Beginning with the wedding procession to the last dance of the night, music and lighting set the mood for every wedding. They bring emotion to the groom who sees his bride for the first time, as she walks down the aisle. They bring up a memory long forgotten of a little girl dancing on her daddy’s shoes as she learned to dance for the first time. They even let old friends and new ones loosen up and act a little goofy as they do the chicken dance together after a little too much toasting.
Music and lighting are an integral part to creating the perfect wedding and the guys at Freestyle Entertainment know how to light up a room! Recently we had the pleasure of interviewing Mark and Jared at Freestyle Entertainment and they fit that profile to a T. Patrick had the opportunity to work with Mark recently at a wedding at Seven Oaks Country Club, and from the introductions to the last dance, they really knew how to get the crowd going. So without any further adieu… Ladies and Gentlemen, we give you Freestyle Entertainment!
Who makes up Freestyle Entertainment? How long have you been in business?
Mark – My brother Jared and I started Freestyle about 10 years ago. Over time as the business grew and we became busier, we hired people to work with us. Now we have an entire team.
You have a lot of equipment, a whole warehouse full, so did you go on a shopping spree or is this years of building we see in here?
It started out small and we just had a little bit of equipment in the Jared’s garage, but over the years as we got more events our inventory grew to what we have in our warehouse now. We grew at a steady pace and we acquired the equipment necessary to keep up with the jobs we had along the way. We never went out and bought a bunch of stuff without having a need for it.
What kind of music do you play and what kind of media do you use? Digital, Vinyl, Cds…
We have a wide variety of music, so we can cater to all tastes in music. We have several hard drives with our entire library backed up on each drive. When we sit down for a consultation, we find out what type of music the person wants played at their event, and then from there we can create a playlist designed specifically for them. Recently we did a wedding with an Indian theme, so we researched the music from India and found songs appropriate for the wedding. Other cultures music is very similar to music in America, there are many genres and styles, so you have to make sure you play the right genre of music for the setting you are trying to create. Most of our equipment now uses audio files, but of course we still have our Vinyl collection.
What’s the key to being a great DJ?
Well anyone can put together a playlist and hit play. The difference between doing that and being a professional DJ is the ability to also become the MC for the event. You have to know your couple, the crowd and the details of the event. You have to be a bit of a public speaker and know how to utilize the microphone to keep the event going at the right pace and in the right direction. You have to do a lot of planning and prep work before the event, and you definitely can’t just show up the day of the event with your equipment and wing it.
Now we know why you guys are called Freestyle “Entertainment”! So what makes you guys differ from other DJ services out there?
On top of providing a DJ service, we build event lighting, audio/visual and special FX customized to meet the specific needs of each event. We have a strong working relationship with many vendors, so we are able to utilize the designs we come up with to integrate with the overall layout and design of the event itself. Anything from spotlighting table centerpieces to custom monograms on the wall behind the head table.
Do you only do weddings, or is your bag of tricks infinite?
We are actually hired for school, corporate and private events in addition to weddings, and because of the diversity of the events we have been able to incorporate things like confetti, fog, light, red carpets, monograms and many other amazing effects into our designs. One of our most recent events was a high school prom where we set up a red carpet with lighting for the students to walk down.
Do you cater to a certain demographic or even event size?
We have done events of all sizes, from small intimate events all the way to large events at places like Rabobank Arena. When a client comes to us, we ask them what they are looking for and then we build a package around their needs and budget. We are able to accommodate events of any size, location and culture. We pride ourselves on being extremely versatile.
Contact info:
Mark and Jared Perry
Freestyle Entertainment
661.324.1234
freestyle.ent@gmail.com
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