Rich Ellis

Big Fun At January Corporate Holiday Parties

Published January 23, 2016 | By Rich Ellis

More and more corporate holiday parties are taking place in January instead of December and this year has been no exception. In fact, PRO DJs has performed at nearly as many company parties in January 2016 as we did in December 2015. With available meeting space and DJ availability at a premium before the holidays, this makes sense and we appreciate the opportunity to extend the season.

On Friday night, January 22, 2016, I was at the Marriott Hotel on the waterfront in Downtown Portland for a Vancouver, WA based construction company party. Over 200 guests attended and while they gathered for cocktails and dinner in Salon Ballrooms G, H and I, I set-up my sound and lighting equipment in Salon E and F for the afterparty scheduled to begin around 7:30pm.

The party room had the feel of a posh nightclub with accent lighting that included black lights. Pub games were setup in various places, including pool tables, foosball tables, air hockey, and dartboards. There was also a photo booth with props and of course, several bars and food stations.

With all the other activies, I surveyed the crowd to gauge when they may be ready to dance. After about 20 minutes, we had a few on the dance floor as they responded to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ and ‘Billie Jean’ from Michael Jackson. Beyonce and Adele were also a big hit. A little later, a group of guests responded to a rock set that included AC/DC and Billy Idol before the dancing really took off with a mix of classics and current hits that included Earth, Wind & Fire, Justin Timberlake and Flo Rida.

The dance floor was packed when we stopped around 10:30 for the raffle drawing that included several $500 prize giveaways, so the guests didn’t seem to mind. Not everyone came away a winner, but they appeared to be in a great mood anyway and it wasn’t long before the dance floor filled again and stayed that way until we ended at Midnight.

Post Event Client Feedback:

“We had great feedback and I will definitely be in touch to secure the date next year.”
-Corey Anderson, Kiewit Infrastructure West Company

Posted in Corporate Event

High Energy Bat Mitzvah Party At Holocene

Published December 20, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

Mazel Tov Maia! Portland Bat Mitzvah Party DJ Rich Ellis performed at her celebration on Saturday, December 19, 2015 at Holocene in Southeast Portland.

A nightclub can be a perfect place for this type of event. As guests arrived around 6pm, the feel and the energy was immediate and many people couldn’t wait, dancing during the background music 🙂

The kids were certainly ready to go and we got right to it with a number of games and contests, including name that tune and two wild rounds of the popular musical chairs scavenger hunt. We were loaded with prizes as well with 10 Starbucks gift cards and a bag full of giant candy bars.

After a slideshow, I invited everyone out to the dance floor for ‘The Hora’ and chair raising.

The high energy crowd really picked it up and had a great time dancing to hit songs from Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and more.

The kids also had a great time dancing to their favorite songs, including Justin Bieber’s latest ‘Sorry’ and Maia’s request for Fetty Wap.

Thank you dad Lee for the opportunity to perform at your daughter’s big night.

Posted in Bat Mitzvah, Events

Raging Bat Mitzvah Party On Sherwood Farm

Published October 18, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

DJ Rich Ellis had the opportunity to perform at Ella’s Bat Mitzvah Party on Saturday, October 17, 2015 at Heart of Rock Farm in Sherwood, Oregon.

As background music played, guests arrived to some vintage carnival games setup outside that included a bean bag toss, henna tattoo artist and clown for the little ones.

About 30 minutes later, the kids came inside for games with me that featured two rounds of a rockus scavenger hunt and three rounds of Coke and Pepsi, with the final round ending right as the dinner buffet opened.

Following dinner, Ella introduced and talked about her family and friends during the candle lighting ceremony and then ‘The Hora’ got everyone out of their chairs immediately to begin what turned out to be a raging Saturday night dance party.

The floor was packed for every song from start to finish and the 140 guests in attendance brought the energy for big hit songs, ‘Shout,’ ‘Happy,’ ‘Uptown Funk’ and more. Ella’s family also purchased about 60 pairs of soft socks that added a little more shuffle to ‘Party Rock Anthem’ during the slippery socks dance 🙂

Mazel Tov Ella and thank you Anne for choosing PRO DJs.

Posted in Bat Mitzvah, Events

Portland Wedding DJ Plays Castaway Reception

Published October 11, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

Portland Wedding DJ Rich Ellis had the opportunity to perform at Karri and Kevin’s wedding and reception held at Castaway in Portland, Oregon on Sunday, October 11, 2015.

Following a blustery day on Saturday, it turned out to be a beautiful day for their wedding and the ceremony began at 4:15pm sharp.

Portland Wedding DJ Ceremony Highlights:

Wedding Party Entrance: Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie Intro
Bride Entrance: “Love Theme” from The Saint Soundtrack
Bride/Groom Exit: Mother Mother – Bright Idea

The reception began immediately following the wedding. Guests enjoyed cocktails and conversation as I played a background set featuring big band and crooners of the 40’s of the 50’s, such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole. The dinner music that followed was a little softer and included classic jazz favorites from Stan Getz, Joe Pass, Miles Davis and others.

Portland Wedding DJ Reception Highlights:

Grand Entrance: James Bond Theme
First Dance: Milo Greene – Silent Way
Bride and Father Dance: Glenn Miller – Moonlight Serenade
Groom and Mother Dance: Eva Cassidy – Time After Time
Anniversary Dance: John Legend f/Ludacris – Tonight
Cake Cutting: Bobby Valentino – Angel
Bride/Son and Groom/Mother Dance: Pharrell Williams – Happy
Anniversary Dance: Beatles – Here, There & Everywhere/Al Green – I’m Still in Love With You
Bouquet Toss: Madonna – Lucky Star
Garter Toss: Huey Lewis & The News – Power of Love

There were a lot of married couples in attendance and the anniversary dance had a great turnout with friends of the family, Jim & Arlene being acknowledge as married the longest at 61 years.

The newlyweds rehearsed a routine to Walk the Moon’s ‘Shut Up and Dance’ to kick off the dancing for all guests and motioned for everyone to join in… it was a great start to a fun Sunday night.

The dance floor was rockin’ to all the big hits, including ‘Shout,’ ‘Footloose,’ ‘December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) and bride favorite, ‘Walking On Sunshine.’

Best wishes Karri and Kevin and thank you for choosing PRO DJs.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK:

“Rich – Thank you so much for doing your part to make our wedding day a success! We have enjoyed working with you!” -Karri Pasteris & Kevin Garaventa

Posted in Events, General, Wedding, Wedding DJ

Vancouver WA Wedding Rocks Rain And Shine

Published October 11, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

The rain fell hard on the tent outside and the wind blew off the water in buckets as I began setting up for Mimi and Nick’s Vancouver WA wedding and reception at Royal Oaks Country Club on Saturday, October, 10 2015.

Being undercover is only helpful to protecting my equipment when the rain is not coming down sideways, but fortunately it stopped shortly before the start of the ceremony scheduled for 5pm.

Vancouver WA Wedding Ceremony Highlights:

Wedding Party Entrance: Prelude in C Major (Tola Trzeciak) Custom Edit
Bride Entrance: Bridal Chorus (Classical Guitar Version) (Ed Peczek)
Bride/Groom Exit: Cello Song

With the wild weather, it was assumed that everyone would move inside quickly for the reception, but it turned out to be nice evening and about half the number of guests remained outside. With a second sound system setup inside, the music could be heard nearly everywhere. Although, the Ducks/Cougars college football game drew a large number to the separate bar area just as dinner began… no music needed there 🙂

Vancouver WA Wedding Reception Highlights:

Grand Entrance: 2 Unlimited – Get Ready For This
Cake Cutting: Aretha Franklin – Baby I Love You
First Dance: Louis Armstrong – La Vie En Rose
Bride and Father Dance: Van Morrison – Have I Told You Lately
Groom and Mother Dance: Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
Bouquet Toss: Beastie Boys – Hey Ladies
Garter Toss: Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me
Last Dance: Drifters – Save the Last Dance For Me

This group appeared to have a lot of energy from the beginning. They got right to it and didn’t let up until the last song.

From the classic hits, such as ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ ‘In The Mood’ and ‘Billie Jean’ to recent favorites, ‘Happy,’ ‘Blurred Lines’ and ‘Uptown ‘Funk,’ this very large dance floor was filled to capcity most of the evening.

Congratulations Mimi and Nick and thank you for choosing PRO DJs.

Post Event Satisfaction Survey:

“Thank you so much Rich. You were a pleasure to work with throughout our whole experience. We would highly recommend to anyone in search of a DJ for any event.” -Mimi Morris & Nick Russo