Xplosive Blog

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So, you have an upcoming event (wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, or sweet 16 for example) and you are ready to start interviewing entertainment companies.  Your neighbor tells you about his friend who is a local DJ just getting started.  He works from his home but is “really good and very inexpensive.”  Or, you may have a co-worker tell you when she planned her celebration she called “XYZ” DJs and they are incredible.  They have been around for 25 years and have over 30 employees.  Or on the other hand, you may have attended a showcase or family member’s affair and met a DJ who comes off as very  experienced and professional yet doesn’t market on highway billboards, two page glossy full color spreads in the local party guides and drives $60,000 wrapped Mercedes Sprinter Vans.

 

Now, how do you choose?  Here are some tips and things to think about:

 

  • A beginner, basement DJ, or single system operator (as professionally coined by professional Disk Jockey associations) is often the least expensive option when comparing several DJs.  These companies (or individuals) may have full time careers and focus on DJing as a side-gig for extra weekend cash.  Their over head is low since they probably do not have an office, admin staff, or possibly even insurance.  They can be great performers (or real amateurs so, be sure to ask all the right questions), but likely cannot offer the options and event enhancements that a larger, full-time entertainment company will have access to.  For smaller events like birthdays, christenings, and modest sized affairs, finding an upcoming or experienced basement DJ can be your best solution to keep on a budget yet far surpass the alternative of your ipod and home stereo speakers.
  • The entertainment “factory” or conglomerate, on the other hand is the opposite.  They will have one or even several offices.  There will be a sales team, admin staff, event coordinators, an “up-sell” or “extra entertainment” department, plus a slew of DJs, MCs, and dancers.  The advantage to booking with one of these companies is trust in longevity, experience, consistency.  You don’t have to worry about these companies closing their doors after you leave a deposit as they may be relocated by their primary employers.  You will have the luxury to call the office nearly anytime and speak with someone.  You can rest assured that the company not only is insured, but also has back-up equipment, back-up staffing (in the case of an emergency), and likely has fail safe pre-programmed music playlists and MC scripts for your event announcements.  These companies generally have training sessions and staff meetings where employees learn the ropes and are trained to remember key characteristics at events.
  • Somewhere between the aforementioned beginner and factory is the entertainment boutique.  With the word boutique referencing key attributes like high-end, elite, personalized, luxury, specialty, and signature the companies who categorize themselves as boutiques generally have something unique to offer.  Xplosive Entertainment, for example, considers itself to be a boutique inspired entertainment firm.  This translates to an experienced, full time event agency with several employees and an unpretentious office space.

 

At Xplosive Entertainment, we are a boutique inspired firm focusing our attention on personalizing every affair.  Our MCs are true talents with their own distinct personalities.  We do not ever provide scripts or mandatory dialogues to recite.  Our DJs program the music for the crowd they are playing to rather than from a pre-planned agenda taught in a classroom setting.  The company owner is a performer long before a business czar.  We humble ourselves by transporting, setting and breaking down our own equipment rather than relying on a tech crew to “roadie” the event.  When you call the office, you speak with an owner or company manager.  When you meet to discuss your affair, you again chat with the owner or manager.  And, on the day of your affair, you will once again have an owner or manager present at most affairs.  We view your upcoming once-in-a-lifetime event, as if you and your guests are part of our family.  You are not weekend side cash for us, nor are you the “Smith family, event #16392.”   You are vitally important to our success and future!

 

The morale of this blog is to inform and educate.  Really there is no right or wrong event category to choose from;  just be sure the company you select best matches and understands your vision. There is surely a place in the event world for each of these company genres.  In fact, most entertainers at some point or another leap from category to category until they find their perfect fit.  I, for example, worked as a basement DJ for many years before joining a large entertainment factory.  I hated that atmosphere and left very soon.  I wasn’t happy being a DJ who did not meet my clients until the day of their event.  I did not like only knowing what was provided to me on paper and not having a personalized touch or relationship with the event host.  For these reasons, I joined forces with Jordan Marshall at Xplosive Entertainment and together, we and our team, pride ourselves in perfecting and personalizing each and every affair we are involved in.

 

Michael Langsner

Vice President

Xplosive Entertainment