Local DJ turns dreams into reality

Jimmy Hall is all about lifting up others, inspiring unity and shining a light on the positive stories in the community.

For many years Hall, who is known as DJ Dr Jim, had a dream of owning a radio station, and although he’s had to adapt and change plans, he’s finding new ways to make his dreams come to true.

Recently, Hall started a podcast called We Promote Community Success which highlights people in Shelby and surrounding areas who doing good things.

“We’re here to promote Shelby. We have positive people doing positive things," he said.

Hall has completed around 29 interviews so far with local pastors, students and youth, formerly incarcerated men, as well as community leaders such as the chief of police, mayor of Shelby and even the principal of Shelby High School.

“We have fun, that’s what it’s all about,” Hall said.

In one segment, he focused on life after the penal system and talked to three men about the positive things they are doing in the community following their release.

Two are now business owners and a third works for a company in Gaffney, South Carolina.

He’s interviewed several students for the podcast, and they talked about Black history.

“All I’m doing is having fun because this is my passion, this is my desire,” Hall said.

He does between two and five podcasts a week and is always interested in meeting new people.

“Everybody in the community has some type of skill easily used in this podcast,” Hall said,

He particularly wants to give young people a voice and a chance to speak and express themselves.

In one episode, the tables were turned, and Rev. Les Howard of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Waco interviewed Hall. They talked about his early days of going to Another Dimension nightclub in Shelby and meeting a DJ who became a mentor to him and helped him discover his passion.

“One of the great things about this is I just enjoy watching people have fun and entertaining them,” Hall said.

Hall talked about how his life got off track, and he was sentenced to prison. It was while he was incarcerated that he gained a closer relationship with God.

Following his release, he had a mission to accomplish the goals he had set out for himself.

“I’ve been out of prison nine years,” Hall said. “Once I got out, I wanted to pursue my vision of being a DJ.”

These days, he is well known in the community for his work as a DJ for birthday parties, weddings, fashion shows and entertainment events.

He had initially hoped to be on air in Charlotte as a DJ and had friends who encouraged him to go to school to make that happen.

Last year, he graduated with his associate’s degree in broadcasting and production technology from Cleveland Community College, and he plans to continue his education and get a business degree.

But Hall isn't just focused on personal goals, he wants to make a positive impact on his community.

In 2019, he started an organization called Unity in the Community which has held multiple events focused on promoting unity, solving problems and giving people a voice.

On his podcast, he talks with Howard about how the Unity in the Community events were born as a result of the unrest and violence plaguing the community in 2018 and 2019. Hall said he wanted to create an awareness about what was going on around Shelby and surrounding areas as well try to solve some of the problems. Hall invited Howard to be a speaker for the events.

Hall said he has another event planned for some time in the spring.

He’s dreaming big and hopes to someday host an event at the fairgrounds that will bring in celebrities - and even the president - and pack in thousands of people.

“If you can dare to dream it, you can manifest,” Howard said.

Hall said he wants to see everybody unified, not just one race and one creed, but everyone together.

“When it’s all said and done, I want everybody to be unified and spread the love of Jesus Christ,” Hall said.

In the meantime, he’s focused on his podcast.

Hall said he always carries with him his motto and uses it everywhere he goes. He said he wants everyone to remember the "three laws of always."

“Always believe in God, always believe in yourself and always love your family,” he said.

If you have a suggestion for someone to feature for the We Promote Community Success podcast, or if you’d like to be featured yourself, contact Jimmy Hall at 704-974-1566 or email djdrjimhall@gmail.com.

For more information on the podcast or to listen to episodes, visit the website at www.wpcsradio.com

The podcast is also available on Spotify and other platforms.

Reporter Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Local DJ turns dreams into reality