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How long have you been a DJ? 
It has been almost 20 years. I started in High School djing parties, proms and dances, I went to Loyola Marymount
University and started into djing weddings. Now I split my time djing weddings and Hollywood wrap parties for film and television shows.
Why is it so difficult to hire a DJ? I think when you are planning a wedding or an event there are tangible items such as a cake, flowers, food, locations etc. A DJ is at times kind of a mystery – Will he play good music? Will he show up on time? Does he have a good music selection? How is his equipment? These are difficult questions to answer unless you can get recommendations from other clients. What makes you different from other DJs? I am not a cheezy, over the top, salesman type of guy. I think that when people go to a party they are there to hear a great selection of music and to enjoy a well-planned and executed event. I don’t do line dances, or force people to dance. I try and avoid the usual "YMCA", "Shout", "Tequila", "Chicken Dance", etc. Are you an agency? No. I am not an agency. People hire me because of my ability to read a crowd and play music that you don’t always hear at every wedding or party. I think that there is so much bait and switch with agencies that it makes the whole DJ industry look bad, Do you have a video that you send out of you Djing? Well…. No. I think that videos of DJs are so cheezy. Any advice on hiring a DJ? Get together with your DJ and just chat about what you are all about- your expectations and what you want from your DJ. You need to feel comfortable with whomever you hire. Speak with their recent clients or go see them on a DJ job. Do you ever have a “meet and greet” meeting before you get hired? All the time! People want to know that they can get along with their vendors. I think this is the best way to know if everyone meshes well with each other. How many times do you meet up with your clients before the DJ job? It all varies – everyone has a different comfort level. I like to meet up with brides and grooms 2-3 times before their wedding. Weddings are all about pre-production. The more I know about what kind of event my client wants the easier the job will flow. Many of my repeat clients such as holiday or birthday parties trust that I will do a great job and don’t feel the need to meet up with them at all. Are you wedding planner? Well, I’m more of an event coordinator. I work with the bride and groom to figure out what formalities they want and work out a timeline with them. I rely on my experience with literally hundreds of weddings to suggest the best flow for the formalities. I speak with the caterer or banquet manager before the event and give them a copy of the Wedding Program that we have worked out. I also bring copies for the photographer and videographer. Everyone needs to be on the same page so the wedding rolls along flawlessly. Any advice to brides and grooms on their actual wedding day? Yes, take off your watch and enjoy your day. Look around and soak it all in. Rely on your vendors to do their job well. Do you have a "day job"? Yes I do. I am a professional recording engineer for film and television and have worked with such composers as Danny Elfman (Spiderman), Tom Newman (American Beauty), Don Davis (The Matrix), and Randy Newman (Seabiscuit) to name a few. What kind of packages do you have? Well I don’t really like using the word "packages". I have my hourly rate with a five hour minimum. I don’t charge for set up or break down time – just music time. Do you advertise? I do very little advertising. I would say that 80% of my work comes from good word of mouth and referalls. Anyone can use the phonebook or go to an agency to hire a DJ. The problem is that many times you don’t know what type of DJ you will get until the day of the event – and then it is much too late.  QUESTIONS ABOUT GEAR What type of system do you bring to a DJ job? It is an all Compact Disc-based system – Dual Denon CD players, Hafler and Crown power amplifiers, Sennheiser wireless microphones, and a Mackie mixing console. I also have a backup Denon CD player, amplifier and mixing console with me on every job, I have yet to use it, but if I need any form of back up it is with me. Asthetically, it is a compact powerful system. I do not have a banner with my name on it or any other high-pressure tactic. Are you going to change to a computer based MP3 system? I use a combination of CDs and computer based iTunes laptop system. CDs sound great and it is much more fun than DJing off of a laptop. I would say that I use CDs 70% of the time. I have all of my CDs as well as hundreds of gigabytes of music with me on my laptop system. I had all of my vinyl transfered into iTunes as well. I love being able to search my catalogue in just a few seconds. Do you have a Ceremony System? Yes I do. It is a separate system from the reception system to eliminate any musical "dead air". It consists of a Mackie mixer, JBL speakers, Sennheiser clip-on wireless microphones for the groom and minister, and a wireless handheld for readings, singing, and micing up instruments such as string quartets and harps. I do not put the speakers on stands. If you shoot video or photos of a wedding you should not have speakers visible in the shot.
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