by Betsy Fischer, M.Ed.
I am so loving “Female Entertainers Meet Up” (FEM) on Facebook. As I wrote recently for this blog, this informal group is a venue for female DJs to get to know each other and share ideas.
Now I’ve been in the Mobile DJ Industry for quite a few years, and thought that I knew all of the prominent female players. Girl, was I wrong!! Each time I go onto FEM, I have the opportunity to see new faces, and get to know more and more women in the industry.
FEM Instigator
One of the faces I constantly see there is Anna Huynh (pronounced “Win”) from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Along with our Publisher and Chief Scribe, Anna was the force behind the creation of the FEM group on Facebook. While attending a meeting of female DJs at the 2011 Mobile Beat Las Vegas Show, Anna stepped up to the plate and volunteered to create the site, and she has been an active contributor ever since.
Multi-Op Entrepreneur
That is not the only venture keeping her busy. Anna is the Owner/Director of Operations & Entertainment for Dancenhance Entertainment, a multi-op that specializes in the young adult market.
Her company performs everything from birthday parties to weddings to non-profit galas throughout Arkansas, Southern Missouri, and Eastern Oklahoma. In addition to providing DJ services, Dancenhance offers Karaoke, photobooths, face-painting, airbrush tattoos, flip books, balloon animals and “Pop Noggins.”
I asked Anna about the genesis of her company.
While I was in college at George Washington University in Washington, DC, I loved to hang out and go dancing with my friends. Many of the parties I attended weren’t that great so, instead of complaining, I decided I could do a better job than the promoters and the DJs.”
And that’s exactly what Anna did. Being such a young DJ was actually beneficial for her. Since she was a college student, it was easy for Anna to book gigs targeted to teens and college-aged kids.
The Dancenhance events were successful, hip, and trendy enough that we got the attention of bars and clubs. Once our brand became widely known, we were able to move into more community and corporate events.”
Being a female DJ, however, wasn’t necessarily a plus…at first.
Being female proposed a challenge initially, because most people just automatically envision the DJ as being male. When I first started, it was common for people to approach one of my male DJs and just assume that I was ‘with’ him.”
Now, Anna sees being female as a plus when it comes to dealing with her clients.
I feel that it is an asset to have a woman’s perspective, especially getting into the mindset of brides. In general, women make the majority of the buying decisions for entertainment. Being able to relate and communicate in a relational way builds trust quicker and helps make stronger connections.”
In addition to overseeing a team of 20 at Dancenhance Entertainment, Anna likes to DANCE during her free time. No surprise there. She loves playing video games and is a big fan of Role Playing Games and Dance Dance Revolution. She recently got to try out the Kinect Dance Central Game, and now plans to learn all the dances so she can do them at parties.
I personally can’t wait to see her dance, and look forward to meeting her face-to-face at this summer’s DJ Expo in Atlantic City. This will be Anna’s first time attending the DJ Expo, and I’m sure with all her experience and expertise running her full-service company, Anna will quickly become one of the prominent female players in our business.
Betsy Fischer, M.Ed. – Girls with Gigs
Betsy Fischer, M.Ed. is a DJ, Event Planner, Dance and Zumba Instructor, Choreographer and Entrepreneur.
She is the 2010 winner of the “Best New Dance” and runner up “Entertainer of the Year” at the “DJ of the Year” competition held at the International DJ Expo.
She is also the proud owner/operator of Betsy Fischer’s Groove Lounge, a dance and party venue located in southern NJ. Her mobile DJ business, Party Dancing with Betsy Fischer, LLC, entertains at a variety of events throughout NJ and PA.
Betsy is a member of NJDJN and NAME. She is a graduate of Rutgers University and is a NJ State Certified Elementary Teacher and a Teacher of the Handicapped. Betsy received her Master’s Degree from Temple University, where her studies focused on including handicapped children in the performing arts.
Betsy’s website is GrooveLounge.net and you can email her at [email protected].