Meet Daniel Gersztyn

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daniel Gersztyn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daniel below.

Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I got my work ethic from my Father, that man is the hardest working person I know. He is also the person I got my distaste for work from, he hated his job. But raising me and my brother essentially on his own, he knew that he had to bring home the bacon for us. So he gritted his teeth and worked hard, constantly winning awards from his company for his hard work and dedication to the grind. Day in and day out, he worked at something I know he didn’t enjoy, all to give my brother and I the best lives we could have.
It made me realize I better find something I enjoy doing, I don’t want to hate my job, because it takes up a large portion of your life. This really actualized in my life freshmen year of college, I was working three jobs simultaneously and I hated it.
He taught me the value of a dollar, he taught me how far being frugal can take you. So I worked and saved, and worked and saved, and worked and saved, I saved so much when I graduated college I went to Australia for a year.
Not having a job there was weird, so of course I started working any and all jobs I could. Because my Father taught me the value of the dollar, and the value of having a savings. By the way he never took his work frustrations out on me, he is the best Father anyone could have, I love you Dad.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve been an emcee for about 6 years now, I started doing it full-time about 2.5 years ago. It was the best decision of my life. Being an emcee is special because I wear a lot of hats so to speak, people who come to my events expect different things from me. First of all I’m an emcee, I lead the event, but I am also a comedian, so my attendees expect jokes and I would say I deliver. I at times am also a therapist, The respect my weekly-attendees have for me is honestly… Well I cherish it. They tell me about their problems in life, they want to get to know me and in turn i get to know them. They bring their parents and family to my events, which is special to me.
This is special to me because it shows me that I am good at making connections with people, and those people trust me enough to tell me the problems of their lives. They trust me enough to bring their parents to my events, because they want their parents to witness the magic that is SDHosted events.
SDHosted events are primarily geared for millennials and Gen Z, our trivia events are unique because we don’t ask crazy-hard questions about things you’ve never heard of. We focus on attendee engagement and making people a part of the event itself, whether it be during the minigame portion, or throwing a mic in their face to announce an answer.

Our newest developments are weekly bingo and our Pitch-A-Friend events, and expansion into the North County of San Diego. I am so proud at the growth we are experiencing and all the kind words I hear from our attendees on a weekly basis.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Be open to new experiences.
My Mom always says one of my greatest gifts is being open to new opportunities. A new opportunity to me is a new door to walk through, new potential to experience, and a new path to take. If you are so stuck in your ways and happy with the status quo how are you going to grow?
To be honest with you, I was never a fan of trivia, but if I hadn’t committed to going to a trivia event with my friend who needed someone to talk to, I wouldn’t be doing this interview right now. At that trivia event I applied to be a host for that company, and it is what started me on the journey that has led me being to here where I am right now. So be open to trying new things, the only thing you’ll find in the status quo is comfort, and comfort does not lead to growth.
2. Connect with EVERYONE.
75% of new venues or clients I work with are because either my friends saw what I was doing and gave me a recommendation, or because an attendee at my event liked how I emceed and how I treated them. If I never made a connection with Sami we probably wouldn’t be emceeing events at Belmont Park. If I didn’t talk to Connor and make him feel at home at my events, I probably wouldn’t be emceeing trivia for the SDSU incoming Freshmen Class. I am a true believer in, “It’s not what you know, but who you know” and that concept has gotten me very far in life. So talk to everyone, a stranger is just a 100 interesting stories you’ve never heard, a new perspective on something, or someone who could change your life. So shoot your shot, be FEARLESS.
3. Gratitude is key
If you are grateful, the universe will notice. I believe that so strongly that it is on my Instagram bio, I know it’s a cliche, but it is true. If you are appreciate the things around you, the air in your lungs, and the grass beneath your feet, you’re whole outlook on life shifts. You’ll be happier, your friends will notice, your family will notice, people WILL notice I promise. I work a lot, like at least 6 events a week. when I am not emceeing I am doing things to grow my company. Anytime I feel bogged down, or stressed out, I go over what I am thankful for.
I am thankful that I get paid to make people laugh on a weekly basis. I am thankful that I do not have a boss and can go to the gym 5 days a week. I am thankful for all the friends I’ve made at my events, and I am especially thankful for how much they love the events I produce. Think of 3-5 things that you are grateful for and burn them into your brain. Because it is those things that will get you through the toughest parts of life.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

The biggest challenge I face is that there is not two of me. Without knowing it, I’ve been a comedian my whole life. I’ve been a emcee for the last 6 years, but I’ve always been the guy who talks too much. These skills are innate within me, the biggest challenge I face is finding people who can run my events with the same style I do. If you know any reliable comedians who would want to emcee events for us and put their comedic skills to the test, send them over. Even just funny and outgoing people who can conversate without problems and be the perfect face for a fun event, send them over.

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Image Credits

Jenna Huemoeller

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