How a homegrown Bay Area artist finds success in Knocksmith Magazine

CONCORD Shaun Shauny B Smith is an artist and magazine owner who publishes Knocksmith Magazine about twice a year Having grown up around Pittsburg with a major affliction for rap and hip hop music he set out in to start his own record label which then morphed into Knocksmight Magazine While he ran his magazine since with a focus on print featuring local talents from around the Bay Area with a focus on highlighting Antioch and Pittsburg areas he in recent months started changing his focus to other pursuits He launched a Knocksmith TV channel on the Roku app to feature his homemade videos started doing more online marketing work with other companies and has been experimenting with AI programs to make new ads for other clients outside of music Related Articles Outdoor educator looks back on wrangling tough kids leveraging diversity Bay Area developer on what downtown San Jose requirements to get it factor The majority of vital things Bay Area residents can do to protect their home against wildfires How the Concord Historical Society works to keep the past alive Cooking for her kids led this Oakland restaurateur to launch a hidden gem soul food spot This interview edited for space and clarity delves into how Smith works and measures his success as a local business owner and artist Q Tell me a little bit about yourself I know you ve got a lot of projects Give me the rundown What do you work on Where are you from What do you represent A I m Shaun Smith they call me Shauny B Been running a record label as long as I ve been a dad My son and my CDs came back on the same day That was I ve functioned as a label and an artist for a while and I started doing graphic design somewhere in there which was a quick easy way to make specific money It s producing income a lot quicker than trying to work as an artist That s kind of what led me into marketing I took specific time off between to I took a little break As a dad I was kind of reevaluating what kind of direction we were going to go My son was born in and my daughter was born in I was consistently really proceeding as a father but that was just kind of the time where I was a little bit exhausted and had to reroute I was frustrated with the let downs It s not an easy thing to do doing anything that s not conservative or the safe journey But especially in this creative industry there s a lot of let downs Q When you had to juggle being an artist a producer and being a father how did you manage that How do you move between being a father and doing your own passion projects A If I m honest I don t think I ever really tripped off of it The whole thing to me was pretty natural My dad passed when I was young so I already knew When my dad passed one of the things that got me through that time was music So at essentially at years old I was pretty already aware that my mission here was to have a son so we can live on and to make music Because that s how you can help I still had stuff to get out of my system I was still partying I was a young dad at and I had a son on the way There were certain things I had to get out of my system just as a person But as a father my son was my best friend instantly day We just did everything together As far as professional and creative aspects and where they merge with my family life it was invariably to include my family and friends however I can I ve been fortunate enough to create a conveyance to do that in majority of cases In particular of these magazine issues there s sections where we just have random pictures so that was reliably valuable to have people included in there or to mention people on an album or various credits for a film or something like that It s invariably an honor for me to do something like that Q Do you have a day job A This is what I do full time but I have the Boilermaker s union where I work periodically throughout the year Knocksmith is my main stay It doesn t make sense anymore to do -hours a week where I m tied to a -to- to juggle both I would advise anybody to keep your main investor which is your -to- as long as you can A lot of people are driving Uber and things like that because they have the freedom to do whatever they can in the arts It s hard to generate money in this though We ve been at it for a while and there s a lot of pegs on the board for a bigger plan that s coming I m not turning down any work that ll keep me in shape and keep my pockets lined either Q How do you measure your success in this business A To me what I ve noticed is that it s not specifically sports or drawing or music It s the act of thinking of something and then seeing it come-to Manifestation is a hot word right now but the real concept of that feels like time excursion almost The crazier the idea the more people that don t identify with it Introducing people that I know will get along or having an idea and being able to really make it happen that s what gets me out of bed Q Who s behind Knocksmith A There s a rotating scale there s a long list but at the end of the day the only one losing sleep over Knocksmith is yours truly Q What are you plans for the future for this magazine A We re in the middle of a rebrand for this issue that s coming out for the winter of We changed what the header was previously from Hip Hop R B Reggae and Rap to Media Recreation District and Workforce That s a broader scale where we still get to cover artists I m interested in all of those topics Shaun Shauny B Smith PROFILE Age Organization Knocksmith Magazine Title Owner Publisher Residence Pittsburg Five things about Shauny B Will eat just about anything especially if dared to eat scorching hot peppers Born in Martinez Moved homes times before he was years old Owns two dogs named Bella and Puppin Liked skateboarding and basketball growing