Episodes

Those that do the "private event" traveling DJ thing for more than a one-off gig or two are rare. Drew Pierce has been in it for a while but since 2020 has really gone "all in". In this interview, I get a chance to talk with him about a lot of different things surrounding this topic - his new booki…

Just got off a week where I went on an invite only FAM trip to Vail, CO and have another invite only FAM I'm attending next month in Martha's Vineyard. If that wasn't enough, I'm hosting my own 'minis' in June and July. Never heard of these things? What I've found over the past year or so is a desi…

Ever been hit up by a travel DJ for gear and don't know what to charge or how to quote? Or maybe you're getting asked to DJ out of market and want to get the inside scoop on how gear providers should be charging and what's typically included. I feel like with the amount of traveling DJ gigs now hap…

In the DJ vertical (and the creative space at large), "package" selling is the most predominant type. But do why understand the advantages and disadvantages to this versus "Option" selling and "1 Solution" selling? In this episode, I break down the various types of selling options and give my own …

Here's a listener requested topic. You're NOT an owner...but a pseudo single-op who gets booked out by booking agents and DMCs. You've done the work to improve who you are and operate differently than when you were first added to the roster. How do you go about having that conversation about the "n…

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 f…

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 y…

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 …

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 sha…

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 f…

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…

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-…

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 n…

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…

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. Witho…

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 f…

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 advan…

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…

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 si…

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 m…

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 antici…

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 thi…

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?…