We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful DJ Eternal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Roel below.
Hi DJ Eternal, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My personal mission as a DJ is making people smile, laugh, sing, & dance. Uplifting peoples spirits through music & a microphone at events or with my mixes. Having a collective of DJs & MCs known as The Uplifters, our mission is to give people the best experience whether its their wedding, birthday, anniversary, graduation, company party, etc. The DJ & MC is the back bone in making people happy, bringing life, enhancing & creating moments. That feeling of joy & love we get, when people message me saying I made their day by listening to a mix of mine or watching a DJ video, and thanking us at the end of any event we do makes us realize how important a great DJ & MC is.
DJ Eternal, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
DJing was always just a hobby of mine since I first got a pair of turntables at 12 years old. As I got older, I never knew I could actually get paid doing what I enjoy and have fun doing just by being a DJ. From doing birthdays, school dances, & DJ battles as a teenager, then clubs, corporate events, & weddings as an adult I was able to find out that I can charge enough to pay rent, buy new equipment, pay bills, & do groceries!
DJing & MCing is definitely a craft. Its more than just playing a song & talking on the mic. Its playing the right songs at the right moment, & engaging with the crowd with the right words. Im big on self-improvement & becoming a better version of myself, so it takes lots of practice, discipline, and studying the greats.
Aside from DJing & MCing, The Uplifters provide all sorts of lighting to create a nice ambience to help set the mood, we provide photo booths for your guests to take group photos with family & friends, sparklers & dry ice fog machines to create that wow effect during a grand entrance or special dances, & I myself do custom mixes for clients who have a specific type of mix they want to play for their gyms, dance routines, or for events I cant actually DJ due to another booking I have.
Im just overall proud of myself of being able to become a successful business when I was always told by my family & friends growing up that DJing isn’t a real job. Im proud of my crew on how much passion they have for what we do, our services we provide, & the incredible feedback we get from couples & clients all the time.
Any advice for managing a team?
My advice for managing a team is first and foremost, find individuals that are just as passionate as you, has a work ethic that matches yours, & shares similar interests & vision. You have to set the example to your team, be able to do everything you expect them to do, aim for greatness, & create a real bond with them. You cant just put a group of people that are in the same work field as you and say, we’re a team, we’re a family. Maintaining a high morale, means having a strong mentality. You have to remind yourself & your team this stuff daily no matter what problems & issues you face in your personal lives. Share your mistakes & problems, show them how you’re going to solve it, ask them for advice, & also continue to create goals & reward one another. Show each other love & appreciation, & make work fun.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
What helped me build my reputation with my DJ/MC hustle, my entertainment & production business is my sound, my work ethic, & how I treat people. Growing up, I already looked different. A short Filipino kid no matter what age I was, I was the shortest. That made me different from the start. So when I started to DJ & MC, I told myself I have to be the same. My style has to stand out. I studied all my favorite types of DJs: ones who mixed on the radio or were on-air personalities, ones who battled & entered competitions that were known as “turntablists”, & those that just rocked parties & sounded good on the turntables & microphone. I would mimic everything they did when I practiced by myself. That helped develop who I am today as a DJ & MC.
As far as my work ethic, I got to be physically strong to carry & set up equipment. For years, Id load up my own equipment for gigs such as speakers, turntables, lights, set everything up, do my job as a DJ, breakdown it all down, load it up in my whip, and store it all back. Aside from actually DJing, that can take up to a total of 3-4 hours itself. Then when it comes to promoting myself & business, thats another task. Finding the gigs, getting the inquiries, constantly making DJ mixes & DJ videos to share on social media is a constant grind, but at the same time, I love it. Thats what also helps me get the gigs that are suitable for me. My audience already knows what they’ll be getting when they hire me or my crew.
How I treat people is simple. Show love, respect, & if Im disrespected I let them know I ain’t down with that. I don’t waste time hanging around people I dont like being around, or do I waste their time trying to be fake to be accepted. Id rather be with people that appreciate me so I can continue to bring out the best in them, & give them my support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheCrowdUplifter.com (Personal website) www.TheUplifters.net (Crews webiste)
- Instagram: @itsdjeternal @theupliftersLLC
- Facebook: @itsdjeternal
- Twitter: @itsdjeternal
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/itsdjeternal
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dj-eternal-of-the-uplifters-san-jose-2
- Other: www.soundcloud.com/itsdjeternal
Image Credits
Personal photo by Marion https://instagram.com/mvreezyy?igshid=M2RkZGJiMzhjOQ==, 6 photos that are studio/lifestyle clips other than the outsidelands photo has been shot & edited by @ej.ski of www.ejski.com