Twin Spin Entertainment

I graduated with a double major in Business Management and Radio, Television and Film from San Jose State University and worked in the radio industry for approximately 9 years. I don't know if this would be considered training or education but I also owned and operated a DJ School for 6 years which was located in San Jose California.

My pricing system is not too complicated. However, my rates do vary based on the type of event, the location, the numbers of hours of service, the amount of equipment that is needed for the event and the distance of travel to and from the event location. For larger events, to make things run absolutely smoothly with no problems, I hire assistants to help me with set-up and break down of equipment so my rates will change based on how much man power I need to bring with me but typically I'm able to handle most events on my own.

I began DJing when I was very young in high school. I saw my first DJ at a school dance and from there I was hooked. I practiced for several years just playing in my garage. Eventually I got my first gig DJing a birthday party at a friends house and then from there I DJed my first high school dance at my own high school when I was in 11th grade. I DJed parties and events all throughout my years in college attending San Jose State which helped me pay for my school bills and tuition. From there, the rest is history!

Although I specialize in corporate events, weddings and nightclubs, over the years of working in this industry I've been fortunate enough to work with pretty much any and every type of customer you can think of under the sun. Ranging from Fortune 500 high tech companies, to celebrities, major market radio stations and large event planners. Some of my clients include: Twitter, Intel, Dell Computers, Genentech, Apple, eBay, Salesforce, Stanford Hospital and LinkedIn just to name a few. I am also a resident DJ at some of the top nightclubs in the Bay Area.

There are several important and crucial elements you should be looking for when hiring a professional DJ. 1) Experience! Experience is something that is somewhat difficult to put a price on. An experienced DJ will make your event run smoothly and will be able to know how to read a crowd correctly in order to please a diverse crowd. Experienced DJs will know how to handle problems and come with a solution quickly, sometimes in a matter of seconds. An experienced professional DJ will know how to handle any problems that may arise under any circumstance. Most of all, a professional experienced DJ will be able to know how to please all type of audiences no matter how diverse the audience may be. 2) Professional high quality equipment! Make sure the DJ you hire is using only high end top quality "industry standard" equipment. Having a bad sounding music system or bad quality music files will make your ears hurt and will be very unpleasant to listen to all day and night. Make sure they are using only top quality DJ equipment that looks and sounds professional. There are a lot of rookie DJs that will try to get away with using sub-par or entry level DJ equipment that is not dependable and can break down. Make sure they only use the best equipment possible. 3) Check to see if they carry a back-up system with them at the event. Like anything else in life, anything can happen at a moments notice...including equipment failure. Make sure the DJ has a back up system with them on hand in case any equipment failures should occur. 4) Your DJ should be flexible! Changes always happen when it comes to parties, events, etc. So be sure that your DJ is willing to be flexible and able to change gears in their plans at a moments notice. 5) Diversity and knows their music. Hire a DJ that knows their music and knows it well! They should know every genre of music there is out there so that they can cater to everyone's tastes and personal preferences. Having a diverse DJ that can mix all types of music is an absolute must! 6) Hire a DJ that will listen to you and your needs. There are a lot of DJs out there that will try to think they don't need your direction or know what they are doing without having to talk to you beforehand. Make sure your DJ is willing to listen to your needs and requests. After all, they are playing the music for you and your guests, not for themselves.

Not all DJs are alike. There a hundreds of DJs out there that will charge cheap rates but those are typically young hobbyists that do not have the music library, the proper equipment and the professional experience to DJ most events. It took me over 20 years to master the art of DJing and to this day I am still learning something new everyday. DJing is an art form and it involves a lot of practice and lots of trial and error in some cases. As a DJ, we put a lot of thought and time into what we play for our clients. Unfortunately it's not as easy as pressing a button once a song ends. We spend a lot of time thinking about what the next song will be and trying to predict the crowd response from that song. In a nut shell, being a DJ is a lot more difficult than it looks out the outside. Lastly, although we may charge for the amount of time we actually play at an event, even before the event there is a lot of pre-planning involved. I personally spend at least an entire day organizing my music library for every event I'm booked for because I know every event is always different. Downloading music, organizing my music library, staying updated on music, carrying and setting up heavy equipment, taping down cables, working on song requests and making sure everything runs perfect for an event is something I put a lot of emphasis on. Some of these duties and responsibilities as a DJ are commonly, but understandably, overlooked by people when they think about the amount of money they pay for a DJ. My job as your DJ begins much sooner than the actual day of your event.