Stay-at-home dad Andrew Sarakinis has shared his story on how he manages his family business while pursuing his passions of deejaying full time.
ABC News reported that Andrew, who lives in South Australia, grew up in the Riverland in the 90s as the youngest son of Greek immigrant parents.
Due to where he grew up, he said his access to dance music and the clubbing scene was very limited. He decided one day to beg his cousin to drive more than two hours away to Adelaide so that he could buy his first DJ equipment.
“It was just a hobby that I was interested in but as I started playing a few parties and introducing music to friends it really took off,” Andrew said.
Andrew, who goes by DJ Sarez, said after winning a DJ competition in 2001, it kickstarted his career where he then began playing at local parties and night clubs and appearing on festival line-ups.
“I had a residency at the biggest club in Adelaide, which was a massive boost to kickstart my career,” Andrew said.
“And then from there I played festivals, I had a residency job on Triple J hosting Mix Up on Saturday nights, and I was getting booked interstate.
“It was pretty surreal to be a DJ on the same bill as your heroes.”
The 43-year-old said he was thankful his career allowed him to financially support his family, by giving him the opportunity to grow grapes part time.
When asked whether the future of family farming is working the land part-time and having another job as your main source of income, Andrew remained optimistic about the future.
“When the industry does turn, this will be a really thriving area again, like it has been in the past,” he said. “Hopefully we get there.”
With most of his weekends filled with DJing gigs, Andrew said that he has time before and after school for his young daughter while his wife works.
“It’s a good area to bring the family up and there’s lots of flexibility in owning your own business.”
Source: ABC News.
