Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Ruckle.
Hi Christopher, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Christopher Ruckle: A Multifaceted Career in Technology, Media, and Creative Arts
Christopher Ruckle is a dynamic professional with a career spanning several decades and industries, from the vibrant nightlife of major American cities to the corporate headquarters of major companies in Kansas City. A DJ, photographer, videographer, and podcast host, Ruckle has built a career on his passion for technology and creative expression. He is the owner of Kapture King Photography and Film and Chris Ruck Fashion Photography, and the co-host of the popular automotive podcast, “Craving Cars Live.”
Ruckle’s journey into the world of audio and visuals began at a young age, sparked by his father’s work with Radio Shack. This early interest blossomed into a successful career as a DJ, a path he followed from 1988 to 2010. For over two decades, he was a fixture in the club scenes of New York City, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Miami, and Las Vegas. His work in clubs and as a radio DJ for Clear Channel, now iHeart Radio, honed his skills in sound and lighting production, giving him a deep, hands-on understanding of the entertainment industry.
Leveraging his extensive experience, Ruckle transitioned into the corporate world, bringing his unique skill set to H&R Block’s world headquarters in Kansas City. As an audio-visual and IT infrastructure engineer, he has been instrumental in developing the company’s AV department, a role he has held for over 12 years. His work involves managing the complex AV and IT needs of the corporate campus, ensuring seamless communication and technological support for thousands of employees.
Beyond his corporate career, Ruckle is a passionate entrepreneur. As the owner of Kapture King Photography and Film, also known as Kapture King, he has established himself as a sought-after photographer and videographer. His creative portfolio extends to his specialized brand, Chris Ruck Fashion Photography, where he focuses on the world of fashion and portraiture.
In recent years, Ruckle has also ventured into the world of digital media as the co-host of “Craving Cars Live.” This YouTube podcast allows him to share his lifelong passion for cars with a growing audience, discussing everything from classic builds to the latest industry trends.
Christopher Ruckle’s career is a testament to his adaptability and his ability to merge his creative passions with his technical expertise. From the DJ booth to the boardroom, and behind the camera to in front of the microphone, he continues to be a driving force in the worlds of technology, media, and creative arts.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a DJ (Club and Radio, 1988-2010)
This career, while exciting, is known for its significant challenges, especially over a 22-year span.
Grueling Lifestyle and Burnout: The DJ life is physically and mentally taxing. It involves working late nights, weekends, and holidays, leading to an unconventional sleep schedule. This can strain personal relationships and lead to social isolation from those on a standard 9-to-5 schedule. After two decades, burnout from the constant high-energy environment and demanding hours is a very real hardship.
Financial Instability: Income for DJs is often gig-based and inconsistent. Securing regular, well-paying bookings requires constant networking and self-promotion. There can be “feast or famine” cycles, and competition for prime slots in major cities like NYC, Miami, and Las Vegas is incredibly fierce.
Hearing Damage: Constant exposure to loud music in clubs is a major occupational hazard. Protecting one’s hearing while still being able to perform effectively is a constant battle.
Industry Pressure and Staying Relevant: The music and club scene changes rapidly. A DJ must constantly discover new music, adapt to new technologies (from vinyl to CDs to digital), and evolve their style to stay relevant to the audience and club owners. In radio, this pressure comes from corporate playlists and the need to maintain ratings.
Physical Demands: Beyond standing for hours, the job often involves transporting, setting up, and breaking down heavy sound and lighting equipment.
As a Corporate AV & IT Infrastructure Engineer
Transitioning from a creative, freelance world to a corporate headquarters presents its own set of distinct hardships.
High-Pressure, High-Stakes Environment: At a “world headquarters,” the AV and IT infrastructure is critical. A system failure during a board meeting, an all-hands investor call, or a major executive presentation can have significant consequences. The pressure to ensure 100% uptime for critical events is immense.
The Transition in Culture: Moving from the free-form, nightlife culture of DJing to the structured, process-driven environment of a major corporation is a significant cultural shift. This requires adapting to corporate etiquette, hierarchies, and communication styles.
Constant Technological Upheaval: The world of AV and IT changes at an exponential rate. A major hardship is the need for continuous learning and certification to keep skills current and to ensure the company’s infrastructure doesn’t become obsolete.
Being the “Go-To” for Problems: In an infrastructure role, you are often dealing with problems and complaints. Your work is most visible when something goes wrong, and you’re on the front line to fix it, often under tight deadlines and with stressed-out colleagues. This can mean being on-call after hours and on weekends.
Balancing User Needs with Corporate Policy: He must serve thousands of employees with varying levels of technical skill while enforcing strict corporate standards for security and hardware. This can lead to friction when a user’s desired solution doesn’t align with company policy or budget.
As an Entrepreneur (Kapture King Photography and Film)
Running your own creative business is a different kind of grind, combining artistic skill with business acumen.
The “Everything” Role: As a small business owner, he isn’t just a photographer or videographer. He’s also the marketer, accountant, salesperson, client manager, and scheduler. Juggling the creative work with the administrative tasks is a primary hardship for most creative entrepreneurs.
Inconsistent Work and Income: Similar to DJing, the work is project-based. There is a constant need to find the next client to maintain a steady income stream. This financial uncertainty can be a major source of stress.
Market Saturation and Competition: The photography and videography market is incredibly crowded. A key challenge is differentiating his brand and style to stand out and justify his pricing against a flood of competitors, from established professionals to amateurs with good equipment.
Client Management: Managing client expectations, dealing with difficult feedback, handling contract negotiations, and sometimes chasing down payments are all non-creative but essential parts of the job that can be draining.
As a Podcast Host (Craving Cars Live)
Venturing into digital media comes with modern challenges.
The Grind of Audience Building: In a sea of content on YouTube, building a consistent and engaged audience is a slow, difficult process. It requires relentless consistency in producing and promoting content, often for little to no initial reward.
Monetization Hurdles: Turning a passion project like a podcast into a viable source of income is extremely challenging. It requires a substantial audience to attract sponsorships or a highly dedicated following for direct support.
Time Commitment: Balancing a full-time corporate job, a photography business, and a podcast requires exceptional time management. The time spent planning, recording, editing, and promoting each episode is significant and often invisible to the audience.
Dealing with Negative Feedback: Putting your opinions and personality on a public platform inevitably opens you up to criticism and negative comments, which can be difficult to handle personally.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My two decades as a DJ were the ultimate training ground for my corporate AV career. In a live club, there’s no help desk or ticketing system. If a speaker blows or a connection fails in front of a thousand people, you have about ten seconds to diagnose and solve the problem while keeping the energy up. That experience taught me to troubleshoot under extreme pressure and to think proactively, anticipating every possible point of failure before the “show” even starts.
Furthermore, a DJ’s core job is to manage the user experience. You’re making the technology feel effortless so people can enjoy the moment. I bring that exact same philosophy to the boardroom. My goal is to design systems so intuitive and reliable that an executive can walk in, press one button, and focus entirely on their presentation, not the technology. It’s about creating a seamless human interface, a skill I honed reading crowds, not reading manuals.
My unique perspective comes from the combination of being a live entertainer and an entrepreneur.
The Live Entertainer Mindset: A traditional IT background often focuses on reactive support. My background in live production is built on the principle that “the show must go on.” I design systems for mission-critical events like board meetings with the same urgency and redundancy as a live concert. I’m conditioned to think about the end-user’s experience first—how things look, sound, and feel—not just whether the network packets are being delivered.
The Entrepreneurial Mindset: As the owner of my own photography business, Kapture King, I think like an owner, not just an engineer. I’m deeply conscious of budgets, ROI, and client satisfaction. I don’t just see a technical problem; I see a business need. I approach internal stakeholders as clients, working to understand their vision and then delivering a solution that meets their goals on time and on budget. This combination of live-event urgency and business ownership is what truly sets me apart.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Be passionate, work hard and always remember the show must go on.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.homkc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/house_of_media_ii/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houseofmediakc/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cravingcars
