no guaranteed outcome. But every challenge has taught me something valuable and pushed me to evolve.
Looking back, I think the difficult parts built resilience and forced me to become resourceful. They also made me appreciate every opportunity and every win that much more.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Creativity has become the center point that connects almost everything I do professionally. Most people first knew me through DJing, but over time my career expanded into photography, videography, drone content, event production, branding, and entrepreneurship overall.
As a DJ, I’ve always loved the ability to create experiences and energy that people remember. That mindset naturally carried over into visual storytelling. What started as capturing moments at events evolved into learning photography, video editing, cinematography, and drone work. I became fascinated with not just documenting moments, but creating content that makes people feel something.
One thing that makes my path unique is that I never approached creativity from only one angle. I’ve balanced creative work alongside leadership roles in behavioral health and community services, which honestly shaped the way I connect with people. A lot of my work, whether creative or professional, is rooted in understanding people, creating experiences, and building genuine relationships.
Right now, I’m in a season where everything is merging together. DJing led to content creation. Content creation led to photography and video. Photography opened doors into branding and business storytelling. Even my entrepreneurial ventures outside of the creative industry taught me marketing, customer service, adaptability, and resilience.
I think modern creatives have to be willing to evolve constantly. Social media, technology, and content culture change fast, so I’ve embraced learning new tools and skills instead of resisting them. Whether I’m DJing a wedding, filming drone footage around Phoenix, shooting content for a business, or building my brand online, I see it all as part of the same bigger creative journey.
More than anything, I want my work to inspire people to pursue their ideas without feeling limited to one title or one lane. I think creativity is really about finding ways to turn your perspective, passions, and experiences into something meaningful that connects with others.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think entrepreneurship and creativity naturally require a certain level of risk-taking, but over time I’ve learned that the biggest risks are usually the ones tied to growth, change, and betting on yourself.
For me, one of the biggest risks was deciding not to limit myself to a traditional path. I’ve worked in behavioral health and leadership roles while simultaneously building creative businesses and multiple income streams on my own. There were definitely moments where it would have been easier or safer to stay inside one lane, but I knew I wanted to build something that reflected all of my skills and passions instead of only part of who I am.
A lot of the risks I’ve taken have involved investing in myself before there was any guarantee of success. Buying equipment, learning photography and videography, building a DJ brand, creating content consistently, launching new services, accepting opportunities outside my comfort zone — none of those came with certainty. There were times where I spent money on gear or tools hoping it would eventually create opportunities later. Sometimes it worked immediately, and sometimes it took a while before I saw the return.
I also think people underestimate the emotional side of risk-taking. Putting yourself out there creatively can feel vulnerable. Whether it’s posting your work online, starting something new, or trying to build a name for yourself, there’s always the possibility of failure, criticism, or uncertainty. But I’ve learned that growth usually lives on the other side of discomfort.
At the same time, I don’t think risk-taking means being reckless. I’ve learned to approach risk strategically. I try to stay adaptable, keep learning, diversify my skills, and create opportunities that support each other. That mindset helped me evolve from “just DJing” into photography, video, drone work, branding, and other entrepreneurial ventures.
Looking back, most of the opportunities I’m proud of today came from moments where I decided to trust myself even when the outcome wasn’t guaranteed. I think risk becomes a little less scary when you realize every experience teaches you something valuable, whether it succeeds exactly the way you planned or not.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theillestperiod.party
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theillestperiod.visuals
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@1period?si=9_1ySK1e9jV7Hnd_
