HOW DJS ENERGIZE CORPORATE EVENTS

In this episode, we’re talking with two of the best DJs in the live events industry: William Lifestyle and DJ Smalls. This episode takes you behind the turntables to understand how DJs energize corporate events. Think DJing is just picking songs from a playlist? These guys’ll give you a real appreciation for how a DJ can manage the energy in the room.

You can read the transcript below or listen to Episode 11 on the episode page, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

EPISODE 11 TRANSCRIPT

JEREMY: Alright, so I am here with two of the most interesting, smartest, exciting, funniest, and well-spoken DJs in the entertainment industry of live events, DJ Aaron Smalls and William Lifestyle. Thank you, guys, so much for both being here.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: Thank you so much for having us.

DJ SMALLS: Absolutely, there's a lot of adjectives you used there. I'm hoping to live up to those.

JEREMY: You only have to hit half of them, and Lifestyle hits the other half.

[EVERYONE LAUGHS]

I think DJing is such a mysterious world for most people. We see DJs, we have a sense of what they do, we get a feeling, we get a vibe, but it's like the Wizard of Oz. You don't know what's going on behind the curtain, so I'm really excited to talk to you guys and get a sense of what it is you do and how you do it.

I like to start these things off by just questioning the premise of what we're talking about. If I'm doing a corporate event, why do I need a DJ? I've got Spotify. I can make my own Spotify playlist. I bet if I go on Spotify right now and put in the search term “corporate event walk-in,” half a dozen playlists are going to come up that I can pick from.

What do I need you guys for? William Lifestyle, what do you think?

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: Yes, you're absolutely right. If you typed in those keywords, you could find something, but those playlists aren't made in the context of your actual event.

When you bring on a DJ, he becomes part of that pulse in the room. He can make a room go up, bring a room down, or tone the room down enough when a speaker's about to come through, where you don't want the energy extremely high. You just want it just enough so that the speaker has a platform where he could raise the bar up just a bit.

JEREMY: Okay, that makes sense. I want to put a pin on that. I want to come back to that, but first DJ Small, is there anything you would add to that?

DJ SMALLS: You want to set the right tone for the event from the jump. You never know where that playlist is going to start. The first song of that playlist may not necessarily match. There is this specific energy of what you need in that environment at that given point in time. That's the big part of having an actual person.

A DJ knows that he's capable of reading the energy. He's capable of reading that room, finding the right song to support the moment, and how to facilitate success at that particular event. A playlist is just going to run through and that's what you're going to get.

JEREMY: You've pretty much convinced me, and I’m a theater guy. I was thinking about this question that is, why even have the event in the first place? We could just record the CEO in a video, send it out, and that's the equivalent of a playlist.

If you want to have live people in a room that deal with each other, then it's different. If that's true, then what about a band? Why not have a live band? What does the DJ bring that a live band wouldn't bring?

DJ SMALLS: There are a number of things to consider between a band and a DJ. I’m going to preface this now, for all the bands that are out there.

[WILLIAM LAUGHS]

JEREMY: Here it comes.

DJ SMALLS: A band is one thing and a DJ's another thing. It really just depends on the client, what the client wants, and what they're trying to set up. There are a number of different factors, right? A band is a show. A band doesn't become a part of the show. It's the difference between watching a show on TV versus going to the actual theater.

When you're in the actual theater, you're right there where the performers are. You're feeling everything that's happening. You're seeing everything that's happening. If you want to just watch the show, then have a band, but when you have a DJ, there are a number of different factors of why it’s better.

The bands typically have a set list that they're going off. They're going to modify it, and the number of songs that they know and are prepared to play is far less than what a DJ is capable of playing. I'm not saying a DJ is a jukebox and we've got everything.

[WILLIAM LAUGHS]

We can play anything and everything at any given moment, but there's just more variety that a DJ can have.

The last bullet I'll pin in there is engagement. Why have an event if you're not going to engage the people? That's what makes William and I so great. We engage our audience. There's an emotional connection that comes from what we do. There's an authenticity that I, as a hybrid DJ MC, will put against any band leader. I fear for them.

[JEREMY & WILLIAM LAUGH]

JEREMY: Now I fear for them too, all of a sudden. Well said. William, tell me about the difference between playing for the general public and playing for a corporate audience.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: It's completely different because when you do a club event, you have free reign. You walk into this room and have an opener, the majority of the time. He or she creates some type of environment that creates the mood. When you come on, especially in the headliner position which both of us normally do when we do play out in club venues, our job is to curate the crowd that you have in front.

You have free reign as far as all genres of music. Everything doesn't have to be catered more toward the clean versions of records. You have so many other factors. All corporate events aren't alcohol-fueled. When you're doing club events, you have the variables of people that should be in there and ones that shouldn’t be in there. From a corporate standpoint, everyone that's in front of you has already been vetted to a certain extent. They are part of this moment. They're part of this episode in our journey together.

As far as entertaining goes, when you go to a club, you have no idea what you're walking into and you have to be ready for it, like if there is a birthday. You can have the GM that comes up to you and says, “In 10 seconds, you need to switch this song up. We're going to have fireworks. You need to give like this birthday, shout out.” I hate doing that, for the most part, because it throws off the flow of your events. No one seems to really care at that moment. It's just about having that nostalgic moment for that individual because they bought X, Y, and Z number of bottles.

When you go to a corporate event, you have a previous conversation. Everything that you're going to play is clean edits, no curse words, and you have your breaking points. If you're playing a 90-minute set, have two product callouts, and have one introduction to someone from your senior leadership team, you have those three bullet points.

When you go in there, you have your timeframes. When you're in a club, that thing can pop up every 10 minutes or every 5 minutes. It's so different. Normal clubs are way more stressful than doing corporate events because it is structured versus non-structure.

DJ SMALLS: This is a quick story. I met William through DJing for T-Mobile, and we're doing this chore. It's one of the most fun, challenging tours that I've ever done because it's 16 cities that get split between the two of us. Within the past couple of years, it's bumped up to 18.

We're splitting these different cities, and in these different cities, you're playing from places like Alabama to Tampa to Oakland to Maine. The genre of music and what actually works with that crowd is completely different in each one of those different markets.

When you're playing in a club type of environment, the people are there too, so you can play and party. That's what you can do, and you control it. When you get to certain corporate events, like T-Mobile for instance, there's a certain section that we essentially start to play, and we start to throw this party.

When I first started, I'd never been so emasculated doing an event because I did two of them, and within 20 minutes, everyone was gone.

[WILLIAM LAUGHS]

I was like, “I don't understand what's happening. I throw parties. I do this for a living. Why are they all leaving?” For me, I learned that I have to go in with all of the hottest, heaviest-hitting songs right from the jump to get people to stay there because they're not used to this.

Sometimes the events are during the week. They got to go home. They're not really drinking because they drive. With a club set, you're ready for the party and can play almost anything. These people are wired up, and there's an arc to the night.

Corporate events versus club deals, they're very different. You've got people that can do both. A corporate DJ or a club DJ are terrified to do the opposite type of gig because it's just not in their wheelhouse, but that's one of the things that makes both William and I so great at what we do. We have that versatility.

JEREMY: That's really interesting. I wonder if either of you have an example of the opposite. In other words, you're talking about a time when you know how to manage this energy. You're playing the songs the way you want, and it doesn't work. They're not into it. You've gauged it wrong, and they leave.

Can you give me an example where it went the other way? You may have thought that an idea might have been the wrong idea but were surprised to see that they were actually going for it.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: I thought you were going to ask if it didn't work. I was going to say that I got that story all day.

[WILLIAM LAUGHS]

JEREMY: I'll take that. I'll take that one too.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: That one is actually easier to say.

JEREMY: Let’s hear one where it didn't work.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: I was playing at a massive club in Las Vegas. I had a residency for two years there. It was fully packed with about 700-900 people every night. Everything is good and I’m working on this ideal set. I know there are a couple of birthdays. I know there are a couple of spenders and there are a ton of celebrities in there.

I’m going there with confidence and a clear head with my partner. We go into the booth, and we light it up. Everything is going great for the first 20-30 minutes, or so.

Then there was a flip of the switch. We have this birthday here. We're in a full-on hip-hop set at this moment, and everyone's getting up for it. Then I’m told to play Bon Jovi. I'm like, “That's not going to sound right. Let me see what I can do.”

Next thing you know, they say, “No, play this hip-hop record.” Then we try to go back to hip hop and then I do that. Then the manager comes up and says, “I don't like what you're playing. There’s not enough energy.” I'm like, “Oh, I just played for this.” Then the manager says, “Oh, now you're talking back? You know what? We don't want you on right now. We're going to take you off.” Then I literally got taken off the stage. If you want to talk about humiliating and emasculating, this is what that was.

JEREMY: What about Aaron?

DJ SMALLS: I'm opening for DJ Nasty, and DJ Nasty is opening for Pit Bull. I've never done an opening set before.

[WILLIAM LAUGHS]

As a DJ, doing an opening set is probably one of the hardest things to do because you're not playing any of the mainstream songs, but you still have to get the energy levels up.

I've never opened before and there's a sea of 5,000-7,000+ people. I'm thinking this is going to be great. I'm feeling like I'm a gladiator and everyone's going to know my name. I'm going in as the headliner. Probably four minutes into the set, the photographer for DJ Nasty comes over and he says, “Yo, ease up. You're starting to piss off DJ Nasty.” I ask, “What's the deal?” He says, “You're going too hard.”

My heart's racing at this point because this is my first time. I think about getting fired or if I’m ever going to DJ again.

JEREMY: You're opening so you can't play certain songs. How spoken or unspoken is that? Do you have a list of what you can and can't play or are you just supposed to know what's appropriate?

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: I love this question. This is like the school of music etiquette. There are 10 songs that are on the radio, right? Let's say you're playing a hip-hop set at a popular club that you're a patron for. Today you get to bless them on stage, but you're the opener, and those 10 songs that you know all the words to are currently on the radio. Forget those. You have no business knowing those. They better not show up in your prepare folder. They better not even come to your thought.

You need to stick with things from five years back and older, but then there are certain older songs that are so nostalgic that you also have to stay away from them. If you're the opener, Whitney Houston or Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ by Michael Jackson better not come.

[JEREMY LAUGHS]

JEREMY: Is this just in case the headliner might want to use those songs?

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: Those songs generate so much energy. Those songs are going to touch everyone in the crowd, whether they're old, white, black, or whatever. Everyone knows those. It's going to have this heightened moment where the DJ's going to have this pinnacle point where they turn the music off and let the crowd take over. The whole crowd is going to sing it. Everyone's going to be in unison. You can't cheat the headliner out of that.

Now, as the opener, you warm them up to that. You don't play Whitney's greatest hit. You may play her sixth song if you feel like you want to. You don't play Bruno Mar's biggest record. You go eight back, maybe six back, depending on your environment. Play the second-tier records from those artists. Your job is to create a soft landing for when the headliner arrives.

He just plugs, you guys shake hands, you walk off, and he gets to steal the show with no concerns. He or she gets to take off.

JEREMY: So interesting.

DJ SMALLS: Yeah, it all comes down to the energy of the room. You're the opener and you've got a headliner coming up. The headliner is the most exciting part of this roller coaster ride, so that's what you're getting them set up for.

If the energy scale goes from one to ten, get them to a five, maybe a six, but then you level it down because anything that comes out at a constant becomes monotone. Anything that comes out at a constant three becomes monotone.

That's all about that energy, taking it up and down, giving it the twist, letting it pause, and letting it breathe at certain times.

JEREMY: That's what I think is so interesting. People don't really get that about what you guys do. Music, in a way, is not the end result. Music is the tool. What you're really doing is manipulating the energy, whereas with a playlist music is it.

I do want to bring things back to the corporate world. You were saying one of the problems with the playlist is that it isn't going to be brand specific. If you guys get gigs for a brand that you don't know well, what do you need to do to learn it? Before you get in front of that crowd of a couple of thousand people, what do you want to know?

What do you want the agency or event producers to tell you so that you are well-prepared for your audience?

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: That's actually a fantastic question. As you get hired as a talent, a lot of times people don't tell you. They just assume that since you’re a DJ, you're just going to walk in press play. That's an element of it, but there's preparation beforehand.

If you want to book me for this event and I'm not familiar with the brand. It's going to be in my best interest, whether my agent or myself reaches out and asks, “What's the environment? What's the timeframe? Are we on a rooftop? Are we in a dark enclosed environment? Is this predominantly male or female? Is this something pertaining to a fashion event versus a speaking engagement?”

You have to reach out and do your due diligence because that's only going to allow you, as the talent, to provide a better experience for the client. A lot of times I do get the opportunity of getting booked by other corporate entities that I am not necessarily familiar with, as far as their brand and their brand environment.

I'll go online or to their Instagram, I'll see what type of genres of music they play, see the type of pictures that they utilize, and see the type of people that they'll showcase. From that, you can like to build your own narrative of what the brand is based upon.

Then, specifically, I'll go to the brand's website, go to their photo galleries, and look at previous events to see any kind of path that they took or executed. Then, most importantly, I'll ask the agency that's booking me, “What's the type of environment that you guys are going for? What's the end goal of this evening?”

DJ SMALLS: It's the preparation of knowing that brand and knowing that client. Is that brand edgier? Are they more laid back? Knowing those types of things creates an arsenal for us to prepare what we may or may not play by now knowing the potential clientele that's going to be at that event.

Right now, Running Up That Hill is really popular, but if this is much more of a black crowd, Running Up That Hill may not work, as well as something like a cameo song.

[WILLIAM LAUGHS]

It just kind of depends on that crowd. Your baseline of preparation is what you're going to default to when things don't go that well.

When you've got technical issues happening because someone didn't spend enough money on the equipment, the heat is starting to warm up your equipment so it's starting to glitch, someone’s saying that we need to move this timeline, or someone else says to slow things down, knowing the brand is going to help you create a baseline.

It's that preparation to get us game day ready. It's like we are an NFL team and meeting in the locker room to watch game day tape for the next team that we're about to play. Maybe this is a running team versus the team we played last week which was a passing team. You got to be able to switch up how you're doing that. That is very much a part of the brand. That's why we are so good at what we do versus Steve in marketing who’s messing up your event because Steve is a marketer. He is not a DJ.

JEREMY: I love that analogy of the game day tape. That really brought it home for me. You were talking about technology failures happening. Think back to the stereotypical, two-turntables and a microphone. Back in the day, they couldn't have imagined that one day people would be DJing without vinyl.

What's the next step? Is there a technology jump for DJing?

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: I've seen some really cool things. When I do play on turntables, you got to have needles. That's the tip that hits the record and makes the music come to life. I've seen a new development where it's actually just like a little box that you put on the middle of your record, and you could spin it. You can even lift the record up. It doesn't even have to be on the turntable. You could use your hand through the whole experience and it still scratches.

JEREMY: Aaron, did you have any other technology besides that one that you wanted to mention?

DJ SMALLS: One of the technologies that I use, it's older, but I love it. I do a lot of audience warmup work for different TV shows, and often I'll use music to interact and engage with the crowd. The DJ setup is often behind the audience, so I'll use a program called Serato Remote. Over a wireless connection, I can remote control my DJ setup from my iPad, so I can hit a lot of the different samples that I have saved in there. I can also play certain songs that I have saved. I can trigger different effects now. It's very limited.

It's nowhere near as good as me actually being on my actual DJ setup, but it's a pretty cool technology that allows me to be more remote than being actually there on my deck. I think that's a really cool technology. Just because we have this technology, it does not mean that we, the DJs, are technology. We're not a jukebox. We don't have every song you can possibly imagine. We can't just pull it off of YouTube. We can't just plug in your phone and play it. There are a lot of other things and other factors that go into it.

While the accessibility of music and these digital music pools are coming to our fingertips, it's still not where it needs to be in order for us to do everything that we want to.

BETHANY: This is behind the scenes Bethany breaking in with a fact check. There are several reasons why DJs don't play music that is not already in their collections, including music copyright, internet, bandwidth issues, restrictions within DJ software, and more.

JEREMY: In addition to the technology, Aaron, you were talking before about some of the things you've done in addition to DJing. Are there things that a DJ can bring to an event as either the DJ or an addition to being a DJ that adds value to the event?

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: It's the ability to go beyond the music and that's from engagement, doing crowd response moments, and from talking with the event that you're partaking in. There are times when we work with Proscenium that make you ask, what do you think about this? Then you really get to put your own personal touch into the event like being put by the bar versus being put away from the bar, having suggestions, and conversations.

DJ SMALLS: You’re hitting it dead on the head there. There are things that you may not think about that we are thinking about. Will was talking about the placement of where we are. If there are two different setups and we're going to move from one area to another area. We can tell you that this is what we would need to be able to go from one place to the next.

Being able to help you produce the event and to see things that you can't necessarily see as the event production company are things that we can do as talent.

JEREMY: When do you like to be brought into the process? I would imagine that some of the things you're talking about have shown up at an event, and those decisions have already been made so it's too late. For instance, if anybody had asked you, you could have told them that this isn't going to work, and I should be over there. On the other hand, sometimes we might feel like we're not going to bring these guys into a production meeting. You’re the talent and they don't want to be talking about this stuff in the meeting. What do you prefer? What would you like?

DJ SMALLS: I think it kind of varies, and I think being able to bring us in a little early to show what the layout looks like. You send us some of the files, we look at them, and let you know that's where we can offer our feedback. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes it doesn't.

I don't think, as a production company, I would expect it from the talent, but I would still offer it up to them if they want to provide their feedback on it. That's including an extension of you and of the brand, which we're representing. We're not just representing you, the production company. We're also representing the client that you are putting this event together for.

Having some of that insight is helpful, and it's also something that can help us prepare for the event. I'm always preparing for things that could go wrong, not so much about how things can go.

Coming back to the original question about what else a DJ can add. The DJ can be the MC of the event. They can host the event. They can be the way finder and come back later on to another set. It encourages the sale of things. Don't forget guys right outside the door. We've got X, Y, and Z books about how to be a better event marketer that is selling; make sure you stop by and check that out.

You have a host that is like an event planner by helping to keep things on a specific timeline. They can say things like, “This is what we have as a timeline, and based on my experience, I don't think we should do this next. You're going to completely kill the energy in the room, and the energy and vibe are really good. What can we move around?” Be a cohost or a sidekick.

If you're the DJ and there's a host on the stage, something could go wrong technically. You can jump on the microphone, be there to play music or provide certain sound effects that add to the event, in addition to walk-off tracks or intro & outro music.

There are a number of other elements besides the play button, as William mentioned. There are so many people that think that we're going to show up and hit play. I've heard that before. I don't know if you've heard that before, William, but they're like, “Do you have your playlist together for tonight?” I'm like, “I got some songs, but I'm not running off of a playlist.”

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: That's the funny thing. A lot of times people use that. It's such a generic phrase, but it's a misunderstanding with thinking everyone has a playlist. The playlist is not of the same caliber of a playlist that you're thinking of or of what a non-DJ is thinking.

When a DJ has a playlist, we have certain songs that are going to work. These five songs for a clean corporate pop, fun, hip-hop set are going to work. I'm not playing them in that order. This is just a quick go-and-grab. This is just to help. When you pull those out, whether you get in a jam or a brain fart moment, you know that these are going to work right now. These are just tools to help make you move along faster.

JEREMY: I really do feel like I'm getting this peak behind the curtain. I love it.

I'd love to move on to our Lightning Round.

[AUDIBLE THUNDER]

The first question is, who's your biggest get? A speaker, entertainer, or subject matter expert that you would either love to see at a live event or someone who you would love to coach.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: He's actually an author and a motivational, public speaker. Jay Shetty is an incredible talent with great motivation. His relationship with him and his wife is beautiful to see on social media. I would love to actually see him do one of his presentations or one of his shows.

JEREMY: Very nice. We will link to that in the show notes. DJ Smalls, how about you? Whom would you love to see?

DJ SMALLS: If I had to pick one, I would go with David Goggins, the Navy seal.

He's like an ultra-marathon runner. He's incredible. His mindset, where he can put his mind, and separate it from his physical being is insane. He runs like these a hundred-mile marathons by himself with broken ankles and finishes the race. He does incredible, crazy things. To tap into his mindset, I think would be fascinating.

JEREMY: Second question, what is one thing you wish presenters did more of or less of?

DJ SMALLS: If there's a DJ along with them, I think prepping the DJ to play something or to have a cue ready versus them hitting a track would be magical. We could have the perfect song ready to go without any kind of a setup, almost like a hint of what they're alluding to. If it's not scripted or it's not something that we've rehearsed, then it could be a setup of what they're alluding to. They talk with a little bit of coverage, and then we can give them that head nod. After that, they can throw it at us. It just makes it more seamless.

JEREMY: That's great advice.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: That is good.

DJ SMALLS: If it's just them and there's another host or an MC that's introducing them. If the host or the MC brings you out at a seven or an eight, don't come out and drop the energy immediately back down to a three.

[JEREMY LAUGHS]

Ride that wave a little bit, and then you can ring it back down into what you're doing.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: I really agree with both of those, especially your second point of you bringing them out on an eight to a 10 and then they walk on stage to hit you with that three. They hit you with the three with that subtle question, “Is everyone having a good time?” It's like I had you at the Super Bowl and now you’re at the water station.

DJ SMALLS: It’s like we're at the Super Bowl, with the ball right at the end zone with seconds left on the clock, and you're like, “I'm going to bring it to an adult concert. Let's calm it down.”

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: When you're in a corporate event and have a public outing where there is a speaker element, there is a DJ and there are people that normally don't go out on a normal occasion, so this is their time to shine. This is their one moment when they have their nannies and all their affairs in order. They really just want to go out and experience this evening. Say it's two to three hours, you got to give them everything you got for those two to three hours.

JEREMY: That's such a nice way of putting it, Will. I don't think people are thinking that you're really there for them. This is a special night for them, for whatever reason, and you're there to give them the best time you can give them. You are experts at managing energy. The way you're talking about the presenter giving you this energy at an eight and you come in with a three, they don't even see that. They don't even know it. They don't even realize it. It's in your blood. You feel it, and you want to give them that magic night that they'll always remember. That's really beautiful.

Alright, one last question, what is something, could be a book, a movie, a song, whatever you like, that was a big influence on you and particularly, if possible, influenced your professional career?

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: Free Prize Inside: The Next Big Marketing Idea by Seth Gooden. I read that book. It pretty much gives a breakdown of the cracker jack cracker.

The cracker jacks were a cheap treat that had an even cheaper prize inside, but you were so excited to get that little bullshit sticker. It was some paper that was never anything you could play with it. It was only going to last for maybe 30 minutes of your life, but you were so excited.

The way that they position that little box of popcorn is the way that I like to position myself when you come into a room for me. The room is the popcorn box. What I get to give you is that prize inside. You don't know what it is. You're not sure if it's going to be big or small, but you have so much excitement about it. That's what I try to give you, that free prize inside.

JEREMY: I love that. I love that metaphor. He's such a genius. I don't know if you read his daily blog, but he's incredible. He has had a blog every single day for like 10 years or something. It's like thousands of blogs. We will link to that in the show notes.

Aaron, how about you?

DJ SMALLS: Hook is probably my favorite movie of all time. Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, and J.M. Barry are known as the creator of Peter Pan. That's how most people know him. J.M. Barry has a quote, “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” It's just about believing in yourself. Believe that you, your thoughts, words have value, and the service that you're providing to the clientele has value.

The entertainment industry is just such a big thing. There are more no’s than Pinocchio. That's a wordplay. You'll figure that out later. There's a lot of rejection in there. There's a lot of self-doubt that comes in. There's a lot of imposter syndrome that can come in at different times. Believe that you have this value and that you're going to take these people to an incredibly magical place, even if it's just for 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 2 hours.

I think it's an incredible feeling, and whenever I feel any kind of those negative, limiting beliefs, fears, or self-doubt, I think about that quote. I think about the additional part of it, “What if I fall, but what if I fly?” I think that's the incredible part of what we do. That has helped me a lot.

JEREMY: That's really lovely and it's magic. What you guys make is magic. I can't thank you guys enough. You've been so generous with your time and really being so open and honest. I did not come into this thinking that a playlist was better than a DJ, but now I can't imagine ever going back. You've really shown me what you're dealing with on a technical level, production level, music level, a more spiritual level, and sort of an energy level.

We talk about bringing it to them at every moment. It's not just when the CEO walks on stage, it's from every moment. You guys play a really big part in that, so thank you so much for doing this.

WILLIAM LIFESTYLE: It was an absolute pleasure being here. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for having us.

DJ SMALLS: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for having us on here.

JEREMY: Well, getting to talk with William Lifestyle and DJ Smalls about how DJs energize events was so great. For me, there were tons of takeaways, but these are the four tops.

                    • Number four, DJs need to understand the audience and the brand so they can have a baseline of go-to songs that they know will work.

                    • Number three, DJs can completely tailor what they play to suit, not only the crowd but the moment.

                    • Number two, DJs are looking at the event as the talent, and you should give them the opportunity to collaborate with you early in the process because they                              have a different perspective and might think of things that you might miss.

                    • Number one, DJs can control the energy in the room and engage with the audience in a way that a playlist or a band simply cannot.

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