Today we’d like to introduce you to James Corona.
Hi James, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up, I’ve always had a passion for music. At the age 16, I went to my first teen club and fell in love with all the sound and lighting. It was incredible how the club DJ commanded the dance floor and immediately knew, I wanted to be a DJ.
For the next few years, I started buying lots of CDs and DJ’ing for free at friends and family parties. A few years later, I started DJ’ing college sorority parties and later became the resident DJ of several nightclubs in the Dallas (Deep Ellum) area. While DJ’ing in the clubs, I had the opportunity to mix live on Wild 100.3 with Billy the Kidd.
After DJ’ing in bars/nightclubs for over a decade, I decided it was time for me to go on my own and began DJ’ing private events like weddings, corporate events, etc. And just like that, my DJ company, Corona Entertainment was born.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was a big struggle in the beginning. I knew I wanted to be a DJ but didn’t know ANYTHING about sound and lighting. Back then, we didn’t have the internet or YouTube! So, I had to learn and teach myself everything through lots of trial and error.
I purchased my first DJ sound system from a store named Radio Shack. On my first event, my sound amplifier burnt out within the first 15 minutes of my event and the music stopped. I was booed by the crowd and it was so embarrassing! They ended up turning on the house radio for music and I went home. I almost gave up on the DJ dream but something told me not to give up and try again.
On my second event, my speakers blew out because they were cheap speakers. Again, I was bored and my DJ’ing career was turning into a disaster!
My third event was bad as well because my DJ mixer stopped working at the beginning of the event. Luckily, I was playing with a band so the party was able to keep going.
I quickly realized that I didn’t have the right tools for the job. If I wanted to be a professional DJ, I would need professional DJ equipment.
I stumbled across a DJ store called Crossroads Audio and they were able to help me get all the DJ equipment I needed. Finally, I had someone who I could ask questions and help with my journey.
After that, my DJ career finally got off and I was up and running!
My next challenge was the business aspect. It was hard to put a value on something I loved to do. And there were people who knew that and took advantage of it. But fortunately, I was mentored by other DJs who helped me put a value to my skill.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an open format DJ which means I play everything! I am passionate about music and known for being creative with music mixing, sound, and lighting. This means I help create EPIC events for cool people! I personalize events and help my clients every step the way.
I am proud of my DJ career. I have been DJing for over 25 years and have surpassed everything I believed I could ever do. I have DJ’ing in some of the top nightclubs, DJed lived on the radio, currently have my own live radio streaming show.
Corona Entertainment is one of the top-rated and highly sought DJ companies in Dallas/Fort Worth.
To give back, I mentor new DJs and help them along the way. I also volunteer my DJ skills to help raise money for schools and the Humane Society.
My goal now is to inspire others and help move the DJ art forward.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Do what you love and follow your heart. Learn from your mistakes and learn from other people’s mistakes. Find people who love what you love and create networks and partnerships. That’s helped me the most!
Don’t give up. Be persistent. Believe in yourself. If you don’t, how can people believe in you?
People will tell you no and that you can’t. Sometimes, you have to make your own way. Remember, greatness doesn’t happen overnight.
Sometimes you will fall along the way. It’s not over as long as you keep trying and don’t give up!
Contact Info:
- Email: djcorona@att.net
- Website: www.coronaentertainment.fun
- Instagram: corona_entertainment
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djjamescorona/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/djcorona319/videos
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/corona-entertainment-dallas?osq=corona+entertainment+dj
