Breaking Down The Sound: What's In A Name?
By DJ Ross Efaw
What is Sound? What is Motion? We carry the title "Sound In Motion Entertainment Group" but what does that title really imply? Really, they can be distilled down to two schools of thought: An obvious answer, and a not-so-obvious answer.First the obvious answer: 'Sound In Motion' as a play on words, referring to the mobile nature of our DJ’s, bringing music and entertainment to our clients throughout the Bay Area. And then there is the not so obvious answer... But first lets examine a few definitions of sound:
Sound:
1. noun
An auditory effect; any audible vibrational disturbance: all kinds of sounds.
2. verb
To announce, order, or direct by or as by a sound.
3. adjective
Competent, sensible, or valid: sound judgment.
4. adverb
Deeply; thoroughly: sound asleep.
All these definitions are applicable to SIM’s cause. We are all music lovers here, and helping people find joy through the artistic expression of sound is always a boon to us. But as professional entertainers, the last three definitions are just as important. By industry standards, we are a somewhat conservative company. That is we pay attention, exercise caution, use our experience, and try not to leave anything to chance. This is because so many of the events we are a part of are not just run of the mill gigs with a sole purpose to generate profit. We are rendering a service that becomes an integral part of one of the most important day in our client’s lives: and we get that. I’m talking about weddings mostly, but this also refers to high end productions, sporting events, and Mitzvahs that may carry a similar gravity to them.
And then there’s the "Motion" part. Of course we travel a lot, so we are literally in motion- a lot! But the definition also refers to our constant growth and evolution as a production team, as well as all the moving parts to any event. There are always unexpected developments, plans that change, and surprises to accommodate. This is where the true professional really shines. One of the main differences between an amateur and a professional: An amateur fears stress, while the professional embraces stress, and uses it to motivate his or her performance.
When an event is truly special to you, you don’t want to leave anything to chance, and definitely don’t want to leave it in the hands of amateurs. I’m going to broaden this concept to apply to all aspects of life and business: If the people you are surrounded with are not taking you or your event as seriously as you are, how can you expect them to take any kind of responsibility or leadership role when it really comes time to deliver the goods?
Allow me to embrace a moment of self-promotion: Sound In Motion, co-owners Adrian Cavlan and Raffi Nalvarian have been DJ’ing professionally since 1985. We have several full time DJ’s with years of experience, and all our staff DJ’s must do a minimum of one full year of ride alongs and intensive training before they are ever cleared to lead an event themselves. This allows everyone here at SIM, especially Adrian and Raffi, to sleep soundly at night because we know the quality of the service we are sending out the door every weekend is unmatched by any other entertainment company, or one-man-act out there.
Of course I’m biased. But let me tell you I could have written about anything here. I contemplated writing a satirical essay on my recently failed yet often hilarious dating forays, or the current state of my iTunes library and why Apple can’t seem to stop screwing it up this year... But then I thought better of it. Maybe there's a more appropriate forum for that stuff. After all, we are professionals here, exercising sound judgment at every turn... Now excuse me while I go tweet about my love life.