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RTH Signature Event: MOCA Cleveland Art Gala

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Each year, the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) holds an annual fundraiser in which elite members of Cleveland’s community come together to support the arts. This affair, also known as the MOCA Gala, is a night full of laughter, conversation, and delicious food provided by Marigold Catering. Returning as proud production partners for the past 3 years, it was our distinct pleasure to provide audio, video, lighting services for this year’s MOCA gala!

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As event professionals who know the impact lighting can make on an event, Rock The House aspired to design a clean look associated with the gala’s main theme; “LEAP”. Led by Founder/CEO Matt Radicelli, the RTH team wasted no time designing a sky-like atmosphere, illuminating the normally-white room with light blue accent lighting, dabbled with the occasional cloud or two. Accomplished using uplighting and gobos mounted from overhead support beams, the final look left the white room appearing to have painted walls, with no distinguishable lighting sources viewable from the entrance.

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In addition to lighting, Rock The House also provided audio and video services, allowing key speakers to present with ease, as an overhead projector displayed visuals that may be relevant to any of the presentations throughout the gala. Truly a night to remember, Rock The House would like to thank all guests in attendance who came to show their support, as well as the staff of the Cleveland MOCA, The Element Band, and everyone else who made the event possible.

Interested in Rock The House’s production services for your next corporate, non-profit, or social event? Contact our team of #EventProfs today to visually stun your guests at your next event!

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ROCKstar of the Month for September – John Vlach

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After a summer full of hard work, we can’t think of a more deserving person to call our September ROCKstar of the month than our in-house graphic designer, John Vlach. In just under two years since starting at Rock The House, John has already advanced from an intern during his schooling, to full-time in the office, working alongside the marketing team.

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John says his favorite part about working for Rock The House is the privilege of expressing his own creativity, and that he’s not constantly being watched or critiqued while he works. He prefers the flexibility and organization structure of Rock The House, so there’s never any overwhelming pressure and deadlines are easier to meet. “Creativity is not something that can be rushed… The final product will never be as good if the process isn’t given enough time or if there’s too much pressure”, John says.

A Few Fun Facts About John Vlach:

  • Guilty pleasure song? Rachel Platten – “Fight Song”
  • Pre-event snack? Chicken Nuggets
  • Post event snack? … more Chicken Nuggets! “They’re easy to eat when I’m driving home!”
  • What is your biggest fear? Spiders or Bugs of any kind.
  • What’s your favorite movie? Caddyshack
  • What’s your favorite song/artist? Paramore
  • What pro wrestler fits you best? CM Punk

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Handling many of our designs and video editing tasks, John also captures videos at many of our events! While he may shoot videos for many different shows, big productions like last year’s Shaker Prom or S.W.A.P. 2016 (An EDM, rave-style event featuring DJ E-V) seem to be his favorite.

“John is a model employee. His passion and love for his craft has elevated the quality of our video and graphic designs. I am proud to have John as part of my marketing team and I really looking forward to seeing him expand his role at Rock The House.”  – Nick Duve, Marketing Director

You can check out some of John’s most recent work for us on our YouTube channel. Keep up the great work John, and thanks for everything that you do!

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Alascia Jones Wins The ILEA President’s Award

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As event professionals, Rock The House is proud to have so many talented and creative minds as a part of our ROCKstar staff. Luckily for us and our industry partners alike, there is the International Live Events Association (ILEA). ILEA is a conglomerate of vendors from all different special event service fields, and provides excellent opportunities for these professionals to further their growth as they continue to move forward in the industry.

Rock The House has several ILEA members on our team, but in particular, we would like to take the time congratulate Alascia Jones, who recently won the 2016 ILEA Cleveland Chapter President’s Award! A prestigious honor bestowed by ILEA’s President, Alascia received the award as a result of her tremendous hospitality skills, and unwavering effort to always exhibit and practice the association’s five core values; Creativity, Inspiration, Teamwork, Education, and Relationships.

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“Alascia embraces ILEA Cleveland not only to better herself but the event industry as a whole. She has the heart that’s needed to make a difference and I can’t wait to see what else she accomplishes! – Amy Van Duyne, ILEA Board of Directors

Starting as an ILEA student member in 2012, Alascia has worked her way up through the association to the role of Director of Programs and Education Committee for ILEA’s Cleveland Chapter. This role, which involves assisting the Vice President of Programs and Education as well as coordinating and executing the majority of ILEA’s events each year, truly made Alascia’s love for the event industry apparent. Her hard work and dedication earned her the award’s nomination, which was presented by ILEA’s former president.

Alongside Alascia in the ILEA spotlight is Rock The House’s own Amy Van Duyne, who recently became  the secretary to ILEA Cleveland’s Board of Directors. A 5-year member of ILEA, some of Amy’s responsibilities include recording all major details of each board meeting, as well as ensuring that ILEA members remain diligent in keeping to their agendas and maintaining their task schedules to keep on track throughout the entire year.

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Rock The House is very proud to have such extraordinary individuals represent our company on a local and international level, allowing us to maintain our high standards as we continue to grow in the event industry.

Interested in working with our world-class team for your next event? Contact our team of event professionals to get started! Images courtesy of Mystic Image Productions and the Rock The House Photo Archive.

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ROCKstar of the Month of July: Myke Delano (DJ Flightz)

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Our ROCKstar of the month for July is none other than Myke Delano! Also known by his stage name DJ Flightz, Myke is one of our finest DJs and has been a part of our team for about four years now. Along with DJing, Myke also works part-time in the shop as a Rock The House technician.

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Myke’s favorite part about working for Rock The House is the wide variety of events he gets to work and performed. However, when we asked Flightz what his favorite RTH event has been, it’s not very easy for him to pick. Myke tells us, “It’s hard to decide, but I think that Shaker’s 2015 and 2016 Proms are my favorites.”

A Few Fun Facts About Myke Delano:

  • Guilty pleasure song? None; Myke says he’s not embarrassed by anything when it comes to music.
  • Pre-event snack? Beef Jerky, Skittles, and Redbull.
  • Post event snack? Pretzels.
  • What is your biggest fear? Not being able to hear… losing my hearing would be horrible. Sound puts me at peace.
  • What’s your favorite Rockstar Quote? “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marley
  • What artists are your biggest musical influences? A-Trak and Drake
  • Favorite recommendation on SnapChat or Instagram? Dillion Francis is pretty funny. Sometimes a bit too ridiculous, but still funny.
  • What got you into DJing? My fraternity. I would just randomly DJ and play music since I was always a music junkie. I also loved having the newest music and just always playing it for people.

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Although Myke loves DJing for Rock The House, he says that his dream job would be owning a cigar bar and lounge, with one of our lead entertainers Travis Rose as a stand-up comedian. However until that day comes, Myke is always prepared to tackle any event, and can always be counted on to keep the people dancing!

“I attribute much of Myke’s success to his continued dedication to the art of DJing. He has always possessed raw talent but it’s now evident that the practice Myke puts in outside of work has elevated his performances year to year.  Myke’s maturation as an entertainer has been awesome to witness. Regardless of the type of event or demographic, he has an uncanny ability to read a crowd and keep the energy on the dance floor rocking all night. DeLano in an invaluable asset to Rock The House and we are super fortunate to have him as one of our lead entertainers. A great employee, an incredible DJ, but ultimately, he is an even better person!” – Travis Rose, Talent Director

Interested in working with DJ Flightz for your next event? Contact our team of event professionals today to get started!
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10 Wedding Apps To Consider When Planning Your Wedding

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In case you haven’t noticed, the 21st century has brought about a whole new world of technology. From picture-sharing to finding the perfect place to tie the knot, our event professionals here at Rock The House have put together our top 10 wedding app suggestions for your big day!

1. Wedding Spot

Whether this is the first place you look to find a venue, or you’re just trying to compare a few different places, you can’t go wrong checking out the Wedding Spot. With the ability to search for locations based on capacity, location, budget, and more, Wedding Spot is your one stop shop when finding a place to say “I do”. In addition, they offer exclusive discounts and deals you can’t find anywhere else!

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2. WedPics

A super easy way to see your wedding from the eyes of your guests, WedPics allows anyone attending your celebration to share their personal pictures of your day using a custom ID you create. Once you create your personalized wedding ID, you can invite your guests via text message, email, or even through Facebook! After that, sharing is just a simple upload away. Perhaps not a reliable substitution for a professional photographer, WedPics is still a great way to collect some nice candid pictures from your wedding day.

3. Fitocracy

If the pressure of wedding photos has you wanting to shed a few pounds before you tie the knot, or you just want to squeeze into that tuxedo or dress one size down, Fitocracy is a great tool to help you meet your weight loss goals. In addition to its fitness assessments and customized workout plans, Fitocracy also helps with nutrition and dieting to help you stay on the right track up until the big day! Your personal coach will also help give you the motivation you need, so that you’re sure to never miss a beat.

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4. Fun Wedding

Perfect for formality dances and finding songs you know you want to hear at your wedding, Fun Wedding has lists of the most popular songs for everything from the first dance with your significant other, to Mother-Son and Father-Daughter dances. Whether you can’t think of a good tune, or just can’t find one that truly expresses how you feel, Fun Wedding is an app every engaged couple has to check out!

5. Wedding Happy

Is planning a wedding more complicated than you originally thought? No worries; Wedding Happy has everything you need to stay organized! With a full task calendar, budget tracker, and reminder alerts all right on your phone, Wedding Happy will make sure your wedding tasks are handled with time to spare, without having to put the rest of your life on hold.

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6. BrideScan by Today’s Bride

A great tool for wedding planning, BrideScan by Today’s Bride allows couples to find vendors and keep in contact with them. Used by scanning codes at any of our sponsored Today’s Bride wedding shows, BrideScan takes the business cards out of your wallet and keeps all your vendor contacts organized by role right on your phone. You can even connect with other couples to exchange ideas, information, and more!

7. Etsy

Etsy is a one-of-a-kind online marketplace that is full of both the most common and unique of pieces! When looking for ideas for a wedding theme, Etsy can be a treasure trove of decor and pieces that can really bring your wedding vision to life. In case you don’t quite find what you’re looking for on Etsy, Pinterest and Wedding Wire are other great places to find wedding ideas.

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8. Perfect365

If your wedding budget is slowly getting out of hand, Perfect365 is a great way for a bride to save some money and still look incredible on her wedding day. This free app is full of makeup and hair tutorials ranging from all levels of complexity, but instructions allow for a simple execution by anyone!

9. UStream

Don’t let distance keep your friends and family from enjoying your wedding day with you! Using the power of streaming, apps like UStream allow guests from all over the world to watch your wedding as if they were right there in person. Though UStream does require payment plans, you can take advantage of the free trial plan that includes 5 free broadcasts so that it won’t cost you a dime!

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10. The Knot

If none of the apps above had a solution to your problem, you can most likely find it on The Knot. The ultimate wedding app, The Knot can help you with any aspect of your wedding from choosing a cake, to picking a dress. Whether you’re a day into your engagement or ready to plan the honeymoon, you can’t go wrong with The Knot.

Although these apps can make wedding planning go much smoother for you, nothing beats having one of our event professionals help guide you through the process. For more information on how we can help make your wedding celebration ROCK, click here! Images courtesy of Making The Moment.

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A Rock The House Success Story: Shawn Smutak

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Entertainer to Client Coordinator

Nothing makes us more proud than seeing a team member grow with the company; and Shawn Smutak is a great example of that transition. Shawn has been with Rock The House since 2003, and has been a part of some really big transitions that the company made over the last decade. Some of these transitions include two different office expansions, expanding services (event production to include lighting and staging), exponential growth in employees, as well as the addition of a corporate entertainment and production division. These are just some of the ways Rock The House has grown, in-part because of Shawn.

Shawn started with the company as a dancer and DJ, and as Rock The House expanded it’s horizons, Shawn became one of the company’s most requested MCs over time. His ability to take control of an event, work with other vendors, and his commitment to customer service made him a natural leader on events. Beyond his growth in his role as an entertainer, Shawn has achieved an Associate Degree in Interpersonal Communication at the University of Akron with a Minor in Sales Management. It’s this training, coupled with his years of show experience, that made him the right choice for his next role at Rock The House.

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Shawn has been hired as a part of the full-time staff as a Client Coordinator. Because he has been the leader on hundreds of events with Rock The House, he is uniquely qualified to help guide our clients with their event’s needs. Being in the field as long as Shawn means that he understands what can be achieved and what is best for the integrity of the event. His recommendations come from the point of a true expert.

When asked what the most exciting part of this new position will be for him, Shawn did not hesitate. “The fact that I can now take part in the internal process of all of our events is exciting,” said Shawn. “Communicating with clients more frequently and building strong relationships is going to be really exciting.” We’re excited to be able to be at a point in our evolution that we can offer a real opportunity to our staff to be able to grow with us. Hiring from within is something that makes the management team at Rock The House really proud because it’s a great payoff for those who have sacrificed the most towards the success of our company.

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