Meet: Jojo Lorenzo
NYC-Based Filmmaker & DJ
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Join us as we chat with Jojo about Book Club Radio, getting into filmmaking, creating inclusive music spaces, New York culture, and more!
Before we start, for those who don’t know you, can you share with us what you do and where you’re based?
My name is Jojo and I’m based in Brooklyn, NY. I’m a filmmaker by day and a DJ by night. For the last 5 years, I’ve been directing a music documentary series for PBS called Sound Field. I like to call it people-first music education, we explore diverse styles of music by trying to understand the cultures behind them.
I also hosted a series called Subcultured which is an exploration of modern subcultures, and this year I started my DJ journey and created Book Club Radio with Tinzo, Carlie, Claudia, Kevin, and our friends. For those that don’t know Book Club Radio is a music channel and party based in Brooklyn that films cinematic live DJ mixes.
Can you tell us a bit about how you got started with filmmaking and producing?
I’ve known that I wanted to be a filmmaker since I was in elementary school, and I was an early adopter of YouTube, I made my first YouTube channel in 2006 it was called Kidspielberg8. At one point I became embarrassed by the content on there so I think I deleted it all which I’m really sad about. I went to film school, and my thesis film called Birthday Boy, toured at a few international film festivals. For the last six years, I’ve been working at Twin Cities PBS mostly focused on producing digital series for PBS.
What inspired you to create content that delves into the educational aspects of music and pop culture, particularly with the PBS shows, Sound Field and Subcultured?
That’s really what I’m passionate about. I once went to a talk by Neil deGrasse Tyson and he made a reference to the song School’s Out and then he said, “who knows who sings that song?” I immediately blurted out, “ALICE COOPER!” And I thought to myself, wow I know something Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn’t.
I’m a nerd for pop culture and music. As someone who grew up chronically online, I also think both musical and nonmusical subcultures are evolving and that’s interesting to study. Growing up these communities were regional and today they’re universal because of the World Wide Web. To tell you the truth though, I just like meeting new people, and I love how the opportunity to meet new people is mind-opening.
Looking at Book Club Radio, what inspired you to venture into the world of live music?
My partner Carlie, my sister Tinzo, and all of our friends love to go out dancing. I mean multiple days during the week, we just love the release of the dance floor. When we go out dancing we all dance with each other and it’s the most fun.
Sometimes we’ve found it annoying when crowds are packed together facing one way, it kind of interrupts our ability to dance. So I wanted to inspire others to experience a night out on the dance floor the way we do. That’s why rule 4 of Book Club is face each other instead of the DJ. I also love watching DJ mixes online, and with my filmmaking background, I thought we could try to add something unique to that world. You’ll notice a lot of our parties are inspired by movies, and I think that makes our videos more cinematic. Each one is like a dance party scene from a different genre of film.
In some of the dance/DJ scenes we've encountered, there's a noticeable homogeneity, as if an air of exclusivity hangs over them. However, with BCR, it seems like you've actively crafted an inclusive environment. Have you encountered this sense of exclusivity in other spaces, and did that shape your approach in establishing BCR?
When I’m at a Book Club Radio party it is truly one of the most inclusive, happiest places I’ve ever been. That wasn’t something we talked about when we started, we invited our friends and they invited their friends so maybe it happened organically. We do want it to feel like a safe space where everyone is welcome and feels comfortable making new friends and also just being themselves.
I’ve heard stories of people coming alone and making close friends at our parties. However, I know some people would say we are exclusive, simply because they haven’t found a way to attend a party yet. Since we’ve grown in popularity there are more and more people hoping to come and we only have so much space at each party.
How do you go about creating an immersive and engaging experience for people who attend a BCR party?
This is sort of tied to the inclusivity/exclusivity conversation. We purposefully make it challenging to attend a Book Club Radio party because we want to make sure that the people who are there want to be there. Kerri Chandler gave an interview where he said, “People that go to a party for the atmosphere don’t understand that they are the atmosphere, so they have to make it themselves.” We put a lot of effort into decorating and the production, but what really makes Book Club unique is the people.
We always have a theme and when you step inside, it’s stepping into a world where everyone is cosplaying that theme. There are people in character, the space is always immersive, and the music all reflects that. It’s like being in a movie, we are playing.
When it comes to the music itself, how do you go about curating the DJs who play?
We started in my living room last February with 30 of our friends, so in the beginning it was just asking friends to come play guest sets. Now we have a DJ sign-up where anyone can submit mixes, so I spend a lot of time listening to mixes while I’m working. I want to make sure that the styles are diverse. The second rule of Book Club is to be open to unfamiliar music and sounds. We want to bring people in with what’s familiar, and then once we have them, introduce them to something new. I also think that if the styles of music can reflect the theme it helps make the party more immersive.
Being based in New York, how has the local culture influenced both your filmmaking and the events hosted by Book Club Radio?
I love New York. It’s hard to imagine myself living anywhere else. New York has really influenced my perspective on music and community. I'm proud to be living here and I’m proud that we started Book Club here.
I think when it comes to my perspectives on nightlife and music no two places have been more influential on me than New York and VRChat. I’ve made a few short documentaries about music scenes in New York like the ballroom scene and also one on the rave scene in VRChat that you can find in my shows Sound Field and Subcultured.
Given your involvement in filmmaking and live events, do you find that each medium offers unique opportunities to connect with audiences?
This year is the first time I’ve become involved in live events, and so I’m really used to creating a film and releasing it and getting that feedback slowly and at a distance. It’s taken a lot of time to get used to the immediate reaction and shared energy that comes from live performances.
I’m naturally shy and I wouldn’t call myself a performer, so it’s something I’ve had to learn. In both mediums though I think we are creating a world for the audience either to experience in person or get lost in after the fact and that’s fun.
For those who are looking to start their own creative communities, or get involved with/in one, what advice would you share with them?
You can’t create a community by yourself.
Before we let you *almost* go, where can we find more of you?!
Every month on Book Club Radio and on instagram @imjojolorenzo. More Sound Field will be coming out soon too.
Let’s Get Deep
What’s your theme song?
Night In or Night Out?
Definitely a night out.
When do you feel the most you?
When the music is LOUD.
What’s something you’re obsessed with right now?
I’m eating Mexican food like 4 days a week right now.
Call or Text?
There are probably 5 people I prefer a call from, everyone else text.
When was the last time you cried?
My grandmother just passed.
When’s the last time you laughed?
No one makes me laugh harder than my friend Chris Jams Andreen the short king.
Current favorite follow on social media?
@TwolvesBrazil on twitter. Even if you don’t watch basketball their account is worth checking out. Brazil is unmatched when it comes to fan accounts. Naz Reid.
What’s one thing you would tell your 16-year-old self?
Be nice.
Find more of Jojo here:
Instagram @imjojolorenzo
Youtube: www.youtube.com/@bookclubradio
Listen to Jojo’s Playlist: Here