We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful DJ Ohla. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with DJ Olah below.

DJ Olah, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

One thing my mother always did was nurture my interests as a child/young person. When I was certain I wanted to pursue acting at age 5 she made sure I enrolled or participated in any program that helped me to develop my natural talents. From auditioning for school plays to traveling overseas to perform when I was in high school and subsequently majoring in theatre in college, she never stood in the way and I’m grateful for that. The impact of her support early on allowed me the freedom to pursue whatever was in my mind or on my heart. I’m sure it’s why I felt comfortable to pursue djing 13 years ago and now a career in tech sales this year. I believe I’ll always go after my desires and it all started with her.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started teaching myself how to DJ in late 2009 and eventually wanted to tighten my skills so I enrolled in the Scratch DJ Academy a few years later. During that program I was able to build a community of DJs around me and when I graduated was able to get more bookings through my network. This was instrumental because it opened up the door for me to consistently book gigs with brands I’d always wanted to work with and helped me to build my resume to where clients trust me to curate the music at their events. I’m a pretty versatile DJ and play all kinds of events for all kinds of people which I believe sets me apart. While some DJs play for a niche, which I love that, I’m able to appeal to a boarder audience while also having my personal musical influences come through.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’m the type of creative that continues to hold down a 9 to 5 day job. I don’t know if I’m considered a unicorn because of that but it works for me. Not that I wouldn’t love to be a full-time creative but if you’re familiar with the cost of living in LA then you know why stability is a must. Anyway, late last year I was at a point where I felt like the job I had been working the last eight years had run its course. I was extremely unhappy and just dreaded being there so I started to research other industries I could pivot into and ended up landing on Tech. With no previous background and a few months of research behind me, I decided to enroll in a boot camp with the intention of pivoting at the top of the year. In the midst of all that I was laid off from my job and spent the next six months unemployed, attending virtual classes Monday thru Thursday for 2.5 of that 6 month period and applying for tech sales jobs for the rest. At the end of the six months I’d secured a role at a tech startup and the amount of gratitude I have that I was able to make that pivot is a testament that anything is possible really.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I can speak for myself and the conversations I’ve had with some close DJ friends and it’s around being compensated fairly and according to the value we bring to whatever event, brand, person that reaches out to book with us. I’m sure many creatives in other industries can relate to this as well. Society benefits greatly from artists and creatives and there’s too many instances when what we bring to the table is undervalued. When people appreciate what you do it shouldn’t be about just getting top talent for a cheap price.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.djohla.com
• Instagram: @djohla
• Linkedin: www.linkedIn.com/in/kristinagainey

Image Credits
Felisha Carrasco