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B-Boy Productions Inc. Happenings – In Photos!

Event season is in full swing! In May we celebrated with old and new friends at 25 events that were filled with surprises and unique details. Take a look at some of what transpired …

B-Boy Team in Action

Irving Gil

Irving Gil killing it!

Cam Ray and Jessica Heit

Cam Ray (keyboardist) and Jessica Heit (violinist) perform at a beach wedding ceremony.

New York Event

<em><strong>DJ Brian B. Selfie! Heading out for an event.</strong></em>

You Know It’s a Party When …

You know it's a party!

You know it's a party!

Get Lucky Remix

Drummer Boy

Accompaniment for the bride and groom’s first dance?

 

It’s All In the Details!

It’s All In the Details!

Wedding MadLibs!

Wedding MadLibs!

B-Boy Happenings!

B-Boy Happenings!

We’re hoping to make this monthly photo recap a regular feature on our blog. Let us know what you think in the comments below?

You can also catch more of our photos on Instagram. Remember that every time we add 100 followers on Instagram, we will be giving away an iPod Shuffle. Get in on the action by following us today!

 

Vendor Profile: Infinity Lighting for Cutting-Edge Lighting and Effects

Infinity Lighting

Our Southern California division handles a lot of weddings, plus quite a few specialty events for corporations, annual conferences, holiday events, celebrity parties, school dances, etc. Whenever B-Boy Productions, Inc. does an event in California that requires heavy-duty lighting such as specialized décor lights, stage lighting, pin spots, or nightclub style dance lighting, we turn to Infinity Lighting of Brea, CA. With 17 years in the event production business, Infinity Lighting has the experience to pull together the special effects and lighting that will always “wow” a crowd.

We checked in with Stephen Shanahan, owner of Infinity Lighting, to learn a little bit more about lighting trends and what their business has to offer:

  1. How did you get started in the event production industry?
    My background and degree is in Lighting and Production design. I started with a small DJ company and built their lighting division up from the ground up. I believe quality design coupled with a quality designer makes for an extraordinary event.
  2. Why should a client consider more than the typical 2 DJ lights that move to the beat of the music and have different patterns?
    It’s all a matter of preference. DJ lighting is great for the dance floor and can give it energy and focus but decorative lighting can truly transform a ballroom to whatever you want it to feel like. Nothing can compare to a well lit room to meet the vision of the couple or client.
  3. What lighting trends are you seeing in the CA market?
    L.E.D. Color changing lighting is a great alternative to the high energy use lights called conventionals. The L.E.D. allows us to change colors of the room from event to event or song to song and they draw a lot less power than conventionals.
  4. Share your top tip for planners/businesses that are interested in adding specialty lighting to their event?
    Going with the minimum is never recommended. It’s true, you get what you pay for but sometimes spending 10% more can give you a 70% better look. Never underestimate a good designer to help complete the vision. Sometimes simple solutions are not only cost effective but they can create a simple answer to a look at an event. Sure you can spend $25,000 on lighting. But you can also spend $1800-$2500 to achieve a similar feeling for the event. The right lighting company can help you maximize your budget.

Infinity Lighting

B-Boy Productions has worked with Infinity Lighting for 7 years. We highly recommend them for their skill and overall professionalism. Catch up with them at their website or on Facebook.

Your B-Boy Entertainer is the Best of the Best – Here’s Why!

You're Hired

Written By Brian Buonassissi, Managing Partner of B-Boy Productions, Inc.

The single most important job I have on the management side of the business is making the right hires. There are other things that matter but the business is driven by the people in it and believe it or not, talent of the individual is not the first thing I look for. Here are 3 things I look for in our entertainers and why it should matter to our clients.

#1: Are they customer service minded?
This is the first thing I assess in a potential hire. Artists/Entertainers generally get a bad rap for being selfish and having a diva-like personality and there’s a fair amount of truth to that. However, the private event world is the epitome of the customer service business. We look for people who are willing to go the extra mile for our clients – whether that means getting to the venue earlier than required or staying at the event later if needed, adjusting to last minute changes or looking for the little things to add to the event that will make the day special. If they don’t cut it here, there’s no need to go to #2 or #3. How do we qualify this in an individual? I look for a few things.

*Have they been in the service industry sector before (i.e. bartender, server, hospitality, banker, lawn care, commission based sales, etc.)? Folks who have worked in those industries know that their income and job security depend on the relationships they make with their clients/customers. Those that succeed are usually outgoing, personable, and generally well-liked. This translates well to being a private event entertainer.

*Do they participate in any volunteer work and/or community service on a regular basis? This could include serving at their religious institution, animal rescue, nursing home, mentoring, tutoring, etc. This area is also critical. Giving of your time and talents says so much about an individual. It means they put others above themselves in a very visible way. It also shows me that they are good with time management because this is usually above and beyond their normal day to day schedule. Lastly, it shows me that they possess passion. That is hard to fake because if it’s not genuine, it won’t be sustainable.

*How do they handle pressure? It is a running joke amongst our staff that one of my “Brian-isms” I say often is, “Expect the unexpected,” when they are on a job. At an event, it can run the gamut – weather problems, venue issues, gear glitches, etc. – so it’s imperative that the entertainer (who is typically the face of the event) is somebody who is calm, collected and can navigate through these hurdles. I always ask in an interview process, “Has there been a time where things have not gone your way? How have you handled that? Is that a comfortable place for you?”

#2: How do they present themselves?
At first glance, this may sound rather vain and you may be thinking, “You mean, you select your hires based on their looks?” Whether we want to admit it or not, looks matter – especially in the private event world. Professional photographers are constantly snapping photos at private events, some clients may hire videographers and this potential entertainer could end up on a client’s video for years to come. So yes, looks matter. But that only tells part of the story. When I interview someone who is well put together, it means that they took some time with their appearance. I’m not expecting Armani suits or salon-esque hair styling (although that wouldn’t be a bad thing), but how they look does convey to me whether or not they care. Also, these people are usually in shape. Staying in shape takes intentional time carved out of their day to exercise at the gym and eat right. It gives me more confirmation of their ability to manage their time which, again, is crucial to being an entertainer for our company. I also look to their social networking posts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, etc.). How are they communicating on a daily basis? Are they generally a positive person or constantly irritable and complaining? A lot of written correspondence occurs between our clients and entertainers so it’s important that I can see what their natural, everyday writing ability is like. Lastly, I listen to their speech during an interview. How do they phrase their answers? Public speaking is at least 50% of our job as an entertainer and while this can and is taught to all of our entertainers, the learning curve can be minimal if they are able to articulate themselves verbally in a concise, professional manner.

#3: Would you pay a cover to watch them perform?
When it comes to live musicians, this is very easy to quantify. I’m looking for something unique and special about the entertainer. We have never settled in this arena for the “status quo” private event musician. Everybody on our roster is extremely talented and the type of act you’d pay  to watch. When it comes to our DJs/MCs, it’s a little different because we train them from the ground up in most cases. It’s more about seeing the potential in someone much like a team talent scout would do in evaluating an athlete. As I’ve gotten older and done this more often, I tend to pick the right ones and rarely miss. When we send the DJ/MC out completely trained (which for us takes a full year to do), our clients will feel like their money was well spent and that’s important to us.

Through this post, I hope you’ve gotten a little glimpse into what goes into our hiring process. It isn’t about making the quick dollar for us. We have an extremely rigid vetting process when it comes to hires and those that we bring on, are generally with us a long time. You can be assured you’re in good hands with a B-Boy Productions, Inc. entertainer. We currently still have availability for 2013 so contact us today to book an entertainer for your event. For a complete list of our staff, go here.

Songs for Wedding Reception Formalities – Part 3

Taking Off Garter

Photo courtesy of (c) Michael K Photography

It’s time to wrap up our 3 part series on wedding reception formality music.  The Grand Entrance and main family dances are all pretty well known.  But what other formalities do you need music for?  This post is going to answer just that.  Here are the typical ones:

  • Toasts
  • Bridal Party Dance
  • Cake Cut
  • Bouquet Toss
  • Garter Removal
  • Garter Toss
  • Money Dance/Dollar Dance

 

Most people wouldn’t even think about needing music for these areas but picking the right tunes can definitely be the “icing on the cake” to your reception.  While the Grand Entrance music sets the tone, these formality song choices build on the theme/vibe you’ve selected for your party.  Let’s jump right into it.


Toasts
The toast music could also be referred to as walking music.  Think about live productions like the Grammy’s, Oscars or variety shows.  When someone wins an award or a transition occurs, there’s typically always background music being played.  Why is this important?  It keeps the dreaded (and awkward) “dead air” from occurring and the energy from dying off.  It’s a subtle thing but can really make a big difference.  In the context of the wedding toast, you can go 2 different ways.  This can be simple instrumental music (think instrumental versions of pop or dance songs) or it can be a personalized song to the toaster.  The toasters are usually family members or friends that know the bride/groom pretty well, so it could be a song that is an inside joke between the two people or an artist you both grew up listening to, the college fight song of the school you both attended, etc.  The audience doesn’t always have to get it. If a bride or groom doesn’t have song picks in mind and wants to defer to us, we’ll make sure to read the crowd energy and pick something that is appropriate for that moment.  In some cases, it’s an upbeat track.  There are other times where it could be a tender moment and it would make sense to have a slower track ready.  We’ll always have about 3 or 4 tracks cued and set to fit any mood.


Bridal Party Dance
As a “stand alone” formality, the bridal party dance has been slowly fading away over the years.  However, this formality can act as vital transition between the family dances and the open dancing segments.  While our DJs are the best at getting people on to the dance floor for open dancing sets, why not use this dance as a way to generate a full dance floor before open dancing, as well as capture a moment on the dance floor with just you, your fiance and your bridal party?  For large bridal parties, you can have just them with the bride & groom.  With the smaller bridal parties, you can invite their significant other or immediate family to join them.  The key to this dance is picking something that is upbeat.  Slow songs can not only be uncomfortable (especially if you have groomsmen and bridesmaids that don’t really know each other) but it can make going into the open dancing segment all the more difficult for your DJ and your crowd.  So what songs should you use?  No, you don’t have to go with the predictable “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge song selection.  We personally like to find out what is the go to genre for your crowd and have you pick a song from there. You don’t want to necessarily pick the hottest track out, because some people will really want to dance to that.  Also, don’t go with a line dance.  The line dances (even the cool ones like Gangnam Style or Cupid Shuffle) are stuff that everyone will want to dance to, so you’ll inevitably have to play it again later if you use it for this formality.


Cake Cut
Ah, the cake cut.  This is THE formality which people always forget about picking a song for. Like the toast, this is used as walking music to move people from the dance floor to the cake cutting area and then as pictures are taken of the cake (or these days cupcake) being cut and fed to their partner.  When picking a song here, go back to the feel you’re going for with your reception.  Do you want it elegant?  Do you want it to be a party?  Do you want it comical?  Whatever it is, take the opportunity to build on that theme with this selection.  Some of the more popular ones we’ve done recently:
*Sugar, Sugar by The Archies (from the hit show “Cake Boss”)
*Cut The Cake by Average White Band (upbeat and fits the theme perfectly)
*That’s Amore by Dean Martin (iconic pick!)
*Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar (a little tongue in cheek)


Bouquet Toss
The key to the bouquet toss is picking a song for the ladies!  It needs to be a woman anthem.  This song choice usually goes in waves and is 99% of the time a top 40 type track of that time period. In the 60s, it was “Respect.” In the 70s, it was “Bad Girls.”  In the 80s, it was “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.”  In the 90s, it was the “Lady Marmalade” remix by Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil Kim and Pink.  In the 2000’s it’s been “California Gurls” by Katy Perry and “Single Ladies” by Beyonce.  So far in 2013, “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen is starting to become the go to song selection.


Garter Removal
There are a lot of couples who don’t see the Garter Removal and Garter Toss as 2 separate formalities.  But they really are. By having 2 songs, it allows us to segue between the 2 formalities a lot each easier by fading out the song playing and starting the next one.  For the removal, it’s usually either a comical choice or a more sensual choice.  Everything from “Oh Yeah” to “Let’s Get It On” to “Drop It Like It’s Hot” to “Sex On Fire” has been used.


Garter Toss
This being the opposite of the Bouquet Toss, we’re looking for a male driven type song. There’s not a whole lot out there being written with this lyrical bent so typically the song pick is a bit more retro.  Songs like “Welcome To The Jungle” or the Cops Theme Bad Boys” are still great choices.  Lately, “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO has been used and fits great.


Money Dance/Dollar Dance
This formality, much like the Bridal Party Dance, has been done less and less over the years.  When it does get used, we push for the “genre medley” style.  Back in the 90s, it was a slew of love songs.  Not only is it awkward to dance to those slower tempo songs with strangers but it can suck all the life out of the party if this drags on for 25-30 minutes.  The “genre medley” is where we’ll switch genres every song and try to keep it upbeat.  It’ll go from, say, a motown track to funk/disco to maybe hip hop to big band.  This keeps people guessing and is a whole lot more fun.  This area doesn’t require song picks from the bride and groom (unless of course they want a few played).  Leave it in the DJ’s hands and they’ll pick what’s appropriate for the mood and feel of the event.

So there you have it!  All the reception formalities have been covered.  We hope this has been helpful. Of course, as clients of B-Boy Productions, we’ll be sure to give you the most up-to-date list of song suggestions that we have.  We’re constantly updating it, so you won’t be getting a list that hasn’t been touched since 1984.  Happy song picking!

Songs for Wedding Reception Formalities – Part 1

Grand Entrance

Image courtesy of GwyneMark Photography

Almost every wedding reception has at least one formality that needs a special song selected. Having a tough time figuring out which formalities need a song and/or what song to use? Maybe you’ve already gone online and googled “wedding formalities” for ideas. If you’re like the vast majority of the couples we know, most of the songs you’ll find are either cheesy, old, played out or don’t fit you and your fiancé! In the next few posts, we’re going to dissect the formalities and hopefully, with what is now our 17 years in the business, we’ll get you on the right track to finding the perfect music for your reception. This particular post is going to be directed at the Grand Entrance. It’s such an important formality that it needs an entire post dedicated entirely to it. The other formalities will be covered in part 2 and 3 of this series.

GRAND ENTRANCE

From a DJ perspective, the grand entrance is one of, if not THE most important area to spend time picking out a song. Why? Because it sets the tone for the entire reception. Seriously, if there is one formality to really give some TLC with the song choice, this is it! Your guests’ first taste of your vision for the night is based on the music selected for this entrance. So a couple things to keep in mind:

DECIDE ON A THEME
What type of feel do you want your event to have? A formal vibe? A more Classic Rock theme? A high-energy party atmosphere? Whatever it is, once you decide this piece of the puzzle, it’ll set you on a path in picking the perfect song(s). But keep in mind, the theme must be decided first before going on.

PICK MUSIC WITH ENERGY
Regardless of the theme, the track should have some energy. Nothing can stunt the potential of your party like a boring song to start the night. And don’t think for a moment that if you pick something other than a “Party Atmosphere” as your theme that this can’t be accomplished. For example, if you want that “classic/timeless” feel, 2 of our favorite tunes to consider would be either “At Last” by Etta James or “It Had To Be You” by Harry Connick, Jr. Both have a great build-up with huge fanfare in the intro and then drop perfectly for the introduction of the newlywed couple. So it doesn’t have to be a modern track (necessarily) to achieve that energy that is needed for a memorable entrance.

CONSIDER AN INSTRUMENTAL OR A TRACK WITH SPARSE VOCALS
This is usually the last thing on a couple’s radar but makes a huge difference. No matter how popular a song is, it is tough introducing anyone over a track with vocals. Think about radio MCs. Do you ever hear them making announcements over anything other than the intro of a song? Of course not. With a grand entrance, announcing the bridal party over a song with vocals will inevitably cause something to suffer – either the MC or the track. So we suggest picking a song with zero or minimal vocals. One instrumental track that worked well for us this past year was “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. People instantly recognize this song when the synths come in so you don’t even need the vocals for this one. We’ve made custom edits to certain tracks using the instrumental for the verses and then bring in the original with the vocals for a chorus to break it up. Can’t find the true instrumental of a track? Here’s a trick. Look up the karaoke version. There’s almost always a karaoke track for just about every popular tune out there and the quality of karaoke tracks has gotten substantially better over the years.

PICK 2 SONGS FOR A BRIDAL PARTY WITH 6 OR MORE PEOPLE
Most couples coming in to meet with us think one track is all that is needed for a grand entrance. We recommend 2 tracks. Selecting 2 songs does 2 things:
-Allows for a natural segue way between introducing the bridal party and the bride/groom.
-Gives the bride/groom their own moment in the spotlight

If you only have 2-4 people in your bridal party, one track can work fine. Any more than that, we always recommend 2 songs. There have been a few clients who want to take it to the extreme in the other direction and have a different track for each person in the bridal party. Not only can that be tough for the DJ to juggle but the impact you’re trying make is going to be hard to achieve. The walk-in generally takes only 20-30 seconds which means that unless you’re doing custom edits or cueing to the hook of the song for every track, you may get just the intro of the song before the next one needs to start. Stick with the 2 song approach and you’ll create a smooth and memorable Grand Entrance.

This post wouldn’t be complete without some song recommendations. I’ve given you just a few song ideas below based on the specific themes I mentioned above (our complete list is reserved for our clients). We’re constantly updating our song suggestion list for formalities so be sure to e-mail us for the most recent list. In our next post, we’ll tackle the First Dance, Father/Daughter Dance, and Mother/Son Dance.

CLASSIC/FORMAL
At Last – Etta James
It Had To Be You – Harry Connick, Jr.
Jump Jive An’ Wail – Brian Setzer
Viva La Vida – Coldplay

CLASSIC ROCK
Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor
Rock & Roll Part 2 – Gary Glitter
Sirius – Alan Parsons Project
We Will Rock You – Queen

CURRENT TOP 40
Don’t Stop The Party – Pitbull
Let’s Go – Ne-Yo & Calvin Harris
Levels – Avicii
Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO
Turn Up The Music – Chris Brown

LAID BACK VIBE
Say Hey (I Love) – Michael Franti  & Spearhead
You Are The Best Thing – Ray Lamontagne

OLD SCHOOL
It Takes Two – Rob Base
Let’s Get Married (Remix) – Jagged Edge with Run DMC