Today we’d like to introduce you to Octavius Davis
Hi Octavius, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a native of Gary, IN but I’ve been in Jacksonville for a little over 40 years. Growing up I was a very shy child, but at a young age I took a strong liking towards dance and it became an outlet to break me out of my shell. Interestingly people used to refer to me as ‘The Dancing Urkel’ because I looked like Steve Urkel’s twin brother. In 6th grade I attended George Washington Carver Elementary and became part of the dance team and quickly climbed the ranks and became one of the choreographers for our team. Mrs. Gaffney, our dance instructor, was impressed with myself and two of my best friends at the time and gave us a recommendation to attend Landon Middle School of the performing arts where I was accepted into the dance program. However, I quickly realized that it was not the same type of dancing that I was used to. I thought I was going to learn how to become a better hip hop dancer but was introduced to ballet, modern, jazz and other dance disciplines that I wasn’t confident enough to learn at that time. Growing up in the early 90s, I was concerned that the neighborhood kids would pick at me so I left the dance program and transferred to Southside Middle School where I was introduced to journalism. I didn’t think I’d find anything that would rival my love for dance, but that’s exactly what happened and fell in love with journalism/communications. Once going on to high school (1997), my voice changed to a very deep baritone and by my senior year was introduced to radio and began working as a producer at a local talk station WVOJ. Attending Edward Waters University (1998), to major in Communications, was a natural fit; and carved out a pretty good career for myself, as Director of Programming for WZAZ (2001-2007). Though my radio career was excelling, dance remained the backdrop performing as a hip hop dancer and choreographer, while in college, travelling the country as a background dancer and performing on television shows. Due to my vocal tone and on-air experience, I transitioned into voice-acting in the early 2000’s and would go on to voice over 1,000+ radio and tv commercials for clients such as: ESPN, Bacardi, TV One, GMC and more. Additionally, in 2022 I started an after-school literacy program using the art of voiceover to build more confident readers in the classroom, called DaMillionDollarVoice: Academy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, my journey has been very up and down. As a matter of fact, once graduating college in 2004 I attended seminary; and found myself being very conflicted because in my heart I wanted to own radio stations but felt obligated to continue in traditional ministry. So in 2007, I resigned from my radio career I relocated to Tallahassee, FL to help start a church. Wednesday’s and Sunday’s were the worst days of the week for me. I would wake up in the mornings look at the ceiling and cry because it was time to go to church. What I didn’t understand then which I better understand now is that I was depressed; and found myself on the verge of committing suicide. Thankfully, my plans were interrupted by a still calm voice that that came from within my heart that said, “…you can either take your life or dedicate your life pursuing what you’re truly passionate about”. That was November of 2007, so I made the decision January 5, 2008 to resign from ministry. The past 16 years has been a journey of rediscovering who I truly am; what I truly love; and dedicating myself to those things. So the road hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
By day, I’m an advocate for kids in foster care with Family Support Services as the Director of Community Engagement, Recruitment, Grants, Marketing and Communications. I oversee those teams for Duval, Nassau, Pasco and Pinellas counties. On Sunday mornings, I host a community affairs show called Front Page: Jacksonville on HOT 106.5 FM and cover issues that impact our city, as well as, interview change-makers from within the community. Plus, I created a live-stream talent show called The Talented 10, where contestants from around the country use their talents to compete for cash prizes, while the livestream viewing audience vote (in real-time) for the winners. Season one had contestants from Memphis, Philadelphia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Atlanta, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas so as I prepare to launch season two in 2025, we’re looking forward to expanding the show into other parts of the country and eventually other parts of the world.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
None
Pricing:
- Become a host site for DaMillionDollarVoice: Academy (pricing available upon request)
- Become a sponsor of ‘The Talented 10’ (pricing available upon request)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.talented10.tv/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damilliondollarvoice/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@damilliondollarvoice?si=meB8gwAD9O7Zv30T
