On Monday, April 12 2010 at the “Let Them Eat Cake” event held at The Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, Craig Sumsky, owner of area DJ company Cutting Edge Entertainment went berserk and assaulted Philadelphia photographer Jean Valentin.  Onlookers stood by as Sumsky choked Valentin  – apparently over cake.  Witnesses told police that Mr. V merely reached for a slice of chocolate chip cake when he was brutally attacked, and Sumsky was quickly subdued by hotel security.  Mr. Sumsky is a known cake offender, and has been in and out of cake rehabilitation facilities since his first cupcake.

Okay, I’m kidding… but it’s a funny picture.

Seriously though, the “Let Them Eat Cake” event was awesome.  What an amazing idea… eating cake for charity.  Personally I thought it was a sweet deal (pun intended).  Mark Kingsdorf (who gets WAY too many mentions in this blog), along with the folks from City Of Hope really did outdo themselves.  City Of Hope is a great organization that raises money for research and treatment of cancer, HIV and diabetes, which is pretty cool of them.  The event was in memory of Mark’s mother, Lois Kingsdorf, who passed of breast cancer.  My father is currently fighting his own battle with cancer, and if it’ll help, I’ll eat cake 24/7.

Philadelphia’s best pastry chefs, and yummy cake… How can you go wrong?

I look forward to next years “Let Them Eat Cake”, so be sure not to reach for my piece.

-Craig

Photo courtesy of Majestic Images – www.majesticimages.net

City Of Hope – www.cityofhope.org

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

When DJ Foltzy asked me why the younger DJ staff weren’t represented on the Cutting Edge blog or website I didn’t have an answer, so I just decided to correct the oversight. Meet the next generation of Cutting Edge Entertainment.

When the decision was made to do a new photo shoot, I thought it might be a great time to bring in a new photographer… enter David Difuntorum. I was introduced to David’s work by a mutual colleague, and became acquainted with his photography through facebook and twitter. I thought his style was edgy and youthful, and perfect for our younger generation of Disc Jockeys.

The secret to our recipe for molding a DJ isn’t really that secret… We start em young. Most of the senior DJ and MC staff here at Cutting Edge started here when they were young, and in many cases this is their first job. In doing this, by the time they graduate college, they’ve got nearly ten years of experience. Still in touch with the pulse of youth, but with the experience of hundreds of parties and events under their belt. They are our little brothers, and they are the future of our family.  They start out as assistants -or “grunts” as we call them – and learn quickly, moving on to small parties and Sweet Sixteens after two or three years of training with our senior staff.

Steve has been with us the longest, and we are happy he’s chosen to attend Temple University… so he’ll be sticking around.  Steve (a.k.a. DJ Foltzy) is one of our most requested Sweet 16 DJs, and has a broad knowledge of music – from oldies to current stuff.  He’s typically out on his own Sweet 16 party, or assisting as the DJ on a wedding or bar mitzvah party with one of our MCs.  I’ve known Steven since he’s been about five years old, first meeting him as the MC at his sister’s bat mitzvah.

Justin came to us when he was fourteen years old.  He learned fast, and his self assuredness and competitive nature are what make him such a skilled DJ.  Watching Justin grow up and come into his own has been very gratifying to me.  What started out as youthful cockiness has evolved into the deserved confidence of a young man.  Justin makes me very proud, and of all the next-gen guys I’ve got, he’s probably the one I butt heads with most… likely because he reminds me so much of myself at that age.

Jack… the cool, calm and collected one.  Jack might seem quiet at first, but that’s because he’s taking it all in, while maintaining control.  Jack came to us by way of, well, his mom, Maura who does sales and PR for Cutting Edge.  When Maura told me she was taking some time off, she must have seen the worry in my eyes, and quickly added “I’m not going too far, you’ve still got Jack”.  Jack, like the others, is a hard worker and a team player, and his passion and interest for music are part of what give him the D.N.A. of what a Cutting Edge DJ is made of.

Why is Zach wearing a crown?  Because he’s DJ BK (Burger King).  He’s always hungry for a whopper and fries, probably because he’s working all the time.  The crown isn’t the only hat Zach wears at Cutting Edge, as he is a DJ, lighting tech and sound man.  When not at a party with the Cutting Edge staff, Zach can be found saving lives as a junior fire fighter, running his own small landscaping business (quite the entrepreneur), or at the local Burger King grabbing a bite to eat.  No matter what Zach does, he has it his way.



I’m grateful for David’s time and David’s beautiful photographs.  A photographer’s art is an amazing and glorious gift and I am in awe of their craft.  Yet, what touched me even more were the kind words that David posted to facebook shortly after our photo shoot, which I took the liberty to post an excerpt of below.

I watched Craig and his crew interact and here’s where my interest really piqued.  I see Craig sitting on a chair.  He’s was holding court on four teenagers and it was instantly apparent that five things were going on: They were all intelligent. Craig was the boss. They were giving each other LOTS of (HYSTERICAL) crap. Craig was not spared. Everybody liked and respected each other.

The longer I was there the more I recognized that these young guys were well-lead by Craig and they worked as a seamless team.

It was excellent and a joy to behold. It reminded me of the best times I had in the military where we were all young people giving each other crap, respected each other and got a difficult and challenging job done as a selfless team. My God, the laughter was infectious.

I was so happy to be around these guys. They were so good at their work and at giving each other crap I could tell that working for Craig would be one of the highlights of their lives.

Thank you David, for everything.

-Craig

David Difuntorum Photography – www.daviddifuntorum.com

David on twitter – http://twitter.com/TheDif

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The appetizer won’t be out for another ten minutes, the kids won’t sit still to take a group picture, the videographer can’t get a good shot of the bride and groom’s first dance.

As a DJ, I shouldn’t have to worry about those things, or should I?

It is a common misconception that the disc jockey is only accountable for the music, and that all other aspects of an event don’t concern us. As an experienced DJ, I’ve been witness to quite a few “close calls”, where I took initiative to help prevent any of the guests from ever noticing what might have been a very bad situation. Whether by working closely with the caterer, photographer, videographer or other event professionals, or quietly handling some quarreling in-laws, it’s the job of an MC or DJ to ensure a smooth and flawless reception. In the end, a great deal of the success of an event rests on the shoulders of the DJ, which is why we must lend a helping hand to our industry counterparts to achieve the amazing party our client’s have envisioned.

I thought about this blog post as I was studying for an exam and reading over an article entitled “successful supply chains”. The article reinforced the idea that if you want to run a successful business, you must ensure that you do not just have suppliers and buyers in your supply chain, but partners that work together to build a mutually beneficial relationship. No sooner did I finish the article than I immediately put my book down and began writing. I thought of no better relation than that of a DJ and their “partners”… the event staff working that party along side of us. I won’t be studying for much longer, as I am graduating from Penn State in about two months, but I am excited to come home and start working with my Cutting Edge family once again, and doing what I do best… being a team player.

That is, after all, what makes a great DJ.

Jason
A Great DJ

Photo by Jean Valentin – www.jean-valentin.com

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

Just as Photographer Jean Valentin snapped this photo, I had the sudden urge to break into song…
“Everybody (yeah!), Rock your body (yeah!), Everybody, Rock your body right… Backstreet’s back alright!”

A fun (yet somewhat dramatic) shot of some of Cutting Edge Entertainment’s MC/DJ talent.

From left to right: Richie, Adam, Foltzy, Tony & Nate.

-Craig

Photo by Jean Valentin

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

“Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that’s ours and ours alone. Something that can’t be learned… something that’s got to be remembered.” ~Will Smith as Bagger Vance

Photographer Jean Valentin captures the style of Cutting Edge Entertainment’s Nate Jones with just the authentic swing that Bagger Vance was referring to in this nostalgic photo (above), depicting Nate sporting a stylish and classic Jazz 1930’s/1940’s look, with the Gramophone in the background.

“Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor” ~Kappa Alpha Psi Mantra

Nate, a Fraternity man at West Chester University and the current President of The Black & Latino Greek Council, has been an employee of Cutting Edge Entertainment since his days at Abington High School, where he served as his Senior Class President.  Nate is a born leader and gifted entertainer, having won the ‘Rookie Of The Year’ award his first year with Cutting Edge.

“Confidence is one of the key elements to becoming a great entertainer, and Nate oozes with confidence” ~Pedro Coelho, Creative Director/Cutting Edge Entertainment

It takes a confident man to wear pink, and of all the outfits Nate brought to the photo shoot, the smile on his face shows his response to the chiding, teasing and taunting remarks from his co-workers as Valentin took the pictures.  Nate is seldom bothered by such silliness, and like a true performer, laughs with them during a less serious moment seen in the photo above.

“If I were to choose three words that best describe Nate Jones, they would be style, professionalism, and intelligence.” ~Tony Azzaro, MC, DJ & Dancer/Cutting Edge Entertainment

Whether as a dancer, or an MC, Nate brings ‘it’ to every event.  He works a dance floor with the same strategic approach that a Superbowl Quarterback works a football field, entertaining and charming audiences as if it were second nature.  He also understands the legacy of Cutting Edge, and works hard to deliver the level of excellence expected of a CEE employee.  With hundreds of Philadelphia area events under his belt, from bar/bat mitzvahs to corporate events, Nate is a seasoned veteran and consummate professional.

The combination of Jean Valentin’s artistic eye, and Nate Jones sense of style (and extensive wardrobe) made for quite a photo shoot.  Thank you Valentin for these beautiful photos, and more we will be posting in the upcoming weeks.

Photos by Jean Valentin – http://www.jean-valentin.com/

Valentin on twitter

Nate on twitter

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

Ever since I wrote my blog ‘Untying The Knot’ my email inbox has been bombarded with people (brides and vendors alike) not only thanking me for bringing that situation to light, but with similar stories and dozens of links to what I will call ‘wedding injustices’ for lack of better term.  On Saturday morning I received one that I just couldn’t resist sharing as it was quite likely some of the worst wedding planning advice ever posted to the internet.

The blog, titled ‘The Big Wedding Money-Wasters’ was posted to Yahoo blogs in the Food section, and seemingly featured as well.  The authors were two women – Rita Mauceri and Elicia Rubin – who call themselves ‘Entertaining and Style Experts’ but judging from their blog, nothing could be further from the truth. Apparently they also author books, which after reading this blog I would suggest brides steer clear of wasting their money on because if their books are anything like their blog, they are likely filled with equally worthless advice.

Here is a link to their blog, which advocates planning a cross between a hillbilly hoedown and welfare-state wedding.

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/foxyfestivities/19773/the-big-wedding-money-wasters/#post

Now let me dissect the wealth of bad advice…

The Dress
By suggesting spending $300.00 on your wedding dress they are in fact suggesting that your wedding dress be reduced to what many girls spend on prom dresses.  I don’t even think a bride would consider this ‘advice’ in the first place, so no need to waste time on the foolish suggestion.  Brides, this is your magical day that you have dreamed of all your life…Nuff said.

Band (and DJ)
The prices they list for a band or a DJ are quite unrealistic on the low end (that is being kind) and they go on to suggest either having a friend DJ for you or using an iPod in combination with renting a sound system.
Please don’t believe for a second that a random friend or an automated IPod could replace a band or DJ with experience at reading a crowd, the iPod being the worse of both options.  So when people aren’t dancing because the auto-play iPod isn’t playing the correct sequence of songs are your guests expected to shuffle through songs making wild guesses?  Just go to YouTube and search ‘iPod DJ’ to see a plethora of horror stories regarding this option.

Cake
As they say, cupcakes can be nice… but remember, the ‘Etsy’ featured cupcakes were likely made by a bakery and the photo taken by a professional photographer hence making them look so good.  Do yourself a favor, don’t bake Betty Crocker cupcakes in your kitchen and bring them to your wedding.  By cutting the cost of a wedding cake or bakery presentation you aren’t cutting enough money to compromise the look of your wedding cake and reduce it to the look of something you bought at a bake sale.

Photographers
I was married once, and my former mother-in-law did just what this blog suggests… went with the lowest low-budget photographer available.  What we got was low-budget photographs.  Bad lighting, bad angles, bad pictures.  If the photographic memories of your wedding day are of little to no importance to you, just ask an art school student or better yet a guest with a camera to take those important photos and hope you get something worth framing.  A camera in the hands of someone with little to no experience is no different than you or I trying to paint a masterpiece on canvas with oil paints… trust me, you wouldn’t want to hang it on the wall.

Flowers & Food
I don’t suggest picking your own flowers or skimping on the food… It just sounds ‘ghetto’ to me.  A cocktail type party or a reception with stations can be nice, but to say that a professional caterer makes ‘rubbery chicken’ is just propaganda to scare you away from doing things the right way.  As for making your own flower arrangements, good luck with that… florists are called florists for a reason.

In a nutshell, these two women tout themselves as ‘professionals’ yet their advice would suggest that using professionals on your wedding day isn’t the best course of action.  Look up the word ‘hypocrite’ and you may just find a link to their blog. Remember that, before you consider buying their ‘professional’ book or seeking their ‘professional’ advice.

Or perhaps they are trying to start a new trend called ‘Ghetto Chic.’

Let’s face it… I’m not sure if it’s a certain social responsibility or just an unspoken expectation, but if you are going to have a reception at all and your plan is to serve store-bought cupcakes and play your favorite tunes on your IPod to entertain your invited guests, does that somehow absolve your invited guests from giving you gifts, or for that matter skimping by giving you the bare minimum from your bridal registry?  One spoon or one plate perhaps?  If you’re going to throw a reception, do it the right way… otherwise you might as well just elope.

I’m surprised they didn’t suggest a CZ over a diamond for the engagement ring.  Maybe that’s in in the book, or they’re saving it for a future blog.

-Craig

www.cuttingedgedjs.com