Episodes

On this season of the podcast, from time to time, I will be sharing with you some of the personal tools that I use which I think can help you as a DJ. In this episode, I sit down with my vocal coach, Gerald Isaac. A vocal coach for a DJ? Yeah, I didn't think I would need one either. Now, almost 2 years in of weekly remote (zoom) 1 hour vocal lessons, I've made a 180 - both in terms of my performance being taken to a higher level and with my thoughts that this can be of help (even to a seasoned veteran DJ like myself). We talk through his vocal coaching approach/philosophy, what a typical lesson is like and he even shares a tip at the end on how to keep your voice fresh and strong when you are on a run of 3-4 events in a week during heavy event season.

Are you in place where you want to punch up to the next level of clientele but are struggling to get there or at least have some consistency with landing the next level of clientele? Then this is for you. In this episode, I share with you three ways to prepare yourself for that next level and how you can bypass a lot of the trial and error that I went through in punching through.

If ever I had a strength in DJ'ing, it's this...knowing what music to play during the "in between" moments. In my past life, I had to curate songs that went with specific story or subject lines so I became really good at not only knowing WHERE to insert music but WHAT to insert. Whenever people shadow me at events, this is something that gets mentioned often. In this episode (a listener requested topic), I share moments to look for in corporate and wedding events, play you a few sample tracks and give you intel on where to look for these types of songs.

With my music episodes, I try to present to you evergreen tracks that will be with you for a while. I subscribe to a ton of record pools beyond digging through blogs, Patreon, streaming services, Shazam, and the like. I thought I would share my top 10 most interesting musical track finds with you from the month of February 2023. Bonus: I'll give you the source on where to find the tracks I talk about. Not only do I hope to save you time in finding gems but I also give you my take on how/where I use them within my sets.

In the last couple years, I've been blessed to punch up in working with high net worth clientele. At the ultra luxury level, there's quite a difference in what those types of clients value and the behavior that needs to go along with it. While I have been able to naturally adjust, I wish I had some of the nuggets I share in this episode without having to have adapted on the fly.

In a day and age where it's easy to just copy and paste (hello ChatGPT) website verbiage, social media captions or even marketing strategies, how do you stand out? Newsflash: It's not to yell louder or spend more on advertising. It's about going deeper. One of the ways to do this is through story-telling. This isn't new..."story" is a marketing buzz word. But even with it out there, not may people are doing it....or at least not doing it well. In this episode, I talk through not only why it's important, but how to format those stories, and then I give you 4 types of stories you should be telling as well as 4 steps to telling better stories. Even if we all are sharing stories, mine and yours will be unique....and that's when/how we attract our tribe (ideal clients).

From time to time this year, I will be sharing tools on this podcast that I use which I think can help you as a DJ. In this episode, I sit down with VIBO's founder, Michael Mahler. Vibo is an event planning music app that I've been using ever since it launched in the US back in 2017. For those not familiar with the app, Michael will talk us through some of the highlights of the product. We'll discuss some of the things on the horizon for the app and then also he drops a golden nugget in sharing one of the things he wishes he could go back and tell his younger entrepreneurial self. Lastly, he'll share where you can find him and demo the product for yourself in 2023.

I've had a ton of conversations with DJ company owners recently and unlike previous years where we all were tracking in somewhat the same direction, this year (2023) I'm hearing a lot of companies that are in "feast" mode while a considerable amount of others are in "famine" mode. Why is this? And if your inquiries are minimal, how can you change that? In this episode, I give you 3 reasons that I believe are causing the famine and I also share how you can get to the other side. This is a line in the sand moment. Don't let it pass you by.

I talk a lot about loyalty to an airline or two (or three). But if travel DJ life is more of a "one off" than the norm, loyalty to a specific airline might not always be possible. I also talk a lot about the need to be well rested and at your most optimal peak-performance self at travel gigs. Without a first class ticket, this might be tough when you're sitting in the back or in the middle seat (or worse, both) with limited or zero recline options (yes, I realize these are first world problems). Or maybe you're flying to an industry event or conference this year and want an elevated flying experience. This is where this hack can come in handy. In this short (under 6 minutes) episode, I give you a hack to having a first class type of experience without paying for it.

With my music episodes, I try to present to you evergreen tracks that will be with you for a while. I subscribe to a ton of record pools beyond digging through blogs, Patreon, streaming services, Shazam, and the like. I thought I would share my top 10 most interesting musical track finds with you from the month of January 2023. Bonus: I'll give you the source on where to find the tracks I talk about. Not only do I hope to save you time in finding gems but I also give you my take on how/where I use them within my sets.

This is a listener requested topic. An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) is seen often in the nightlife world. But is it necessary in the Private Even Space? The answer is - it depends. Unfortunately, this is not a black or white answer here. In this episode, I break down not only when it could be advantageous for you but also what I feel should be included and how to get one made.

I've been pretty vocal about the need for me to get a 75% deposit from clients upon booking. This isn't about a money grab - in fact, far from it. In this episode, I break it down to help a DJ who tried to make the shift to this 75% with a client and it caused some pushback from said client. The DJ was looking for advice to counter this and book them. Context is everything. Listen to this episode for clarity here.

It's been a badge of honor for so long in our industry to not only book events in bulk but to book them as far out as possible. It shows you are in demand. It proves that you marketing is paying off. It puts you in a rare class of the elite DJ. Or does it? In this episode, I give you the other side of the coin as well as food for thought to consider pausing booking for 2024.

With my music episodes, I try to present to you evergreen tracks that will be with you for a while. I subscribe to a ton of record pools beyond digging through blogs, Patreon, streaming services, Shazam, and the like. In this episode, I share my top 10 most interesting musical track finds for the month of December 2022 with you. Bonus: I'll give you the source on where to find the tracks I talk about. Not only do I hope to save you time in finding gems but I also give you my take on how/where I use them within my sets.

On the heels of the last episode, I share a tremendous failure of the business this year. There's no doubt this has given me some character stripes - that is for sure. In this episode, I share what happened, how I handled it and where things stand currently. This one is a doozy.

What would you attempt to do if you knew you would fail? But in failing, you knew there would be a positive return from it. The reality is that failure is always possible. In fact, it's more than likely probable. In this episode, I talk through this idea of developing the leadership skill of anticipating failure and leveraging it for a positive.

I have found that part of preparing for a new year is deciding whether or not to implement changes to your business or stay the course. That requires a decision to be made. But what should guide your decision making with this or anything for that matter? I believe it boils down to 2 things. In this episode, I break it down for you. Give it a listen. I think you'll be better positioned to make decisions moving forward.

As we get ready to jump into 2023, it's important to get things re-aligned before we jump back into the day to day. In the last episode we talked about clarity around the vision. This episode is sort of a Part 2 on that idea in talking through vision casting and vision carrying. Who does what role? Why is this so important to understand? Listen to this episode and let me unpack this important subject that could transform your company culture today.

As we get ready to jump into 2023, I felt this was a timely topic. Clarity around the vision of an organization is mission critical to their success. In this episode, I give you six questions to answer which will not only help define a vision but have everyone who works for or with you singing the same tune.

I just finished the Engage Conference (#4 of 4 that I attended in 2022). For this last one in Arizona, I was the general sessions DJ and I also did a pool set...in 42 degree weather. Yes, I had to re-think my set going in as I knew this would be different. In this episode, I talk through my strategy for DJ'ing a non-rager pool set, share some tracks, and at the conclusion of this episode, I give you a special downloadable bonus of the entire setlist for the holidays as a "thank you" for your support.

I just finished the Engage Conference (#4 of 4 that I attended in 2022). For this last one in Arizona, I was the general sessions DJ. In this episode, I talk through my strategy for DJ'ing a multi-day general session event and go into detail on how to program for Day 2 (which is different than Day 1) At the conclusion of this episode, I even give you a special downloadable bonus for the holidays as a "thank you" for your support.

I just finished the Engage Conference (#4 of 4 that I attended in 2022). For this last one in Arizona, I was the general sessions DJ. In this episode, I talk through my strategy with the conference in general, some tricks and hacks for sourcing tracks and nailing timing and I even give you a special downloadable bonus for the holidays as a "thank you" for your support.

With my music episodes, I try to present to you evergreen tracks that will be with you for a while. I subscribe to a ton of record pools beyond digging through blogs, Patreon, streaming services, Shazam, and the like. I thought I would share my top 10 most interesting musical track finds with you. Bonus: I'll give you the source on where to find the tracks I talk about. Not only do I hope to save you time in finding gems but I also give you my take on how/where I use them within my sets.

I'm on the road today and I always bring my podcasting gear just in case inspiration strikes. Today is one of those days. I give some updated travel hacks that I'm utilizing - I cover airport lounges, hotels, snacks and sleep aids.