My Latest Episode of STAGES: Senior Year Episode 2

The Senior Year Season of "STAGES" is here!

Premiering 3 years ago (when the Class of 2013 were just Freshmen), STAGES has documented the stories of the acclaimed Music Theatre program at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio (Just outside Cleveland) headed by Program Director Victoria Bussert.  BWU music theatre students are some of the most talented and elite performers in the country, many of whom go on to perform in Broadway productions.


In this episode, auditions and call-backs for the Fall musical "Follies" are heating up with more vocal auditions and an intense dance call.  Finally the casting results are posted at midnight  - a BW tradition that can be nerve-wracking and exciting all at the same time.

One is the Loneliest Number

Lonely DJ in search of gig companionship. Must enjoy sharing stale deli tray vendor meals and long walks along loading docks and freight elevators. 

Just kidding.

But for me sometimes, DJing is a lonely business. It takes a village to raise a great event, but as a solo DJ, my "village" can feel pretty pitiful with a population of 1.

 Most weekends I sing in The Avenue, one of the very busy special event dance bands at Jerry Bruno Productions, the multi-op I work for here in Cleveland. I've been in a band since I was a kid and bands are like little gangs. Us against the world.  There's a feeling of camaraderie, of common purpose in a band that I find myself missing when I'm DJing an event. The Avenue is a group of 10 musicians and 1 Sound Tech working together in harmony (literally) for a common goal. We ultimately sink or swim together and there is a creative comfort in that. We can discuss musical ideas and support each other.

Click here for the full article at MobileBeat.com

Acting Up by Geoff Short

I do so much acting at special events, I should win an Academy Award.

I'm a shy person. Whenever I say this, people who know my history of performing look at me like I'm crazy. How can someone who performs in front of hundreds of people every week be shy? But it's true. I'm not the kind of person who will readily walk up to strangers and start a conversation. I think many performers are shy to some extent. It's easier for me to sing a song in front of 200 people than it is to have a real conversation with just one. When I'm singing, the words I'm singing have already been prepared for me by someone else. When I'm acting on stage, the person I'm supposed to be and the situation I'm supposed to be in have already been created for me. I can live comfortably in that alternate reality moment. I don't feel any of the awkwardness that creeps in in unfamiliar social situations as the "real" me.

Click here for the full article on MobileBeat.com

Amazing Photo Compilation of The Avenue!

A compilation of some incredible shots of The Avenue from our August 25th,2012 wedding reception at The Ritz-Carlton.  Photos by New Image Photography.

Cool Dance Floor Images from a Recent DJ Gig!

A quick fun look at my DJ lighting rig that created some cool dance floor images from a recent wedding reception I DJ's for at Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

DJ Geoff Short Gig Log 7-13-12

My latest DJ Gig Log video!  A gig on Friday the 13th when a little divine intervention is never a bad thing!

The Importance of Partying

by Geoff Short

Never trust a skinny cook.

Well I've never been skinny a day in my life and my culinary skills consist of ordering at a drive-thru.  But I'm an expert eater and I also know a thing or two about partying and let's face it, when it comes to mixing (pun intended) the ingredients for a great party, we DJs are the cooks.  But sometimes we get so busy cooking up amazing entertainment in our own proverbial kitchens that we forget how nice it is to actually eat. If we never let our hair down I think we can lose perspective on what being a guest at a great party feels like.  So, I would like to suggest that we have to fight for our right to party!  Call it market research, field study, whatever.  I mean, we owe it to our clients don't we?

To read the full article on MobileBeat.com click here

It's Not My Problem!

by Geoff Short

I remember it like it was yesterday.  One of the biggest screw ups of my life.  I was one week away from being married. My soon-to-be-wife Lisa and I were living in California at the time, but our wedding was happening in Cleveland where our families live and where I grew up.  Because of work schedules, Lisa left for Cleveland a few days before I did.  I was organizing a few last minute things the night before I was to go to the airport.  I made sure I had my plane tickets and thought I would double check what time my flight was. That's when my world went black. My plane - the very one that was to carry me to wed my beloved - departed over 12 hours ago!!  For some reason I had it in my mind that my flight was the next day.  Nope.  Panic.  As stupid as that was, I was smart enough to call the airline, plead my case and beg for the next flight to Cleveland - before calling Lisa, who was probably expecting me to be landing in Ohio by now.  It worked.  It only cost me $50 to change the flight to the next morning (I would have sold my first born kid to get on a plane)  and now I had a solution before breaking the news to my fiance.  No, she still wasn't thrilled and still called me an idiot, but at least I had a solution.  Can you imagine if I hadn't? She surely would have thought this lame "missed flight" story (true though it was) was a cover for the worst case of cold feet in the world.  I learned a very valuable lesson that day...

Solve the problem before you make it someone else's problem.

To read the full article on MobileBeat.com click here

You've Never DJ'd Before

by Geoff Short

As I write this, we are probably over the half way point of the busy Summer wedding season.  For those who have created great entertainment at a lot of different events over the last couple months, it's right about this time that a DJs energy and enthusiasm can be in short supply.  The usually sharp edges of precision and accuracy can feel  dulled by habits and complacency and the spark of creativity can grow dim under the shadow of boredom.  If you let it.   To succumb to DFABS (DJ Fatigue and Boredom Syndrome, a disorder I just made up) is to invite in nasty things like bad reviews, diminished referrals, empty dance floors, disappointed brides and grooms and probably worst of all, disillusion with DJing in general.    Much like a marathon runner who must go beyond her depleted physical ability and plumb her psyche for the strength to dig deep and win the race, DJs must also dig deep and make every event a winner.

Of course that's easier said than done.

To read the full article on MobileBeat.com click here

HOW OLD IS OLD?

Being a DJ who is well into his 40′s I’ve been feeling the need to defend reception “guests of age” lately. I hear it all the time when I’m consulting with wedding clients (many of whom seem young enough to be my own kids) atJerry Bruno Productions. “A lot of our guests will be older. You know…in their 40′s, 50′s & 60′s. So please be sure to play some stuff for them, like Big Band music and Frank Sinatra stuff.”

Gulp.

Attention young brides and grooms….”old” people ain’t so old. It’s more a matter of you being so young! I mean, what kind of one-foot-in-the-grave, granny knitting in a rocking chair, old fart-type stuff do you think your “older” guests are into?

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE AT MOBILEBEAT.COM

THE HELP

Sometimes when I’m DJing an event, I suffer from a bit of an identity crisis. It usually happens somewhere between the time somebody’s Grandpa mistakes me for the valet and tosses his keys to me and the Assistant Catering Manager shoves a tray full of appetizers in my hand and barks at me to get moving and stop hanging around the DJ booth. When this happens I have to fight the urge to scream “I’m the damn DJ! You know…the one that is going to control the most important aspect of this entire shindig? PARK YOUR OWN DAMN CAR!!”

All due respect goes to valets and servers and every other super hero disguised as a special event worker. They are the miracle workers who make these three ring circuses possible. And they are friends and colleagues. I am one of them. I AM the hired help. So why do I get so bent out of shape when I feel treated that way? I don’t want or need to be treated any better than any other worker hired for a given event. It would just be nice if we ALL felt appreciated and respected all the time. But we all know Utopia doesn’t really exist.

Have you ever felt disrespected by clients, guests or other vendors at an event?

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE AT MOBILEBEAT.COM

WHAT I DO WRONG

Sometimes it seems like our DJ blogs and articles are bursting with so many ”expert” DJs clamoring to impart wisdom to the huddled masses of less experienced DJs, one might wonder who exactly we’re imparting all this wisdom to.  Teachers teaching teachers, all looking for students. Put your ear to the average DJ blog and, like that creepy “voice of the sea” seashell from those cruise line commercials imploring strangers to “swim in me” or whatever,  you can almost hear the cries of multitudes of DJs who clearly didn’t get enough attention as children. Oceans of forums and lifetimes of videos scream “notice me!” through their advice and tips.  Of course, I count myself among them…you….us.  Take a look at my body of work for Mobile Beat and it’s clear that I also must think my experience and/or opinion is worthy of…..I don’t know…being worthy, I guess.  I mean, I just used the phrase “my body of work” in reference to my own DJ articles. Who am I? Shakespeare?

So in the spirit of trying to deflate my head a bit and to encourage some of you other know-it-alls out there (you know who you are) to do the same, I have a confession. I screw things up sometimes. I really can get tired of hearing my own voice talking about all the things (I think) I do right.   So now – with tail tucked firmly between legs – I present just a few of the things I know I do wrong.  Hopefully to save other DJs from fumbling in my footsteps.  But certainly to try and fix some of this crap myself!

CLICK HERE FOR THE WHOLE ARTICLE AT MOBILEBEAT.COM

A Video Look at "Ragtime" at Near West Theatre

I am so proud to be a part of this amazing production of "Ragtime" at Near West Theatre.  I am playing Coalhouse Walker, Jr. and we open May 4th, 2012 and run for three weeks!  Don't miss it! Here is a video I produced looking at our production.

A Video Look at "Ragtime" at Near West Theatre

Tune Into the Crossfader Show! I'll be a Guest!!

I'm really excited to be a guest on this episode of the great DJ internet talk show, The Crossfader Show! Tune in Monday April 23rd at 12pm PST...We'll be talking about the meaty subject of race and culture as it pertains to the DJ entertainment business and dealing with clients of different cultures. I met Jose and some of the team at Mobile Beat Las Vegas and have been a fan of the Crossfader Show for a long time. Click the event link below and Tune in!

https://www.facebook.com/events/154225374704912/

My new Promo Video for B-W's 2012 Music Theatre Showcase!

Check out this promo piece I put together for the Baldwin-Wallace College Music Theatre Class of 2012 Showcase! If you get a chance check out these amazing performers on their way to Broadway! April 9th at B-W! April 16th & 17th in New York!

Theory of Evolution (by Geoff Short for MobileBeat.com)

What is the evolution of DJing? I’m not talking about gear. We all know the hardware and software we use is obsolete the second we hit the power button.
I’m talking about how being a special event entertainer and MC will evolve. Or…will it?

I think it’s inevitable. We’re in the entertainment business and entertainment continually evolves. HD movies in 3-D, virtual reality gaming, interactive TV on demand. Entertainment is not like other businesses that are created and grow in large part according to the demands of the market. If people want bigger SUVs the automobile industry cranks them out. Consumers want cheap goods and the convenience of one-stop shopping so Walmart is the biggest retailer in the country.

Read the full article on MobileBeat.com by clicking here

One of my latest articles for Mobile Beat Online: The Moral Dilemma

I have the pleasure of working with a lot of different DJs here at Jerry Bruno Productions in Cleveland. On a couple of occasions I’ve heard of DJs who wouldn’t take a job because of a personal moral conflict with something to do with that particular client. Has the job of turning a profit for your DJ business ever been at odds with your personal moral code?

Those of us in the entertainment industry have never been accused of being pantheons of morality. Yet, the people I’ve met in the DJ community are some of the most caring and respectable people anywhere. Still, I’m sure at some point we all have accepted or performed at a gig that might have been for a respectable (or at least legal) organization that, for some reason didn’t quite line up with our personal ethics.

Read the full story on MobileBeat.com by clicking here

Pedro Playing Jeopardy.

On the Dance Floor!

Some great shots courtesy of Genevieve Nisly Photography from The Avenue performance at the Garber/Grossman wedding at the Old Courthouse in Cleveland.

I HAVE to get on the dance floor!

I love how happy the bride looks in this picture!

Storymix in Las Vegas!

Scott E Jones and I used Storymix while in Vegas at the Mobile Beat Show. If you don't know about Storymix, check them out online at www.storymixmedia.com. It's a fun inexpensive "NOVELTY" service for Brides & Grooms. Its a novelty type video service your GUESTS can use - kind of like putting disposable cameras on tables (NOT meant to replace any professional service at all). Guests can download the app on their phones - shoot short vid clips during the reception and upload them to the service. Then the service sends an edited version to the client! We tried it out in Vegas...