Meet Casey Banker | DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Casey Banker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Casey, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process around starting my own DJ company was to find better client fits for my services while at the same time not giving up so much of the return to DJ agencies. I started off working for a large DJ agency and I soon realized that the majority of the fee went to the booking agency. It was alarming to see so many of the DJ’s doing most of the leg work and not being rewarded more. I was also finding that my previous agency would be sending me to their more challenging events because I could handle it and not because the clients were a good fit for my DJ skill-set. My strategy behind starting my own agency was to start booking wedding gigs myself with clients that liked me for my approach and strengths.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe what sets me apart from others is my willingness to not accept things as the way things are. While I was working for different agencies I quickly realized the ‘con’ of what they were doing. They appealed to DJ’s egos and made it about ‘family’ while taking most of the profit. It wasn’t a sustainable model for me and I quickly made a plan to begin booking my own events. I started my business and bought advertising. I cut out the middle man and as a result made over 15 bookings for 2022. This included challenges like branding, creating a pricing structure, responding to leads in a timely manner, and networking with other vendors to create a community of professionals I will hopefully start to rely on more. I have learned that many couples want to know their who their DJ is at the time of booking. I want to world to know that my KayBay Entertainment is a reliable and professional service.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them to Sputnik for a pre-meal. It’s my favorite dive/restaurant on South Broadway. I’ve been going their for years and it definitely feels like the center of the universe if you are a musician/dj in Denver. Afterward, we would get dinner at one of the awesome restaurants nearby. Finally, we could go see a movie at the Mayan Theater.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shoutout my girlfriend Vanessa who was with me during my transition to becoming a full-time DJ. She encouraged me to begin working events outside of club nights and supported me in my creation of my own business. She is also always giving me advice and feedback about ideas for creating opportunities and different ways of approaching adversity.

Website: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/kaybay-entertainment-denver-co-2051604

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dj.kaybay/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djkaybaymusic

Image Credits
Photos 4,5,6 by Kalen Acquisto with Kalen Jesse Photography