DeBlazeo Interview: Journalism, Linking w/ ITSBIZKIT, Studio 17 Manager Role + More

Many of you already know the name DeBlasio, the former Mayor of New York, but today we’re here to introduce Mike DeBlasio aka deblazeo. A journalist, publicist, and studio manager from Queens. The 29-year-old creative has come a long way from his blogging days that started back in 2014, when he created his own blog to help a friend who was making music at the time. Mike always wanted a career in music, and it seemed he finally found his lane once his first WordPress post was published. And simply never looked back. By 2017, he was writing for the likes of ITSBIZIT, AllHipHop and Missinfo.TV. Now established within certain circuits, DeBlazeo then tapped into other channels of the industry. Specifically, public relations and studio manager. But let’s have Mike speak more on that himself, as we recently chopped it up with him for an exclusive interview.

Check it out in full below and be sure to connect with Mike DeBlasio across all social media platforms: deblazeo (IG) + @MidnightCyphs (Twitter).

Thisis50: “How do you feel about the journalist world today?”
Mike: “Well it’s definitely changed since I started in 2016. Today it’s a lot of click-bait, unreliable resources, and publications getting their information / news from social media. Not to say that wasn’t going
on five years ago either, but nowadays it’s all you really see. But of course, there’s still that small percentage of great journalism, and those are writers / pubs I associate with.
Genius. FADER. KAZI. Thisis50 of course. They will always keep the bar high– and with integrity.

People also love to say “blogs are dead” — but I say, as long as the internet is still alive and well, so will journalism. The good and the bad.”

ThisIs50: “Describe your relationship with ITSBIZKIT and how did you originally connect?”
Mike: “Man, Biz and I have a great relationship. I owe a lot to him. He’s my mentor. A role model. The big bro.
I’ve been writing for him since 2016… so 6 years now. That’s also when I started following him on Twitter and one day he tweeted he was looking for more writers and to simply e-mail him. So I did while I was at work. We then hopped on a call shortly after [during my lunch break] and spoke for a good 30 minutes. That call changed my life. He knew I was hungry and willing to learn — and he was the perfect mentor for me. We’ve been tight ever since. #WashedGang for life!”

Thisis50: “You established your PR company in 2020. Tell us about that.”
Mike: “Yea, I had to go official haha. I freelanced starting in 2017 and but by 2020 I felt confident enough to establish my own LLC. It felt amazing man. With that then came my official logo, which is 100% the perfect stamp for my brand. My name. I want to be a staple in this industry.”

Thisis50: How did your role as a studio manager come about?
Mike: “So Studio 17 is also where my office is, which is originally why I was there – but after 2 months, the owner, Ack Jones, who is also a good friend of mine, asked me to take on
the role as the manager. It was a quick yes for me. It just made sense really. I was always there, I love studio vibes, and have great relationships with all the engineers and interns.

It was also another opportunity I simply created for myself so I knew I had to take advantage of it. And it’s going great so far. I sometimes think ‘studio manager’ is my real calling
in the industry so I’m learning everyday on how to get better. Cause it’s a career I truly plan to pursue.

Thisis50: “What’s next for Mike DeBlasio?”
Mike: “So we’re actually relocating Studio 17 in the next few months. And that’s priority for me. A bigger office. A state of the art facility/studio from scratch. I’m excited! 17 will be a name the game recognizes for years to come!

And just getting better at everything else I’m involved in. There’s always room to learn, especially in the music industry. In terms of future projects, I don’t want to announce anything just yet before it’s concrete,
but there’s a few things in the works. I’m just going with the flow for now and establishing my foundation! You know… Marathon s***!”