Introducing Humans Of Your Shot, a series where we chat to the legends competing in the annual DJ comp. It’s the opportunity of the lifetime that swaps the bedroom decks for a main stage. Your Shot (presented by Alcatel), has produced past winners like Tigerlily and Gemellini.
We sat down and spoke to Ciaran Sheehan about his competition journey and aspiring DJ career. Growing up in the south of Sydney, now residing in the coastal city of Wollongong, Ciaran has always had big DJing dreams. Despite never touching a set of decks before, the young creative thought he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Have you ever been interviewed before?
I was interviewed for a local paper when I was vice captain of my primary school but I don’t think that’s relevant in this instance. Besides that my media presence has been on the down low for the last ten or so years.
How did you hear about Your Shot?
I heard about Your Shot years ago when I was still in school and had big dreams of being the next David Guetta. I always thought it was a competition for experienced DJs, until this year when I saw an ad on Facebook stating it was a no experience required gig. I thought it couldn’t hurt to put my name down and see where it goes. I didn’t think I’d even make it this far.
What made you decide that it was the best platform to launch a career in the industry?
Obviously the fact that it didn’t require any experience was a massive factor for me, as I’d never touched DJ decks before. After I signed up I started doing a bit of digging and read up on all the trainers and people involved in Your Shot. I realised the status of some of the people I may have the opportunity to meet and work with and thought this is the perfect opportunity for me to learn and get exposure.
Tell us a little about your journey with Your Shot so far?
It’s been absolutely amazing and so different to what I first expected. I’ve met so many people who have become great friends but unfortunately also my competition. It’s also been crazy to meet so many big players in the industry and get a chance to pick their brains about anything and everything. I already feel like I’ve won simply from all the opportunities I’ve been presented with in the last few weeks.
We hear you run your own clothing company, how are you going balancing Your Shot and your business?
Yes, it’s something I worked on quietly behind the scenes in my spare time after (sometimes during) uni classes. I only made it public at the start of this year so it is still very rudimentary but I have high hopes for the future of it and so far it has gone better than I could have asked. Balancing the two hasn’t been very difficult and in fact they seem to compliment each other. I’ve managed to pick up a few sales and attention through Your Shot and some of the people I’ve met through my clothing have been following my progress throughout the competition. I have plans for making both work if they both go successfully.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I’m not much of a ten-year-plan person, more of a five-minute-plan person. I don’t think about the future too much, but my ideal situation would be to operate my own business successfully but also have minimal time constraints. I would rather be time-rich than economically rich, yet still be comfortable enough to not have to worry about money constantly.
What electronic music styles influence your DJing the most?
In terms of who I’m influenced by, I like local producers like What So Not and Flume due to their success. I like Yahtzel and LDRU, both individually and as Carmada, because they are about the same age as me and live in the same region. It’s encouraging to know that people from the same walk of life as me have found success through music. I also just like LDRUs album art…
This weekend (29th and 30th July) is set to be a big one with all hands are on deck for the Your Shot (presented by Alcatel) Sydney Event. The revolutionary style competition will showcase the countries best up and coming talent, plus a couple of legends will be headlining too.
