Our Story.
Argus Entertainment is the product of an entire lifetime—here’s how it happened.
Heyheyhey! My name is Austin Birch, and I’m the founder of Argus Entertainment. I launched Argus Ent in 2020, but the company didn’t just pop up one day—Argus is the product of almost 20 years of music and tech training. I’m going to tell you the entire story of the company, so watch out—it’s long.
Here we go:
Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember: I got lucky and had musical parents who started me early--I started music lessons at the ripe old age of 3 years old, back in 2003. I was classically trained in piano for more than 10 years, and started teaching myself music theory and jazz piano after I quit piano lessons in 2014. Through those first 15ish years of my life, I picked up other instruments here and there: I picked up a guitar for the first time around 2010, and started drums a few years later. I even spent some time in the concert band/orchestra world, and played oboe for a few years. (If you don’t know what an oboe is, you’re not alone.)
An early flyer for a band I was in
As I moved into my early teenage years, I underwent a period of depression. A combination of many factors, 2013-2017 were some hard years for me. At the peak of this depressive period, around 2014, I discovered electronic music. This was around the time that electronic music was just starting to become popular in the US—dance music was moving out of the clubs and into the mainstream consciousness. I saw individual producer-DJ’s like Martin Garrix and David Guetta shoot to international fame by releasing the hottest new music, and I decided that I was going to do the same. I saved up money and bought a tiny little DJ controller, convinced that I was going to tour the world with my $140 amazon find.
After carrying on like that for a few years, I grew up a little bit and realized that it probably wasn’t the most realistic life goal. Everybody dreams of being a superstar, but the chances of it actually happening are slim. I realized that I liked the actual process of DJ’ing—finding songs that blended well together and mixing between them. I loved the performing aspect, where I could analyze the crowd and choose a next song that would get them riled up. I loved the tech/gear aspect, and how all the science came together to create a cohesive event experience. I loved the idea of DJ’ing for events, but I didn’t quite know where to start.
Working a high school prom in 2016 with Alive Entertainment
On-stage at 16, barely-working DJ controller in tow
Enter: The Tribe. In summer 2016, I was sitting at a cafe when I overheard the two guys next to me talking about a concert they wanted to host, and I mustered the courage to jump in and introduce myself. One of the two introduced himself as an owner of The Tribe—a group of college students who hosted huge parties and concerts. On a whim, The Tribe decided to have me DJ the opening slot at their next event. The Tribe packed thousands of people in front of the stage that night. Even though I was only playing for a few people during my early slot, watching the event unfold was a whole new experience. I watched local DJ’s play for huge crowd, I got an inside view of all the audio and lighting requirements to produce the event, and I networked with other entertainment vendors from across Utah.
I kept DJ’ing, and freelanced for older, more experienced mobile DJ’s. Other companies and DJs like Alive Entertainment, Reeverb Entertainment, One Above Entertainment, and DJ Fayze showed me the ropes of what running a mobile DJ business looked like. I stored all that info away in the back of my brain, and made some good money (for a high school kid, anyway) while doing it. I learned the basics of sound engineering, lighting design, and event logistics, all while slowly forming a vision of what my business would look like.
Working a wedding with DJ Fayze
At the urging of other DJ’s, I formally launched Argus Entertainment in September of 2020. Business was pretty slim for those first 8 months, as the events industry was put on hold by the danger Covid-19. I worked for other DJ’s and rented gear for just about every event. I slowly built up a basic inventory of gear, and upgraded things whenever possible. In April 2021, things really started taking off. We (the company) started booking rapidly booking events, sometimes working 5 events in a week. Argus Entertainment went from 2 events in April ’21 to 9 events in May ’21, and continued that streak all the way through the season into October. I had hoped to DJ 15 events or so in that first full year of business, and Argus Entertainment shattered that goal by doing 52 events.
That brings us to now. As I’m writing this, we’re gearing up for season 2 of Argus Entertainment. We have high goals, and we’re bringing a lot to the table. We’re revolutionizing the events industry by utilizing our nightclub-level energy to craft events like you’ve never seen before. We’ve been able to work with national brands like Red Bull, a slew of charities, multiple universities, countless high schools, and some of the best wedding couples on the planet. To those who’ve supported the company and I, thank you: we wouldn’t be here without you. We’re incredibly thankful for where we’re at, and we’re unbelievably excited to see where the next few years take us.
