by Richard Mills | Oct 2, 2012 | Hire A DJ
If you’ve not given much thought to your office or company staff Christmas party, you may not be too late. There are still a few dates available, especially on Friday nights or week nights, but even a couple of Saturdays. This year, Award Entertainment is keen...
by Richard Mills | May 1, 2012 | Weddings
It occurs to me that anyone reading through my website will be looking at my photos of beautiful weddings and events I’ve entertained all over New Zealand, as well as occasionally overseas. It would be easy to think that although I’m a mobile DJ based in...
by Richard Mills | Sep 9, 2011 | Wedding Shows
Once again I’m honoured to be the Master of Ceremonies at Auckland’s premier wedding event for the year, the Grand Wedding Show at Sky City. Additionally I’ll be co-hosting a seminar with Auckland MC and DJ Nick Logan called...
by Richard Mills | Jun 28, 2011 | Advanced Learning
For most of the 25 years I’ve been entertaining as a DJ, I’ve played music that I feel will fit the night, the mood and the crowd. Recently I realised that my perception of older songs is likely to be quite different to that of the guests at my events,...
by Richard Mills | Jun 14, 2011 | DJ Equipment
I’ve had the incredible Martin Acrobat lights as part of my equipment for several years now and still find them to be the most remarkable, effective and versatile lighting effect for mobile DJs on the market. They aren’t without their challenges though and...
by Richard Mills | May 17, 2011 | Business, Hire A DJ
Most people don’t ask a Florist “how much for flowers for my wedding?” without discussing what it is they actually have in mind. It doesn’t make sense to ask a Lawyer for a rate for his/her service without sitting down and discussing your case....
by Richard Mills | May 6, 2011 | News
For the last 19 years I’ve been fortunate enough to be the resident DJ at one of Ohakune’s most beloved venues and accommodations spots, the Turoa Ski Lodge. Over the years I’ve driven up to the mountain, worked either Friday and Saturday, or just Saturday nights and...
by Richard Mills | Apr 21, 2011 | Master of Ceremonies
Increasingly I’m being hired by companies in the capacity of presenter for a variety of events. In recent months I’ve been the Master of Ceremonies (MC) at Silverstream Retreat for the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards night, a...
by Richard Mills | Apr 7, 2011 | Business, Hire A DJ
Hiring an average New Zealand mobile DJ to entertain at your wedding in early 1986 (when I started) typically cost around $400.00. According to the Reserve Bank’s inflation calculator, $400 in wages would be the equivilant of $1,286.13 in quarter 2 of 2018. This...
by Richard Mills | Feb 26, 2011 | Hire A DJ
During a recent thread on a New Zealand wedding forum, contributor Hayhay made the following comment about a DJ in Hawkes Bay; My SIL used xyz – he was very good, but he did have a very big obvious logo on his booth, which really stuck out to DH and I! In my...
by Richard Mills | Jan 22, 2011 | Wedding ideas
Choosing a first dance song can be a real challenge for many couples. If you are having difficulty deciding on a first dance, here’s a fun idea to add a little bit of mystique to your reception and involve your guests in one of the major elements. Sit down as a couple...
by Richard Mills | Dec 15, 2010 | News, Weddings
A change of plans for one couple has made for a possible great piece of news for others. A couple who booked me to entertain at their wedding on 26th February 2011 have had to reschedule their date. What this means of course is that I am now available to entertain on...
by Richard Mills | Oct 19, 2010 | Weddings
Today I received an email that made me happy to be of assistance. It read; Hi Richard Thank you so much for your tips on being a wedding MC. I am writing you from Nairobi Kenya and will be MC at my very 1st event on the 20th of October (the day after tomorrow!!). I...
by Richard Mills | Oct 15, 2010 | Hire A DJ, Weddings
There is a lot of cross over and no clear demarcation point between the DJ and DJ/MC roles. The skills and wedding experience that a good professional mobile DJ has puts them in an ideal position to move into the MC role. As for my service, I don’t charge out my...
by Richard Mills | Sep 12, 2010 | News, Weddings
As I write this, I’m sitting on a Boeing 737-300 on the Tarmac in Wellington. In a few minutes I’ll be in the air, on my way up to Auckland, to once again work as Master of Ceremonies for the Grand Wedding Show’s Bridal Fashion Parades. Lisa...
by Richard Mills | Jun 22, 2010 | Wedding ideas, Weddings
Picture the moment at your wedding ceremony. Your celebrant smiles broadly and introduces you proudly to all of your friends and family as newly-weds. Applause breaks out, your chosen recessional music plays and you walk down the aisle as a married couple, followed by...
by Richard Mills | Jun 13, 2010 | Weddings
One of the most common requests from any mobile MC & DJ’s prospective clients is the question asking for a quote for a price for a 4 or 5 hour wedding entertainment package. In my early years as a mobile DJ, this wasn’t a problem, because I really...
by Richard Mills | Jun 2, 2010 | Business
About 15 years ago, I was like most DJs in my market. I only charged around $500 for an event and other than finding out the most basic details, such as the venue and start/finish times, I really did no show preparation at all. For weddings, I’d know the...
by Richard Mills | May 30, 2010 | Business, News
I’ve seen a lot of these fake microphones popping up again, so I thought I’d post this as it’s good consumer advice. It also applies to the Sennheiser brand and presumably others, although I don’t have pictorial evidence of them. Be aware that...
by Richard Mills | May 30, 2010 | Weddings
I was reading comments from a British DJ on a UK DJ forum today. At the last wedding he entertained, he was getting ready to play the first dance for the Bride & Groom. He got the song queued up, prepared the following song also, checked that the couple were ready...
by Richard Mills | May 24, 2010 | Weddings
I’ve had a spate of enquiries lately from couples wanting a quote before talking or meeting with me. I find this very difficult because my service isn’t a ‘five hours’ type of service by any measure. I’m often on site from a couple of...
by Richard Mills | Apr 24, 2010 | Business
Jonathan Saunders from Sutton, United Kingdom asked me on my Facebook page the following in response to this post; 2 questions for you Richard. 1. What age do you see yourself DJing till? 2. Do you think if you didn’t look like an Hollywood actor, do you think...
by Richard Mills | Apr 20, 2010 | Business, News, Weddings
It’s this time of year when I’m putting the final touches on the last couple of weddings for the season. I like to take stock of the memories of the celebrations past, the wonderful people I’ve met and the enjoyment I’ve helped create. I think...
by Richard Mills | Apr 17, 2010 | Weddings
Every now and then I’m genuinely pleased that I’ve paid attention to the little things that sometimes go wrong at weddings. Take today for example.I arrived to set up two hours before the ceremony. No outside power. No problem, I have my generator. The...
by Richard Mills | Apr 15, 2010 | News
The first quarter of 2010 has been incredible for me. I’ve enjoyed DJ and MC work literally all over the country and have clocked up some astonishing kilometres in my car. Because I need to take my gear with me, it’s most convenient to drive to my events. When...
by Richard Mills | Apr 6, 2010 | Business
In a recent blog post, Andy Sernovitz said the following: We’ve been hosting our email with the same company for 10 years. It’s been rock-solid, with the occasional problem solved quickly and well. We were the first in line when they offered a new, upgraded server....
by Richard Mills | Mar 19, 2010 | News, Weddings
What a fascinating season year it’s been already been. I’ve been fortunate enough to entertain clients and their guests in some of the country’s most beautiful locations and there’s more still to come before winter hits. I saw in the New Year celebrating a surprise...
by Richard Mills | Feb 23, 2010 | News
For the second consecutive year, I’m honoured and extremely proud to have been nominated as a finalist in the 2010 Corporate Events Guide People’s Choice Awards in the classification “Best Nationwide DJs & MCs. I was delighted to win this...
by Richard Mills | Jan 18, 2010 | Wedding ideas
A few months ago I was fortunate enough to purchase an extremely compact data/video projector for an extremely reasonable price. I had the intention of using it to play video footage that I occasionally get asked to present at my client’s events. Messages from...
by Richard Mills | Jan 7, 2010 | DJ Equipment
The recent acquisition of a Honda EU10i portable inverter generator was a long-time coming. For years I’d wanted to have a generator so that I had the ability to provide beautiful sound virtually anywhere that my clients required it, as well as back-up power in...
