Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Kanowski “DJ RANKAN”. RanKan shares his story with us below.
DJ RanKan (32), aka Ryan Kanowski, hails from the Queen City of Buffalo, NY. Inspired by his early years in drama club and his great love of music, he started his radio station in high school. “Wild Radio” became wildly popular, and from there, DjRanKan grew to become the youngest “on air” talent ever employed in upstate New York’s biggest radio station WKSE KISS 98.5.
(Fun fact: Kiss 98.5 is the same radio station shown in the opening scene of the Justin Bieber movie!)
But let’s rewind a few years! Before RanKans radio success, he reluctantly succumbed to his parent’s offer of a business degree at a local college. “Reluctantly” is key here as he wasn’t the best student and knew deep down that he had a higher calling. Worse, he was unceasingly distracted by the one thing that always held his attention: music! One random, cold, snowy day in Community College, Ryan Kanowski raised his hand and asked his business professor a question that would change his life forever: “What businesses have you previously owned before you started teaching?”. The professor stood there confused and replied, “I’ve never owned a business before, but hopefully, one day, I will.” This was when Ryan knew he was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people. It was the day he decided to follow his first love – Music and became determined to not only make his (worried) parents happy but help them retire. “It’s why I get out of bed in the morning,” Ryan says calmly. “I love my family; they gave me so much growing up. It’s my turn to give back.” Focusing solely on music and DJ’ing hundreds of local events, his fan base grew exponentially. He was eventually hired by Kiss 98.5 as their youngest DJ, but he wasn’t going to stop there. In the following years, using his passion for business and music and the idea that they could complement each other perfectly, DJ RanKan created and built his niche brand as the “World’s Corporate DJ.”
Every year, he takes over 100 flights DJing numerous large-scale international corporate events from Singapore, Asia to Rome, Italy, Paris, France to Berlin. Germany, while back in the states, he has been Success Magazines preferred DJ for corporate events and other direct-selling network events in Las Vegas at the Wynn, Mirage, and Mandalay Bay. With bud success and dream to always take care of his parents and give back, he purchased a house in fort Myers, which was destroyed in the hurricane. He hopes to go down soon and help his community rebuild and contribute where possible to bring Fort Myers back to a beautiful place again.
He runs his real estate portfolio of 72 apartments in his spare time, providing quality and affordable living for senior citizens. He is focusing more on how to scale his niche real estate brand to help more senior citizens in the United States find safe and affordable housing. He also enjoys living on his boat in the summer and hanging with his family and friends. 6 years ago, RanKan opened a successful bar/nightclub called VENU, which he recently sold after a bad relationship falling out with his business partners. Since leaving the bar industry, RanKan has been thriving in all aspects of his life, as he believes his quality of life has increased. Verified on Facebook and Twitter with an outreach of well over 100k people combined, RanKan has deeply embedded himself into the music and corporate event industry. If you ask him today, he will tell you, “BUCKLE UP, I’m just getting started!”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing In life is ever easy, but failure can be worthwhile. I have been fortunate; however, it has come with many sacrifices. From missing important dates like my parent’s birthdays, personal anniversaries, and family weddings, there is a huge give and take. Over the last 10 years, I’ve had many business ventures fail. However, I’ve never let it disrupt where I’m going. You will eventually get there if you have the vision and know where you’re going. Most people only see the glamor online but never the struggle behind the scenes. In addition, RanKan and his mom have been by his father’s side as he was extremely sick during the pandemic. While traveling and having to pivot as the world was shut down while still being able to help his family was extremely hard. His dad today is in great health and on the road to recovery.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Some of the world’s largest companies hire RanKan to provide a professional but fun and interactive soundscape to their large-scale corporate events. Music is the universal language, and RanKan connects the dots of a company’s message and mission statements through music.
RanKan says at business conferences – I fulfill every need musically on an event, from making on-stage introductions to energy breaks to get people up and moving. I firmly believe that no other DJ in the world is working harder and as much as myself in the corporate space, which is why I have been branded as “The Worlds Corporate DJ.”
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I often look back at my childhood, and even though my parents could barely afford diapers for me as an infant, they gave me the absolute best life – and I’m forever grateful for them. At a young age, my parents moved me out of the city and into a small home in a suburban town outside of Buffalo. It was here where most of my childhood memories were made. From playing with the neighborhood kids to watching movies with my parents, I’ve realized how precious time is and how little of it we have. My favorite childhood memory is simple – it’s the memory of being young and loved. I had the best childhood, and for that, I’m grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.djrankan.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/djrankan
- Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/djrankan
- Twitter: Www.Twitter.com/djrankan
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/DJRanKan
- Other: Www.YAFGlobal.com
Image Credits
@djpaulyD @melrobbins @djrankan
