Huston Motors and Fields Huston have been loyal clients for many years… this year they added our Game Show system complete with questions about both companies.

Hosted at the Lake Wales Country Club, they wanted an all our party… and thanks to many familiar faces (MIKE!) that’s exactly what we got!

Check out the pics and video below… now to convince them to get a lighting upgrade for next year!

I adore penguins.

No other way to say it. I think these lil’ guys are the coolest creatures ever. I’ve no idea why…. but I want a penguin bad enough that I’d sell a lung to get one. Even though we were still wrapping up homecoming season, when Edward and Stephanie said “oh yeah, there’s going to be penguins at our event,” I just had to be there.

Glad I did, too, because these two (the couple, not the penguins) were the coolest, most chill people ever. They just wanted a stress-free wedding where they could enjoy the company of their loved ones, have a good meal while enjoying some awesome 90′s alternative, and dance to an eclectic mix of music.

All this while enjoying the enchanting sights the Florida Aquarium has to offer. I’m not going to lie, load in SUCKED as I had to walk a long way, but the amazing staff did everything they could to make this as super comfortable as they could. This was my first time there, and they treated me like family.

Edward and Stephanie also treated me like one of their guests and let Carlos and I have just as much as fun as they did.

Truly, it’s an experience I won’t forget. I always tell each one of my couples to find an element that turns your wedding day into an EXPERIENCE…. and that night was a huge #WINNING in my book!

Pics and video below!

Florida Southern College’s annual Mocsquerade Ball had to be moved to the inside because of rain, but that didn’t stop the party. Quite a few unique costumes, including a crew of Officer Dangles, showed up. Lighting was simple, but effective for this room! Check out the pics and video below!

Michele heard about us from her friends Alan and Sheri whose Lakeland Wedding I DJed a while back. They wanted a fun reception that would keep their friends and family dancing or having fun at all times– despite it being Superbowl Sunday (Packer VS Steelers).

It wasn’t too hard from my end– these people came to party and have a good time. Held at the Magnolia Building, the room layout included both the ceremony and reception. They didn’t have any lights, but that wasn’t the look that they wanted and they didn’t need it with the elegant design they chose!

Check out some amazing photos and an awesome video taken with my new HD DSLR!

Watch in crystal-clear HD!

I don’t think the Royal Plaza in Orlando knew what their venue could be REALLY transformed to…. heck, I didn’t even know. With my amazing team (Monica, Derek and Charles), we created an out of this world experience for Cypress Creek High!

What did they get? Amazing lights around the entire dance floor, black lights, glow in the dark bubbles, stars on the ceiling, clouds during the King & Queen dance, spandex pulls, a photo booth, video screen with live video and ambients to complement the music videos, uplights, color-changing tables…. annndd, get ready for it: The most powerful lasers available for school dances. (Update: We’ll be offering an even bigger pair in blue for multiple colors!)

The students were amazing and the energy level was beyond anything I could’ve imagined. Check out the photos and video below!!!

(The video is very shaky… apologies ahead of time, but there was so much energy that everyone, including my crew, were jumping!)

And the video!

Watch in HD.

What an amazing couple… and they created the ultimate destination wedding! With her family hailing from the UK, his family from China, and guests from all over the world, Lindsay and Jayson were having a true United Nations wedding! That being said, lots of international music was requested. Black Eyed Peas, Amy Winehouse (yes, she has danceable tracks), David Guetta, Akon, Pnk, the Beatles, and many others were played/remixed live/thrown in as party breaks/etc!

No formalities except a cake cutting and first dance… this was 6 hours of pure party!

Sounds exhausting? Not really… thanks to the amazing Orlando Wedding Team, headlined by Allison, Francesca, and Laura. They were great to work with. As for food… the Lake Nona Country Club has to be the best in the area; Lobster Ravioli, cheese ravioli, sushi, and Asian-spiced prime rib filled me up and left me craving more by the day’s end.

JR Sterling and Perfect Sky Productions shot photos and video… and these guys are a blast to work with! I’ll be sure to post a link to their blogs!

So yes, check out the photos and HD video (thank you, iPhone 4) below.

And the video! To watch it in HD, click here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=412530994287&ref=mf

As I was leaving my house, I worried about this party, not because of the crowd, but because I had NO VOICE and a sinus infection that lasted over 2 months. Luckily three things came into play: 1) My wife came with me 2) Don from Alan Jay Auto was the guest MC (we always play off each other, haha) and 3) These people dance non-stop!

This was my second year performing for the Heartland Realtors and they are such an amazing group! Don and I cracked jokes on each other on and off the mic and he left them hyped up enough that they were ready to dance.

Last year was all about 80s and rock… this year they loved 90s dance and Top40. It got so intense they everyone popped the balloons to pull out the flashing LEDs. As soon as that happened, all the lights were shut off and a rave came into play!

Check out the photos and video below!

This is perhaps one of the most outrageous weddings that I’ve done. Not only did I keep the dance floor packed.. I created a second one, as well!

With the Courtyard at Lake Lucerne as their location, Claudia and Billy wanted a very special evening. Thank God the Florida humidity died down for this one, otherwise we’d have different results. What started out as a quiet evening inside the house ended up as a crazy party with two dance floors. The second floor formed BEHIND the speakers, where no one could tell any different in the sound, thanks to BOSE’s amazing acoustics.

With only 3 Indian guests there, we expected minimal requests for Hindi music (we talked about this with Claudia and Billy and they even requested some Bhangra). However after playing Punjabi MC and watching the floor go WILD we dropped a couple other Bhangra artists including Jazzy B and the crowd became even more intense. Mixing it into some Bollywood, starting with Jai Ho REMIX really sent them over the edge.

Of course, being Dominican, Claudia wanted lots of Salsa and Merengue. Billy wanted to make sure no “wedding music” was played and that this was a chic, styling, and modern wedding. Sandra Johnson (http://www.sjfoto.com) and her team did an amazing job and I can’t wait to see their amazing photography work!!

Check out the video and photos.. I think we achieved that goal!

I’ll brag here and say they were SO happy they wrote on our WeddingWire right after the wedding. With a 5/5 rating, they wrote:

Absolutely fabulous! My fiance and I were wary of hiring a DJ because of some bad experiences that some of our friends had during their own weddings where the DJs didn’t listen to what they wanted and just did whatever they (the DJs) wanted. I contacted several DJs early on in my wedding planning and the attitude of quite a few of them was “I’m the DJ and you’re not, I know what the guests like and you don’t.” Well it wasn’t the DJ’s wedding it was ours, and we knew what we wanted!! When I corresponded with Kelly Suit, it was a totally different experience. I could tell he was actually LISTENING to us and that his DJs would be willing to work with us to give us the wedding we wanted. The DJ for our event was Arnoldo Offermann and I can’t praise him highly enough. Our DJ and music have been the two things that we have gotten the most compliments on post-wedding. He had ALL our guests, young and old, dancing the ENTIRE night!!! It was awesome! We gave him a list of “must-play” songs and he totally had it up as he was working and played ALL of them. We had a fairly international crowd, and he played a great mix of Latin, Hip-Hop, Pop, Indian/Turkish, etc. He consulted us every step of the way, and if a guest requested a song that wasn’t exactly the type of music we wanted, he would ask us before playing it. There was a very obscure song that my mother-in-law requested from an old musical, and I found out after the wedding that Arnoldo had gone from CD store to CD store trying to get a copy of that song because it wasn’t available online. We only gave him this request literally the afternoon before the wedding and the song was played exactly as my MIL wanted it! Anyway, all these 5 star reviews didn’t come out of no where, they really are awesome!!!

Click below for some great photos and video!!!

Amazing how well the BOSE system hides in this beautiful setting!!!

Billy, Claudia, myself and Kyle.

Check out the video below:

Right now Hector and Liset are reading this and smiling ear to ear. You know how I know that? They’ve been reading every single one of A Premier Entertainment’s blogs (Mine and Kelly’s and so forth) and took notes on what they wanted for their own wedding. We’ve become good friends through Facebook and I knew that this would be a wild party by the time they walked in through the door for our final planning meeting!

Located at the Lion’s Eye Center in Ybor, the ceremony was elegant, but totally their style and paved the way for an amazing night to come!

Highlights:

• MARACAS!! (Watch the video)
• I had a heckler… but we got him right back! He was the life of the party.. I think he and Hector are troublemakers, lol.
• Awesome recessional to the wedding. The Lil Jon remix of Suavemente.
• A Puerto Rican and Cuban family mesh— how much crazier can it get?
• Delicious dinner thanks to Michael and his team with Affordable Catering
• A delightful candy bar station compliments of Chanda Janine Ford with Classique Soiree Weddings and Events. (Liset and Hector also won this at a bridal show– LUCKY!!!)

Package Chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator (Liset won a free DJ package through the PWG bridal show!)
• D’Elegance Lighting: Floods and animated centerpiece
• Ceremony System

As the evening progressed, the party only got wilder…. and then the maracas came out! Matt and I had a blast.. and Matt even got out there and danced with the crowd. Check out the amazing photos and video clip below!

The ever-elegant BOSE system with a custom lighting rig on top. My skirt had gone missing… luckily Kelly was at an event half a mile away and had a spare. Do you know how hard it is to make a table skirt for an 8′ table fit a 3′ and still look elegant?

The centerpiece light was run wirelessly from a corner of the room where it’s out of everyone’s sight.

Centerpieces…

Another angle of my system.

Classique Soiree set up an awesome candy bar!

The party begins!

Liset and her son, DJ. He went to JHS’s homecoming dance we performed at!

ARGH!!! I FORGOT TO GET A PHOTO OF ALL 4 OF US.

Check out the video below!!!

Wow— what an amazing reception– I’m still pumped up!

I’ll be honest, the day started in my least favorite form: a 115º heat index. Really, Florida… REALLY??? Kelly and I set up our awesome BOSE sound system along with our D’Elegance lighting and Starfield at the Bilmar Beach Resort in Treasure Island, Florida. While setting up, Kelly and I had a debate on whether Treasure Island is an actual city or a suburb of St. Pete… hmmm…

As we wired our setup to their TV system for the slideshows and music videos, the weather cooled down just in time for the ceremony… beautifully laid out by the beach.

While Kelly supervised the ceremony, I created an image in Photoshop to be shown on the screens as they walked in. It was their monogram laid out as “clouds” on the beach sky. A couple of guests were so impressed they even asked “when did the skywriter come in?”

Along starts the reception and the venue laid out sushi. Truth be told, it was the most delicious sushi I’ve ever had.  Kelly did the MCing and I did the DJing and lights… we’re a good team, this was a DOUBLE Entertainment Coordinator, lol.

The dancing started out like any typical Arnoldo/Kelly wedding (which is usually amazing).. but progressed into something even more….well… amazinger! We got requests for lots of gangsta rap (Snoop Dogg, Dre, 2Pac’s California Love), Old School (This is How We Do It, Jump Jump, Bust a Move), 80s Pop (I Wear my Sunglasss at Night, Walk the Dinosaur) and my personal favorite: FREESTYLE! I felt like I was working at the skating rink again (our good friend Tony would have a chuckle as he always made a joke about us being nothing but skating rink DJs, hahahaha).

You have to watch the video and look at the awesome photos that Kelly took. I must say, I am impressed.

Package chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• Outdoor Ceremony
• D’Elegance Package
• Dance under the Stars
• Video Slideshows
• Music Videos
• Custom Ambients

I have to go now… but click the link below to look at even more photos! Ciao!

The setup:

The ceremony…

The most delicious prime rib in St. Pete!

Outside the hotel:

Dancing!

Video!

What better a way to end this busy week than a GREAT afternoon wedding?

Celebrating their ceremony and reception in the cozy Kennilworth Lodge, Abraham and Roxie knew exactly what kind of ceremony they wanted… even before we met!

Choosing many traditional things, they still wanted to add their own spin on things. For example, Roxie isn’t a big fan of cake so instead they opted for a cheesecake and dessert quiche buffet… it was DELICIOUS! Not to mention that all the food was provided by Simply Trish… Trish’s food is amazing!

Another unique touch was the open bar’s selections… the menu of drinks were laid out under the traditional “something new, something blue, something borrowed” phrase seen at many weddings.

I’ve posted my iPhone photos, but will soon post up the photos given to us by Kurz Studios.. they were great to work with and took some great shots!
(http://kurzstudiophotography.com)

Derek, my DJ, and I never laughed harder than at the beginning of the wedding…. we saw two grandmothers chatting to each other as they sat in their wheelchairs waiting for the ceremony room to open. One of them looked up and asked “Do you want to drag?”

That made my day.

The crowd was awesome and they were ready to dance… which was awesome, especially for an afternoon wedding. Enjoy iPhone pics and videos below!

Package chosen:

Entertainment Coordinator w/Bi-Lingual DJ
Ceremony System

What a fun group! I made the following video nice and short because I got to play music I may never play again.. at least in this market!

This was the Realtor’s Ball at the Chateau Elán in Sebring, Fl. 

I love working there– the staff is amazing and they helped me take this party to a new level. They had an MC who hosted the awards night– he and I had fun ragging on each other… he with his witty banter and myself with music and movie drops. The crowd had a blast! I really wish I shot a video of that part.

Check out the video and leave some comments if you want more info!

McKesson chose Tigertown (Detroit Tiger’s training stadium) in Lakeland, FL…. the only problem is that it’s an empty, metal hangar. How the heck can you beautify this place?

With the right vendors. That’s how.  

Enter Joette of Party People (http://partypeople.homestead.com) with her AMAZING balloon sculptures. Instead of boring you with text, I have supplied plenty of photos and video!

Our next step in transforming the hangar was lighting. They didn’t opt for uplighting, except in the Balloon Tunnel and entrance room. 

We used a two-column setup with LEDs that flooded the room with blue (it was a Winter Wonderland theme) with moving head lights that projected snowflakes on the dance floor.

The balloon arch surrounding the floor absorbed the lights and was bursting with color!

Enjoy some great pics and video below!

Update: Welcome DJChat and BalloonHQ members! Be sure to leave a comment!

Here’s Joette next to her giant balloon arch!

White trussing. While most DJs may use metallic trussing, we prefer white as it is more elegant. 

The left wall of the balloon tunnel.

Here’s the arch! No flash used, this is our LEDs at work!

You can see our dual-totem setup!

Here’s the arch, glowing in color!

The entrance room. Joette provided LED Christmas lights and rope light around the room while we supplied blue uplights.

SNOWFLAKES!

More white trussing.

Karen and Neville Williams. When they chose a DJ for this party, we were the obvious choice… after all, we did their wedding three years ago!!!

Here’s me. I’m blurry, lol.

This is my light tech, Derek, doing my job while I’m taking photos.

This little guy here is the life of the party. He was dancing and clapping to every song!

McKesson gave away some awesome gifts… but people had to run up to get them! This guaranteed hilarity! 

Paula, Edyta, Derek, Myself, Karen, and Neville. The three ladies in the photo are responsible for making the party happen!

We pulled the van RIGHT UP TO THE STAGE! It was a flush fit, too! How awesome is that. We loaded up in a matter of minutes!

Enjoy some great video footage below!

Perhaps this is one of the most touching parties I’ve had the honor of entertaining… just check out the video! This was a Winter Formal Ball for various classes for the mentally challenged. These guys were so HAPPY with everything that was done for them. They came in donning their best formal outfits, came prepared to sing, dance, and laugh as Santa came out with gifts. 

At the very end I was greeted with a special request for Karaoke. His name is James and said he’d like to sing Michael Jackson’s Beat It. I asked him if he needed the words and he said no need. He impressed everyone with his singing AND his moves! Honestly, he did this performance better than 99% of Karaoke singers I’ve seen. 

Just watch the video! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

And video!!

WATCH IT!!

In case I haven’t told you: I LOVE Eaglebrooke. Their food is FANTASTIC! I was excited to hear that Trans-Phos chose this location.

The evening started with guests mingling. It was a small crowd of 40+ people, but you could tell they were here to party. Neil (the gentleman who helped put this all together) was going to use Eaglebrooke’s beautiful screen to hook his laptop up to in order to show a special slideshow. Unfortunately, his laptop did not have the proper hookups. Luckily, he had a Blu-Ray player which played photo CDs… unfortunately, the CD was not a photo CD as it was created into a VCD (Video CD).

I offered to step in. Using my Mac laptop (usually my backup), I played their slideshow on LOOP for the entire evening.

*whew* that’s glitch was avoided easily.

Other than that it was a fun party. They LOVED disco and slow songs. I think I played more slow songs this evening than I’ve ever done in 4 hours. At the end of the night, I played the Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” for everyone to exit out to. THEY KEPT DANCING!

Delores, a big dancer of the evening, asked me if I could sneak in Shake Rattle and Roll. I told her I couldn’t as I was already shut down. She was disappointed, but took the time to compliment me on my music selections and wished me in for next year. What can I say? I’m a sucker for flattery. I unhooked my Mac (my main rig was powered off) from the TV and played her request. Her eyes lit up and she ran to the floor to dance.

EVERYONE CAME RIGHT BACK IN! WOW! I decided to do one more song and did “Nothing But a Hound Dog”… the place erupted.

I left it at that and got a round of applause.. Sweet!!

This was a real appreciative group. Neil gave me a very nice set of thank you bills… always appreciated!

Enjoy photos and video below!

Eaglebrooke adorned my DJ setup with leftover centerpieces. It made my area smell Pine-fresh. I love the smell of Pine!

The staff at Eaglebrooke is serving the food. They are top-notch every time!

Surprise for me! Filet Mignon and Lobster… so good! I had to take a photo and IMMEDIATELY e-mail it to my wife and fellow DJs. Jealousy, arise!

Here are some of the real party animals!

And now a video below!

E-Stone chose to have their party at one of the prettiest locations in Sebring, FL: 4 Points Sheraton – Chateau Elan. Alyse, the coordinator, did a beautiful job setting up the room to create a festive ambience while leaving enough room for almost 200 guests.

Located next to the Race Track, I am always greeted by the sight of what real machinery looks like.

The crowd consisted of Hispanics, Italians, rock n rollers, 80s-babies, x-genners, a wild crowd from Miami, and Santa. Yes, Santa. Yes, this was one of those real “play a little bit of everything” kind of gigs.

Check out the photos below for some photos and video.

This is the longest time I’ve spent on a parking lot. Granted, I’ve seen exotics at many car shows, but these were just parked there… no show at all. It’s like catching an actress shopping without a camera crew or anyone drooling behind.

Sorry for the grainy pic. This is Mr. Claus and yours truly.

Check out the load-in. It’s right next to where I set up! I was in and out in 15 minutes.

And a video below!

Field trip for all of us! Kelly (MC) and myself (DJ) drove to the Leu Gardens with KC Enterprises Photography. Kevin and Jessica Hallmark were a unique couple who knew exactly what they wanted…. they were so busy they couldn’t give us a playlist of their favorite songs. It’s no big deal because we knew how to read the crowd… Kevin complimented us right away on the fact that we played all his favorite songs and not once did he have to request any one!

Karaoke was a big plus here as several of them sang unique songs: Manson, Bjork, Gin n Juice… you name it!

They also started the dance floor with the Time Warp and we did amount of swing music. I loved it! I’ve attached some photos below. I will post KC Enterprises’ blog later so you can check it out as well!

Oops, forgot to mention: the Leu gardens have little signs that identify each flower. Kelly took a photo of a sign and I Photoshopped it on the spot with Kevin & Jessica’s names. As guests walked in to see photos from the ceremony appear instantly on the big screen during the reception, they were surprised with the following graphic in between slide shows!

Package Chosen:

* Entertainment Coordinator
* Slideshow
* Live photo feed
* Music videos

Happy Birthday to me!

Not much to say here… I’ve done Progress Energy before last year and the highlight of the evening wasn’t the dancing– it was the gift exchange. Let’s just say the humor was everywhere. I had to crop some stuff out of the video.  Enjoy some pics and a new video!

I DJed their party at the Cleveland Heights Golf & Country Club in Lakeland. I ate the grouper and it was DELICIOUS!!!

Click below!

Sometimes it’s the small crowds that are the most fun. Dundee Elementary’s teachers are a blast to work with! One of the things that makes their group unique is that they dance in sets and have “skits” for various songs. For example, we had a request for a swing song because two of the guests are professional dancers. Everyone sat and clapped along as these two tore it up to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s King of Swing.

I shot some video using the new Flip camera added to my arsenal of goodies.

Now I only need a better camera instead of the iPhone.

This was at the Admiral’s Inn in Winter Haven. I love working there… the staff and I get along famously and they’re an awesome team of vendors. The best part is that the Admiral’s Inn is 2 minutes from my house! Talk about an easy ride home!

Enjoy some photos below and video! Off to another gig I go….

And now.. video!

The last gig for this weekend was across the street from my house. The Admiral’s Inn staff has always made me feel welcome there…. and tonight was no exception, they even served my favorite, Chicken Cordon Bleu! It was a small crowd of 80 people but those who danced, danced HARD! I didn’t take a lot of pics, but enjoy what I shot.

The theme colors were white and red, so naturally I wore my white suit with a red tie. 

Package Chosen:

Entertainment Coordinator with complimentary Dual-VUEIII light show.

Steve & Deb Carey chose the Entertainment Coordinator package for one reason: Convenience.

Convenience of meeting at THEIR location and not our office.
Convenience of having my cell phone # 24/7.
Convenience of knowing whatever they need I can make it happen one way or another.
Convenience of leaving the most important day of their lives to professional that make it happen.

Steve & Deb are GREAT couple who wanted to skip some of the wedding “fluff” and just party with their friends and loved ones. They chose the Imperial Swan in Lakeland, Florida, and as usual I was ecstatic to work there.

The playlist was awesome, I wish I had saved it… almost an hour of 80s rock… it was so much fun watching everyone dance to Bon Jovi, Guns n Roses, and Aerosmith…then suddenly to Baby Got Back. This was truly an eclectic group.

One problem I had… I wear slippery dress shoes.. and there was a stage. Right in the middle of the reception I fell off the stage (walked off, really) as I was about to show them how to do the Mississippi Slide. It’s weird seeing everyone waiting to know you’re OK before they bust out laughing.

This was everyone, too.. all the guests… my assistant, the photographer, and staff. It’s all good though, minus the BIG bruise on my leg.

Enjoy some iPhone pics below, I will post some photos Monday given to us from KC Enterprises Photography @ www.polkphoto.com (my favorite photographers, they did my wedding!)

Package chosen:

Entertainment Coordinator
Uplights (purple)
LED FloodsAnimated Centerpiece
Starfield
2 Mic Ceremony System

Grand Intro Song:Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes
First Dance:Beatles – In My Life
Dinner Music: 60s & 70s (upbeat)

Obscure song of the night: 10cc – Things We Do For Love (woo-hoo, love this song!)

LEDs flood the entire room. It’s hard to see, but the table was lit up a deep purple as well.

This is Jenny, our photographer.

This is Lil’ Kyle. He’s blurry.

Jennerz again.

First dance.

Couples join in for first dance.

Dance, puppets, dance!

Starfield, again!

Kyle, Deb, Steve, myself. We’re worn out!

The thoughts below were posted on a popular DJ forum, and I wanted to share this with you. Sadly, some DJs disagree with what I wrote below, believing that they have little impact on your wedding day. These are the DJs you don’t want to risk for your wedding. 

Whether you choose us or another entertainer, ask him/her if they know the impact they have on your wedding reception.

Ask them for examples! When I was asked for mine, I wrote the following… click the link.

This has been said MANY many times before by notable speakers/entertainer such as Mark Ferrel, Bryan Dodge, Randy Bartlett and Bill Herman. However, I want to bring this up because after some reflection into this, it always forces me to keep my shows fresh, never get tired of this, and always remember why I do what I do.

You’re NOT a DJ, MC, coordinator, lighting tech, A/V tech, etc. You’re an entertainer. This definition encompasses the aforementioned duties into one. Yes, we know it is our job to make sure all the guests are entertained and to give the bride and groom a night to remember. Heck, this sales pitch has been beaten against the wall so many times I have clients reciting it back to us!

Put some thought into it— do you REALLY know how many lives you are touching? Are you aware that NOTHING in that night will create the emotion that your talent can? Do you realize that no other vendor has the RESPONSIBILITY of turning that wedding into the most beautiful night imaginable or the biggest nightmare that a human mind can skew?

The counter-argument has always been that the love the bride and groom share and the emotions their loved ones share is more than plenty, all the DJ has to do is work with them. NO NO NO! Sure, there’s quite a bit of emotion between the bride and groom… but there’s also stress, maybe even arguments. Perhaps the family got into a fight about the color of the dresses? Perhaps some guests came in a crappy mood because someone got laid off the night before the wedding.

No, this isn’t a worst-case scenario– this is REAL LIFE. It is OUR job as entertainers to juice out all the positive emotion and use our GOD-GIVEN talents to void any negative energy. It doesn’t have to require a dynamic personality. It takes charm. It doesn’t take a 160 IQ. It takes attention to details big and SMALL. It takes skill. It takes timing.

Moreover, emotion is truly enhanced with music. Well, duh, everyone says this… but do you REALLY grasp this concept? What would your favorite movie be without music?

Still not convinced? Make yourself a sandwich and watch the next two videos. You must watch the WHOLE THING to get my point.

VIDEO 1:

VIDEO 2:

The same footage was used for both videos. But why are they SO different? Why was the first video completely void of any REAL emotion while the second video generated anticipation, excitement, and that “warm fuzzy” feeling?

Let’s look at the first video:

The music choice was completely wrong. This may seem obvious, but you need to keep this in mind for EVERY SONG you pick. Ask yourself: WHY did you pick this song? WILL this song enhance the emotion of the night? CAN this song create a dramatic timing? The song choices in the first video didn’t fit the event at all. You could see everyone getting ready, you can see anticipation in their faces… YET the music made it seem like “Benny Hill Attends a Rave.” Sure, some things fit well, but not enough to get over that ICK feeling.

You might not be able to explain it… but you can SENSE the music is wrong. Remember, if your gut says DON’T PICK THIS SONG, don’t even argue it.

*Dance floor is completely different since I doubt LOW or AYER would create ANY emotion except BOOTY MUSIC TIME!

Timing is KEY! The first video has NO timing at all, whereas the second video has the song choices timed in carefully! Each clip is timed to the beat of the music. While this isn’t possible in real life… you should get the point.

Attention to details. The first video has NO fades.. just a sudden stop for the music. I hope every DJ here at least fades (if not beatmix)… but some DJs (uncles with an iPod, lol) don’t. The reason I bring this up is not to talk about fading, but how such a small detail as moving a fader two inches will impact the emotion of the night.

Now with this in mind… how do YOU create emotion? How do YOU envoke the mood? No one ever cries because the DJ just made a nasty comment during a garter removal but then smiles because the cake matched the wedding colors. The cake, food, decorations, and everything else are important…. but they are TOOLS for the entertainer to use to create that emotion.

Now think about your introductions and announcements. Are they the same every time? If so, it’s not always bad… as long as you can put a twist on the outcome to create that emotion. Many of my clients watch my videos and want something done just like it was performed in the video. This can put me in a routine… which is why I try to pay attention to the SMALL DETAILS to really enhance the night.

When the first dance begins, or the father and daughter dance is in place, do people cry with emotion? Are cameras out and flashing? Is everyone’s focus on the B&G or the bride and her father? Whether or not you utilize the love story, custom introductions, improvisational techniques, lighting, video, custom soundtracks, etc…. you CREATE this emotion. You fabricated this call and response with the audience!

You are the entertainer. You are changing peoples lives on this day. You are creating memories that will last BEYOND a lifetime (since photos and video are forever). You are the reason people will know when to laugh, cry, clap their hands, and dance.

When these emotions don’t flourish how you want envisioned it in your mind, do you think: “I could’ve done this better?”

So. Do YOU get what you do?

(Think about this before your next gig and tell me how nervous you get, lol… with this post, I’m not saying I’m perfect…. these are just reflections I have based on what I learn)

Wow! Ceremonies couldn’t turn out more beautiful than today! Not a single cloud in the sky… the beach was PERFECT, sun was warm and well, sunny… and it was only 70*!!!! WOW! I love it!

Everything was beautiful outside. Tom & Julie chose Jimmy Buffet’s Brown Eyed Girl to start off the processional.. what a perfect way to complement the beautiful scenery at St. Petersburg beach!

The reception was held in the B-E-A-utiful Tradewinds Hotel (where the food was amazing!) right in front of the beach. Tom and Julie opted for our popular Entertainment Coordinator package and chose under-table lighting as well as the Starfield.

Halfway into the dancing, Tom had made the comment that he would go back and get some dance floor lighting because the house lights were either too bright or too dark (the Staff was very accommodating though and great to work with)… so we took two of our backup uplights and aimed at the ceiling.

See, our uplights are LED-based, so we put them on music-trigger and the entire ceiling was glowing to the beat of the music. Since the ceiling is white, the lights reflected onto the dance floor. IT WORKED!

I worked with a GREAT photographer, Greg Spivey. Check out his website here http://www.amasterimage.com/

And the coordinator, Meghan Campbell, did a great job working with everyone and keeping us in check! http://www.dreamdayproductions.com you can also read her blog here: http://www.dreamdayproductions.blogspot.com/

Greg will be emailing me some photos, so I will post those up.. until then, enjoy iPhone-pics and some video footage as well!

Ceremony photos.

We lit up some of the tables with a deep red. The phone’s camera throws it off to an orange color… but believe me when I say it was CHERRY RED.

The setup, featuring the BOSE. Screen was provided by a guest.. we use Rear Projection screens.

Even in the middle of the day you can see how bright the tables are!

“Sand Castle” cake. SWEET!

You can see the stars!

My other DJ, Matt (very energetic!), Julie, Tom, yours truly.

Now, how about the video?  :)

LIbby & Jess were a pleasure to work with and I enjoyed every bit of it– despite the rain! Even though it dumped all over the equipment for the ceremony, it still worked (thank God!) for the entire evening. We had a large setup in a tent with over 200 people.. so we had to make good use of the room we had! These people were here to PARTY… The entire celebration lasted over 8 hours!

Lights Transformed their Tent

Here’s some highlights:

* We did a Jeopardy-style game show.

* White trussing lit up to match the wedding colors

* BOSE Sound System

* Uplights

* Live Video Camera

* Starfield!

Libby & Jess wanted this to be a casual-style wedding, and requested I don’t wear slacks or a tie. So I came in dress jeans and a coat jacket. During the game show, I got to put on my “Gameshow Host Jacket.” Absolute cheese, but everyone loved it!

So check out the pics by clicking below! The first 9 are from a Alex Gilliard, an amazing photographer! Check him out at AlexGilliard.com

The rest of the pics were taken on my iPhone… and of course a video!

Gotta love it when someone answers a question 1/2 right and “judges” have to make a call. There’s my assistant, Derek.

“I’ll take ‘Before the Wedding’ for $300″

Got it right!

“She Cheated!”

An amazing shot from Alex. The lighting REALLY transformed the tent!

Teaching line dances… with a stupid look on Derek and my faces. We were still waiting for the cold front to come in. It was around 80*+ in there.

Everyone was singing along… Derek had to open a crack on the tent to let some cool air in.

Someone requested Tom Jones’s “Not Unusual”

Here’s the place on the way in… 2000+ acres. We saw deer on the way back!

No, the house isn’t tilted.. just a windshield refracting side effect.

Uplights, LED floods, video screen (only place we could put it) and the starfield!

This cute lil’ guy was chasing the lights the entire time. We had fun controlling them as he chased them around the room.

Dance!!

Ok.. the last two pics need some explanation. We were way out in the beautiful country in Hardee County. They rented porta-potties as the rest rooms. These always amuse me because people write clever (sometimes) sayings on the walls. Whoever rented this before wins hands down. Check out the writing next to the urinal.

“This way to Mexico”

I’m not sure why, but that’s the funniest thing ever!!!

And now, video!

Click below to see photos of a great homecoming dance in New Port Richey! Want to book this package or something bigger/smaller? Call us! 1-877-994-4200

Crunk and hype doesn’t even begin to describe this school… students were on the dance floor the MOMENT THEY WALKED IN! Within 10 minutes we had hundreds of people on the dance floor. 

To prevent grinding, administration asked that we remix all requests with a techno beat… believe me, the students didn’t complain. As we tossed out 500 glowsticks they all went wild!

The theme was Arabian nights, and we fit the theme perfectly with custom graphics as well as the exclusive Starfield effect.

The cafeteria had a small system set up. Normally this is for background music while students enjoy their snacks, but we’ve managed to get a dance floor going there as well. We had about 100 to 150 students there dancing to Latin music, swing, rock, etc.

The school chose 4SO’s most popular package, The ShowStopper Original, which offers one of the largest set ups available in Central Florida. From Pasco to Orlando to Sebring to Eustis….

Check out pics and some great videos!

I got cut off by this guy here…. but no road rage.. that’s an ’01 SRT-10. Yeah baby. That’s what REAL American craftsmanship looks like. Setup pics are below. Woo-hoo!

Those pics above are just the first few minutes of the dance. IT WAS NUTS!!!

14′ wide screens baby… we do it big at 4 Schools Only.

These LEDs really light the gym up!

Check out some of their decorations below!

Every plane had color: walls, ceiling, floor.

Yours truly, the Crunk Speciali$t.

Uplights for the Spandex wall.

And now videos!

The first one is my infamous A-Town stomp ending. All credit to Lil Jon.

Second video is some highlights taken with our handheld camera. This shows some great shots of how IMMENSE the ShowStopper package is!

Third Video is footage from our Live Action Cam… this shows some highlites from traditional Top40 music and throwbacks. You’ll also see how quick the floor filled in 10 minutes!

Fourth Video shows some of the techno megamix we did…. we then finished it off by doing a “Request Megamix” where we take all of the requests we couldn’t fit in and do it a large megamix. Not all songs beatmixed perfectly and I had a couple of hiccups (we’re all human.. and my headphone cord kept pushing the pitch dial)… but it kept everything flowing! Just with the techno and request megamixes, we played about 85 songs in ONE HOUR!!!! Everyone LOVED it. (This is not for every school.. again, months of research occurs before each event we do).

Need a DJ? Want to contact me? Click here

Want to book an amazing DJ/MC from the company for your school event? Click here

Click the link below for photos from an Orlando Homecoming on October 11!!

While I worked in a homecoming in Tampa, Kelly and my wife, Monica, where working a homecoming in Orlando. Hosted at the Wyndham, the setup (very similar to the aforementioned dance) filled the room!

A large screen, lots of bass, an incredible light show, and the beautiful star field laser really gave them a night to remember. Check out some of the highlights!

I like to keep tabs on who reads my blog. I’ve noticed that several people needing a Jamaican DJ have landed on my blog. While I am not Jamaican, I do have a Jamaican DJ in our company. We also have DJs, myself included, who know reggae very well.

The great thing about island music, just like Hispanic music, is that it’s very regional. When you interview your DJ, ask him about some reggae songs that fill the floor. While it’s not guaranteed to work at your wedding, at least you’ll know what he/she is talking about.

If the disc jockey/Emcee answers the above question with something like “Sean Paul” and that’s the only artist mentioned, they may not know the genre well enough.

If you asked a DJ experienced in various reggae riddims, like us (shameless plug), then we’d not only tell you, but SHOW you how songs such as Tiny Winey, Ting a Ling, or even Hot Hot Hot (either Arrow or the Dragoneers) will create a great upbeat vibe that everyone can enjoy.

When looking for a DJ experienced in Jamaican music, make sure he has a little bit of everything to please ALL of your friends and loved ones.

And if you’re wondering, my favorite reggae song is Wayne Wonder’s No Letting Go

Check us out, and call us today at 1-877-994-4200

www.apremierentertainment.com

Need a DJ? Want to contact me? Click here

Wow! Three event weekend! Lots of photos and descriptions of a karaoke event in Davenport, a wedding in Lithia, and another one in Plant City. Check it out below!

First one was a karaoke party for the Providence Golf & Country Club in Davenport, Fl.. this place is GORGEOUS!

It was raining like never before, streets were flooding, cars were water skiiing, not a pretty site.

I was actually facing the right side of the picture… my van started spinning… and I was only only driving 15MPH! Only spun halfway through but it was enough for a new change of underwear. Driving down the road I saw a few other accidents and several cops, one at each stop light, to prevent any more accidents.

Flooding on the sides.. the photos do no justice on how deep the water is.

Just arriving there…

Inside the gates… really nice area.

The clubhouse.

The Karaoke setup, featuring the BOSE.

15 minutes into the event and we’re full!

The crowd dancing in between Karaoke!

The kids were singing Hannah Montana’s If We Were a Movie.

This is Stephanie, she is an amazing singer.. apparently going pro. She was the crowd favorite. We also had a group of girls called the Cash Sistas who had coordinated dances as the girls sang karaoke.. they were also a crowd favorite!!

******

Move on to Saturday!

So here we are in Lithia, FL. We had no idea if we were in the right neighborhood until BAM! Out of nowhere appeared one of the most beautiful venues we’ve seen.

Matt & Karen were amazing with a crowd who not only were a lot of fun, but also danced to everything.. including Cher’s Believe, a techno version of Sweet Caroline, Electric Avenue, and other assorted goodies. Although she is Polish, it wasn’t a traditional Polish wedding. Kelly was the MC and I did the DJing. It was fun not having to MC for once and just enjoy being on the ones and twos (and threes and fours!)

Karen & Matt’s colors matched the carpets and ceiling

This room screamed “UPLIGHT ME!” Next time we perform here, we’ll discuss uplighting options with the couple.

The Gardens… the dude in the second pic was Kelly.

The door handles, edges, hinges, opening mechanism, etc… everything was CHROME!

Head table.

Since the doors were DEAD CENTER of the room, our DJ setup was on the side.

EDIT: We arrived 3.5 hours early because we were coming in from a Bridal show and drove straight there. We set up and had a couple of hours to relax, which was nice. When I snapped this shot I forgot to clear my table. The bottle sitting on it is the wine bottle that the couple bought for the “winners” of the anniversary dance. The coordinator placed it on our table so it won’t get lost.

First dance.

Stars! We brought out the Starfield compliments of the house.

All focus on Karen & Matt.. the sign of a good MC (and DJ, can’t give Kelly too many props now!)

Mother/Son Dance.

Father/Daughter dance.

The Chicken dance? NO WAY! The request came from Karen and it went great! We did the trance version!

Yup.. RICK ROLL!

Happy couple with the world’s best entertainer..oh, and Kelly’s there, too.

LOL.

******

Sunday, another wedding where I was just the DJ while Kelly MC’d.

This was in Plant City.

It was thundering bad.. all the lights dimmed and the BOSE started making a horrible sound as the voltage dropped to 90V. I quickly shut the Furman (Power Strip) off.

Despite that, the wedding went awesome! Holly & Karen are a great couple who were referred to us from another wedding Kelly and I did. She wanted all cheese… the dance floor was open for only about 45 minutes (lots of events and large dinner.. 300 people in four hours) but it went so well! Chicken Dance, Macarena, Cupid Shuffle, Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide… the entire dance floor was packed. It goes to show you that cheese can still work and is still lots of fun… especially when they were all requests!

The room..

Our setup.

Find the speakers!

Didn’t get a chance to do a lot of pics…

Kelly and I with the couple.

****

It was a fun weekend.. I have a Bubble Party http://www.bubblemaniaparties.com Wednesday and events Friday and Saturday as well. Stay tuned!

Need a DJ? Want to contact me? Click here

Congratulations to Keith and Lori Mixon! They were married at the beautiful Eaglebrooke Country Club in Lakeland, Florida! The weather was beautiful and nothing could be more perfect!
The family was lovely, everytime I introduced an event all eyes were on whatever I spoke about. During the first dance, there were no side conversations, no wondering eyes, just the bride and groom.

This one had real custom intros… each couple coming in had a 15 second story and the bride and groom entered right after a 1 minute love story. There wasn’t a dry eye, even our photographer told me she cried.

Lo and behold– people danced! It wasn’t a huge crowd dancing… they came in sets.

What I love about this wedding is that each photo really captured some great expressions from the guests, you can see the love and excitement in their eyes!

Click the break below to see photos!!!

*************

Last minute preparations….

Using those disposable cameras and putting them to good use!

.

First Dance– SIDEWAYS!

Right after the blessing…

Anniversary Dance.

First slow song to open up the dance floor…

Father of the groom steals the spotlight with the flower girl.

Hey– we danced!

One of the many line dances done. I think this was the Cupid Shuffle… we also did the Copperhead Road, Redneck Girl, and of course Cottoneye Joe.

Oh yes! Mac!

Doing that thing called DJing.

They were happy!