Arlo was seven years old, standing in front of his garage, doing what he always does: talking about DJing. The man who walked up to him, Zach aka MDMotivator, asked a simple question: how much would it cost to book him for a DJ set? Arlo said nothing. Over a million people descend on the Calgary Stampede every summer for one of the biggest rodeos in the world, and somewhere in that crowd were three people who had no idea their lives were about to change. All it took was one team, three artists, and a willingness to find the right strangers.
The seven-year-old who made John Summit a promise
Arlo’s DJ name is Spiral. He already had one, which should tell you everything. When Zach asked him to show off his best DJ moves and then revealed he had John Summit’s phone number, Arlo’s response was immediate: ‘No way.’ Within minutes, Arlo’s dad Andrew was standing there listening to Zach explain what had just happened. John Summit, one of the biggest names in electronic music, wanted to invite this kid to his show that night.
The conversation that followed was quieter than the crowd around it. Arlo mentioned his friend Eli, and Zach gently asked if everything was okay at home. Arlo’s mom, it turned out, was going through cancer treatment. Her last day of chemo was set for the last day of December. When Zach asked what Arlo would do when she finished, the answer came without hesitation: ‘I’m going to give her a good hug. She’s the best mom ever.’
Before they parted, Zach made Arlo pinky swear to tell his parents he loved them every single day. Arlo agreed without blinking.
That night, Arlo stood on the stage under the biggest lights he had ever seen while the entire crowd cheered. John Summit put it simply after the set: ‘You killed it, man. They loved you out there.’ Arlo asked if he could come to the first real show, and Summit told him he had a standing VIP invite. Summit also signed Arlo’s headphones, handed him a one-of-a-kind shirt, and confirmed that Dead Mau5, the other artist Arlo had named as an inspiration, was ‘the man.’
Arlo left with $1,000, a signed pair of headphones, and a promise.
A cake, a car, and a 25th birthday nobody will talk about calmly
Night two belonged to Steve Aoki. The plan was straightforward in concept and genuinely unhinged in execution: Aoki would throw a cake at a birthday person in the crowd, as he has done for more than 30,000 people over his career, and that same person would walk away with a brand new car. Aoki’s reaction when the idea was pitched to him was immediate: ‘I would love to. I would be honored to.’ He had never combined a cake toss with a car giveaway before. ‘This is the first time,’ he confirmed.
The winner had driven 12 hours from a small town called Bojer, Manitoba. It was his 25th birthday. A manager named Brooklyn had set him and his friends up with pit passes. He had never been to the Stampede before. When the cake hit and the car key followed, he stood there repeating the same words: ‘I needed a car. Now I got a car.’ Then he sat in it. Aoki reflected afterward that it ‘definitely scores as the greatest caking experience,’ and he had caked over 30,000 people to compare it against.
The night Jason Derulo hired a stranger on the spot
On the final night, the team found someone who had been up since 7:30 that morning leading ushers at his church, had stayed at the Stampede until 2 a.m. the night before, and whose only real dream was to become a professional video editor. When Zach asked what his prayer was right now, the man paused and said: ‘It feels like it’s been answered.’
Jason Derulo and Zach hired him on the spot to join the editing team. Then Derulo brought Zach on stage in front of the full Calgary crowd and, on behalf of himself and his team, presented Zach with a $20,000 award to continue the work. ‘Sometimes you need somebody or something that’s just a little boost to get things started in your life,’ Derulo said.
A pair of signed headphones in a seven-year-old’s hands
Arlo’s headphones, freshly signed by John Summit, with the ink still setting while he stood stage-side at the Calgary Stampede.
Arlo held them the way kids hold something they cannot believe is real. DJ Spiral, age seven, headed home from the biggest rodeo in the world with a name on his gear and a pinky swear to keep.
Wake up to Only Happy News!
