Exploring Life & Business with Jake Traynor of JT Presents

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Traynor.

Hi Jake, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
My love of music started at the age of four when my parents opened up a boutique-sized music shop called “Backstage Gear” just south of Mammoth in a small mountain town called Bishop, California. Some of my earliest memories I have were running around the store and bothering the many musicians and characters that it constantly attracted with questions like “Who are you?” and “What does this do?”. Looking back, I’ve learned there’s always been a passion inside of me to interact with and make connections with the strange, fun, and eclectic group of people that surround music. 

My music career started in Los Angeles with Jam in the Van over an internship I had in college. At the time, I lived in San Diego, thus forcing me to travel back and forth every week to help run events, source talent, and stock fridges for the world’s first and only solar-powered mobile recording studio and YouTube channel. After graduating from San Diego State with a Bachelors in Business Management, I was fortunate enough to come back to Jam in the Van to build & run their newly opened music & comedy venue. These shows started as an intimate, speakeasy-esque, outdoor session series and eventually skyrocketed to being one of the hottest clubs on the west side of LA. We frequently featured the comedy likes of Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman, Tiffany Haddish, Jeff Ross, Eric Andre, and musical acts such as Guapdad 4000, Duckwrth, Flying Lotus, and ALO. I eventually made my way as the main talent booker for all things music and coordinated events across the country in cities such as Austin, Nashville, and New Orleans. 

Fast forwarding to 2024, I have since left JITV to pursue my own passion and venture in independent concert booking and promoting under “JT Presents,” boasting sold-out shows with the likes of T.Nava (of Anderson Paak’s The Free Nationals), Felly, The Grinns, Strange Case, Elijah Fox, Marlon Funaki, Guantanamo Bay Surf Club, Foxtide, The Hayds, and more. With momentum picking up and new doors being opened left & right, I am eager and extremely excited for what this new year holds for not only myself but also the many talented bands I am fortunate enough to be working with. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the biggest challenges & struggles have also been my biggest strengths and points of growth. I was onboarded to a venue that was quite literally just a parking lot turned turf field. We started by cramming in 100+ camping chairs with coolers at the seats for a very unique and fun experience. But with that, there were no real systematic operational strategies implemented at the time in terms of security, bar service, ticketing, etc., that comes with running a fully functional venue. With little to no experience in such things, I was quite literally thrown into the deep end. 

Eventually, we moved into a new space in Culver City, where we doubled in size with both an indoor and outdoor space. There, I was able to rapidly learn the ins and outs of running and legitimizing a venue from the ground up. It wasn’t always easy as I had to really think and learn on my feet, but at the same time, I wouldn’t have had it any other way because I got to gain experience in a lot of different aspects of what I love in a short amount of time. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about JT Presents?
JT Presents is a self-ran, fully independent concert promoting & booking business. We throw shows up and down Southern California in Los Angeles & San Diego and are hoping to grow both up the coast of California and across the country in cities like Austin, Nashville & New Orleans. 

I strive to be an extremely artist-forward promoter with a genuine love and passion for not only the music but also for helping kickstart the careers of the bands I work with, who I wholeheartedly believe. I think this is something the music scene often lacks, especially in Los Angeles, where many agents, labels, managers, etc., just treat the bands they work with as clients or numbers on a spreadsheet. 

As for our following/fanbase, I want our crowd to synonymously recognize a JT Presents show as always having incredible live performances of a wide variety of genres with a fun and welcoming atmosphere. So far, I think we’d done just that! 

In 2024, fans can find us taking over venues like Hotel Cafe, The Venice West, The Troubadour, Aviator Dreamland, El Cid, Music Box San Diego, and more! 

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I’d say the number one quality that has been the most important in my success is my genuine love and passion for what I do. If I can continue to relay that energy to the people I work with (bands, brands, manager, etc.), then this has a trickle effect to the performances, the crowd, and the overall energy that each event brings. Now more than ever, people are yearning for genuineness & authenticity in the entertainment industry, and we strive to bring just that. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jtpresents.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jt_presents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552408174167
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-traynor-07b3a311a/

Image Credits
Annabelle Busch
Annilise Burgess