We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Ciaccio-Stevens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I think the problem with balance is discipline. Regardless of whether or not its a work/life balance or just trying to make time to work out and eat better. When I started Local Deadbeat Agency, I was a college student working full time. As the company grew, we started hosting more live music events. In 2019 we were averaging 5-6 shows a month, in addition to going to school full time, and working full time. Somewhere in there we were also releasing new clothing items too. The pandemic put a quick halt to that, and it really restructured what I value in myself as a person, and not so much what I see in the company itself. Seven years into this, I’ve grown into a place where I can see a healthy amount of growth in the company, while still maintaining an amount of shows, clothing releases, etc and still being able to work full time, and come home and have dinner with my girlfriend. I could easily be hosting six shows a month again, but the stress and repeated blows to the head just don’t justify it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
When I first started LDA, it was just a t-shirt company that supported local music. We had a cassette compilation out that really was just there to showcase local music in a format you could physically hold. Once I started doing the benefit shows for planned parenthood, raising real money for organizations that meant a lot to me, I took the concerts in my forward vision. I went to college for business, and although I thought I knew a lot going into it, there were plenty of fires to put out, and tons of trial and error to get things right. One of the most valuable lessons I think I learned is that success doesn’t have to be a forced thing. People like you for you and want to support you and what you believe in. If the world needs one thing to know about Local Deadbeat Agency, it’s that we’re here to support local and touring musicians in any ways we’re able.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man, well if it’s my best friend they’re definitely hitting an In & Out Burger the second they get off the plane. Locally we’d have to hit some record stores. Ratsnest in Chino, Programme in Fullerton, Port of Sound in Costa Mesa are the best in Socal. I’m a sucker for a cold beer and a pool table, so we’d probably end up at Campus Billiards in Cypress (They’ve got some of the best nachos). And probably the rest of the trip would be sitting around tearing apart our cars and then spending the rest of the time on Youtube trying to fix what we broke.

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?
My successes have been provided by a huge support system of family and friends. From the beginning of my Mom letting me start this thing in her garage, blowing through the family printer ink shipping orders. To Chris at Programme Skate & Sound in Fullerton for providing a young me a place to sell my clothing, and later host shows. To my girlfriend Cierra, who has been helping me stay on track in my organization, my artistic path, and overall just happy to be apart of it. She definitely works way harder with some of these shows than I do. I’ve been blessed to share a space with so many kind creatives, it genuinely has made me happier than I could’ve imagined.

Website: localdeadbeatagency.com

Instagram: @LocalDeadbeatCA

Twitter: @LocalDeadbeatCA

Facebook: @LocalDeadbeatCA

Other: TikTok @LocalDeadbeatCA

Image Credits
All Modeled Photos by Blake Littell (@blake_littell) Crowd Shot Photo by @Micstryker

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