Meet Becca Wolfley | CEO, Best Coast Media, LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Becca Wolfley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Becca, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Best Coast was, as we say, “born in the back of a speak-easy.” I started it because I had just become a licensed realtor and wanted to expand my client network. I come from an advertising/copywriting background, and a friend called me to ask if I could host trivia night’s at their partner’s bar. It became a fun way to promote my realtor services and scratch my creative itch….I also desperately needed the money, as most creatives do.

I have also always wanted to do stand up comedy for awhile. I had done it a few times (was terrible; still am), but couldn’t afford the time to do free shows, so writing and hosting trivia games became the perfect means for that.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Best Coast Trivia is in a market that’s not super competitive. There’s maybe three other trivia competitors in LA? I feel lucky to have found a vacancy in the space. The idea of starting a trivia company seemed juvenile at first…a little silly. But I love to laugh and I think we could use more silliness in this world. In turn, I found people enjoy trivia nights because it offers reprieve from brutal reality and provides a simple, good time with friends. I also desperately need attention and approval from friends but that’s for a future therapy appointment.

Best Coast has been a way for me to prove my full range of skills. I don’t think I’ve ever had a job in which
I didn’t feel stifled in some way creatively or professionally. For Best Coast, I do the creative branding, marketing, sales, performing, training…I’ve literally played every role except being the sound professional. It also keeps me humble. I always tell my players, “If you have a problem with a question or answer, please come tell me; we can work it out. But be gentle because my ego is so very fragile.”

While I am so very proud of Best Coast’s growth, the pace of it brings up an internal struggle about once a quarter. What’s next? Why am I not bigger? How much should I be making by now? I’m not doing enough!

But I am pretty good about stopping the spiral I think, because no one really knows the responsibility like I do. I came to terms with that because I have done it for so long; I’ve been fully independent since graduating high school…arguably even before. I went through college on my own, navigated the job market and housing and new cities…it’s a lot to take on as one person without a safety net. I had no choice but to swim!

I still work a a 9-5 job, still close a few real estate deals on the weekends, and try to make time to grow Best Coast while maintaining the client load. So I tend to just smile at all the startup stories; ones of Steve Jobs starting Apple in his parents’ garage or Musk sleeping on a bean bag when building Tesla….there’s still a layer of wealth under those stories I didn’t and still don’t have. I just have to remind myself that growth is not linear. It can be complex and slow, but it’s still growth.

I get stoked to build Best Coast. I’m a writer at heart, so I aim to grow it into a media/production company. I want to build a place and resources for creatives to execute their ideas.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Many of my friends are from the Midwest, so I do the low-key touristy stuff with them. We’ll grab a coffee at Stories and walk Echo Park lake one morning. Or maybe even a morning at Grand Central Market and a stroll through the Broad Museum.

I’ll take them to dinner in Los Feliz at Little Doms or Encanto. For the at-home feel, I always end up at my watering hole, Birds on Franklin Ave either for a nightcap or weekend brunch (they serve a delicious fried chicken starting at noon on the weekends!).

I also don’t shy away from spots in Sherman Oaks or Toluca Lake. I love the margaritas at Don Cucos or the happy hour at Foreman’s tavern. You’ll find me at karaoke at The Oaks at least once a month.

As with any good time, it’s all about the food, the drinks, and the people you’re with!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Two people in my life, Alexis Perez and Peyton Tucker, were the couple that took a chance on me. They were technically my client before building the brand!

They have encouraged me to keep pushing and creating with Best Coast Trivia, and they never hesitate to tell me how proud they are of its growth. Between the two of them, they haven’t missed a client launch. They even co-host with me on occasion!

Alexis and I worked together at a brewery for a year, and when her partner, Peyton, opened up their speak-easy at the tail-end of the pandemic, Alexis called me to help bring in folks on their slower nights. Nights at Alchemy were ones i’ll never forget! It is where I became comfortable in front of an audience.

One more person is Angelo D’Onofrio, the GM at The Woods (1533 N. La Brea). When Alchemy was sold, I started pitching trivia nights to other business…I pitched Angelo and he was like, “Sounds good to me. Let’s try it.” I’ve just recently celebrated my first full-year running games at The Woods. Honestly couldn’t have gotten luckier with someone as supportive and involved as him. He’s so great to work with. You can catch me and Angelo there most Wednesdays. To this day, he’s the only one allowed to cheat!

Website: www.bestcoasttrivia.com

Instagram: @bestcoasttrivLA & @beccawolfley

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/best-coast-trivia-los-angeles

Image Credits
Professional photos by: @photosandlattes