Get Your Own! | View Slideshow
A business minded individual by nature. A hustler, a legal one though....very very driven, ambitious, always looking for an opportunity to market himself and those he associates with. He's hosted and MC'd some of Canada's most noted events, some of which include Windsor/Detroit's Annual Sports Weekend festivities as well as the 2006 Much Music VJ Search Tour, and you may have even caught him on the television a few times in the past. At this point in his life Jesse Jones (sometimes referred to as "JJ", or "That dude with the first and last name") is focused on building his brand, JJUrban Group, a company that now represents and consults on behalf of a number of clients.His movement right now is directed at solidifying JJUrban's position in the marketplace. Jesse currently runs JJUrban as an innovator/broker and heads up the bulk of the new business and relationship development. "With JJUrban, we move differently. We walk differently, deal with clients differently, and have a very subtle but piercing confidence in the type of business that we do. People often ask us what we're about, and I sometimes have to laugh. I have an entrepreneurial nature, I'm a marketer....and my networks spawn across all types of industries and social circles....so it's hard to define myself or my brand as any one thing", says Jesse. "The company was founded and built as an offshoot brand to my family business Jones & Jones Productions (co-owned by my parents). JJUrban is a direct reflection of me, my style, my mind and has an urban lifestyle imprint and while we have global touch-points this idea was built to fill a void in the Canadian marketplace first and foremost. There wasn't really any one person with flash comin' out and saying they love artistry, but love the business side of that artistry more. With JJUrban, I'm doin' that - because there will always be a multitude of good opportunities, artists, and talent out there, however if we don't have the creative minds behind them to elevate and extend them creating multiple layers of appeal....where can they grow?", says Jones. He continues, "I love entertainment - music, sports, fashion, technology and marketing in and around these core areas is what me and my brand are about. I've had the opportunity to work with some great brands such as The Y Syndicate, adidas Originals, Bell, Boxfresh, Converse, Diesel USA, EMI, iSkin, Live Mechanics, LRG, Marc Ecko Enterprises, Much Music, MTV, NARS Cosmetics, Nautica, New Era Caps, Phat Farm, PUMA, Scotia Bank, Spy, SonyBMG, Triple 5 Soul, Universal Music, Warner, and most recently Timex Group, to name a few. I market artistes and I market concepts and opportunities, but that doesn't mean that a year from now I won't be marketing houses too(laughs). It's about what makes ('cents') at the time. I'm about furthering my brand as well as the brands, products, and clients I associate with while creating strong and lasting networks, laying the ground work for creating economic security and being an example to others", Jones says.
Known to most as a down to earth cat that just likes to chill, hangout, have a good time, Jesse sees himself creating change and one day getting involved in the political spectrum. "I already see myself creating some sort of change. Being a young black male taking the businessminded/ownership route is a great distraction from the negativity they try to put in our media. If I can have one kid look up to me and be inspired, I've done my job. I welcome the opportunity to become someone's role model, I want that."
Jesse has always been sure of what he has to offer. "I will never back down from that. You gotta be sure of yourself these days, too many systems and people try to dictate one's existence. At the end of the day we're using the web, our brand parterships, and our events to market my overall brand. JJUrban or Jesse Jones, whatever way you look at it we are one in the same. The company is not just for me, it's for anybody out there that has the respect for determination, drive, and the desire to create positive examples in one's community. Yea, that's what this is."
Both Jesse and the whole JJUrban Group family would like to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who has taken the time to stop by and visit this page.
*Quotes from this biography have been taken from an interview conducted by Canada Extra and the Gleaner company