Kenyan-born Ivy Atieno alias Poizon Ivy is a sports sound strategist and a social impact architect for US's National Basketball Association (NBA) team Dallas Mavericks.
She was born in Nairobi and grew up in Lang'ata. At the age of nine, she and her mother relocated to Dallas, Texas.
Ivy is the first female DJ in the History of the Dallas Mavericks franchise and the second female DJ in the NBA.
File image of DJ Poison Ivy. |Photo| Courtesy|
She developed a passion for deejaying and learnt the art from friends she grew up with in Dallas, some of whom she notes are among the best at it.
The sensational DJ always had a passion for sports and joined the NBA when she was 12. The association has a mentorship for children and she was among those that went through it.
She attended Marquette University where she majored in corporate communication, with a minor in advertising.
After college, she sought jobs as a DJ for NBA teams. She auditioned for the Milwaukee Bucks but was unfortunate not to get the job. She returned to Texas where she also auditioned for WNBA side Dallas Wings but was not selected.
She would later get a call from the Dallas Maverick who asked her if she was still interested in auditioning for a DJ job, and that is how she got the job.
Her first NBA gig was in 2016 with the Dallas Wings.
Ivy became the first-ever female DJ to DJ at an NBA All-Star Game in 2018.
Going from on-air, to arenas, to clubs and main stages, DJ Poizon Ivy has lent her services to major brands and corporations including Atlantic Records, Red Bull, Adidas, and the Milwaukee Brewers according to the Dallas Mavericks website.
File image of DJ Poison Ivy. |Photo| Courtesy|
She’s spun for non-profit organizations and events: Skylar Diggins “Shoot 4 the Sky” Basketball Camp Tour, Snoop Dogg’s Youth Football League, and Obama for America.
She has also graced the stage and spun for some of the renowned names in Hip Hop; J Cole, Lupe Fiasco, Wiz Khalifa, B.O.B, Juicy J, Nas et al.
DJ Poizon Ivy is a huge fan of local music and in the NBA games, she plays Kenyan music and songs from other East African artists.
She has played songs by Mejja, Gengetone group Ethic, Tanzania's Vanessa Mdee et al.
When she’s not in her element, Ivy is advocating for various causes and working with non-profit organizations that enable young women pursuing careers in music, young mothers, and organizations that aide health issues affecting young women.
Her personal vision includes branding herself as a curator of music, fashion, entertainment and all things female empowerment.
“When it’s all said and done, the only thing that should matter is how well you do the job; not your gender,” she says.
Ivy’s story of climbing from the bottom to the top rung garnered a Lonestar Regional Emmy nod for a made for television mini-documentary.
File image of DJ Poison Ivy. |Photo| Courtesy|
