"It wasn't too long ago that John Summit, 31, (born John Schuster) was commuting home from a grueling day of accounting work in Chicago and chugging cold brews to find the energy to make music. Working at a Big Four firm like Ernst & Young meant some days ended up being nine-to-nine instead of nine-to-five. At the time, it was numbers by day, music by night. His day job paid a $65,000 annual salary, but his real passion was making music."
"After quitting Ernst & Young for its grueling 12 hour days, another accounting job promised better hours-so he pivoted. It only lasted a couple months before he was let go, after showing up to work with bloodshot eyes from a weekend DJ shift playing underground sets from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Turns out his co-workers were more focused on crunching numbers than spinning tracks."
""But by then I was kind of asking for it because I kind of saw a path to being a full time DJ producer. It didn't matter bc at that point, I already had record label releases," Summit tells Fortune. He had more free time to work on music, and his DJ career and his career began to flourish, thanks in part to an online fan base. Pandemic wide shutdowns further fueled a crowd that was eager for live events."
John Summit worked long, demanding hours in accounting while producing music nights and treating music as a creative escape. He left Ernst & Young and briefly took another accounting job but was let go after weekend DJ shifts left him exhausted. He already had record label releases and more time to focus on music. An online fan base and pandemic shutdowns increased demand for live events. His 2020 single "Deep End" went viral on TikTok and launched his career. He now earns far more from live shows, produces, and runs the label Experts Only.
Read at Fortune
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