Daniel Joseph Hernandez is a San Diego-born DJ, who has been spinning records for 14 years. His career started to take off after he posted a viral Tiktok, inviting people to come hang out at Golden Hill Park, where he would put on sets of lo-fi music for free.
Because the event drew hundreds of people, the park rangers shut the DJ down. Thankfully, media attention drew a sponsor, Probity Productions, to help sponsor the event by covering the permitting and support costs associated with hosting the set.
Thanks to the sponsor’s hard work, Hernandez is back up and running again, hosting his first set since the permitting fiasco on Friday, Sept. 12.
“I wanted to make sure I did it right, And the news helped me show the community that I was trying to do it for them, and not just for myself,” Hernandez said.
The attention has also drawn publicity to him, allowing him more opportunities. He will be playing a set for June Shine, a hard kombucha brand, in a week’s time. He says it’s thanks to his wife and high school sweetheart that he didn’t give up sooner.
“There have been so many times where I just wanted to give up because it’s tiring, it’s hard,” Hernandez said. “And if it wasn’t for my wife, telling me you can do this, I really don’t think I would have continued.”