Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Lozano.
Gabriel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The entertainment journey has been such a thrill ride! I was first ever discovered by Howard Wallach, founder of A-Z Entertainment who saw me as “the life of the party” at a birthday celebration. He handed me his card at 16 years old and told me I had a job once I had some wheels. Fast forward time and in 2009 I began dancing at Bar Mitzvahs and corporate events! I was introduced into the world of party motivators, MCs and DJs, a world I had no idea existed. You mean to tell me, you want to pay me to show up and turn up at an exclusive upscale party? SEALED! I wanted to learn everything there was to learn about the industry and grew as a DJ and MC for parties all over Chicago and other cities in the US. A-Z Entertainment molded me to be a professional among professionals and i couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. Fast forward to the year 2017, I am blessed to be working for my own wedding DJ company, working for A-Z Entertainment, BOOM Entertainment, and most recently The CHICAGO BULLS! Putting on purely amazing BarMitzvahs with A-Z, the best High School Dances in the nation with BOOM and entertaining the best fans in the NBA at the Madhouse wasn’t even a thought if you would have asked me what I would be doing in 10 years, 10 years ago.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t believe you could ever reach any form of success doing what you love to do without struggle and rough times. During my chase for success as a dancer and MC, at this time, I was a Sophomore in college, I suffered a severe foot injury that resulted in surgery and 6 months on crutches. During that same time, my car broke down and the home I was living at the time burned to the ground. For a moment, I was homeless and had lost all of my belongings to this tragic incident. My university allowed me to stay with two of my best friends (Alex and Dre) in their dorm and they literally saved me from some of my roughest times. Through college, I was in constant need of leaving school to work and help support family back home so the thoughts of dream chasing would always fade away. It took me 7 years to graduate but I finally did it back in the spring of 2017! One thing I would say to anyone who feels like there are so many obstacles in your way to get to your goals is that faith in God, and faith in your purpose in life and knowing that you are destined to do more than your situation is enough to push you past those obstacles.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about RIELTYME – what should we know?
RIELTYME is me and my fiance’s mobile entertainment company. We specialize in professional and fun weddings, choreography needs and party planning. We wanted to bring what we’ve learned in the North Shore and BarMitzvah world to the Southwest Suburbs where no one has seen interactive, fun and exciting DJs! We’ve performed the Joliet KIDZFEST downtown Joliet and opened up for the RT 66 Speedway Race Fan Rally as the Fun Interactive Dance Party. We plan to cater more towards Kids Parties and being the GO-TO “must have” duo for any kids party. Our Weddings have grown since we started in 2015 with 1, 2016 with 6, 2017 13 and 2018 being our best year with 27 weddings. We are purely a word of mouth company and target a clientele that wants the US, we don’t want to compete or price bargain to beat out other DJs. I think what sets us apart the most is that TY, my fiancé, can do it all. She dances professionally, MCs and now DJs, which I believe our industry is in need of more women that can do what she does.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Charisma, positivity, and kindness I believe are the most important. Every event specialist in our industry can be great at what they do but some can be difficult to work with. Clients want to work with nice people, people they truly believe love what they do and are not just in it for the paycheck. Being genuine about everything I have done and not putting on an act has helped me reach this point in my career.
Contact Info:
- Website: azentertainment.com
- Phone: 630-461-4110
- Email: rieltyme.entertainment@gmail.com
- Instagram: rielofficial_
- Facebook: DJRIELOFFICIAL
Image Credit:
Chicago Bulls Photography, Boom Entertainment Photography
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