I was performing caricatures at a wedding the other day for some people that were really awesome. It was a tight nit family with many friends. The venue was a nice old building and they had cook on demand chefs out where people could order their favourite items hot. The whole thing was planned out very well, except one thing. The D.J. that they hired certainly didn’t add any entertainment value to the program. Now being a caricature artist I attend many events and I have seen some awesome disc jockeys. Good ones keep the floor hopping all night and have people laughing to the point where they are almost peeing their pants. Recently I spoke with a disc jockey at an event and was communicating how boring this other D.J. had been, He informed me that D.Js are their to play music and not talk with the crowd, that is the M.C.’s job. I however think many people feel that is the same person, how much programming is required when you have all the music on a laptop.
If I as a fellow entertainer noticed how bored this disc jockey at the wedding looked do you think maybe the guest noticed? He was on the phone, looking at email, leaning up against the back pillar, he rarely smiled and looked like he should be doing home inspections rather than getting the crowd going. After the official dancing part of the wedding had begun he did do some traditional wedding type games with the audience, but he certainly didn’t put any effort into making them seem spectacular. He used numbers to award the recipients and didn’t come off the stage at all to work the crowd.
You may be wondering why I care what this guy did, but the truth is his actions affect me indirectly. Many people think that all entertainers are the same so if they have a bad experience with one they assume it is the same for all. If you’re doing this as a side business realize you either have to operate as professionally as any full time operation or you are hurting the whole industry. We are there to make sure everyone at the party has a good time when in our presence. If you’re not willing to step up your game then please don’t offer your services to anyone, professionals will thank you.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge is a caricature artist and entertainer from Ontario Canada, More of his work can be found on his website at www.bruceoutridgeproductions.com
Bruce Outridge Productions 