We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

You are so right! Naming a company is hard. Once you pick it, that’s it, you’re stuck with it. Growing up in the 90’s and in a house with 4 brothers and one nephew, we bonded over gaming as a family. StarCraft being played on 8 computers spread out around the house was a common weekend family and friend activity. All of us kids ended up being lifelong gamers. I wanted to have a name that has a personal touch to who I am as well as have it stand out with an action. What do you do in a lot of video games? Level Up! In keeping with that energy I wanted my company name to say it all. Everything you could need to know about what I do in one name. I feel like Level Up Mobile Entertainment really says it all. I’m going to level up your wedding or event with great service and attention to detail and I can do it anywhere!

Ryan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been into music in many different forms. Growing up I was more into playing music than playing sports. I played several instruments and experimented recording my own music and making videos. In high school I hosted talent shows run by the drama department and was the lead writer in the newspaper class. Around that time my father started his own business in wedding videography. It really gave me a lot of exposure to the wedding industry seeing my dad filming and editing video. I got the opportunity to work with him and other production crews to film live productions for television as well as radio programs. I really owe a lot of the essence of me and my business to him. He taught me a lot about dedication and being passionate in what you do. I always knew I wanted to do something similar. Fast forward a few years and I discover the magic of karaoke. After being apart of the karaoke scene in my area for a while I came across the opportunity to host and DJ at a local restaurant two nights a week. Fun fact, I met my lovely wife while I was hosting! She’s a better singer than me but we both share a passion for singing our favorite songs and rocking the house. After a while I started hosting car shows and Djed at private events for friends. It wasn’t long before I was asked to DJ a wedding. After doing a few weddings and completely falling in love with the DJ role I was encouraged by my friends and family to start my own company.

Being a DJ is a high pressure job. Being a wedding DJ is monumental. Countless hours go into preparing every event and that is one area where I feel like my company shines. I prepare at an almost obsessive level that I end up with back-ups to back-ups. I believe that having a game plan for when something goes wrong is crucial to making sure you’re not caught dead in the water. Another area of note is being flexible and adaptable to any situation. If anyone ever tells you that all weddings are the same, please pinch yourself because you’re dreaming! No wedding goes according to plan but the key is to make it go smoothly. Working with the other vendors and the wedding team is integral to a successful wedding both before and during the event.

I’m so very proud of the growth I’ve experienced over the last year. Taking what I’ve learned and being able to experiment with ideas while making my customers happy is really freeing. The thing I’m most proud of is my website. I have put an inhumane amount of hours into getting it to where it is today. I finally feel like I have a good representation of my brand.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This year I was given an opportunity to take on a wedding last minute. A couple had their DJ cancel on them a day before their wedding. This couple had worked hard for 8 years to get their property transformed and have the wedding of their dreams. I was blessed to have a fellow DJ think of me and offer me the wedding. Not only was I on a family vacation and traveling three hours to get back home, but up to that point I had never taken on a wedding so soon. Despite these factors, I knew how important this special day was and decided to take on the task of planning an event in less than 24 hours (something that normally takes me months of preparation). After working all night on their timeline and song requests, I was able to prevail the next day and it ended up being one of the most memorable weddings of the season. The success of the wedding poured into me with compliments and rave reviews at the end of the event; a special reminder of why I got into this business in the first place. This situation taught me that if you work hard and step out of your comfort zone, sometimes it can really pay off.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn in my journey as a wedding and events DJ was that I didn’t need to control every moment of the party. Initially, I thought that meticulously planning every song and transition would lead to a perfect experience. However, I soon realized that being too rigid stifled the natural flow of the event and prevented me from adapting to the crowd’s energy. One specific incident that opened my eyes was a wedding where I stuck strictly to my playlist, but the dance floor remained sparse. The newlyweds weren’t dancing and it happened to be a hot summer day so I decided to loosen up, read the crowd, and switch to a different genre, instantly igniting the party atmosphere. I started implementing live song requests so guests could add to the show. This experience taught me the importance of flexibility, reading the room, allowing me to trust in myself, and delivering real time corrections that lead to positive experiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: Levelupmeevents.com
• Instagram: @levelupmobileentertainment
• Facebook: Level Up Mobile Entertainment
• Yelp: Level Up Mobile Entertainment