No one wants it. Nobody likes it. We all dread it but everyone needs it now and then. Criticism. Is it a litany of stinging words that knock you right off your pedestal of awesomeness or just a dose of reality? That depends mainly on you and your tolerance for hard truth. Many of us send out those cute little performance sheets after an event because we want some "real feedback". Seriously though, do you actually ever think you're going to recieve anything back other than a "nice" review? I'm sure more than a few of you read that last paragraph and thought,"Well, I value constructive criticism. That's why I send out those forms." The big pr... [read more]

Imagine your in charge of an event with over 800 people. The event is outdoors and you have multiple things happening at once. You need 200 people to play their part on cue and the other 600 to cheer them on enthusiastically at the right moment. Suddenly one of your 200 forgets what they're doing and throws everything off. What do you do? Can you reset? I was in this exact situation last weekend while working on a new Disney movie in Boston. I've been doing back ground work for almost ten years now. This particular scene was a holiday parade. We were shooting over night on a few shutdown streets in the middle of Boston. We started rehearsing the sc... [read more]

MBLV24 is less than 30 days away. Time to double check your plane, hotel and car reservations. Make sure you have your show passes ordered and air out your suitcase. Besides having a ton of networking and learning opportunities jammed into four and a half days (Sunday night pool party), the after hours scene is off the hook this year. Not only does your badge get you into the big show on Tuesday night, it gets you access to some of the hottest clubs and shows on the strip (Including Steve Aoki at Hakkasan on Thursday night). If you're not a big night club person or you are bringing family along, here are my reccommendations for some fun alter... [read more]

It's always nice to get a referal friends or previous clients. I always feel good to see my company name tossed into the ring for an upcoming event. Like most towns we have a few local Facebook group pages where people can ask for recommendations for services. I'm always amazed at how quickly these posts go from a courteous "We'd love to help with your event" to a used car salesman pitch of, "Pick me pick me -we're better and cheaper than everybody else". Recently someone was looking to hire a DJ for a graduation party. People started to drop names and emphatically proclaim the greatness of their referral. I was unpleasantly surprised to learn just how many DJ's in my area are "The best around" or have the biggest library and best sound system( granted some of the referals are friends of mine and very good... [read more]

It's the end of January and I'm wondering how many of you have fallen off the resolution wagon already? Have many of you have abandoned the gym, eating better, practicing more or sticking to those changes you promised yourself that "This year, I'm going to do it"? I'm not here to preach. I'm in the trenches with you. I've already let a few things slide or get moved to the back burner. I've been pretty good at sticking to the top changes I want to make for myself this year. I'm eating better, working out more and sticking to my reading goals. It's been challenging already. Life is constantly throwing curve balls or trying to pull out the rug from under... [read more]

The other day I went outside to finally start taking down all the Christmas lights I put up. It's no small task. I'm "that guy" in my neighborhood. I have a simple philosophy when putting up the lights each year. If you can't see them from space you need more. I like to think of my house as the Griswolds, but classier. The way I see it is if I can't make my house look spectacular, then why would anyone hire me to do lighting for their event? Taking down the lights gives me plenty of time to think. Of course I do everything the "DJ" way. All light strings get wrapped a certain way. Colors are separated in tubs and all the extension cords get wrapped... [read more]

As the final hours of 2019 count down many of you are preparing to rock in the New Year at a club or private event. God bless ya. For the second time in twenty years I'm actually off. I don't really mind at all. December was crazy and after 29 years in the industry I'm happy to be able to kiss my wife in person at midnight instead of phoning it in from some venue. I'll be comfortably sitting at home in my PJ's enjoying munchies and a nice scotch on the rocks watching the ball drop. That being said, I'm happy 2019 is almost over. Business wise it was a solid year. On a personal level 2019 was challenging to say the least. No love lost whe... [read more]

            Only five more shopping days until Christmas and you're scratching your head trying to figure out what to get your favorite DJ. No worries. I have a few ideas for you. It's no secret that DJ's love gear. Equally important is education. I recommend a "mix" of... [read more]

Is it just me or does every commercial you see or hear have some company claiming to be the "Official" sponsor or representative of something? How did they get that title? Lottery? The bigger question is: Does your favorite sports team need an "Official" toe nail fungus remover? Probably not, but they're out there. Several local radio stations have claimed the title of "Official Home of Christmas Music". Was there a vote? Who's in charge of handing out these titles? All kidding aside, does having the title "Official (blank) of Something" really help your business? I can't say that being the official oil change garage of the Boston Bruins makes me wan... [read more]

Thank you. Thank you for reading my blog posts. Thank you for letting me interview you and share your stories. Thank you for letting me into your lives. Thank you for your comments and feedback. Thank you for reading my articles. Thank you for saying hi to me at conventions and sharing lunch or a cup of coffee. Thank you for accepting me into your world on social media. Thank you for being my friend. It's no secret that the next four weeks are some of the busiest in the DJ world. Many of us are doing events daily right up to New Years Eve and a ton of after parties in January. We're so busy making sure that everyone else has a great Holiday s... [read more]