Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Morales & Josh Pickett.
Hi Austin & Josh, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Psychosis Events started from a genuine love for bass music and underground EDM culture, but it quickly evolved into something much bigger than just throwing shows. I’m Austin Morales, and alongside my business partner Josh Pickett, we founded Psychosis Events in San Diego with the goal of creating immersive, high-energy experiences that felt intentional, elevated, and community-driven — not just another night out.
Before launching Psychosis, I spent years building a background in digital marketing, branding, and business strategy. I worked in industries where performance, messaging, and execution mattered — and that foundation became a major advantage as we began scaling. I understood early on that a successful event brand isn’t just about the lineup. It’s about identity, trust, consistency, and storytelling.
Josh brought the perfect balance to that vision. Born and raised in San Diego, he approached Psychosis with a strong community-first mindset. He focused on cultivating local relationships, understanding the culture of the city, and ensuring what we built felt authentic to the people here. That foundation allowed us to grow organically and develop a loyal following.
In 2021, we started small — hosting events at a warehouse-style art space in Barrio Logan. We booked local talent, worked with tight budgets, handled production ourselves, negotiated venues, and learned every aspect of the business firsthand. Each show sharpened our execution and raised our standards.
Over time, we built a reputation for events that felt elevated both musically and visually. We weren’t trying to replicate what already existed — we wanted Psychosis to be recognizable the moment someone walked into the room.
As we grew, we began booking larger artists, partnering with established venues, and expanding into higher-level productions. One of our biggest early milestones was becoming co-owners and founding partners of our New Year’s Eve festival, ETERNAL NYE – Orlando, in just our third year as a company.
Stepping into ownership of a festival-level production was a defining moment for us. It allowed us to scale beyond traditional club shows and produce a multi-stage experience while working alongside respected artists such as GRiZ, Zeds Dead, Liquid Stranger, Mersiv, RL Grime, CloZee, LSDREAM, Zingara, Wreckno, and many others.
Becoming co-owners of ETERNAL NYE reinforced that Psychosis wasn’t just promoting events — we were building scalable intellectual property and long-term festival assets. That shift expanded our vision beyond individual shows and into long-term brand ownership.
Growth hasn’t come without challenges — production setbacks, financial risk, and scaling pressures — but every obstacle strengthened our discipline and sharpened our direction.
Today, Psychosis Events is more than a promotion company. It’s a culture. And we genuinely feel like we’re just getting started.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.
Building an independent event company means every show carries financial risk. You’re constantly balancing creativity with real-world constraints — artist fees, production budgets, venue logistics, and ticket performance. Scaling while staying true to your original vision is one of the hardest parts.
The music industry itself is unpredictable. Tour routing shifts. Agency negotiations change. Venue logistics evolve. We’ve had moments where we invested heavily into production and talent only to face unexpected curveballs that required immediate pivots.
Like many in live events, we navigated the impact of the pandemic and the shifting nightlife landscape that followed. Costs rose across staffing, security, production, and artist fees — making profitability more complex while expectations for quality continued to increase.
Most people see the energy on show night. What they don’t see are the months of planning, contracts, budgeting, marketing strategy, and constant problem-solving behind the scenes.
But those challenges forced us to mature as business owners. They made us more disciplined, more strategic, and more intentional. Ultimately, they shaped the brand we’re proud of today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Psychosis Events ?
Psychosis Events is an independent event production and promotion company based in San Diego, built around one core mission: creating immersive electronic music experiences that feel intentional, elevated, and community-driven.
At a surface level, we produce concerts, club shows, warehouse events, and large-scale festival experiences. But at its core, we’re about the culture.
We specialize in electronic and bass music events, and we’re known for building experiences that go beyond the lineup. Production is equally as important as talent. From sound design and lighting to lasers, visuals, and venue transformation, we focus on creating a full sensory environment.
What sets Psychosis apart is the level of branding and detail behind every event. We approach each show like a creative campaign — from marketing rollout, content strategy, and design, to how the room feels the moment doors open. Every element is intentional.
We’re also extremely proud of the community we’ve built. Supporting local artists has been foundational for us. Creating opportunities for rising talent while booking respected national headliners allows us to bridge underground culture with scalable growth.
Becoming co-owners and founding partners of ETERNAL NYE – Orlando early in our journey remains one of our proudest milestones. Producing and owning a festival-level event while working with artists like GRiZ, Zeds Dead, Liquid Stranger, and Mersiv reinforced that Psychosis wasn’t just a local promoter — we were building a long-term brand with national scalability.
At the end of the day, Psychosis is rooted in passion, creative vision, and professionalism. We’re committed to raising the standard of what live electronic music experiences can be while staying authentic to the culture that inspired us..
What does success mean to you?
Success isn’t just about selling out shows or booking bigger artists — although those milestones matter.
We define success as building something sustainable that people genuinely believe in.
Success is when the energy in the room feels real. When production delivers. When attendees leave feeling like they were part of something meaningful. It’s about earning respect — from artists, agents, venues, and most importantly, the community.
It’s also about growth behind the scenes: running a disciplined operation, scaling responsibly, taking care of our team, and continuously improving the experience year after year.
Above all, success is knowing that Psychosis Events has grown beyond just us. It’s a culture and community that continues to expand while staying true to its roots.
We truly love this city. Our goal is to bring world-class talent, discover rising artists, and provide our community with music experiences that create connection, transcendence, and lasting memories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.psychosisevents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychosis_events_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/psychosiseventssd/
Image Credits
Keyven Blocker – https://www.instagram.com/key_perspective_/
Connor Morss – https://www.instagram.com/connormorss/
