March 27, 2017

Meet Ian Gotler of RedShoe in Silverlake

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Gotler.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Ian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My business partner Tony Liebetrau and I met at the University of Southern California in the late ’90s. As fast friends who shared a love for music, mixtapes, and DJ culture, we taught ourselves how to beat match on a cheap set of turntables and a two channel Numark mixer. With some practice and a couple crates of records, we began DJing at fraternity/sorority parties, storefronts, clubs, raves — pretty much anyone that would hire us. From there, we took a job at a DJ company based in Orange County and started performing at weddings and corporate events. After three years of honing our skills and learning the intricacies of the business, we took a chance and started our own company.

With the help of a small loan from Tony’s parents, RedShoe opened in the summer of 2005. Like Apple, Amazon and Disney before us, we started out in a garage. Using a couple of saw horses for desks, two sets of speakers and a handful of contacts, we set out to change the way people thought of mobile DJs. No more YMCA, Celebration, or Chicken Dance. No more cheesy DJ voice or canned jokes to warm up a crowd. We wanted to make the process of choosing music a collaborative one by talking inspiration from our client’s taste, the feel of the venue and the energy of the crowd. Building off of those core concepts, we used our youthful enthusiasm, strong work ethic, and good word-of-mouth to create a successful brand that has allowed us to do what we love for the past twelve years.

Has it been a smooth road?
While things have been relatively smooth, growing a business is not without its challenges.

The world of special events is filled with high-pressure situations on a weekly basis: A DJ gets sick or blows out a tire on the way to a performance. A piece of equipment fails and silence washes over a packed dance floor. A client calls saying you didn’t meet their expectations. And then there were some bigger philosophical questions that began to arise: How big should the company get? How long should a DJ stay in our training program before he/she is ready to perform on their own? How do we balance our personal and professional lives as we get older?

We’ve had to answer all of these questions and many more over the years. The saving grace is that, at the end of the day, Tony and I are friends first and business owners second. We’ve been 50/50 partners from day one and approach every major issue with humility and respect for the other person.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with RedShoe – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We want to provide our clients with a DJ that they’d like to invite to their event as a guest, not just another vendor who was available on that day and hired a price they felt comfortable with.

The role of the DJ is a special one. You’re the heartbeat of the party. Music can influence the way an entire group of people think, feel and interact and we take that responsibility seriously. We pride ourselves in creating a soundtrack that our clients remember for all the right reasons. Combining top-of-the-line equipment with an extensive music library, we use the information we’ve gathered from our clients as a foundation and improvise based on what the room feels like from moment to moment.

There’s a lot to be proud of at this point in our careers but two things stand out. The first is that in 12 years, we have never missed or cancelled a performance. That dependability is a cornerstone of the business. The second is that we’ve maintained a 5-star rating on Yelp with over 300 reviews. Maintaining a high level of quality and customer satisfaction while continuing to expand the size and scope of the company is something that we have always felt was extremely important.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Love: The perfect weather. The close proximity of the mountains, the beach and the desert. The melting pot of cultures and neighborhoods creates some of the most delicious and diverse food in the country.

Hate: Traffic. It’s a cliché, but getting around can be brutal. LA is enormous and getting around can be brutal if you’re trying to get across town at the wrong time.

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