by Mark Ashe
When I recently spent some time chatting with Adam Weitz, Executive Director of A Sharp Production, I had the chance to meet a man on a mission. This 2010 “DJ of the Year” contest winner comes from entertainment roots and has taken his natural born talent and passion to levels that few achieve.
A Hybrid Concept
Adam started his company in 1997. His concept was to provide both disc jockey and live musical entertainment plus lighting and backdrops. He designed A Sharp Production to “run itself.” Employees manage themselves, and are rewarded with both incentive programs and benefits for his full time staff. He describes himself as an “entertainer who learned how to DJ” – quite the opposite of most DJ profiles.
Adam’s company boasts a 6,500 square foot theatrical production studio that houses offices, warehouse and a recording studio. It is here that they have been showcasing their talent to prospective clients once a month since 2005.
Adam also has another division of his company called Options-Galore.com, which provides a vast array of entertainment enhancements. Over the years, the ever-changing market has forced some scaling back but has helped him evolve into the company he is today.
Are You An Entrepreneur or a Survivor?
This motivated industry leader can be spotted at most DJ conventions leading a seminar and sharing wisdom with fellow DJs. He brings up a great point about how there are two kinds of companies, the survivors and the entrepreneurs.
The entrepreneur has the passion and is usually the creator while the survivor companies follow because the competition does it, and most likely markets their offerings for less. In the end, there are no winners because the client is confused and the budget is not well spent, while the company takes a hit and has to compromise.
Find Your Inspiration
How do we inspire new talent is a question that entertainment companies will always face. Not everyone in this business is fortunate enough to come from a family of talent. Weitz feels it is very important to:
Find your personal inspiration and bring it to your event, no matter what role you are playing. The inspiration does not have to come from our industry, but from your heart. It is what makes you most happy and puts you in an awesome space. When you use positive feelings to motivate a great performance, it mentally gets you into the game.”
Our Industry’s Future
Weitz feels our industry will continue to become more automated and virtual, hand movement and less hardware will also play key roles. He suggests that DJs should continually market themselves and improve their websites. Good customer service will always outrank the less service oriented companies.
His own five year goal includes diversification. He just opened a new studio with a storefront where young artists can do professional recordings with a real audience setting. He has two dance school locations, two recording studios, a guitar store and teaches music lessons. Where does he get the time?
A Sharp Production is on a roll, and Adam Weitz is a man on a mission! What’s yours?
Mark Ashe – DJ Spotlights
Mark Ashe, owner of Marx Entertainment, has been producing events in MA and CT since 1979. The company offers disc jockey and video services as well as casino events and photo booth rentals.
Entertaining more than 100,000 people annually, past clients have included the President of the United States and numerous celebrities. Working alongside Xzibit, Mark’s DJ crew participated with the TV show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition to help a local family in need.
Mark was named one of America’s Top 10 Disc Jockeys in a nationwide competition. He was also spotlighted as one of America’s Top DJs in The Mobile DJ Handbook and The DJ Sales & Marketing Handbook by Stacy Zemon.
Mark has demonstrated his leadership several times as a guest panelist at the International DJ Expo. His articles have been published in Mobile Beat and DJ Times magazines, and the Wedding Day Sourcebook.
In 1993, he established the first mobile disc jockey school ever to be licensed by the MA Dept. of Education.
Mark is a member of both NAME and ADJA.
His website is MarxDJs.com and you can email him at [email protected].
