Hello to all. My name is Jason Lee and I am a wedding and Mitzvah DJ/MC. I have been in the industry for over a decade now. On average, I do about 80 weddings a year. Before I start, I just want to say, I am in no way a storyteller. I am not even a writer (please excuse my grammar and my lack of sophisticated vocabulary). I apologize if it feels like my posts ramble on. The point is to just dump all my emotions and write as things come into my head. This is one of the last things I ever saw myself doing.
It all started when I was 13 years old. As a Jewish kid, I had a lot of Jewish friends. 7th grade was the year we all started getting Bar/Bat Mitzvah’d. I always had a blast seeing all my friends, dancing, and playing games at their parties. It just seemed so cool to be the MC out in the crowd with us. The DJ playing music just jamming, mixing tracks, and having a good time in the booth. When it came time for my Bar Mitzvah, I had a less than stellar experience. The MC came in late, with a black eye, bad attitude, and none of my important songs. We had to sit with him while he was on LimeWire downloading all of my music at the beginning of my party. This experience is what set me forth on my journey to becoming a DJ. I didn’t want other kids to experience the same treatment that I got from my Bar Mitzvah.
A few years later, I got the gear. A couple Mackies, a Numark Mixdeck, a mixer, and a couple of cheap lights. I started doing Mitzvah’s for some friends and family for very cheap and then the word of mouth was my marketing. Over the years, my name gained momentum and I am glad that now I can say being a DJ is my full-time job.
I love my job! Sometimes it can be a lot and it takes all your weekends. It’s a sacrifice. It’s hard to meet up with friends who work regular work week hours and have off on the weekends. Sometimes you miss other big events that your friends and family are having. You have contracts to fulfill, and you need 2 years notice for any date you need to take off. But, in the end, when you see a bride and groom smiling, singing, and dancing on the dance floor or a Bar/Bat Mitzvah boy or girl and all their friends following you in a line dance or playing games having a great time, it all feels worth it. These are the once in a lifetime events that you get to be a part of. You get to help make their dreams come to life. You help them make memories that will last a lifetime. That really gives me that very special feeling in my heart knowing that I am able to be part of such joyous occasions. With the scary world we live in now, it is nice to be able to forget about all of it for 6 hours a day on the weekends and just focus on those happy moments in life and experience it with my clients.
Not all these moments are going to be great ones. There are some clients that are very difficult. There will vendors and venues that will make your job a living hell. There are sometimes I will personally mess up. Nobody’s perfect. However, I take imperfections like these very personally and I get caught up in my emotions sometimes. I get disappointed in myself and struggle for days. I wouldn’t be able to do it without my very supportive wife. She helps get me out of my head when the dark days come and gets excited for me when I have great days! It is very difficult to balance other aspects of life in this line of work. But she has been understanding and has stood by my side through it all, the good and the bad.
So why am I starting a blog? It’s because of the bad days.
Those bad days that I have, is the reason why I started this blog. I wanted a way that I can vent and tell my truth. I wanted a way to channel all those negative emotions into something productive rather than lying in bed sulking about my screw ups or the awful people I have to work with. I hope that this will also help me relive the good days. I don’t want to just remember the bad times. I want to write about the good times as well on my blog. I wanted a place where I can put all my pure emotions out for people like you to read.
For the new DJs out there, I want you to learn from my stories that there are amazing gigs, where everyone is happy and grateful. Then there are other days where things did not go according to plan and people will leave you a less than stellar review. The thing I want you to take away from these stories, eventually you will be able to relate. If you’re just starting out, you’re going to make mistakes. Don’t let that discourage you. Even the Pro DJs that have been the industry for a long time will agree with me in saying, keep pushing on. For every one bad event, there are 10 great ones to follow. Pro DJs, when you read my stories, I want you to think back to a time where something like this has ever happened to you and hopefully you can relate to my experiences as well. And if you are a client of any kind looking to hire a DJ, as you read through these stories, I want you to know that we are there to make your dreams come true! But, sometimes things happen that are out of our control. But just know that we are doing our best to make your day as special as you imagined it. And sometimes we make mistakes. We try not to, but we are only human and sometimes it happens. Don’t think for one second that we don’t regret our mistakes, because we do, and we really take them to heart.
To protect the privacy of my clients and to maintain healthy relationships with my colleagues in the wedding industry, I will not be mentioning any names, venues, or other vendors.
Thank you so much for reading and experiencing my journey with me.
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