#getdizzy

Getting up close and personal with Dizzy Arts/Dizzy Records founder Adam Carrillo

Written for Dig Magazine

If you’ve ever heard the name Dizzy Arts or Dizzy Records, it’s probably because they’re known for throwing some pretty great parties. Step inside a Dizzy event and you’ll instantly be immersed in the creative culture of Baton Rouge. At every show they include live music, paintings, sculptures, and a fashion show. Majority of the artists and designers are from Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas and are under the age of 30. The idea is to give the younger generation a place to party while also connecting on a cultural basis.

At 23 years old, LSU senior Adam Carrillo has already started his own business. Dizzy Creations, originally Dizzy Records, started out in 2010 after Adam moved here from Dubai. He started his freshman year in college the same time he started his own business. Adam started off recording his own band, and when other bands liked the way his recordings sounded he started recording theirs. One of these bands was especially important because Adam met his current partner Davy Goldsmith. When Adam saw Davy’s apartment covered in his original paintings, it sparked the idea of what is now Dizzy Arts. Shortly after, Adam ran into an old friend from middle school, Rachel Detloff, who was involved in fashion; they collaborated and formed the creative product company that is now Dizzy Creations LLC. As the product listing expands they expect to add more subgenres to the company.  For the last 5 years Adam has watched the art and music scene in Baton Rouge explode. Dizzy has been steadily growing, especially over the last 3 years. They have partnered with businesses such as Absolut, Crispy Catch, and Da Future, and they have held shows at XO Nightclub, The Library, Happy’s, and The Walls Project. They are especially excited for the next 5 years as they expect to make a big splash in the industry.

Adam first started Dizzy because he wanted to show the world how talented the kids of Baton Rouge are, but it wasn’t until he actually threw his first Dizzy party that he realized he was onto something big. Back in 2010 Adam and Davy gathered a few bands to play at their house. When over 150 people showed up and they barely knew any of them, they realized how easy it was to make their hobby a successful business; “We didn’t know what we were doing for a long time. We just knew how to party so we kept doing that.”

Even though Adam has been working hard to keep Dizzy growing, he has always kept his focus on school. Business school was always part of his plan, and he credits his first business experiences to cutting lawns in 7th grade; after a summer of cutting grass he learned the better way was to pay other people to cut the lawns for him. In high school, while living in Dubai, he started throwing parties and booking’ his friends’ bands. He was always interested in recording and producing music. When people told him he wouldn’t make money with a music degree he decided that he would make music for fun and go to school to make money. Plus he claimed “it seemed easier than any other degree,” because Adam is really no different from any other college student. For Adam, doing all of this isn’t easy. His biggest issue is managing both his time and himself. It’s a learning process, and many times he has had to choose between the business and school; most of the time he chooses the business, which has caused him to fall behind in his studies. Since Adam didn’t get his degree in four years he feels like he isn’t an inspiration, but he still doesn’t regret any of the decisions he has made along the way. “It’s all about timing. I feel like I wouldn’t have had the opportunity if I had done it any other way.” LSU has helped Adam in more ways than just through classes. He has networked and met many people, including bands and businesses. Adam is a business major, but the classes he says helped him the most were the ones most students take for granted: public speaking, management, and leadership development. He didn’t take any art or music classes because he didn’t want to lose his love for it, and “school sucks the fun out of everything.”