Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Secrest.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started DJ’ing while in High School in 1998 while living in Orange County, CA. I would perform for small house parties and local events before getting an internship at a Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7fm. From that internship I was able to quickly learn and understand the business of radio broadcasting in a major market. Within a few months I would be a hosting live broadcasts of my own at the station Mix 95.9fm, then Alternative Mix AM1510 and Cool 94.3fm as a full time radio personality.
After leaving the radio industry I partnered with Live Nation for their large outdoor venue the Hyundai Pavilion in San Bernardino, CA to be the VIP Entertainment DJ for national tours coming through town. I served as a the host and DJ for acts such as Aerosmith, Ozzfest, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, KISS, and more. This was in addition to also serving as a DJ for weddings and large corporate events in the Orange County area before coming to Texas in 2007.
Since coming to the Austin area I have built my DJ business working with wedding venues such as Twisted Ranch Weddings in Bertram, TX and Garey House in Georgetown as their preferred DJ, working with the City of Georgetown for their annual Adults with Disabilities Dances and I handle many of the Leander School District school dances Elementary, Middle and High School dances through the year.
I am also the resident DJ for The Fieldhouse at the Crossover for their live events and inside of the Crossover for their Ice&Field ice skating facility to host monthly themed events above the ice.
I personally do around 100-115 events annually with no marketing ads running, all word of mouth which has been my greatest asset. When I perform at an event I typically end up booking 2-3 events for the future from patrons who had a great time and that is how I have run my business for the last 28 years.
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?
One of the biggest struggles was during the Covid shutdown. During that time every entertainment venue closed down essentially shutting down my venue stream instantly. Thank goodness for savings otherwise I would not have been able to continue doing what I love most, performing for live crowds.
Good thing is, I am an optimist. I took the opportunity of not being able to perform live, transformed my upstairs office into a mini nightclub complete with my DJ equipment, lights and created “The Lockdown Throwdown: Virtual House Party” on Friday nights. I needed an outlet and Facebook Live became my home. With my iPhone camera I would perform DJ sets live to whoever would stream and built a strong community of people who were also stuck inside their homes to have something to look forward to and party. There was no pay wall, it was all free. I did theme nights like 90’s Night, Back to the 80’s, Malt Shop Oldies and people from all over the country would tune in and request songs from the live stream.
From doing this I was able to connect with so many new people where when the world opened back up, I had a list of brides and grooms ready to hire me for their own wedding. This set me up for the next few years of bookings. It was such an incredible blessing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known in Leander as DJ Dad to a ton of kids. From Elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. I’ve been the DJ most of these kids have grown up with performing for their school dances so they get excited when I show up. DJ’ing for kids is one of the hardest crowd’s to work for because the musical differences are so different. Watching kids just let loose and forget the troubles of the day go away and have fun with their classmates and friends is the best feeling in the world.
For weddings, I connect on another level than most DJ’s in the area from what I am told from coordinators I work with. I work closely with my clients to build the perfect day through their eyes and vision, not my own ideas of what I want to do. The day isn’t about me, it’s about the most important day for them. I also shoot video content for my wedding couples when they don’t have a videographer so they can have a snapshot of their entire day in a form they can look back on through the years.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to be is that people had an amazing time. I will go to the end of my energy to ensure people are enjoying themselves and just feeling confident and free to dance without a care in the world. That is the memory that lasts a forever. I still get teens that come up and talk about the dances they were at and how much fun they had. I love that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @DJPaulSecrest
- Facebook: DJPaulSecrest
