Life & Work with Shannon Chaney

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Chaney.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Shannon Chaney. I’m a Florida native and a music nerd. I am honored to work in an industry where I can help people experience joy, nostalgia, and escape through music. Through digital DJ services, customized performances, thoughtful song selection, and community education, I help people like you experience the joy of music when attending a DJ Shannon C event.

A Question that I’m Frequently Asked is
“How Did You Get Started as a Dj?”

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been completely in love with music. My grandmother started me on the piano at age five, and by seven, I could sit down and play songs I would hear on the radio. My musical ear was always very strong. I always gravitated to musical instruments, so it was no surprise that by the age of twelve, I was the lead flutist in my middle school orchestra, and by sixteen, a lead trombonist in our high school symphony and jazz ensembles.

I’ve always gravitated to drums and percussive instruments, experimenting with side rock and ska projects in high school. I also wrote musical arrangements for our 100 pieces high school marching band.

Like I said, I was IN LOVE with Music.

I came to Tampa in 2002 to attend the University of South Florida for Performing Arts and Dance. (I took a long break from music in my early 20’s as I cultivated other interests and pursued a corporate career.) I was also passionate about a multitude of seemingly unconnected things: teaching, psychology, entrepreneurship, creativity, dance, spirituality, fitness, and philanthropy, to name a few.

After USF, I hopped around between jobs, aggressively climbing the corporate ladder in a Training and Project Management capacity. I’ve trained for major companies, including Medicare, Capital One, and JP Morgan Chase. And while I was very good at my job, a large part of me was very unfulfilled.

Then in 2013, everything changed…

On March 1st, I was rear-ended by a Semi-Truck while stopped at a stoplight. And everything changed. This brings me to Djing.

I had been hosting Bar Trivia as a side job to allow me a sense of creativity. I was back in school studying Adult Education, and I was heavily pursuing a corporate career.

Everything changed because I sustained several injuries to my body and my brain. Everything changed because I could no longer work a corporate job as I had to be in physical therapy five days a week. Everything changed because I was in a position where I had to rebuild my life completely.

The brain injury that I sustained impacted my motor functions. One day I sat down at my piano, which had also been an emotional outlet for me, and I couldn’t play. My fingers wouldn’t move to the keys liked they’d been trained for years before. This threw me into a deep depression.

In an attempt to help me feel better, my then-boyfriend showed me some basics of Djing and put a mix track pro with a virtual DJ in front of me. My DJ journey begins here.

I spent the next several months of my physical recovery learning about Djing, beat matching, using different software, different hardware, mixing different genres of music, etc. I dove into the deep end, and it really helped me progress through my injuries and depression.

In July 2013, a friend booked me to play for her sister’s wedding, and shortly after, a neighbor who often heard me practicing booked me to play weekly at his venue at International Plaza. I also began networking and working under different mentor DJs as I progressed into my DJ career.

In late 2014 I produced and hosted my first Art and Music showcase to benefit The Tampa Crisis Center. I aligned with Scratch Events, a New York City agency that began booking me for corporate and fashion brands.

In 2015 I began working in nightlife, serving the LGBT community in Ybor City and St Petersburg, FL. I also did my first guest set with Jose Da Magician at Art After Dark in South Tampa, and I aligned myself with Trinity Cafe to play music for the homeless on the Holidays.

In 2016, I took on my first Out of State gig at the Georgia World Congress Center for the SalesForce connections tour. I began doing guest spots with other local DJs, including DJ Qeys and DJ Knox at Crowbar for Takeover Tuesdays and DJ D2 at Top Golf.

I did fashion work for Millenia Fashion with With Mall at Millenia and Rapid 3D Print for their 3D Print Fashion Show. I also began teaching DJ lessons to local teens.

In 2017, I was invited into my first DJ crew, affectionately gaining the First Woman of the Sinister Syndicate. I also began working for 99 Jamz FM, the Berg with a Weekly Segment called Ladies Take Over Thursdays on the Big Show.

In 2018, I was excited to launch my second company, Digital DJ Academy, which offers one-on-one DJ and Production lessons to students of all ages. I also began working with Street Laced Marketing and Promotions and playing for the TB Lightning watch parties.

In 2019, I played for the Women of Red and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The TB Lightning, and began working with the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB)

In 2020 I played for The Women of Red and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The TB Lightning, The WNBA Seattle Victory Party for the WNBA Playoffs, and the IFBB’s Iconic Tampa Pro, NY Pro, Rising Phoenix, and Mr. Olympia.

In 2021 I’ve played for SuperBowl 55, The Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals, The Tampa Bay Lightning Players Victory Party, and the Iconic IFBB Tampa Pro, Puerto Rico Pro, Rising Phoenix, and Mr. Olympia.

My goal is to show up and serve my client from a place of kindness and dedication, no matter if it’s a wedding or the Tampa Bay Lightning players’ party. I love creating the soundtrack for events and people’s memories.

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?
Initially, overcoming my brain injury, learning and perfecting a new skill, and launching a business were the challenges I faced.

Working in entertainment is very different from working in corporate, so I had to adjust to cultural differences. For example, when you work in a corporate, you still have a job if your boss gets fired. When you work in entertainment, if the promoter gets fired, you do too.

It’s been challenging to obtain and maintain a healthy work/life balance. Mental health has been a challenge as my schedule often doesn’t align with my friends and family’s regular social activities. (DJs work when everyone else is partying) It’s sometimes hard to watch everyone else have a good time and party all night and then go home alone.

Establishing a healthy work/life balance has kept me from getting too deep into depression and loneliness. People think it’s a 24/7 party, but actually, it’s one of the most lonely and isolating jobs I’ve ever had. I love it. I wouldn’t trade it. But that’s the truth.

Also, finding ways to establish multiple income streams (like Digital DJ Academy, Live streaming, Virtual Events) has been integral in keeping my business afloat through 2020 and Covid-19.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I help create soundtracks for people’s special events and lives. I specialize in playing for a diverse audience of all ages and backgrounds. Open Format Djing is a Djing that crosses over all genres. When I play, I mix old and new across multiple genres to make sure everyone in the room feels included.

I’m most proud of my ability to read a room and feel the energy. As well as my ability to be incredibly musically diverse. In many gigs I play, someone will walk over and be shocked when they realize it’s me creating the soundtrack.

When most DJs are playing, they’re mostly considering BPM and Genre (whatever is appropriate for the venue or event that they’re playing) as they read the audience. They may play house music all night or maybe bounce back and forth between top 40, hip hop, and house.

When I’m playing, I’m primarily considering the key of the song. BPM is important, but secondary to the key. I consider key more than I consider the genre, and in doing so, I’m often inspired to mix something that you wouldn’t expect because they’re in the same key.

For example, I like to go from Soul Man by Sam and Dave into Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty into Centerfold by J Geilis Band, into I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas into Electricity by Dua Lipa because they’re all in the same key. And notice that we’ve jumped around between genre, decade, etc. as well. I look at every room as a Venn Diagram.

I try to look at the ages, cultural backgrounds, etc., of the people in the room and then figure out what songs in my library will get them all swaying together.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the culture of our city. Both Tampa and St. Pete. They’re culturally different, but both are diverse in wonderful ways.

I love that Tampa has grown and come up so much since I came here for USF in 2002. Riverwalk and that whole district is beautiful. I love that there’s a ton of art and culture here. I mean, I’ve stayed since 2002. That should say a lot.

As far as dislikes, I don’t have too many. The traffic can be awful. I’m still upset that we have never gotten the high-speed rail from Tampa to Orlando.

It’s been 20 years! And all of the dumping, etc., that’s lead to the red tide and massive fish die-offs is heartbreaking. I’d like to see local officials doing more.

Also, when did the rent gets SO HIGH. I dislike that it’s difficult to sustain here on the salaries paid vs. the cost of living. I feel like it didn’t use to be this out of proportion.

Pricing:

• Private Events $150/Hr
• Weddings $250/Hr
• Holiday Rates $200/Hr
• Sports / Charity Events *Contact for Pricing*
• 60 Min 1 on 1 DJ Lesson $60/Hr

Contact Info:

• Email: djshannonc@gmail.com
• Website: www.djshannonc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djshannonc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djshannonc
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/djshannonc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa_v2m3g-Ut16g64RfMur0g
• SoundCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/djshannonc/

Image Credits
Melissa Dozier-Jones, M.A.D Images, Cliff Brown, Vo Williams, Greg Wolf