EP 047 with Joker the Bailbondsman

In this episode, Cody has a conversation with Sean Sullivan, better known as Joker the Bailbondsman. Joker is, without a doubt, the most commercially successful rapper from Alaska. His music videos were in heavy rotation on BET: Uncut, a late-night, uncensored music video block on BET back in the early 2000s. Back then, Joker was fully in it, he was living the stereotypical rap life—selling drugs and rapping about it. That is, until he got caught trying to sell to an undercover agent. He ended up spending over eight years in federal prison for the distribution of crack. Today, that's not something he's proud of though. He doesn't flaunt his rap sheet for street credit. Instead, he uses his past experiences, both good and bad, as a way to guide him toward legitimate success in the future. 

Probably Sean's most important professional attributes are his persistence and his willingness to invest in himself. Back when he was doing the rap thing, he seized every opportunity that was available to him. And for the opportunities that weren't available to him, he created situation that would, in time, make them available to him. He did this by cold calling television and radio stations, paying for the production of his own music videos, and buying plane tickets for hip-hop journalists to come to Alaska. This is how he found success: he manifested it. He didn't wait around expecting someone else to recognize his talent. Although he doesn't really go by Joker anymore—preferring people call him Sean instead—he still pursues potential ventures with the same vigor and tenacity he did when he was a young rapper.