Most people think of retirement as a time to slow down, but one South Florida grandpa is proving it can also be a time to turn things up. Heather Walker shows us how DJ Stan is shining in our 7Spotlight.
By day, he’s doing things you would expect from any grandpa, spending time at home reading the paper. But when the sun goes down, he turns up the volume.
At 71-years-old, Stan Heiblum is trading slippers for sneakers and starting a whole new career.
Heather Walker: “That’s wild!”
Stan Heiblum “Yeah, and it worked and it’s working out.”
He got the idea to start DJ-ing when he was at a music festival three years ago.
Stan Heiblum: “I said, you know what I think I can do this. And I really enjoy music.”
So he decided to give it a try.
Heather Walker: “How did you learn how to DJ?”
Stan Heiblum: “So I really just started learning by myself. For the first year, I was terrible. So I took lessons online, I went to one studio.”
He also started going to DJ sets to watch, and then after a year of practice, he booked his first gig under the name “DJ Stan” at 69-years-old.
Stan Heiblum: “People will always ask me, ‘Are you the DJ’s father?’ So they think we are the DJ’s parents, that happens almost every time.”
He has a good sense of humor about it and admits that starting a new career later in life has come with some challenges.
Stan Heiblum: “A lot of these clubs start late, so I have to make sure I take my nap, get ready. But once the music starts, the energy is there.”
He credits naps and Cuban coffee for keeping him going. And says his age actually helps him to be a better DJ.
Stan Heiblum: “What I try to do with my musical mixes is appeal to everybody. So I want to bring new music they have never heard, but I want to bring familiar stuff to get them hooked.”
Mixing disco, techno, and house to get everyone on the dance floor.
Stan Heiblum: “Every time you look up and people are dancing, you know you are doing the right thing. I bring in older crowds so people, my friends. People in their 60’s and 70’s are coming. So I have people from their 20’s to their 70’s.”
In just a couple of years, he has performed at clubs and festivals from Miami to New York.
Stan Heiblum: “People come up to me and say it’s very inspiring. Especially some older people who say I never thought of starting new and you are starting something new at an advanced age, and so that means that anybody can do it. So it seems that it’s very inspiring to people. I didn’t start it off to be inspiring to people, I just wanted to have fun.”
That’s exactly what he’s doing with his family behind him, literally, you will see his wife and kids in the DJ booth.
Stan Heiblum: “My wife, Lisa, is my biggest supporter. She wears my shirts to the club and it’s really a family affair.”
About a year ago, he welcomed his first grandchild. And just like that, DJ stan became DJ Pops.
Proof that the moments we never plan for can turn into our greatest hits.
Heather Walker, 7News.
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