We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josh Levine a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Josh thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents have always been my biggest inspiration. They both set the example of hard work paying off. From a financial standpoint, I don’t think my family and my childhood would be described as someone who came from a wealthy family. That being said, my parents worked hard to ensure that my sister and I had everything we ever needed.
When I was in third grade, my father took a risk and left his job of 14 years and bought a printing franchise. Unfortunately, the business was not as successful as he had hoped, and dreamed, and several months later, the business had to close.
Despite not having the business success there, my father did everything in his power to ensure that our family still had everything we needed. He was able to return to the company that he had worked for 14 years and resume his career there. While reestablishing himself, he took a second job, working three nights a week in a call center. He hated that second job, but did it because it’s what he felt our family needed.
During this time, my mother not only went back to work, but also maintained her role as chief operating officer of our family. She coordinated rides to and from the activities that my sister and I participated in, she ensured that we did our homework, made sure we had a home-cooked meal many nights per week and did anything else parents do.
My parents probably have no idea how much their efforts during this time impacted me as I have built my business. Their work ethic is second to none every day, I try to make them proud by maintaining that work ethic.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
In 1995, I finished playing football in my senior year of high school. My parents were adamant that I get a job so I could start earning my own money and learn the value of the dollar. A good friend of mine told me about a local DJ service that was looking for new staff and I called and got hired. Four years later, I wound up leaving that company and thought my days as a DJ were over. I happened to go to Atlantic City with a friend of mine and turned $100 into enough money to buy a full DJ system, computer, and business cards. It was then, in 1999 I decided to try and form my own business. Electra Entertainment was born.
Electra has evolved over the years and morphed into an entertainment company. DJ parties are still our focus, but we also have established a photo novelty division and as a result of COVID-19 we were able to establish ourselves as a reliable A/V company as well.
Over the years we have had the chance to perform and provide services for all sorts of events including Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, Quinceaneras, birthdays, anniversaries, baby naming’s, charity functions etc. I have always been proud of getting the chance to work with Abroaderway Foundation and being able to assist the award winning Idina Menzel put on four sperate charity fundraisers.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
There is nothing more important in any company than your team and the people who help make your business successful. It has always been my belief that our team members have a great opportunity to be themselves and feel as if they are part of a family. We always treat each team member as part of our team and make them feel welcomed.
As we have built our team out, we have always given our crew opportunities to be a part of other things within the company that interest them. For example, we had someone who was really interested in photography, so we created opportunities for that person to grow and expand using their love for photos. Another team member wanted to be a part of our social media work and we created that opportunity as well.
One thing I always try to tell everyone about Electra Entertainment, when I bring anyone onto the team is that they are not working for me, they are working with me. Each team member is a big part of why we have success.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2005 we experienced significant growth as a DJ service, and we were looking for new ways to better service our clients and provide more services that fit in the entertainment space. This led to the launch of our green screen service. Green screen was a huge hit and allowed us to expand our offerings to customers. In 2011 we decided to enhance our Photo Novelty space to offer clients photo booths. We were one of the first companies in Maryland to offer DJ services and photo booths.
Being able to recognize that we were not just a DJ service, but an entertainment company helped propel us to a new level and has been critical to our success.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, we even figured out a way to do a virtual photo booth when virtual parties were a thing. You must be creative, inquisitive and build a network of industry contacts to bounce ideas off of.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.electradeejay.com
- Instagram: electra_experience
- Facebook: facebook.com/ElectraEntertainment
- Twitter: electradeejay
- Youtube: @electraentertainment