We were lucky to catch up with Isaac Castillo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Isaac, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am not sure that I am happier as an artist. I’ve heard people say becoming a full time DJ is easy to obtain but hard to maintain. I would say so because when dealing with entertainment and music industry, the trends and what society dictates acts as a catalyst to how successful I can be. At the beginning of my career, I had over 30 like minded people who wanted to be creative for a living, with me at any given time. Some wanted to be famous photographers, DJs, musicians, models, nightlife, graphic designers etc. and we would all meet at certain crossroads of our lives. The time of our lives where the moment we were in meant the world to us. So the first 5 years as a local nightclub DJ was an extension of how hard all these people worked in a company my older brother Sergio and I started called Goodlife Miami.
Of coarse, Father Time did its thing and people moved on with their lives one by one. Just as this was happening, I was starting to broadcast my talent online more and more. My hunger for success was slowly taking over my personal life and I welcomed it. I demonstrated and was happily accepted to DJ on the world’s most popular cruise line, Carnival Cruise Lines. For the next 6 years I traveled to and DJ’ed in over 30 countries in 4 continents.
I stopped my career only twice in 13 years. I stopped Djing was when I sustained an injury to my left inner ear which affected my hearing, balance, and mental health. After a year of recovery, I returned to Djing full time but now was forced to tackle a whole new challenge. It seemed like the entire world went through what I went through. The world got sick with a virus and had trouble accepting the future thereafter.
My pride would not let me ask for a handout when all the nightlife instantly stopped overnight. So I began working in labor related jobs like as an Amazon delivery driver. I found myself living in the state of New Hampshire in the dead of winter during a world wide pandemic. I felt like Santa Clause making Christmas and Hanukkah happen with every delivery. But eventually my ambition would not let me rest when it was time to settle down into a husband role. So I freed myself of that job, and of that situation when I planned my return and never looked back.

Isaac, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into this business on May 9th, 2018 just three years after graduating high school. I know this to be true because I was too young to even be admitted into the nightclubs that I was Djing. The passion I had for Djing kept me alive and willing during times where I had to wait outside of the nightclubs, then was face to face with Miami’s nightlife orchestrating how their night went. My motto to my success is, always be better. To my therapist, it means to always find ways to overachieve and please myself before others. I am not disagreeing with that notion. However, why did this mantra stay with me? I guess it’s my answer to the question ; How can I stay relevant? in an industry that is always changing in a competitive environment like Miami, Florida.
I don’t know what song I am going to play first because the journey to the next song is more important. At a very young age I was blessed with the curse of high anxiety, over-excitement, and unable to let go of situation easily. This was first noticeable in how much of a wreck I was in after losing a video game, as a small child. Also, my reaction to when I was winning the game was the very first time I knew how it feels to be “in my zone.”
I am proud of how I react when I see a challenge. There was only one time where I felt like quitting this passion of mine. Funny enough it was on the same day my motivation and drive was born. It was my first gig, a house party where I organized everything from the flyer design, to the musical acts. Everything went wrong that can possibly go wrong. The speakers failed, the mixer, the microphone, the cops showed up, the crowd left and never came back, I failed. I faced my father who was waiting outside for me to bring in the equipment with my head hanging low. I held back tears when I was asked,” You quitting?” I took a breath, searched within myself for a little bit. My eyes got beady then I hugged him. The rest is history.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

NFT’s are either a scam or could be the next big thing that will shift the status quo.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes everything is available online. But I choose, talking to my older brother when it comes to this. He is an entrepreneur and was that management part of the Goodlife Miami company that I did not want to concern myself with. Today I am the boss and the talent. It’s not always easy being the boss but it’s a drag not being the talent. So I keep things fun by asking my brother what he thinks when I hit a wall in my business dealings.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Djisaacicecold.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/djisaacicecold
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/djisaacicecold
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/djisaacicecold
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWW_0KVWpDvTlc5m5KWwqjQ