Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steve Buzzard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Steve, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

As it relates to being a DJ, I ran into a friend of mine who was a DJ. Thought it looked fun and asked if he needed any help. I worked for a year under him, learning the craft. I was then able to purchase my own set of equipment, and the rest is history. I have built my DJ business over the years by doing every party in the books, over 100+ events a year. And now I have got it down to specializing in weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs. Although I still host parties of all sorts.

As an auctioneer, it’s the same thing. My background is broadcasting. So once I stepped into the auctioneer world, I just allowed myself time to learn the ins and outs of the business. I now have 15-20 events that I auctioneer. And this is something I want to continue to build.

The basketball program started as a school program in the summer. One year, the school went under construction. I asked if I could find another venue or take over the program. Thus, Buzzardball’s Summer camp was born. This summer will be our 30th year. As for the Winter League, I came on as director when there were 100-ish kids. This year, I will host 89 teams and over 900 kids.

My business was built because I was passionate about all three things that I do. My keyword is experience. Creating an experience within what I do. I have been able to provide that for the people I serve. I love doing all three. It’s never work for me. It’s a calling.

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?

My name is Steve Buzzard. I grew up in Sacramento. Went to school locally at Christian Brothers High School and then attended USC. I graduated in 1991.

My dream was to be a play-by-play announcer in either the NBA, NFL, or Major League Baseball.

As I pursued my dream, the radio station I worked at switched to all Spanish. I essentially lost my job. With that, I pivoted to start teaching as a sub. That led to my getting hired at St. Michael’s School. I had the honor of teaching there for 26 years. In the first years, I was still pursuing my dream as I moved to another sports station and took on a variety of roles. What ended up happening is that I was building the business that would sustain me. I would eventually decide not to pursue a career as a play-by-play announcer. I was all in as a teacher and as I was building my businesses. I treated everything like it was my full-time job.

My brand is about EXPERIENCE. Creating experiences and moments for kids who attend my basketball camp. Creating experiences for couples getting married and creating experiences as the auctioneer for a School Gala. I always aim to bring my best to everything I do. Establishing trust with the community I serve has been the biggest plus for me. Families know what they are going to get. I never want to lose that spark.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Covid!

We had just finished up our Winter League season for basketball. So we were able to get the season in. But everything else got wiped out. Weddings, parties, auctions, Summer Camp basketball.

Here was my pivot
1. I started my own Food Delivery business called Buzzdrop. Built on trust.
2. When families were more comfortable, I had up to 10 different groups of kids that I would do P.E. games with.
3. I started hosting Zoom parties as well as doing a few auctions online.

Easily could have given up, but that’s not how I operate. Those were fun times.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Time, experience, trust, and delivering a great product.
There is nothing better when a client has peace of mind about hiring me.

30 years of summer camps.
20 years of my Winter League.
Almost 20 years of auctioneering.
And 20+ years of being a DJ.

If you have been going that long, things are going right. But I always make sure that I am always learning and evolving to get better with each experience and each event.

Contact Info:

• Website: buzzardballdj.com and buzzardballhoops.net
• Instagram: @buzzardballexperience and @buzzardballhoop.net
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/buzzardbal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbuzzard
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Buzzard_TV
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/buzzardball-dj-entertainment-carmichael?osq=Buzzardball+DJ+Entertainment&dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2F