Today we’d like to introduce you to Sagar Jha.
Hi Sagar, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in the Chicago area, and went to college in the city. Through college, I got very heavily involved in the photography and music scene. I was constantly at events DJing or shooting photos. Eventually, I became engulfed in the music scene, and was out playing shows/parties two or three days a week. I met a few pretty influential people in the Chicago music scene who kind of showed me the ins and outs of hosting parties and bringing people together through music. The group was called The Trap House. Charles Martinez and George Rizzio were the owners of that event series, and both were heavily involved in music and events. They really helped me understand the back end of things, and what it takes to build a community around music and themed parties. I was throwing some smaller events in college, and it was something I was always very interested in. In college, I studied marketing/business development. and it translated pretty well to the music scene for me. Currently, I’m doing my MBA at the University of Minnesota in marketing.
I moved to Minneapolis in 2014, for a job, and I just never left. It took a while for me to like Minnesota. Eventually, I became very intrigued by the music scene, and understanding how things operate. I had been to a few events that the local Minneapolis duo, Niles Sheppard, had thrown at breweries and it was very interesting to me (the idea of having music events at breweries).
This past spring, I was on the phone with my close friend, Luc Davilla (local Minneapolis DJ/producer), and we kind of were just talking about events/summer. We both agreed it’d be really cool to throw a pop up at a brewery at some point. Fortunately, I frequent a lot of the breweries in Northeast Minneapolis, and I’ve been able to meet a lot of cool people. A good friend of mine, Phil Owens, had worked at many different spots (Bauhaus, Dangerous Man, Falling Knife, etc). He randomly introduce me to Dan at Falling Knife who agreed to host the first-ever Backyard Boombox at Falling Knife. The rest has been history! There have been nearly 20 events from then to now, and the parties continue to grow. They focus on house music/chiller tunes and mostly take place at breweries. The main goal of the event series was to introduce people to breweries/places they wouldn’t normally go to and listen to music they normally wouldn’t hear at these places. It’s been great.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a relatively smooth road. There’s been a lot of connections I’ve made through friends in the brewing community, but it has been very difficult to engage certain locations, and make connections with them. Aside from that everything has been great.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Backyard Boombox basically throws pop up parties around the cities. We throw parties that focus on house music/disco/chiller tunes. Basically, we showcase local Minnesota DJs, and bring people to places that they normally wouldn’t go to, to hear music. It’s a way to showcase music and DJs that we love, at places that we love. We are known for throwing pop up day parties at breweries and bars. What sets us apart from others is the community around the music, and the option to hear music/your friends DJ at places that aren’t necessarily major music venues. We are super proud of our branding, and the community around the events.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
As far as mentors, one of my best friends, Charles Martinez, has been extremely influential in guiding me through the backend of how these parties could go, and things that can be done to make them impactful. Aside from him, Luc Davilla is essential in helping with the full production of the events. Luc is an amazing DJ and live sound wizard. He’s always ready to help, and knows the best way to set up the rooms at venues for eventsMy girlfriend, Mandy, always helps decorate our themed events and is extremely organized and helpful in setting up the rooms and themes. Mike McGuire has also been very helpful from an operations standpoint. Mike is always helping with operational decisions, and helping navigate operational decisions. Joe Runge is responsible for all of our content and videos. He shoots photos/videos at most of the events, and is always creating new content for us. He’s amazing. Finally, all the DJs that have helped this year. The DJs help so much in making these events successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: mnboombox.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boomboxmn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackyardBoombox/
Image Credits
Joe Runge
Spencer Tuttrup
