Meet Camille Cannon (Cami Can) | Multimedia Storyteller

We had the good fortune of connecting with Camille Cannon (Cami Can) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Camille, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’m a first-generation college graduate, and the general career advice I heard from my parents was “get good grades so you can get a full-time job after you graduate.” Growing up, my dad worked in construction, and my mom worked evenings (in retail, a call center, a panadería) so that she could be home with my two siblings and me during the day. My parents showed me what it meant to work hard.

I earned my degree in Media Studies at UC Berkeley (I first learned to DJ by taking a class in the university’s DeCal program), and my dream job was to become a comedy writer–I was and still am obsessed with Saturday Night Live. I graduated during a recession and ultimately moved to Las Vegas, where my immediate family had relocated from Sacramento, to live with them. I had worked in events as an undergraduate, so I focused on applying to jobs in the hospitality industry. Since I was new in town, I familiarized myself with Las Vegas by reading Vegas Seven, a clever and eye-catching alt-weekly magazine. After a few months of fruitless hospitality job interviews, I decided I had nothing to lose by applying to the magazine’s internship program. After all, I really wanted to write! I was accepted, and I started making good on my dream.

My first assignment (I’ll never forget it) was writing short 1-2 sentence descriptions of “Big Game” food specials at local restaurants. I amused myself by finding the humor in football-shaped burgers and bottomless nachos, and to my delight, the editor loved it and assigned me more work. Over time, I worked up the nerve to pitch the editors my own story ideas. That’s how my first-ever interview was with Seth Meyers–the Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Seth Meyers! (The advice he shared for aspiring comedy writers: Find a community of other creative people and try to make that home for yourself. It’s really good to surround yourself with people who share your passions.”) That experience filled me with radical optimism, and I never stopped pitching ideas. I’ve been fortunate to interview many more comedians, musicians, and entrepreneurs I admire since then.

Currently, I balance freelance writing, DJing, hosting, and working full-time. I share all of my creative work, including my upcoming DJ gigs, on Instagram @cami_can. I’ve been DJing on and off since 2009, but I made an effort to be more active after earning my MBA in 2023. The San Diego community has been so supportive so far, and I’m so grateful to keep doing what I love!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I currently work 9-5 in communications at an academic library. My writing, DJing, and on-camera work happen on nights and weekends. When I lived in Las Vegas, media was my full-time job. I started writing calendar listings for an alt-weekly magazine. I was able to parlay an internship at that media company into a part-time job and ultimately a full-time job as a writer and editor. It was a very exciting chapter of life filled with so many unique experiences in nightlife and entertainment. From there, I worked for what was then called CBS Radio in Las Vegas, managing the social media and website content and hosting as an on-air personality on the weekends. I was technically working two part-time jobs for CBS, and my schedule allowed me to keep freelance writing, and I started my own media site, SKIRRT.com. The most popular videos I created were “man on the street” style videos, like “Drake Says She Says,” where I interview tourists on the Strip in game-show style segments.

I worked 4-5 jobs at once for about a year and a half before I ran out of steam (and frankly, ran out of money). I was fortunate to find full-time work again managing social media and digital content for a Library District. This role turned out to be a perfect fit for me because I loved promoting library resources, and because libraries offer books, music, and movies, they represent an amazing cross-section of pop culture. I created some things I’m really proud of while I was there, like the Vegas Golden Knights Library Card, a Library Twitter “beef,” a collaboration with Life Is Beautiful Music & Arts Festival, and some memorable influencer campaigns, like with Jeopardy star James Holzhauer.

Ultimately, I had to leave that role to pursue the full life I wanted in San Diego. (I share more about this in my 2022 TEDx Talk, “Are You Participating in Life?”) These experiences have taught me that everything is temporary. Enjoy the highs and learn from the lows because life moves in seasons, and you might not see another like the one you’re in right now. Every season of life has something to offer, and I’m so grateful that this season has allowed me to own my creativity, pursue joy, and connect with many people on a similar journey.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First thing’s first: We’re getting caffeinated. If we’re in City Heights, it’s gotta be Cafeina, and if we’re in North Park, we’re going to Mixed Grounds. No questions.

I’m a library nerd, of course, so we might hit up Central Library or visit one of the city’s independent bookstores. One of my favorites is Libélula in Barrio Logan, and if we’re in the area, we’re definitely going to Fish Guts for tacos and Mujeres Brew House for a beverage. I also love the Barrio Logan art crawls when the sidewalks are full of amazing art and vendors (see @allforlogan for dates). I would also see where Books for Ages Bookmobile (@booksforagesbookmobile) is that day because it is such a fun shopping experience, and the owner, Christian, is so kind and cool.

One of my favorite things about living in San Diego is how many ways there are to be active. Several times a week, you will find me at Madhouse Dance. I’ve been going to their spicy dance cardio classes for four years and I will glady take any visitors with me. I’m obsessed! For the past two summers, I’ve signed up for a monthly paddleboarding membership at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center. I love being on the water.

I moved here after living in the desert for seven years, and I truly cannot get enough of our coastline and beaches. Some of my favorite places to take in the views are Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, Coronado Tidelands Park, Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach, Sunset Cliffs, and Sea Grove Park in Del Mar. Put your toes in the sand. Listen to the waves. It will make your day and change your life!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m really fortunate to have connected with some amazing creatives in San Diego over the past couple of years. I moved here in fall 2019 without knowing anyone, and I never take community for granted. In 2023, as the final project of my master’s in business administration, I created a podcast called Scratching the Record. I interviewed incredible guests I had been fortunate to work with in my entertainment journalism career. One of those guests was Morgan Gould, a super-talented Las Vegas-based photographer, videographer, and marketing director for MAC Agency, whom I’ve known since 2014. I shared with Morgan that I was eager to find a creative community in San Diego, and he kindly introduced me to his friend Kliff Semo, who has been creating really cool content, concepts, and events out here for years. Kliff has since become a good friend and trusted collaborator, and we’ve been working together on his newest project, The Creative Exchange, a free monthly networking event for professionals, creatives, and entrepreneurs. (Keep up with it @1904Connect!). I host on-camera interviews and DJ at these events, and it’s been so much fun. I’ve been meeting so many wonderful people!

Also on the 1904 Connect team is Carlos, an awesome DJ who goes by @cutlos_supreme. We initially met at the debut Mi Gente Block Party last summer (shoutout to the organizer, Isabel!) In addition to DJing, Carlos is doing incredible programming at the new Mixed Grounds Coffee in North Park (shout out to owner Kwa and The Fresh Yard)! I’ve been fortunate to DJ at both Mixed Grounds locations, and it’s always a good time. Also, shout out the DJ collective Tell All Your Friends: Paris Groove, Shane Yamamoto, and Tone Def. They welcomed me with open arms, and I’m forever grateful.

I also want to recognize Erika Ramirez (@nadi_marketing) and Maricruz Carrillo (@_menoswaste_), producers of the Unidos en Éxito Latinx Small Business Panel + Mixer. I’ve met awesome friends from this event, including Paola (@paolalikeshappymoney, founder of @todosxdance) and Andrew, owner of @CafeinaCafeSD!

Website: https://camillecan.com

Instagram: @Cami_Can

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillecannon/

Image Credits
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