Third-year film and media studies major Tyler “Sarthe” Robinson took home the trophy last Thursday in Santa Barbara’s first ever Red Bull DJ Master competition, a “discovery project” for up-and-coming UCSB DJs.

The event, which was held in the EOS Lounge in downtown Santa Barbara, pitted Robinson against fourth-year political science and economics major Nick “Mizurah” Pullman and fourth-year psychology major Jawn “Optimo” Kim in a competition for residency at the nightclub. Pullman and Kim played against Robinson after beating six other semi-finalists from an initial list of over fifty DJs.

According to Red Bull student brand manager Katie Heines, a fourth-year religious studies major, the event sought to help DJs gain more recognition by showcasing their skill in front of audiences beyond the campus community. Each DJ brought in over 70 people on their guest list.

Robinson said he looks forward to working at EOS Lounge and hopefully making a career out of disc jockeying.

“It’s kind of overwhelming. I didn’t know I was going to win and winning is sort of like, a great feeling,” Robinson said. “So now it’s kind of about me talking to the owners about what that specifically entails… [I’m] really excited honestly.”

Kim said winning the competition was not as important to him as making sure the audience was entertained.

“I’m just trying to give everyone a good time,” Kim said. “I try to create a set for people to enjoy. I just like being a DJ, so as long as people enjoy [it, it’s] not really a big deal if I don’t win.”

All three DJs share a sense of camaraderie despite the competition, and each emphasized that no animosity had come between them. Pullman said the event was more of an opportunity to broaden his audience rather than to be competitive.

“I entered it because it’s a great way to get into the downtown scene, make some connections, and also just to meet some new people,” Pullman said. “It’s also something to do before going to law school next year… this is kind of more of a friendly contest sort of thing. It [would have been] really nice to win, but you know, it’s no hard feelings.”

Robinson said while he hopes to use the gained attention to bolster his career, his education will continue to be his first priority.

“I think it’s everyone’s dream to make a real full career out of it,” Robinson said, “but I can imagine that since I’m majoring in film, that I’ll probably go into the film industry during the day and then DJing in the night.”

A version of this article appeared on page 3 of February 4th, 2013’s print edition of the Nexus.