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

Steve, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew I wanted to become a professional guitar player way later relative to most. I had not even touched a guitar until I was about 18 years old, and really did not start learning until I was about 21. Prior to music, my passion and pursuit was professional baseball. I had a scholarship to play in college and I wanted to play at the professional level instead of pursue a career in Math Education. Little did I know that I would catch the guitar bug and completely dedicate my life to the instrument. As my baseball career was winding down and not looking good, I had an opportunity to choose a low paying professional contract in Texas, or join the band with my then girlfriend, and now wife. Needless to say. I chose to pursue music from that moment on and shifted my work ethic and focus into guitar playing at age 23. I was inexperienced and not ready, but willing to put in the work until I belonged there. It has been almost 10 years since then, and so far, so good!

Steve, 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?

So, after beginning my career as a sideman in a touring band, I wanted more and to make more of a living off of playing guitar. I had literally learned the instrument from watching youtube videos. This got me thinking, “why not me?” I had always enjoyed watching tutorials and product reviews and started in a niche market making tip videos for specific products. This eventually turned into product demos of gear I already own. That eventually turned into companies reaching out and offering to pay me for content on their products. A problem that many companies have is “reach”. Reach is how many people are able to see your product. In todays day of social media, people can access tons of information and demonstrations from their phones. I have an audience dedicated to guitar products, so they choose me to introduce, or show the world their new or existing products. Prior to the internet, companies like this relied solely on print ads in guitar magazines, which were extremely expensive. They can reach out to YouTubers like myself and get a more specific reach, plus audio and visual demonstration for much less than a printed ad. What separates me from others out there is the cinematic b roll of the products and the attention to detail I take with the reviews and demos. The most appealing thing to my viewers is that I don’t “put on a show”. I am just a regular guy talking about guitar gear. And I think that a lot of people enjoy and appreciate that! I am most proud of the people that I help through the videos. I try to always have an education portion where I not only explain what something does, but I teach the user how to do it and what to :listen: for.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built my social media accounts slowly and steadily. These things take time to grow, and it is sometimes overwhelming and challenging mentally to stay with it. My mentality behind YouTube videos is to stick with my niche for 3 or 4 videos in a row, and then “swing for the fence” every 4 or 5 posts. What I mean by “swing for the fence” is to try to reach a newer and broader audience. In my case, I will shoot for a viral video that is guitar related. Either going for a “lifestyle” video (tour vlogs or talking head ideas), or experimenting with newer, more affordable products that many people will be interested in. My niche audience and regular viewers are loyal and I appreciate them very much! So I like to keep them happy, and then try to expand that group with the experiments. One thing about social media is that you never know until you post!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of this job is the people that I am able to help. There are many avenues to help people on my channel. There is a group of viewers that rely and look for my tips on a specific product, and will leave the nicest and most thoughtful comments. This leads to them supporting the bands I play in and the music I create. I have had internet viewers from all over the world come to concerts I am playing in as a sideman and chat. It is amazing to hear their stories and connect with them face to face. Another way this job is rewarding is working with smaller businesses. The biggest compliment I can get is when a new company releases a product, and my demonstration video leads to them completely selling out. There is nothing better than making others happy!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stevesterlacci.com/
• Instagram: instagram.com/stalach
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.sterlacci/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/SteveSterlacciGuitar
• Other: Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@stevesterlacci

Image Credits
Ed Whytock, Alan Goldberg, Scott Vincent, Jessica Sterlacci, Audrey Sterlacci