How I Got Into "The Business"
How does one get into such a profession? Perhaps by a love of music, or perhaps by chance... In my case, it was both.
I was working for a cluster of radio stations in Meadville, PA and also serving as a board member for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Crawford County. I was in-charge of a fundraiser for the organization, and I needed a mobile DJ to entertain at our function. I searched the internet to find a DJ and finally one responded to my request. He was very receptive and told me he would DJ my event "pro bono" because it was for a good cause. I was thrilled.
So the event was a huge success and everyone had fun. Since I had organized most of it, I stayed for most of the clean up. When he was packing up, he mentioned something about needing help. In need of a little spare change, my ears perked up. I asked him what he needed exactly. He told me he needed someone to help him set up and tear down and also someone to DJ more events. I was definitely interested.
I've always been into music. I still eat, sleep and breathe music. As long as I can remember, I could identify a song hearing only 1 or 2 notes. I always made playlists and mixtapes from the radio. I was well-versed in several genres, even as a child. My parents had a radio in every room, and it was always on in the car. I loved it.
So when the opportunity arose to work with music and make extra money, I jumped at the chance. My first "job" was like a trial run to see if I liked it. We went to a fire hall in just outside of town. It was a freezing cold night in the middle of winter. I helped him drag in all the equipment, and he showed me how to set it up.
Once we were ready to play, I really didn't know what to expect. I really hadn't gone to a lot of bars in my day. At first, people mostly just ignored us. But as the night wore on, it got more interesting.
He basically let me play whatever I wanted, and I realized I had a pretty good instinct to know what people wanted to hear. I was having fun. Most people watch the clock at work because they want to go home. I was watching the clock because it was going too fast. This was the first time, I had a feeling this could turn into something good.
Soon I found myself DJing weddings for him and other various parties. I ran the board mostly, and the other person with me would do the announcing. I always kept mental notes of how the announcing was handled. I learned a ton that summer and pretty soon, I was the one announcing the events.
Eventually I realized that this is what I wanted to do for a career. I called a meeting with my boss and told him I was going to start my own company. I was nervous to tell him, but it had to be done. I still did a few events under his name, and we remained friends. He even ended up DJing my wedding!
After that, I bought a DJ set, established a name, and started building my business. I felt a little guilty for breaking away, but I didn't leave on bad terms. I think people are put in your life for a reason, and he was there to show me my potential.
Sometimes I cringe when I think about when I started DJing on my own. Although, the saying goes, if you're not embarrassed about what you did when you first started, you didn't start early enough. You have to get all of the awkwardness out of the way before you can really succeed. There is no short-cut. The fact that anyone hired me back then is nothing short of a miracle. They must have seen the diamond in the rough.
Fast forward several years later, and I am proud to say that I've come a long way. I still continue to learn and grow with every event. It's the experience that counts. I always knew that my life's work would deal with music, but I didn't know how it would manifest itself. If you would have told me in high school that I would become a DJ, I would have laughed. But as always, the universe had other plans. Always follow your heart. It will lead you where you need to be!
Read on, music lovers!
DJ Amy Sas xoxo
To learn more follow me on social media:
Personal Insta: amyisonhappi927
Business Insta: lakeshoredjservice