"Empowering Youth: The Journey of Olu Dixon and Olu Productions"
Photos by Jordan Somers
Recently, Olu Dixon visited "The Day With Trae" to delve into his artistic and educational journey with host Trae Holiday, sharing the mission of Olu Productions and the impactful initiative, It's Never 2 Early 2 Create & Innovate (N2E).
Dixon didn't attend public school until high school. Instead, he was part of a Black-run homeschooling program called Black Starline, managed by his mother and a group of her friends. This experience marked the beginning of his involvement with the community.
“My mom didn’t really agree with the public school system, because she didn’t want somebody else raising her child,” Dixon said. “I give everything to my mom. She’s the one that put me in the community. She’s the one that helped me be raised by so many strong Black women in my life.”
Dixon started his business ten years ago at the age of 10.
“It started as a fundraiser for a trip to Kenya,” Dixon said.
Initially, his mother asked if there was a way he could raise funds, and she came up with the idea of starting a business. They brainstormed together, and their first T-shirt design featured the slogan "Danger: Educated Black Youth Armed with Knowledge." This design became their first product.
What began as a simple fundraiser evolved into a profitable venture that enabled Dixon to fund a two-week trip to Africa with his mother and her friends. During the trip, they visited Consumo, Dubai, and Nairobi, which left a lasting impression on him. Encouraged by the positive reception and financial success, Dixon decided to transform the fundraiser into a full-fledged business.
“It is never too early to create and innovate. It’s never too early to start a business,” Dixon said. “I started at 10, and we have people in the group who started at six years old, which is before me, so they’re already ahead of me.”
N2E is a collective group managed by him and his mother under the umbrella of their main business, Olu Productions. Olu Productions supports and includes 17 other Black entrepreneurs aged 6 to 24.
Dixon noticed that many people in the community began asking him how he started his business. In response, he decided to create a division dedicated to helping others replicate his success. This division, which began about four years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, provides support and resources for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Their first marketplace events were held online due to pandemic restrictions. The initial online event attracted around 50 participants, and the second saw an increase to 150. As restrictions eased, they hosted in-person events, including one at the Northwest Tap Connection. The primary goal of this division is to keep the community of young entrepreneurs connected and supported.
One of the main focuses of Dixon’s designs under Olu Productions is creating T-shirts with positive messages.
“The main focus for my T-shirts is to have a positive message for Black youth,” Dixon said. “We’re slowly doing a little bit of a rebrand in a way in which I want to make my T-shirts for everybody, all of us fighting the same cause of us just being human together. Because at the end of the day, no matter what skin color, what background, we’re all human.”
In 2022, Dixon enrolled in the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, a two-year program. The conservatory offers two departments: Musical Theater and Film and Television. Dixon chose the Film and Television department and graduated on May 19. He expressed immense happiness and gratitude for his achievement, especially as his birthday was three days later, making it a particularly eventful period.
Dixon reflects that moving to New York was one of the best decisions for his career, as he aspires to be an actor. He found New York to be an ideal place to start his career, network, and meet influential people in the industry. The entire New York experience was, for him, truly amazing.
“Honestly, going to New York was probably one of the best decisions I made for my career because I want to be an actor, and New York is the perfect spot to start working and meeting people,” Dixon said.
Now that Dixon is back in Seattle, he is eager to devote more time to his business, believing it has immense potential for growth. With the knowledge and experiences he has gained from living in different areas, he feels he can significantly enhance the business.
“I want to pour more time into the business because I feel like it can grow so much,” Dixon said.
To learn more about Olu Dixon and Olu Productions, visit itsnever2early.store or oluproductions.com.
For more on local authors you can support in Seattle, tune into Trae every weekday at 11 a.m. on all Converge Media platforms and "The Day With Trae" YouTube Channel.
