Meet Ryan Mckenzie of Music Makes You Move in Downtown LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Mckenzie.

Ryan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
You know, it’s kind of funny because I never had aspirations of being a DJ. But I do believe that God put me in this position in order to best take advantage of my specific personality strengths and life experiences. I love music, making people happy, and working for myself and when the opportunity revealed itself to me to put those altogether, it seemed like a no-brainer!

I was waiting tables at a restaurant right after graduating High School. After training a new hire Brian for a week, he says to me, “hey, you seem to have a great personality and know a lot about music. Have you ever thought about being a DJ?” I said ‘no’ but proceeded to inquire more. He told me that he had started a DJ company and took the serving job in order to raise capital for his business. Shortly after that conversation I was going over his place to learn the ropes of basic DJ’ing and how to lead an event. After a few years of DJ’ing weddings and other private events I had my “aha moment”. Brian was always very open and transparent about the business side of things which led me to be understanding about the business side of things and why I get paid the amount that I do for each event. Now, after a few years in I grew to the point where I handled all the specifics of a wedding except for taking the initial inquiry from the client and negotiating the deal. I did a wedding in Malibu at Calamigos Ranch in which I walked to collect the balance from the bride and groom at the conclusion of the wedding. When I saw the total of the check vs what my earnings were that night I said “I can do this!”

11 years have passed between that point and now. In that time I enrolled and graduated from Scratch DJ Academy in West LA for a year and a half, spent 4 years DJ’ing around the world on Princess Cruises and returned home with the skills and knowledge ready to start my company. 7 years of business in the books and over 300 events later, I still love nothing more than seeing a packed dance floor with people from all ages and walks of life dancing without a care in the world!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road for me has been smooth but with some speed bumps. Each speed bump has been a learning experience that has made me better today. For example creating a checklist of items needed for each event so that you don’t forget your computer charger. There are so many specific pieces of equipment that you bring to each event and even one of them being left behind can sabotage your entire event.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Music Makes You Move – what should we know?
As cheesy as it sounds, we specialize in making people move! If you want to know what that looks like, pull up “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder on your Spotify, turn up the volume as loud as you can and feel that rhythm flow through your body. Then mix that up with the feeling you get when you watch Ellen dance her way through the audience on the set of her show and that’s the feeling we create when you choose a MMYM DJ. We aim to separate ourselves from the cliché DJ stigma of being close minded and only playing what we want to hear. Our goal is to figure out what moves you. Through a mix of your music style, our experience and your guests requests, we will give you that “oh my gosh my feet hurt from last night’s party”…party.

Our bread and butter would be weddings. That gives us the best opportunity to showcase our diverse music selection and ability to bring people of all types together on the dance floor. Having added photo booths, event lighting and other AV rentals to our offerings has really made us a one stop shop for our clients’ weddings and special events.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am a firm believer that you are the sum total of the 5 people you spend the most time with and the same goes for your business. My business mentor Alan has instilled priceless amounts of wisdom and confidence in me through many one on one conversations. He successfully produces multiple sources of income while being the model father to his family and somehow makes me feel like when we talk, all of his time is for me. He always told me “Ry, you are one of the smartest kids I know and I share all this with you for free. All I want in return from you is your success!”

In business, you want to seek out the best and most experienced in your field and ask to intern and or mentor from them. This is also important in creating an alliance in case you or them are in need in a desperate situation. I have found that in the form of an amazing DJ and business guru and now friend Aaron. His attention to detail, priceless experience and willingness to teach and guide me only out of the kindness of his heart has been a huge catalyst to my success.

I also have been extremely fortunate to have a supportive family who never discouraged or judged me when making the decision to go into business for myself. Being a small business owner is a big risk and many people will tell you how hard it is and try and discourage you. The last people you want to hear that from is your family and mine have been my biggest supporters. Even my mom with all her Facebook shout outs!

Lastly, my 2 best friends Travis and David. Like I was saying about being the sum total of the people you spend the most time with, one friend I would trust to host the Presidential Inaugural Ball and the other I would trust to produce it and to them I owe who I have and my business have become today.

Pricing:

• Weddings start at about $1,300
• One stop wedding DJ/MC packages (ceremony/cocktail/reception) photo booth and lighting can be had for $3,000
• Photo booth packages range between $125-$200 per hour
• All events are customizable to fit each specific event and budget

Contact Info:

• Address: Downtown Los Angeles
• Website: www.musicmakesyoumove.com
• Phone: 1-877-302-6696 (MMYM)
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @musicmakesyoumove
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/music-makes-you-move-los-angeles-2
• Wedding Wire: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/music-makes-you-move-chatsworth/71a8678eea65a14d.html

Image Credit:
Ken Kienow Wedding Photography
Photo of Ryan with a hat – Danny Verde

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