Troy Adams’ company Carolina DJ Professionals operates in three relatively disparate regional markets.
Charlotte, N.C. – Troy Adams’ company Carolina DJ Professionals operates in three relatively disparate regional markets – bustling Charlotte, picturesque Asheville, N.C., and quaint Charleston, S.C. So, different approaches to different towns, right?
Indeed, Adams, 47, takes a considered and studied approach to each – and since 2008, when began in the Carolinas, he’s managed to successfully navigate these markets. Of course, growing up with parents who were educators certainly helped.
So now, in addition to running his company, he’s managed to spread a little education along the way with “Make Your Business Dance,” his industry education company, on The Knot, and in his participation at top industry trade show DJX. In fact, at DJX this Aug. 5-8 in Atlantic City, N.J., Adams will helm “Frame It: How to Build a Successful Call Framework,” a tutorial aiming to help mobile-DJ attendees raise their sales close rates. Here’s his story:
DJ LIFE: Where did you grow up and what got you interested in music?
Adams: I grew up in Maine, a little town called Houlton. I’ve been interested in music for as long as I can remember. Maybe it was those old Bing Crosby Christmas albums my parents would play on vinyl. Or maybe it was my three favorite 8-track tapes my parents had – John Cougar Mellencamp, The Bee Gees, and The Pointer Sisters. I ended up playing the drums, saxophone and trumpet in high school. When I wasn’t playing sports, I was playing in the band, or singing in church, chorus and show-choir. Anywhere I could be involved with music, there I was.
DJ LIFE: Where did your DJ career begin?
Adams: My first DJ gig was a high-school dance my junior year of high school. My best friend was a wizard with equipment, so he provided the amp and speakers, which he and his dad built. Meanwhile, I stole some big blinking DJ lights my Dad had that looked more like furniture. And I took the lead on song choices and cueing up all the cassettes with pencils. This was 1993. I splurged and bought my first two CDs from a pawn store later that year. Still remember them: TLCs Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip and Slaughter’s The Wild Life.
DJ LIFE: How did DJing progress?
Adams: I headed to Elon University in 1995, joined a frat, and started to DJ all our parties. Then it grew from our parties to sorority formals, college events, bar/clubs, a radio-DJ slot, and, eventually, my first wedding in 1998. I also walked into the campus bars and asked them to give me a shot DJing for a night. I told them they didn’t even have to pay me that first night, but if I did a good job to give me some paying gigs. Before I knew it, I was DJing multiple nights/week at multiple bars. I took that same approach after college as I moved around pursuing a career as a TV broadcaster and golf pro. I never stopped DJing. And that same approach led me to residencies in Atlanta, Key Largo, and multiple places in Maine.
DJ LIFE: When did you start your own company?
Adams: After watching my network of gigs grow, I finally realized that I could make this a legitimate business. So, in 2008, I formed my first company… with an absolutely terrible name: T-Time Entertainment. I had this whole vision of teaching golf to the bridal party on Friday before a rehearsal, then doing the wedding on Saturday. A play on words of tee, tea, and my first initial. I know, bad. The logo was even worse. It was slow at the start. I only made about $8,000 in private events my first year. But I was also working club gigs two, three nights, and I was the GM of a sports-and-social organization. I was out running adult sports leagues several nights a week also and building a good network of people I knew.
DJ LIFE: How many DJs work for you now? How many events do you do?
Adams: In 2011, I switched my company name to the much more professional and Google-friendly name of Carolina DJ Professionals. I hired three DJs initially. Now we have a team of over 20 DJs and 30 total staff, including eight full-time. We do more than 900 events a year, and turn away another 300-plus every year. And we have one of the best training platforms in the country, as well as a dedicated DJ on standby every weekend for any emergencies.
DJ LIFE: What’s your market like now?
Adams: The Charlotte market was my first market, and still my largest. It’s our home base and where I live. The market was tough when it started, and even tougher now. It’s crazy, but three of the Top-10 most reviewed DJs in the country are actually in the Carolinas. Thankfully, I can now say we’re one of them. Our divisions in Asheville and Charleston are much different than Charlotte, as they are two of the top destination markets in the country. So while Charlotte has this strong foundation of DJs, event pros, and local events, Asheville and Charleston don’t have that same structure of local organizations for DJs and event pros. And it’s a different approach with prospecting events. But the spaces we get to DJ are absolutely incredible.
DJ LIFE: What’s the percentage breakdown of events?
Adams: About 70-percent of our revenue comes from weddings, 25-percent from corporate, and 5-percent from bar/bingo/trivia events. Our goal going forward is to grow the corporate side of our business, focusing on larger events and conferences that require the same amount of preparation as a wedding.
DJ LIFE: What factors have helped make your company successful?
Adams: Relationships, people, preparation, and education. Our “brand” is based off building relationships. It’s who we are, with our clients, but also with our colleagues. By investing time and energy into people and genuinely getting to know them, it’s made us better performers, professionals, and people. My mom was a teacher for 45 years and my dad a coach his whole life. So education and preparation are ingrained in my blood, and I bring that to my company.
DJ LIFE: What is the most common mistake DJ companies make?
Adams: I would say ego and isolation. And here’s what I mean by each. Ego… too many DJs I’ve seen or talked to are focused on themselves. The focus has to be on the client’s needs. Whether it’s a private client or public event, sometimes we as DJs have to put our “wants” aside and pay attention to what our client wants. Isolation… In my early years, I ran into too many DJs who rubbed me the wrong way. Some of that was my fault for jumping to conclusions too fast. And some of that was that they just weren’t good professionals, maybe not even good people, honestly. But those experiences led me to distrust getting out and connecting with other DJs and event pros. I wish I had did that sooner, because isolation is no good, for so many reasons. Getting out and connecting with other pros helps us grow, inspires us, and also helps us relate to things few others can understand.
DJ LIFE: How does your company market itself?
Adams: About 75-percent of our business comes from some form of referral – be it from fellow event pros, past clients, or word-of-mouth. About 15-percent comes from online marketing and social media, and 10-percent from trade shows. So, we market ourselves consistently with where our business comes from, but also making sure to stay exposed to all potential lead streams.
DJ LIFE: How has the business changed since you began?
Adams: It’s changed in a huge way, thanks to the digital revolution and social media. On one hand, anyone can get just about anything now – which makes it nice for gathering music, for sure! But it also means we have to be better as performers. It’s made the better performers stand out, because anyone can build a playlist. And now with AI, people can really get personalized and creative with things they can do on their own. But computers will never replace people, performances, and the ability to connect. So, those who can truly connect and create engaging, lasting experiences will rise to the top.
DJ LIFE: What’s in your DJ set-up?
Adams: I use a Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX3 controller and Virtual DJ software. For my whole team, I provide various Pioneer DJ controllers depending on their skills levels, and those who have their own gear are mostly Pioneer. We only carry Electro-Voice speakers for our main rigs, and across the team we have over 40 pairs of E-V Evolve, EKX-15P, ZLX-15P, and even some old wooden ELX115P speakers. When I do ceremonies or tie in a smaller speaker in other spaces for cocktail hours, I use JBL EON One Compacts. I love the battery life, built-in mixer, Bluetooth, and portability. I eventually add some E-V Everse speakers to the mix also.
DJ LIFE: Mics? Anything else, audio-wise?
Adams: Shure mics across the board. We have over 30 sets of Shure mics, with thousands of events under them, and very few issues. The same goes for the Yamaha MG10XU mixers we’ve been using for years. As a team, we vary in the headphones we use, but I have three pairs of JBL over-hear headphones.
DJ LIFE: Lighting and accessories?
Adams: I carry an array of Chauvet lights, including EZPar 64s, Freedom Spots, Wash FXs, and Intimidator Spot moving heads. I’m about to add the Intimidator Free Spot wireless moving heads, as I want to go fully wireless. I also carry Both Lighting S6 uplights, and love them. ProX is my go-to for things like totems, TV totems, cases and façades like the simple scrim façade, MESA-Media façade, and Control Tower. I also love the façades from Dragon Frontboards and carry several of the plush leather façades, including one with a TV mount.
DJ LIFE: You’re big on education. You’re a WeddingPro educator for The Knot Worldwide and you’ve been a DJX presenter. Talk a bit about imparting your knowledge to the market…
Adams: For years, I wondered where I’d make my mark on this industry, and I found that with education. Being raised by educators certainly contributed to that. But I’ve also had some great managers, mentors and coaches in my life that have lead me to where I am. And I’m always hungry to learn more and get better. So being able to give back to others, and learn from others also, is why it’s so important to me to be an educator. We all bring a different experience to the table, a different perspective. We all have different personalities, different approaches, different interpretations of things. Sharing that information with each other only makes us better. And when we all get better together, we lift our industry as a whole. And I want my legacy to be that of helping others improve their business… and ultimately their life. I believe I can do that through education.