Mid-song, he stormed out. Me and a mate – spotting an opportunity – jumped behind the decks and took over. No clue what we were doing, no real mixing skills, no sense of how to build a set or read a room. But we had CDs in the car, a bunch of songs we liked, and a room full of other kids who lapped it up. That was the early 1990s, and I was hooked.

We started running a monthly disco for the youth group in exchange for borrowing their kit: a Citronic Twin Deck system with a cassette deck and a personal CD player jacked in. Basic as it was, it felt like a proper setup. We called ourselves Pick and Mix Discotheques – because that’s exactly what it was.

From there, we started picking up friends-and-family gigs – birthdays, anniversaries, anything we could get. One of the first was a wedding anniversary for my mate’s parents.

We were terrible. A jumble of vinyl, cassettes and CDs, no mixing, and absolutely no clue about music programming. We were teenage lads playing rave and indie music to a room full of middle-aged couples who wanted Motown and party classics. But we learned quickly: it’s not about what you like – it’s about what they want.

That idea stuck. I started taking things more seriously than my original DJ partner, who was still in it for the laughs (and the chance to meet girls). I wanted it to be a business. I started upgrading gear, beginning with a bright red Gemini 626 mixer and matching twin CD players.

From there, I gradually replaced all the old youth club equipment. Bookings grew. I went solo, kept the Pick and Mix name for a while, and focused on mobile gigs. Clubs weren’t on my radar yet.

One of my early breakthroughs came through a local DJ agency. They sent me to a wedding gig – £200, an hour each way – and I just turned up, ready to do my best. The night took a turn when one of the fireworks from the couple’s display misfired and flew into the venue. Total chaos – but I grabbed the mic, made sure everyone was okay, and cracked a joke about “really firing up the party”.

That moment gave me confidence. I could handle the unexpected.
Around the same time, I discovered MasterMix at my local DJ shop in Derby, a place called Music Man. That place became a second home. I’d go in for coffee, check out gear, and chat with experienced DJs. The shop staff and regulars helped shape my understanding of the craft. I started experimenting with mixing by imitating the continuous mix CDs I was buying – Party Animal 5 was a favourite. Matching tracks by BPM and landing ‘the one’ made the whole set feel smoother and more professional.
By the early 2000s, I was confident, consistent, and invested in my gear. I’d moved to a Gemini twin CD player and then to a Denon HD2500, using it alongside OtsDJ software on a laptop. The ability to search quickly, match BPMs, and build playlists digitally changed how I worked.

But while my tech and skills evolved, my business side didn’t. I struggled to raise my rates or market myself properly. Confidence was a factor – I wasn’t sure how to justify the higher fees. The turning point came at a wedding where I was DJing through an agent for £200. There was a photo booth there, running for just three hours, and the operator told me they were getting £500. That moment hit hard. I was doing way more work for less money.

I took a step back from DJing and dived into research. This was around 2010, before photo booths exploded. There were no ready-made units for sale, it was all DIY. I spent six months learning how to build one, including three months just working out the lighting. When I finally launched, I did my first wedding fair and quickly realised the concept was still too new for couples to grasp.

But by the second fair – with a fully enclosed black booth, red curtains, and a solid demo experience – things changed. I got some interest, and even landed my first on-the-spot booking (chaotically, because I didn’t even have a system in place). Still, I was in.

From there, the photo booth business exploded. I joined a local wedding supplier networking group, learned from others, and built strong relationships. By 2012, we were running four booths and doing around 180 bookings a year. I expanded into starlit dance floors, light-up letters, draping and festoon lighting, and moved into a 2,000 sq ft warehouse.

But it didn’t last. As turnkey booths hit the market and underpriced packages flooded the wedding industry, bookings slowed. We relied too heavily on a few local venues, and, when staffing changed at those venues, the referrals dried up.

By then I’d fallen out of love with the booth side of things but I missed DJing. Not the gear, not the hustle, but the feeling of being in control of the party. When you’re on the mic, dropping the right tune, and the room reacts – that’s magic. With photo booths and dance floors, you’re on the sidelines. I wanted to be in the middle of the celebration again.

I started easing back into it, offering wedding DJ services alongside the booth packages. But I didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. I knew from my early DJ shop days and my wedding fair experience that networking and learning from others was key.

That’s when I discovered Derek Pengelly’s ThinkTank and attended the Sunday session in 2017. It was packed with DJs I’d followed on forums – people who shared advice, pushed the industry forward, and genuinely wanted to help others improve. The vibe in the room was electric. Someone asked what I thought, and I remember saying: “It’s brilliant but I’ve realised playing the music is the easy part.”

That event was the spark I needed. I rebranded the business, upgraded my gear, and committed to ongoing training. I started offering all-day wedding DJ and MC services. Planning calls, meetings, input from couples – I got involved in the full flow of the day. I invested in mic workshops, quiz night hosting (to sharpen my mic work), and eventually earned my Bronze Master of Ceremonies certificate through the Marbecca workshop in Las Vegas.

I now host four quiz nights a week for local pubs, through an independent quiz company I own. Meanwhile, I was sitting on gear I wasn’t using and still renting the warehouse.
That’s when inspiration came – oddly enough – from my daughters’ birthday parties. I went all out for them at the local hall: lights, music videos, green screen booths, temporary tattoos. After one of the parties, I had parents asking me to do the same for their kids. But it was too much to move around for each event.

So, we flipped the model: don’t take the party to the kids – bring the kids to the party. After 18 months of searching, we found the right venue on a quiet industrial estate. The landlord held it for six months while we secured a change-of-use permit, which cost £6,000 and involved endless paperwork and surveyors. Once approved, we spent five months converting the empty unit into a full kids’ party venue, with a disco room, bouncy castle, arcade machines, and a booth, all built from our existing stock.

We launched with an open weekend and booked 40 parties immediately.

We now run 25 to 30 children’s parties a month, purely on weekends. The venue is private-hire only, self-catering (which parents love), and completely separate from my DJ work. We’ve since upgraded the bouncy castle to a full softplay frame, which has been a big hit with kids and parents. I’ve built a team who can manage it when I’m at weddings or fairs.

Today, I run three independent but connected businesses:

Wedding DJ & MC services, mostly weekday bookings, all-day affairs with interactive elements, planning, and full audio support.
A quiz night company, with five regular pub bookings (I host four, and have one additional host).
A kids’ party venue, open on weekends, offering private, immersive parties.
Everything aligns. I’ve built a life around what I love – entertaining, engaging, and connecting with people.

And I can’t stress this enough: if you’re in the DJ world, whether just starting out or looking to grow, get yourself to seminars, workshops and networking days. Go to ThinkTank, go to BPM, go to Pro Mobile learning events, go networking with people in the industry. And be prepared to ask as well as give advice. No one’s guarding trade secrets. Everyone wants to share, support and help lift the standard. It’s where the magic happens.

Today, most of my wedding bookings come through recommendations from venues. I’m fortunate to have strong relationships with several high-profile venues in South Derbyshire and Staffordshire, who regularly recommend me to their couples.

I believe a big reason for this is that the venue staff know that when I’m there for the full day, acting not just as the DJ but as Master of Ceremonies, it makes their job easier. They can trust me to handle announcements, keep the day running on time, direct guests when needed, and create the right atmosphere at every stage. That frees them up to focus on bar service, food timings, and everything else behind the scenes. It becomes a real partnership.

Alongside venue referrals, I’m a big believer in the power of wedding fairs. I know fairs aren’t every DJ’s cup of tea, but I enjoy them. I like meeting couples early in their planning journey, looking them in the eye, and getting a feel for their personalities. Around 99% of my wedding bookings now come either through venue referrals or direct connections made at wedding fairs. From there, I always aim to set up an in-person or Zoom meeting to have a relaxed conversation about their wedding plans.
These meetings aren’t sales pitches, they’re about finding out what kind of vibe the couple wants for their day, what styles of music they love, what they absolutely don’t want played, and how involved they want me to be with their guests.

We talk about interactive elements like icebreakers or games, if they’re open to them. And I always stress one thing clearly: everything I do is planned and agreed in advance. There are no surprises on the day. It’s all about trust.
I genuinely enjoy the challenge of meeting my couples’ expectations, whether that’s learning new music, embracing different cultures, or helping shape the overall energy of the night. For example, at a recent wedding, the bride had mixed heritage, with part of her family from India. They wanted a mix of Punjabi, Bhangra and Bollywood tunes blended with dancehall, 80s and 90s club classics, and modern hip-hop. It was a brilliant challenge for me to work out how to weave those genres together naturally,
and the result was a dancefloor that stayed packed and buzzing all night. I love that kind of creative pressure.

In terms of where I am now, my setup gives me real flexibility. I’m not dependent solely on weddings, nor just on the venue or quiz side. On average, I take on 30 to 35 weddings a year, but I’ve priced myself carefully so that every wedding I take on is worth my time and energy. I keep a close eye on my average rate each year and ensure it never drops below a point I’m happy with.

The real beauty of this setup is that once I hit my wedding target for the year, if a couple approaches me for a minimal service or low-budget event, I have the freedom to choose whether I take it on or politely pass. That choice is massive for work-life balance. It allows me to focus on giving my best to every couple I work with, rather than feeling like I’m constantly hustling or burning out.

Looking ahead, my focus is simply to refine and elevate what I already do. I want to continue offering a personal, high-value experience for my wedding clients, staying connected with my venues, and continuing to evolve as both a DJ and MC. I’ll also keep attending seminars, networking days, and industry events because the learning never stops – and that’s what keeps it exciting.