Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Ayala.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brandon. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
My musical journey first began when I picked up a guitar at the age of 12. My parents enrolled me in a few classes, and I was a bedroom guitar player throughout that time. My interest in DJing began when I first tried playing Activision’s “DJ Hero.” At the time, I was a big fan of house music. This was the era when shuffling became a viral movement. I was also heavily into hip hop culture. Being exposed to those two genres while playing DJ Hero and listening to DJs on the radio, I told my parents I wanted to DJ. I was 13 or 14 at the time.
I discovered a DJ school called Scratch DJ Academy in Los Angeles. My parents enrolled me in school. At the school, I touched my first turntable; learned how to mix, scratch, count music, beat match, understand some music theory, the history of DJing, how to use the latest DJ technology, and how to brand myself as a DJ. At the time, I did not know I was learning from some of the most skilled DJs in the industry. To name a few, some of my instructors include Mr. Choc of the Beatjunkies, DJ Hapa, DJ Revolution, DJ Dynamix, and Ramses of the DJ duo Gladiator. As I got more invested in the DJ culture, I realized that Scratch Academy was a well-known school that jumpstarted a lot of DJ’s careers.
I graduated from Scratch Academy during my first semester at Long Bech State University (LBSU). I was able to make my way as a well-known DJ on the campus radio station, K Beach Radio (now known as 22 West Media). From the radio station, I was able to push my name and market myself as a DJ across the city of Long Beach. I soon became the resident DJ for athletic games and concerts inside the LBSU pyramid, and other major events across the campus.
I then made my way into the nightlife scene and began DJing for clubs and bars across Long Beach, Orange County, and Los Angeles while DJing for private and corporate events. Meeting and networking with the right people allowed me to DJ for several artists, major corporations, and major events. Fast forward to now, I also work with a team that helps manage a Thursday nightclub event called Vibe Thursdays. We’re tailored to the college, 18+ crowd looking for a night out on Thursdays.
My interest in entertainment and my mindset as an entrepreneur eventually led me to also become a co-owner of a photo booth company called Pro Photo Booth Group. I was given the opportunity to help grow this business, and I jumped on it. Now me and my business partner own six photo booths with a team of photo booth attendants.
Today, I’m still DJing for clubs, bars, private events, corporate events, different artists and well-known individuals in different industries, while working with my Vibe Thursdays team, and operating the photo booth company.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
At first, some of the struggles included having the confidence to go up in front of people on a stage or platform to DJ. Another struggle was marketing myself as a DJ. Growing up, I was more on the shy side. I had to learn to get out of my shell in order to brand myself as a DJ and network with other people.
To this day, I think it’s a challenge to network. There’s always someone to network with and make a connection with, and it can get tough finding the time to go out to meet and network with people to get your name out there.
Another challenge I still have is learning to stay up to date with different DJ technology. There’s a lot of different equipment that I encounter that I need to learn how to use or adapt to. Not every club or venue will have the same set of equipment I’m used to.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the DJ B-Rokk story. Tell us more about the business.
In regards to DJing, I am a DJ. My business is the name of DJ B-Rokk. I DJ songs, make people dance, and control the vibe based on my music selection. I interact with my crowd and create a connection through music and by talking on the mic. I am not a producer. I personally think there is a difference from a producer and a DJ. Nonetheless, producing is a route I also want to explore eventually. Some of my bigger accomplishments are DJing and sharing a stage with artists such as Trey Songz, Miguel, RJ, Joe Moses, Jeremih, Leven Kali, Ace Hood, Juicy J., Wale, and a few others. I’ve DJ’d corporate events for Victoria’s Secret, Red Bull, Pacifico, the Dodgers, and a few others. I’m currently the official DJ for LBSU games inside the Walter Pyramid.
In regards to Pro Photo Booth Group, we do it all. No matter what event you need a photo booth for, we can do it. We have different photo booth options from our full body, touch screen “Mirror Me” booth, to our standard “LED Tower” booth. We have different setup/background options. We provide digital copies of all prints. We have a photo booth attendant on site to make sure all runs smoothly. Lastly, we like making people smile. We’ve also done many corporate events for the Aquarium of the Pacific and Showtime TV network to name a few.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
The biggest luck I had was jumping into the photo booth business. I’ve spent so much time invested in the DJ scene that I never thought I’d get into a photo booth business. I jumped into it now really knowing how it was going to grow, but it did. Luckily, I trust my partner, and we have a good connection with the same entrepreneur mindset.
With DJing, I’ve made the decision to do some events/gigs for free just to get my name out there. Luck is good when I get something bigger out of it in the future such as another opportunity to DJ with a big pay. Luck is bad when I don’t get anything out of doing the free event; such as not hearing back to DJ the event again. But this has taught me to learn how to pick and choose which events I should accept. More importantly, this has also taught me how to negotiate.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djbrokk/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djbrokk
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/djbrokk
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pro-photo-booth-group-long-beach
- Other: https://www.prophotoboothgroup.com
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