Gabrielle’s Sweet 16 – October 3rd, 2008

What did you do Saturday? Pumpkin picking? Haunted House hunting? Maybe even a football game?

Did you listen to any Underoath in the car? How about sing along to some Silverstein? Dance to some Chiodos? Do these bands sound familiar to you? They weren’t part of our library, so I was unfamiliar with them as well. That, however, is one of the many luxuries of the entertainment business. If you think you know music, you haven’t even touched the surface!

Kids can teach you a lot. I’d say I’m still a big kid, but I listen to music that I grew up with. Bands like: Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, and then of course Jay-Z, Notorious BIG, The Roots, Jurassic 5, and Tribe Called Quest. I feel like I have a vast knowledge of music, from 1940 through today’s hottest hits. Gabrielle proved that I knew NOTHING! Her list was one of the most eclectic that I’ve ever received in my 9 years of business. This wasn’t dance music, this was MOSH music! I found afterward that some of it was Christian Rock, but you could have surprised me since it all sounded like screaming! (Just Kidding Gabby)

So what do I do in that situation? Do I play music that I think the kids would dance to or do I trust Gabrielle? One of the main practices we teach at Ideal Entertainment is the relationship and rapport with the client. We want them happy no matter what. So, I talked with her parents, and we all decided that her music is what mattered. I was able to get 98% of the music she wanted, and I was prepared to rock!

Her friends were all about the music! I still was able to fit in party songs that everyone liked. Songs like Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Time Warp, and Sweet Caroline from Angelo Venuto. Many of Gabby’s friends came up to me afterwards and said that I was one of the only DJ’s that would play their music, and they were especially appreciative.

I still am surprised at stories I hear from clients who say that their last DJ just played whatever he wanted, and he didn’t want to play what was requested. There’s no room for ignorance in this industry. I’m more than happy to take requests and music submissions from every client. Why wouldn’t you want to know what will make them happy? If your client is happy, then you’re happy!

We have many parties on the horizon and I’m looking forward to this year’s Holiday Season. We are booking up extremely quickly for the next few months and that always makes me happy. In this economy, I’m just happy that people are still choosing to have parties. They’re an important release from everyday stress and it’s a great way to catch up with friends, family, and loved ones. Throw a Christmas or New Years Party and let Ideal Entertainment provide the entertainment!

Billy and Kristen’s Wedding After-Party – September 6th, 2008

Ever perform in a monsoon? Tropical Storm Hanna hit the tri-state area on Saturday, as I’m sure you’re aware. Most of you I’m sure were able to watch from the comfort of your own home, but in the entertainment industry, most Saturday nights are booked. I had the pleasure of DJ’ing Billy and Kristen’s Wedding After-Party.

Normally, the weather outside matters little (other than loading equipment in the rain) when the party is in a catering hall. This party was in a large tent in a back yard! They booked the sides of the tent so it would block out the rain and wind, and the tent actually was big enough to fit 150 people comfortably. There’s no comfort in 90% humidity however.

Other than some constant water puddling near the equipment, the party went off without a hitch! They gave me a number of towels and a tarp to keep my equipment from surging, and I couldn’t of asked for any more cooperation from the family. The party was booked from 6-11pm, and that’s exactly when the tropical storm hit the hardest. It really wasn’t more than a little wind and rain, so everyone took it in stride, and packed the dancefloor. They literally danced for 4 straight hours. That’s not the norm, nor am I exaggerating! They were such a great crowd, and that’s when I personally have the best time.

I got to play almost everything from all genres. Country, Hip=Hop, Disco, 60’s, Swing, and even Boardy Barn favorites. We all sweated and partied together, and at the end, they decided to book another hour! I didn’t finish until 12am but I couldn’t have been more thrilled. They headed to Aruba on Monday and I went home happy that we rocked another event. Plus, as an additional perk, I handed out many brochures and should get many referrals from it.

I really have to start taking more video of the events to show the readers of this blog our parties. I promise I will take more in the future to post. Until next time!

Summer Fun with Ideal Entertainment

Well, it’s been about a month since my last post, and that’s to be expected considering the amount of parties we’ve been doing. The summer usually throws everything at us in the way of parties, and it’s of course our favorite time of year! We’ve done Weddings, Birthday Parties, Block Parties, Backyard Bashes, Happy Hours, and pretty much everything else you can think of that goes on during the summer.

August is no different! On our slate for this month are more birthday parties, Sweet 16’s, Weddings, and then right around the corner we have September – Bar and Bat Mitzvah Season! We have a number on schedule and look forward to booking more in the future as those parties have turned into celebrations beyond what a Wedding can bring! We have plenty of DJ’s, MC’s, and Dancers bringing the best in entertainment, and we look forward to continuing that determination right through the end of the year.

If you enjoy what you read and you like what you see on our website, call us today and find out what it’s like to have Ideal Entertainment rock your next event!

My next post probably won’t be until the end of the month so I hope everyone has a great end to their Summer!

Weinstock Bat Mitzvah – June 14th, 2008

Dear Ron, Just want to thank you sooo much for doing such a great job at our daughters Bat Mitzvah.  I know the set up with the live music may have been a challenge, but it seemed to all work out well.  I acknowledge all the work you did getting and playing all of our song requests and keeping the party running well. At the end I wished we had an extra hour, I wanted to party even more.   I think most of the guests had a good time. I know my husband, kids and I did and that was what was important.   Thank so so much again to you and the MC. If you ever need a recommendation letter don’t hesitate to ask for one from us.

-Ellen Weinstock

Alex’s Graduation – July 6th, 2008

Although I can’t write about all the parties we had this weekend, Alex’s Graduation definitely stands out to me. Ronny and I both were on the party, and we had a blast!

First of all the rain held up, which was great. We got to play a whole range of music from 60’s, 70’s, a little 80’s, and current radio hits. It was in a beautiful backyard with 100+ of Alex’s closest friends and family. Included in the guestlist was singer/songwriter Parisa Montazaran from the Real World – Sydney cast on MTV. She couldn’t have been nicer, as her and Alex’s friends were into the Cha-Cha Slide and surprisingly enough – musical chairs! When people have a positive attitude and buy into what your presenting in the way of Entertainment, it really becomes a lot of fun for us. What started as a game for the kids turned into a game for the young adults.

Sometimes it can be difficult to get a packed dancefloor in someone’s backyard, but as long as everyone has a good time and enjoys the entertainment, that’s all that matters. We had dancers up on the floor pretty consistently, but I wouldn’t say it was packed by any stretch of the word. That’s where the icebreakers (like Scavenger Hunt for the kids and Musical Chairs for the drinkers) really take effect. Ronny and I both had microphones, so it was a pretty interesting affair having him make fun of me at every turn, but that’s what happens when we’re paired together. It’s almost like a comedy routine really.

Alex is bound for NYU and we wish him nothing but the best. We received numerous compliments and handed out a number of brochures and cards, and that’s always a plus! If you’re reading this and thinking that we’d be great on an event your planning, give us a call and find out what we can do for you!

Happy 4th of July!

Another weekend of energy and crazyness is upon us, but I wanted to quickly just wish everyone (clients and readers) a very happy and safe Fourth of July weekend! You may hear my speakers and voice in a backyard near you this weekend. If you do, come by and say hi! I’ll be writing next week about my parties and a little bit of our upcoming schedule if you’d like to sit in on an Ideal Entertainment performance!

3 Crazy Weekends – May 10th – May 25th

Well, there’s been a short delay in my postings, but this should sum it up – SLEEP DEPRIVED!

In what has been the busiest month in years, we have been up to our ears in Bar Mitzvahs, Bat Mitzvahs, Proms, Communions, and Weddings. If I wrote about each one, I’d be here for days so I’d like to talk about something a little different. It’s the most important part of our business and it should be the sole reason you decide to book an entertainment company - filling the dance floor.

Whether it’s a Saturday Communion from 12-4pm or a Junior Prom from 7pm-12am, the dance floor is what makes or breaks a party. You can’t have an empty dance floor and be successful in this business. In order to accomplish this with every party, a talented MC/DJ has to have the ability to create on the fly. Every party is different, and if you start to take that for granted then you’re losing your love and passion for the industry. You can have the most expensive equipment, the craziest lighting effects, and the best looking staff. If you don’t have the drive or the creativity to get people involved, then you might as well charge $250 for your services and play background music.

Ideal Entertainment is trained and grilled on what we call the 3 C’s – Creativity, Confidence, and Connection.

Creativity – Crucial to success. Can your DJ perform an icebreaker? Can he decide within seconds on what to say and do to draw in attention?

Confidence – No DJ or MC in their right mind would choose this profession if they weren’t confident, but what I’m talking about is confidence in the ability to manage and perform on ANY type of event. Do they have the assuredness it takes to entertain through any set of obstacles that may arise? Are they reliant on the client to make decisions or do they have the know-how to run a party without any guidance?

Connection – Without this, there is no party. How well are they connected to their audience? Do they know what music selection fits your crowd? In order to create a connection with your client, know your client as well as their guests do! Ask questions, learn something about their history, and REMEMBER NAMES! Showing you care about a person and their family reflects immensely on being able to associate with your guests and earn their trust to participate with your entertainment.

The equation is simple, but there aren’t many people that have the ability to pull it off. Make sure you TRUST your DJ, whether it’s Ideal Entertainment or someone else. I’ve added a video below of a Junior Prom we just performed at for Smithtown East High School. See this dance floor? We want all our parties to be this big of a success. Call us today and let us be a part of your family for your next event!

Stonybrook MBA Association – 5/2/2008

I had the pleasure of entertaining over 160 guests at the Stonybrook MBA Association Spring Dinner. My client, Kristen Borkowski is the current President of the MBA, and dealing with her was an absolute joy. She had a great head on her shoulders and ran the event extremely smoothly.

There were many announcements, presentations, awards, and a video montage to get through before the entertainment began. Those types of things happen often, but trying to schedule everything into a 4-hour period can be quite a task. The party was from 7pm-11pm and the dancing didn’t start until 10:15! Of course, I then have 45 minutes to spin everything from hip-hop, to salsa, to Indian, and then to pop to make everyone happy in regards to their music requests.

Did I succeed? I’d like to think I did! I gave out a bunch of cards and brochures and Kristen was extremely pleased. They invited me to their after party at both Port Jazz and Bianco’s but I wasn’t able to make it. Maybe next time!

Kirby and Scott Pereira’s Wedding Reception – 4/27/2008

Not only is it Communion Season, but with Spring comes of course, Wedding Season! We stay relatively busy throughout the off-season, but Spring and Summer yield the most parties. It’s our favorite time of year in this business! We had the luxury of performing at the Pereiras’ Wedding, and we couldn’t have been happier.

This Wedding had about everything you could ask for. The pastor was late by over 30 minutes, and it was raining, so the ceremony was moved inside of the catering hall where the reception was taking place. I have to say, Windows on the Lake does a truly excellent job of accommodating their clients and guests. Before you could bat an eye, they had the room completely changed to host the ceremony. I was truly impressed.

Anyway back to the party. There was a guest with a mohawk, a few guests with different colored hair, and all the groomsmen had on Converse sneakers! Whatever the guests look like at any party, as long as they jam, they’re okay with me! Ronny was the DJ and I was the MC, and we had an awesome time. Introductions went well, our dance sets rocked, the garter and bouquet toss were fun, and the dances with the parents were quite memorable. Scott and Kirby are truly class acts, and we were honored to be there on their big day. Currently, they’re on their honeymoon gazing at the Mayan ruins!

Weddings are always memorable, and we enjoy every single one we do. We have a number of them booked for the upcoming season and we’re extremely excited to see how much fun they’ll be!

Ianello Communion and Confirmation – 4/26/2008

Communion season is in full effect for 2008. We had two reasons to party this past Saturday because it was Lydia’s Communion and Amanda’s Confirmation. Both sisters had plenty of friends and family there to help them celebrate, and it was my job to make sure everyone had a good time doing it!

The party was held at Papa Razzi in Westbury. My client had bags and bags of giveaways to give the kids, so I knew that I would be busy. In the beginning, I could tell that only the little kids were interested in the games, so I decided to dance them more than I would have normally. I had plenty of requests for songs from Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani to Soulja Boy and Christina Aguilera. To my surprise, for a Saturday afternoon party, they danced way more than I expected!

Towards the end, Lydia really wanted to play Scavenger Hunt with her friends, so we crowded the dancefloor with chairs and made sure the adults were ready because they’re part of the action too! After the game, we had time for one more song, and then this party was a wrap!

Communions are events that usually contain a wide range of ages so handling each one is extremely different. We make sure we read the crowd to ensure everyone is having a good time! Give us a call today and find out what it’s like having Ideal Entertainment rock your guests!