In the last year, Cutting Edge Entertainment has become the most trafficked event industry website in the Philadelphia region.  As it happens, we were able to achieve this with an ‘old school’ template website that – although cool in its day – had become about as outdated as a VHS tape.

Today all of that changes.  I proudly present to you the new look of Cutting Edge Entertainment, Inc.

www.CuttingEdgeDJs.com

The objective of our new website was to even further optimize our online “findability” using a new and evolvable platform that could adapt quickly to changes.  Our SEO campaign has been fueled by our blog, so we based the new design around the blog.  The next goal was to make it easy to navigate.  Although specific descriptions, options and product services will become more detailed every day, simplicity of navigation was key.  There is so much content through the blog that we wanted information to be easily accessible, hence the easy navigation bar at the top just under the banner.

Two months of planning, and the past two weeks of final preparation and our new WordPress based website has finally launched.  The site still needs some tweaking and tightening, but for the most part it’s finally gotten to the point where I’m ready to show it to the world.

Although I (Craig) am authoring this particular post, I’ve already used the collective tense of ‘we’.  This is no grammatical mistake, as I owe a great deal of the credit to my team, whom I’d like to thank for not only their hard work, but for putting up with my obsessive neurosis over the past two or three weeks.

First and foremost I would like to thank Denis Sinelnikov at Media Components.  Poor Denis has been the catalyst for everything that has gone into making this project happen, in addition to making me start blogging in the first place.  Even more, he deserves a medal for putting up with me, which in itself is a task worthy of Sainthood.

Next I would like to thank Igor Bogdanov, the code writer, for his flexibility and willingness to help me to achieve some SEO changes that should really make a huge impact in driving even more traffic to the website and blog.

Of course there is Pedro, our Creative Director and IT guru, who has put the ‘cutting edge’ into Cutting Edge Entertainment for over a decade.  His assistance in the early stages of development was invaluable.

To my friend Sean Gallo, who has been my advisor and ghost editor for the past two years, as well as my internet wingman from the YouTube days.  Thank you, I’m grateful for all the brilliant verbiage.

And last but not least, a shout out to my new friend Scott Allen, a new friend and testament to the power of twitter.  Scott is one of the few real SEO wizards I’ve found out there in the void we call the internet, and his tips and advice were of great value.

Gratitude is important to me, so in summary, Igor, Pedro, Sean, Scott and most notably Denis, thank you very much.  Your time, help, and guidance are much appreciated.

-Craig

Denis Sinelnikov – www.MediaComponents.com

Igor Bogdanov – www.MediaComponents.com

Sean Gallo – www.seangallodesigns.wordpress.com

Scott Allen - www.ScottSocialMediaAllen.com

In today’s uncertain economic times everyone is looking to save money where ever they can. Substituting the entertainment with an iPod has been a media hot spot this year, so let’s consider the possibilities. Let’s start by stating the obvious about both.

The iPod argument:

There is no question that a bride and groom can rent a quality sound system at a reasonable rate, have it delivered or have a friend bring it to the reception and set it up with play lists all programmed on it with folders designed for cocktails, dinner, program in their 1st dance, the father daughter dance, and their favorite party songs to dance to. You need to consider the amount of time creating these folders are going to take and if you have the access to an extensive music library or the cost of downloading these songs off of the internet. The cost of renting a sound system is probably about $200-$300 on average nationally. The costs of adding music to your iPod obviously will vary.

The DJ argument:

A DJ comes completely self contained and already has all of the music, a quality sound system, and years of experience behind him or her. The average cost of a quality DJ nationally can range from $800 to $3,000 dollars. Median price is probably $1,200.00

The defining difference:

Timing, experience, and enrollment in the moment is the difference and in my personal and professional opinion, the defining difference and a deal breaker to consider. A professional DJ with a comprehensive music collection knows when to play what song, and in doing so creates the mood and the energy level appropriate for that moment. They know how to push the crowd musically and verbally to keep that dance floor packed by using their years of experience and training.  Now let’s talk about enrollment. My goal as a master of ceremonies is to not just make an announcement about the evening’s activities but to truly enroll the guests into the moment. This comes from years of experience, training, having a creative mind, and a true desire to make each bride’s wedding day memorable, elegant and fun.

A friend will most likely announce the father daughter dance like this. “And now we would like to invite Karen and her father to dance the daddy daughter dance. “ This is a simple and clear announcement.

I personally would ask the bride and her dad a few questions in advance to learn a bit about them and their relationship and my introduction to that same dance would sound more like this. “On November 9, 1970, life in the KoKoruz house would change as they knew it forever with the arrival of our bride Karen Kathleen KoKoruz to her proud parents Steve and Christine. She was delivered into their lives at 1:20 p.m. at St Mary’s Hospital and weighed 7lbs 6 ounces. The doctor presented Karen to her dad for the very first time. He knew that in the blink of any eye those little tiny fingers that he was holding for the first would later be turned over to the man that she would like to spend the rest of her life with. Today that day has come so please join me in a warm proud round of applause as Karen and her dad share their special father daughter dance.”

I hope that as you read this you got a few goose bumps, perhaps even got a bit emotional as you thought about that special dance with your dad, and most importantly realized that an IPod can never make you or your guests feel that way.

Keith “K.C.” KoKoruz
Founder / Owner
The Keith Christopher Entertainment Group
www.keithchristopher.com



I initially contacted my friend K.C. to co-author an article regarding the iPod vs. DJ concept for another blog.  After reading what he wrote I just couldn’t bring myself to chop it up, with all due credit to the author it stood better on it’s own.  K.C. is one of the most dynamic entertainers I’ve met in my years in this industry, his only shortcoming is that he doesn’t work for Cutting Edge Entertainment here in Philadelphia.  K.C. KoKuruz is the founder of Spinnin’ Discs in Chicago, and has recently moved on to found The Keith Christopher Entertainment Group, and can be contacted at kc@keithchristopher.com

-Craig Sumsky
Director
Cutting Edge Entertainment

WANTED
(l to r) – Marc ‘Mitzvah King’ Mednick, Pedro ‘Dr. Disney’ Coelho,
Richie ‘Mix-Master’ Abrams and Craig ‘The Leg’ Sumsky.

CRIMES
Causing extreme pain to hundreds of people’s feet every weekend, sometimes resulting in blisters.

Creating a festive atmosphere.

Encouraging people to dance and ‘party’ (The ‘party’ part  has been known to include fun).

REWARD
Book them for your next event and see

Cutting Edge Entertainment
MC, DJ and Dance Company
(215) 938.7950

Serving Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery Counties

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

Photo by Kevin York

Sean Gallo is an illustrator, and his contributions to the Cutting Edge Entertainment blog have been invaluable. Sean also happens to have been my friend since the second grade. Friends like Sean come in very handy when I’ve finished writing a blog post and don’t have a cool photo to put with it. Friends like Sean become especially invaluable when they can tolerate the frantic “I need an illustration of (insert whatever), and I need it in a hurry!”

And as things typically go, they aren’t the standard variety of illustrations, they’re always something random with a bit of a twist.

This one was the first I asked of him, and as expected he came through with flying colors. “I need an octopus holding drumsticks in its tentacles, and I need it by tomorrow” was my first request of him. I needed it for a blog entitled ‘Don’t Hate On The Octopus,’ and Sean’s illustration well exceeded my expectations. I call it ‘Ringo The Octopus.’

This next illustration was not only Sean’s creation, but his concept as well.  I had needed something that would encapsulate a DJ thinking, and Sean shot off the idea of a brain with headphones.  I loved it, and this time the deadline was a few hours, to which he chided me for my unreasonable demands while still delivering this great drawing before the end of the day.  He later came back to spruce it up a bit, and you can see the new and improved version on his blog.

I am excited (and grateful) to be able to incorporate his original and creative artwork into our blog, and look forward to featuring more of his illustrations in the future.  Check out Sean’s blog to see more of his amazing work.

Thanks Sean!

-Craig Sumsky

Sean Gallo Designs – http://seangallodesigns.wordpress.com/

My name is Craig Sumsky, and I am the Director of Cutting Edge Entertainment.

I like the term ‘Director,’ because I think it best describes the role I play in the company. I am many other things, like an owner and a founder of the company (there were two, and now there is one), but wearing the ‘boss’ hat has never been something I’ve relished. I can probably count on both hands how many times I have had to evoke the “because I’m the boss” phrase, and more than to my credit, I think it’s simply because I’ve been fortunate enough to hire well. I have never been comfortable with referring to myself as someone’s boss, but instead prefer to introduce employees of the company as people I work with.

So, for starters, our blog is going on two years now and I realized that although I’ve authored quite a few posts that make up this blog, I had yet to actually blog about myself.  I guess I wasn’t sure where to start, so probably best I start at the beginning, how I became a DJ, and how Cutting Edge Entertainment came to be… so here goes.

I started my journey into world of entertainment as a DJ at Jamison Roller Skating rink in Bucks County back in 1983. The rink transformed into a teen dance party (called J.R.’s) on Friday nights, and the house was packed every weekend with kids from local high schools, and although I was originally hired for the skate nights, I inherited the teen dance when the veteran DJ didn’t bother to show up. Let’s just say I learned to be a quick study, and being a DJ seemed a natural fit. I already had a love for all things music, so in that regard I was right at home, but even more thrilling was the rush of the crowd reaction. I remember when Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ was first released, and how the whole place screamed when we first played that track. From there on in I was hooked.

In my freshman year of college (1987) I had left J.R.’s, and got a job doing mobile DJ work with a company on Bustleton Avenue in Philadelphia called ‘Fascinating Rhythm.’ It was there I began to hone my skills. I brought on a friend – Joe Quinn – who would become my partner in crime (and later in business) for the next decade. Our stint at Fascinating Rhythm was short lived, as we went on to work at bars and nightclubs in both Bucks County and Philadelphia.

I had a college internship at WPST in Princeton, New Jersey, but would later have the privilege of sitting in with Philadelphia radio greats like Pierre Robert (WMMR) and Harvey Holiday (WOGL) for some ‘extra credit.’ My mind was like a sponge, and I just couldn’t get enough. I often worked seven nights a week, and watched trends like ‘sports bars’ and ‘post modern’ come and go. I was there when Delaware Avenue (now Columbus) first evolved into a nightclub mecca, spinning at one nightclub while now famous Philadelphia DJ Robbie Tronco would be spinning at another right across the street.

So many bars and clubs from those days have since died off or closed. Places like Binney & Flynns, The Aztec, The Fizz, Bleachers, Club Zadar and The Bank are mere memories, but were once part of a Philly club scene that thrived and flourished, spawning DJ’s like Robbie Tronco, Moe Green, DJ Johnny S, Chaz Paris and DJ Beercans. They made the Philadelphia club scene in the early to mid 1990′s, and many of them continue to DJ today.

It was at the height of that era that Cutting Edge Entertainment was born. I’ve tried to inject much of my own wisdom, knowledge and experience over the years into the company but alas, it had a mind of it’s own. I could never have predicted the industry changes, but as it changed Cutting Edge evolved, and I just followed it’s lead. With a constant influx of young talent and fresh new ideas, C.E.E. has easily made the transitions necessary to stay on the ‘cutting edge.’ I may have been the spark, but the cast and crew of the company have been the fuel to the fire.  It is to the C.E.E. staff over the years (past & present company included) to whom I owe a never ending debt of gratitude for their hard work, loyalty and dedication.

What started out as a DJ company has grown to include dancers, vocalists, musicians, lights, multi-media and much more.  DJ, Entertainment or Production Company, we have almost outgrown such restrictive definitions to become a hub of talent and energy that has and will continue to leave a footprint, one that I could have never envisioned back in 1994.  Cutting Edge Entertainment has been the launch pad for so many talented professionals who have gone on to make careers in the entertainment industry that I am in awe of their collective accomplishments.

In many ways, I am grateful that they would choose me as their ‘Director.’

K.C. KoKoruz – a colleague of mine from Chicago – recently told me “The staff of Cutting Edge Entertainment definitely drink the Cutting Edge Kool-Aid”, to which I smiled, laughed to myself at the reference and said, “Oh Yeah.”

Craig Sumsky
Director
Cutting Edge Entertainment

Photo by Kevin York – www.kevinyorkphotography.com

I mainly photograph weddings but I am always in ‘photographer mode.’ When I walk around, I look for different locations that could be used at some point in the future with one of my brides (or models), I look how the light hits people around me (after all, photography is writing with light).

Case in point. The following picture was taken inside a garage. I once parked at this location and when I saw the lines and architecture I said to myself that one day, when I would have a bride around this area, I would stop by and use it.

Ansel Adams once said: “You don’t take a photograph, you make it”.  Sometimes that means that all I have to do is to capture the beautiful moment that unfolds in front of me:

… other times it means that I might need to give you some directions and put you in the best light:

All the while having fun with it.

A photographer friend of mine that I highly admire told me: “You don’t have to be the best; You just have to be better than last week”.

That is what I’ve been doing for the past six years.

Muchas gracias Sr. Craig (in an Antonio Banderas accent),

-Valentin




As far as photographers go, Valentin (or Mr. V as I call him) is top notch.  His stylized work and creative use of light brought a new flare to our blog in the latter part of 2009, and we look forward to Mr. V and his photography being a big part of the Cutting Edge Entertainment blog in the future. Thank you Mr. V, for all of your contributions.

-Craig Sumsky

Please be sure to check out Valentin’s work at his site and blog
www.jean-valentin.com

Become a fan of Jean Valentin Photography on facebook
www.facebook.com/JeanValentinPhotography

Follow Jean Valentin Photography on twitter
http://twitter.com/jeanvalentin

I have been a member of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives since about 2003, but I had my doubts about rejoining the organization this year. There were several reasons for my hesitation, but primarily I think it was somewhat of a bad taste I had in my mouth for some of the other ‘professional’ organizations in Philadelphia. In January of 2009 I had pretty much decided not to renew, but something changed my mind, or rather someone.

Adam Rineer, the reigning president of N.A.C.E. Philly, phoned me when he saw I didn’t renew. Unlike folks from some of the other organizations, Adam didn’t try to sell me on rejoining, and didn’t seem overly concerned with pushing me to make that monetary commitment to membership.

Instead, Adam simply asked “Why?”

My response was partly sarcastic, yet genuine at the same time. I said “Well, I’d be more than willing to tell you if you’ve got a few hours to kill.”

To which Adam cooly replied, “I’ve got an appointment in a few minutes, but can we talk after that?”

I was honestly taken by complete surprise. I agreed, and he phoned me back about an hour later.

I’m not sure how long it was that Adam and I spoke on that day, but from what I recall it was easily over an hour. Adam asked some questions, but did a lot of listening. He expressed genuine interest in not only the reasons why I wasn’t rejoining, but in the ways I felt the organization could improve. Adam cared what I had to say, and although he ultimately wanted me to come back to N.A.C.E. Philadelphia, he afforded me the time to communicate not only what I wanted to get out of the organization, but also what more I felt the association could do for all of its members.

At the conclusion of our conversation, I offered to renew my membership.

Adam Rineer is a great salesman, but more so, he’s a great leader. It was the fact that Adam was willing to take time for me that made me so willing to be a part of the organization he was the president of. I suppose that might have been the premise of my whole issue in the first place, and Adam reinforced for me the belief that N.A.C.E. was not just about the association or the membership dues, it was about the people and the professional relationships established in such an organization.

A leader’s greatness is measured by the willingness with which people choose to follow them.

Recently Adam moved to Houston, Texas and will be stepping down as chapter president very shortly. He will be missed. He has praised me when I deserved it, and brought me to bear when i needed to be. I cannot imagine him to be anything less than an amazing manager of people, as he is truly a people person. Adam did not command my respect, he earned it.

Good luck Adam, and Hail to The Chief.

-Craig Sumsky

Photo by Phil Kramer – www.pkphoto.com

In some way I felt like I was being asked to define myself through these three images. I took the request very seriously. I thought about what was important to me. Who was I as a photographer, and what do I want folks to take from this?

In my opinion, the three images I have chosen may not be representative of the best work I’ve ever done, most technical, award winning, breath taking or stunning images, but they are me and what I’m about.

The first image I call “The Last Ride” (June 2000). I had the privilege to witness and photograph Mario Andretti drive in his last auto race as a competitor in the very prestigious 24 hour ‘Le Mans’ endurance race in France. Mario was driving for the Panoz racing team from Atlanta, Georgia. The Panoz was a front engine throwback hot rod with a very muscular and loud Ford V8 power plant. This car was beyond cool.

The Panoz was competing against the mighty and well funded German Audi factory teams. The Audis were the top of technology but we were the class of cool and we had Mario Andretti.

I have never been to the Olympic games, but Le Mans is kind of like the Olympics of Auto racing. I can only imagine the joy when your country wins anything, so to be In France as an American covering the greatest American driver made me proud. Let me tell you there was no greater moment as an auto racing fan sitting on the main straight Le Mans with grandstand on either side watching and hearing that mighty American V8 thunder through the canyon of seats with Mario Andretti at the wheel.

The “Mud People” (August 1994). I graduated high school in 1979. For all of you who don’t remember the 70′s, they were pretty lame. For people my age we were kind of caught between eras. The 60′s was a time of change, revolt, hippies, peace, love and very cool music while the late 80′s were when all the technology was beginning to take hold.  Did I miss something??

One day a friend of mine came by and said “Hey, I’m going to Woodstock… wanna go?”

So I checked it out… There were at least 200,000 in attendance. I was too young to go to the first one (August 1969) although you can find folks (my age) who will tell you they were there.

I remember seeing footage and movies about Woodstock, and I must say this was as close as I’ll ever get to the original. What a wonderful time. Just like the first time around it rained and behold out came the mud people.

The last photo is called “Precious” (July 2004). I will never forget the moment when this image happened.  It was around when we first started with digital so it was great to see the images right away.  I remember checking it out right after the moment turning to my assistant and saying, “This is why I’m a photographer.”

This Image defines me as a wedding photographer… it is what I set out to do.  Moments that portray emotion.  I wish that every bride could understand where my heart is and how I wish I had the kind of relationship with my parents that this father and daughter have with each other. When I see that kind of relationship I want to give it back to them so they can cherish it forever. When I see love I feel compelled to share it.

Thanks Craig for letting me show my work and tell my stories.

Sincerely,

-Kevin

You are welcome Kevin.  Your contributions to the Cutting Edge Entertainment blog this year have been invaluable.  You are an amazing photo journalist and your work has taught me so much about how photography can literally tell a story.  Thank you for everything.

-Craig

Kevin York Photography – www.kevinyorkphotography.com

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

Having been in business since 1992, Cutting Edge Entertainment has come in contact with a great many photographers. One of our favorites for many years has been Joel Perlish. Joel has an uncanny knack for capturing our staff in motion, while at the same time never missing a moment of the action on the dance floor.

I recently reconnected with Joel, who was kind enough to provide us with a couple of photos he took a few years back. These photos have been hanging in our office for several years now, but we never had the digital copies of them so as to show them off here on our blog. Joel was happy to provide them, and found the specific photos I requested within moments of my asking for them even though they were taken almost four years ago. Quite impressive.

The first is a photo of C.E.E. dancer Regina (now in her second year of law school), and the second photo is Kelly (now a middle school phys-ed teacher).

Joel Perlish Photography – http://www.joelperlish.com

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

Often times people don’t get to do what they truly love for a living.  However, through a strange series of events, I have been fortunate enough to find myself exactly where I belong.  I am Pedro Coelho, Creative Director at Cutting Edge Entertainment… and I couldn’t be happier.

My adventure with Cutting Edge started at the age of fifteen when I accepted an invitation to a school dance one night, where—unbeknownst to me—I would end up meeting the person who would shape my career for the next sixteen years.  That person was Cutting Edge Entertainment’s own Craig Sumsky.  A week later I had an audition, and was recruited as one of Cutting Edge’s newest entertainers, and so the journey began.

Fast-forward to early 2001. Now a veteran Cutting Edge performer and a full-time college student, I decided to take an internship at the greatest place on earth, Walt Disney World.  Those six months were the most amazing and life-shaping times of my life.  The people I met and the friends that I made that summer are still with me today, and my experiences as a Disney cast member helped to shape the entertainer that I am today.

After Disney, I returned to Drexel University to complete my Bachelor of Science in Information Systems with a concentration in Human Computer Interaction.  For any of you ‘geeks’ like me that want to know more, email me personally.  I don’t want to talk about any more computers so I don’t scare anyone away with my techno-babble!    lol!

On graduation day, as I drove away from the Drexel parking garage with my shiny new diploma, I thought to myself, “Now what?  Do I go back to Disney?  Do I get a computer job?  Where do I go?”  I decided that I should take advantage of my education and get a ‘real job’ working on the Main Line for a financial trading firm.  It was a nice cushy job, I even got work on a trading floor just like you see in the movies.  But, as time passed, the monotony of developing software to help the rich get richer really started to wear on me.  I knew that something was missing—or maybe it had been with me all along…

What I realized was that the one constant through all of the twists and turns of my life was a little company called Cutting Edge Entertainment.  While working at Disney, Craig flew me in for an event because the client had requested me.  During my time at Drexel, I would DJ parties on the weekend to earn ‘beer money.’  When I worked my cushy job, my fellow cubicle-dwellers would sit in envy of me as I told tales of the events I worked on the previous weekend.  Cutting Edge was in my blood.

A few months ago, Craig approached me about taking on the role of Creative Director.  I asked him what he meant.  “You get to play with all the cool toys and you make sure we keep wow-ing our clients.” he said.  Well of course my answer was yes—how could it have been anything else?

My typical week as Creative Director at Cutting Edge consists of creating new and exciting services to offer our clientele, helping to train our DJ and Dancer squads on the finer points of crowd motivation, and generally working to make sure that we live up to our company name.  And by the way, I still MC parties on the weekend—that’s my favorite part!

Please call anytime if you would like to speak with me.  I’m always running around the Cutting Edge office… whether I’m working on a new interactive video game, planning our next Dancer practice with the skills I learned at Disney, or streamlining the customer experience to make planning an event with Cutting Edge as enjoyable and rewarding as possible.

Because in the end, making our clients’ special events as memorable as possible is MY JOB! 

-Pedro

Photo ‘Painting With Light’ by photographer Jean Valentin (Just call him Mr. V)
www.jean-valentin.com

www.cuttingedgedjs.com