David was born March 31, 1977 in Washington DC. The oldest of three children, he attended a small high school and looked for a college that would not only be a fun experience but also infused with team spirit. What school could meet that criterion better than Duke?
Although medicine seemed like an obvious choice for David (his father was a doctor), after taking an economics class during his freshman year, he was captivated. David later graduated with a degree in economics and began working for SportsCapsule, which gave him the opportunity to combine his love of sports and technology. After pursuing other roles at different companies, he heard of a DJ school called Scratch DJ Academy that was being founded with talented artists such as Jam Master Jay the DJ from RUN DMC, and Reggie Gains who wrote Bring In Da’ Noise, Bring In Da’ Funk. David joined the business team at the beginning of May 2005, and in June they launched their first set of DJ Classes in New York City.
“It was bizarre because I am not a DJ, but I did know guerilla marketing tactics that would get people into the classes,” remarked David. The company was highly successful and Scratch opened schools in LA and Miami and also became a successful booking company, with clients such as Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Vogue Magazine.
As the company grew to 25 employees making $2.5 million in revenues, David soon realized he was ready for the next step – business school. While this entrepreneurial experience had been one that he had loved, he realized that he did not want to run a DJ school and booking agency for the rest of his life. David chose HBS because of the class atmosphere, the community feel, the aesthetic of the campus facilities, and the strong network.
Coming into HBS as an entrepreneur was a mixed bag. Some things came more easily because he had a BA in economics to pull from. Additionally, having worked for six years helped him know what he wanted to get out of the HBS experience. “At the end of the day, all that matters when you come to a place like this is that you are really interested in learning and you know what you want to get out of it,” says David.
David did his summer internship at Booz Allen in New York City and hopes to work in their media and entertainment group when the returns upon graduation. He has given an open invitation for everyone to check out Scratch (www.scratch.com) the next time they are in NY.
