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

Tonka , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I started Bullbizz in 2014 trying to be a sports agent for bullriders/rodeo personnel, but the agents made their way from primetime sports to rodeo athletes and I was a little late on it. So I decided that some of the rodeo/bullriding shows going on around town were all traditional. I need to mix it up a bit. So that’s when I came up with the Big Red Bullriding. A great bullriding show that has strictly rock n roll/metal music playing during the show. Then a rock concert immediately following. The most extreme sport with the most extreme music. I believe it goes hand in hand! It was a dream of mine for 7 years and in 2022 in came to life. I learned a ton for the first year. Most important was that not everyone will see your vision until it’s right there in front of them. I can be poetic with my words when I’m excited about something, but even some sponsors couldn’t envision my idea. The band (Texas Hippie Coalition) were great to work with, and honestly I hope they all are in the future. Getting sponsors for the first year was rough. But the ones that came on board and stayed I’m truly grateful for. Rodeo production has been something I personally think I excel at. I’m a stickler for accountability when it comes to people doing there job. For a production to be successful all of the production crew needs to over achieve in my mind, and that why I hire professionals and people I’ve worked with.

Tonka , 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?

I got into bullriding when I was 16. Rode bulls for 21 years at open shows and pro shows as well. Was privileged to share the road with a couple world champions. Towards the end of my riding days, I accepted an announcing job at the Buffalo Chip in Cave Creek, AZ in 2012 for the bullriding show every Friday night. Stayed there for 5 years while picking up some other shows here and there. I left there September of 2017 because I wanted to pursue more full on rodeo shows. It’s when I got to start doing some GCPRA rodeos and bigger bullridings that I noticed more detail and structure for the production. I was hooked from there on! Production is what sales the show. You’ve got to hit all hot spots in the show, know when to slow down, but also know where to pick it up. It’s called “show flow” in the rodeo industry. I’m extremely proud of the compliments and acknowledgements I’ve received from colleagues and personnel that do the same in our industry. As a show producer I’m putting a 50 piece puzzle out there that all needs to come together in less than 5 minutes before showtime. It’s hectic at times, but it’s also amazing when it works!!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2022 my show lost lost $14K! Yes, that’s right. But I needed the right people to see the show. A metal/rock n roll bullriding….that breaks the traditional ways. The right people were there, and now in 2023 the show is happening again! I’m working with the right booking agent, the right radio station, and more importantly, getting the right people on board that will help the show. Not hurt it or want to take what they can get from it then take off.
I hated hearing that all “first year shows never win” at the box office. And there is a small exception to that phrase, but my show is something no one in the United States has ever seen under one roof at the same time. It’s growing daily as the grows closer everyday to the July 15th date.
Sometimes the squeeze is worth the juice…even if you taste only a small bit of it.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Starting the social media was honestly a pain. I was a private guy, and still am when it comes to my personal life. But when it comes to “Bullbizz” I had to put myself out there to get noticed. I used some of my connections I had available to me through the 25 years of being in the business. A good friend once told me to use the connections you make in any industry. If they are in the same mindset they want to be successful also. And social media is the new way of the world. Hardly anyone watches tv anymore accept for sporting events. Most are streaming whatever they’re watching via Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. But look around you the next time you’re out having lunch. Patrons taking pics of their food, pics of the new shirt they’re wearing, or sharing a video of the cool new lunch spot they found. Social media is the quickest, and most efficient way to start. And learn to use hashtags. They help to expand to a bigger audience!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Bullbizz1
• Facebook: Bullbizz

Image Credits
Soco Designs, 52Photography