“Oh man, we in trouble.” says Paul Wall during a phone call.
But why would the Houston Hip-Hop artist/jeweler even have a reason to make such a call right after the East rallied back from an 18-point deficit to beat the West, 163-155, at the 2014 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans on Sunday?
He may be an avid sports fan but Paul Wall has other reasons for his unhappiness. Now Hip-Hop celebs usually place insane bets on sporting events all time, but in this case, him and his partner Johnny Dang aka TV Johnny just lost big on a promotion that offered to deliver a full refund, in addition to also keeping the product, on any Johnny Dang/Paul Wall watch that was bought before by Friday, February 14th.
37 watches were bought. 37 high-priced flashy watches and while a $200k lost would hurt most businessmen, Paul Wall and TV Johnny realize this is the price of business and more good than bad will come from this, with TV Johnny stating, “in addition to our loyal customers, our watches are being bought by people that would have never purchased them before just because of the chance this promotion gave. So in the end it still works out.”
TheSource.com caught up with TV Johnny while he was in the studio and wasted no time talking about this six-figure loss.
What in the world were you thinking?
TV Johnny: (laughs) What do you mean?
You know what I mean, this All-Star game promotion.
TV Johnny: The Rockets are my hometown team and James Harden and Dwight Howard and they were all-stars. So honestly it’s only right we backed the West. The lost hurts from the moment because we had to refund a lot of money but at the same time it helps me and my partner Paul Wall, because now we get to showcase that we have the best watches and jewelry in the world.
Are you at liberty to say how much money you lost?
TV Johnny: We had to refund close to $200k but at the same time, the next day, on Saturday, we sold 35 watches.
Now do you really expect everyone that bought a watch to come back for a refund?
TV Johnny: Maybe, but we have come across a few tough situations already. Wholesalers purchased, there were international orders as well and some people that bought watches, lost the receipt, so I have to find out the proof of when they bought the watch. But we’ll work it all out.
Where did you come up with the idea to do the All-Star game promotion?
TV Johnny: We always have promotions this was just a really big promotion. We usually have promotions where we give $300 back when you buy a piece. We just took a chance with this one.
How did you get your name TV Johnny?
TV Johnny: T is the first initial of my name and V is for Vietnam. I chose Johnny as my American name because it was hard for people to say my Vietnamese name.
How did you get into the jewelry industry?
TV Johnny: I came here from Vietnam in 1996 and I was always a jeweler. I started in the flea market before teaming up with Paul Wall. We started with the grills, but I also did a lot of custom jewelry for David Banner, Snoop, Nelly, T.I. and more. They loved the work I did and they gave me shotouts on their songs, which made me popular.
Why do you think the Hip-Hop culture embraces you?
TV Johnny: Well, I have my own manufactory and I make custom made pieces with high quality but with a low cost. If I charge $30k for one of my pieces, another jeweler would charge double that just because the person is an athlete or a Hip-Hop artist. I treat them like they’re regular customers. You shouldn’t charge someone more just because they’re famous. I also make personal delivers.
In the end, TV Johnny and Paul Wall will be just fine, “cuz all the moneymakers too busy getting paid..”
You can follow TV Johnny on twitter at @TVJohnny.
