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ROCKstar of the Month of January: Evan Guffin

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New year, new ROCKstar! This month’s honoree is Evan Guffin, one of our Lead Technicians. Evan has been with Rock The House for over six years. Since joining the team, he has progressed from working as an audio technician to leading a team. He is willing to lend a hand to anyone in need and strives to make everything around him better.

Evan Guffin, Rock The House Technical Lead

Evan grew up around performance and performed as a kid, but eventually realized that he liked the behind-the-scenes factor more than being on the stage. His interest in the technical side of things even led him to study event production.

“Evan has excelled in and helped develop and mold our audio department in a positive way. He continues to make improvements on the look, feel, and sound of all of his events. His knowledge and attention to detail has given him the opportunity to project manage several Signature Events successfully.” – Ryan Durfee, Production Manager

Evan Guffin, Technical Lead at Rock The House

While Evan works in many areas and on many types of events, he shared that his favorite event to work on was the Cleveland Metroparks Centennial Celebration. “The Metroparks is a great organization and client of Rock The House,” said Guffin. “Their event was a great display of many of Rock The House’s audiovisual aspects.”

A Few Fun Facts About Evan Guffin:

  • Favorite guilty pleasure song? “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls
  • Favorite movie? Blues Brothers
  • Favorite TV show? The Office
  • Favorite song/artist? Foo Fighters
  • Favorite pre-event snack? Banana
  • Favorite post-event snack? Chips and salsa
  • If you could have a superpower, what would it be? I’d like to fly, I hate sitting in traffic.
  • What’s something not many people know about you? I’ve been drinking coffee since I was a little kid.
  • On that note, how do you take your coffee? Black.
Evan Guffin, Rock The House Technical Lead, Crowd Surfing

Yep, that’s Evan getting a “lift” from the RTH team!

“One of my favorite things about being on the RTH team is seeing the concept that a client has imagined for an event come together and then seeing their reaction to it when it is done.” – Evan Guffin, ROCKstar of the Month

When not at work, Evan can be found working out at the gym, enjoying craft beers, and spending time with his friends and family.

“Evan is someone who we know can handle whatever we throw at him. He personifies RTH culture by always being willing to step up and help out. He does what needs to be done and is more than willing to help anyone that asks!” – Tricia Adams, Production Assistant

Congratulations to Evan on being January’s ROCKstar of the Month! Interested in working with rockstars like Evan to produce your next event? Contact our team of event professionals today to get started! Photos courtesy of the Rock The House Photo Archive.

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ROCKstar of the Month of December: Tricia Adams

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As we wrap up 2017, we’re excited to end the year showcasing one of our hardest working team members, Tricia Adams! Since joining the RTH team almost 5 years ago, Tricia has grown from her role as a part-time dancer to take on the recently created position of Production Assistant. Although she hates being the center of attention, we couldn’t help but honor her this month!

Tricia Adams Rock The House Production Assistant - Black Tie Wedding Photo

Tricia is truly a force to be reckoned with! On a given day, you may find her tackling everything from production to staffing to rentals and more. “Tricia’s attention to detail and ability to see a project through to completion has helped streamline several areas of the production team. She is continuing to learn every day; her knowledge about what we do and how we do it has grown ten-fold.”– Ryan Durfee, Production Manager

A Few Fun Facts About Tricia Adams:

  • Cartoon character that best describes her? Margo from Despicable Me
  • Favorite movie? The Boondock Saints
  • Favorite song/artist? Norah Jones
  • Favorite pre (and post) event snack? Chocolate
  • Biggest fear? Taking life too seriously
  • Favorite thing about being on the RTH team? Getting to work with such a fun group of people!

Tricia Adams Rock The House Production Assistant - Donut Photo

“I find working for RTH rewarding because I get to be involved with so many awesome events in the city of Cleveland. It’s not just about the opening night of new local restaurants or massive parties, but also the charity events, fundraisers, and galas that show what Cleveland is really all about. I am lucky to be a part of it!” – Tricia Adams, ROCKstar of the Month

When not in the office, you may also find Tricia working a photo booth or striking an event. Of all the events she’s done, Tricia shared that she loved getting to travel to her hometown of Pittsburgh back in the day for events. “Getting to work with Matt and the A-Team and hanging overnight with an awesome crew makes those events stand out still to this day,” she said. When Tricia is off the clock, she enjoys spending time outdoors, drinking scotch, and going to yoga.

“[Tricia] has the capacity to see the bigger picture and make an early catch on potential issues. She has continued to push the responsibilities of this role and make our team better in the process.” – Ben Allison, Director of Human Development

Congratulations to Tricia on being December’s ROCKstar of the Month! Interested in working with rockstars like Tricia to produce your next event? Contact our team of event professionals today to get started! Photos courtesy of the Rock The House Photo Archive.

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PartyPalooza 2017: Cleveland’s Premier Event Planning Showcase

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It’s baaaaaaack! The 22nd annual PartyPalooza will be on November 5th from 11am-3pm at the Cleveland Marriott East. PartyPalooza is Cleveland’s entirely FREE event planning showcase! PartyPalooza features a variety of event vendors, from catering and entertainment to accommodations and venues. If you have an event coming up, PartyPalooza is an amazing opportunity to book all your vendors at incredibly discounted rates.

Rock The House is proud to be the presenting sponsor of PartyPalooza 2017.  When you think of Rock The House, you naturally think of amazing parties. With over 100 entertainment options, the RTH team knows the importance of keeping your guests engaged. At PartyPalooza, Rock The House offers amazing incentives and promotional pricing that can save you UP TO 70% at your next event! With just a $200 deposit, you can reserve your event date right then and there. This offer only comes around once a year, you won’t want to miss it!

While Rock The House has a team of incredible DJs and MCs, we are also very proud of our other entertainment packages! From upgraded dance floors to photo booths and giant games, RTH has everything you need to host your best event yet. Read on for a sneak peek of some of our favorites and make sure to come to PartyPalooza to learn more!

Get Lit with LED Lighting

Rock The House is excited to introduce our new LED panels which are guaranteed to leave your guests in AWE! These light-up panels are customizable to just about any shape or size, whether that be an upgraded LED DJ booth, dance floor, creative wall façade, or even a tunnel for your grand entrance! Whatever you can imagine, Rock The House can make it happen! The possibilities are endless and are sure to bring the WOW factor to your event!

Rock The House Extra Entertainment LED Panels

Mirror Booth

Rock The House’s Mirror Booth is the latest and greatest photo booth option available. Guests take their photos through an interactive mirror that prompts them to do various actions, sign their pictures when they’re done, and even print and share their pictures on social media!

Interactive Sports & Games

Be sure that all your guests have a great time at your next event, on AND off the dance floor, with new interactive activities! From modern classics like LED Ping Pong and Giant 22-Player Foosball to Rock Shots Ultimate Basketball and their new Sports Simulator, Rock The House allows guests of all ages to test their skills and win ultimate bragging rights!

Rock The House Extra Entertainment Giant Games

Interactive Touch Screen DJ

Take your event to a whole new level with the Touch Screen DJ by Rock The House! This DJ system allows your guests to see the DJ mix the music right before their eyes. Thanks to the two-way touch screen technology and interactive control surface, you won’t just be able to hear the music…you’ll watch it come to life! And yes…the guest of honor can help!

Rock The House Interactive Touch Screen DJ System

Sparkular Indoor Fireworks

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have fireworks at your event? Now you can with Rock The House’s brand new Sparkular units! Sparkular is Cleveland’s first and only pyrotechnics effect created for indoor use. Perfect for your grand entrance, special effects, a unique photo, or your grand finale!  Sparkular is guaranteed to make your guests say “ooh” and “aah” at your celebration!

There’s a reason Rock The House has been entrusted for nearly twenty years with more than 2,500 Simchas. RTH goes above and beyond to ensure that every client’s expectations are met and surpassed. We want to make your event ROCK, too! Register for PartyPalooza 2017 to SAVE BIG on Rock The House party packages. We hope to see you there!

 

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RTH Signature Event: The Duve Wedding

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Rock The House makes dream weddings a reality for hundreds of couples each year. However, it’s not every day that one of those couples is a member of our team! A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of helping our own Marketing Manager, Nick Duvé and his husband, Stephen Duvé, celebrate one the best nights of their lives in one of the greatest weddings productions we’ve ever put on.

As a former DJ and Host at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and a connoisseur of ‘Fairytale Weddings’, as well as his time spent with us at Rock The House, Nick has seen just about any wedding possibility you could think of. That all being said, Nick had gathered plenty of ideas for his own wedding throughout his years in the industry… and he had all the resources to make them happen. With the help of Meredith Masaveg of Rain Wedding Planning, Nick and Steve began planning their big day.

“This wedding was much more then just about Steve and I. It was about celebrating all of the friends and family who have helped us along our journey. We wanted to give them an experienced they will never forget and with the help of some very talented vendors, and I think we accomplished that”. – Nick Duve

Duve_Wedding_Seating

The Duvés decided that the Akron Art Museum was the perfect location for both their wedding ceremony and reception to take place. An already stunning venue, Rock The House provided full production and lighting work throughout the museum, while our sister company Selective Sound Entertainment provided ceremony services, with Vice President “Jay R.” Rich as the officiant and first DJ. Chairs the wedding and reception were provided by Be Seated. After the ceremony guests were invited onto an outdoor dancefloor for cocktail hour, before stepping inside the newly-transformed art museum for the dinner reception.

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A beautiful ceremony is only complimented by an unbelievable reception, and that became no clearer to guests than when they first stepped inside the building. After a 5-star dinner provided by Driftwood Catering and frosty desserts brought by Mason’s Creamery, guests were personally invited once again onto the outdoor dancefloor by Nick and Steve for their first dance and formalities. However after a short time of dancing, guests were stopped by RTH MC Sparky B. and invited back inside the building for a very special surprise from Nick and Steve. The Duvé’s weren’t done quite yet.

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When guests arrived back inside, they were in awe to see a Vegas-inspired dance club, which had been in plain view the whole time, but simply hidden behind a wall of drapery! The perfect light show was coordinated by an RTH lighting designer as Sparky B. continued to hype up the crowd! Lights were only the beginning, as the Duvés surprised their friends and family with music by celebrity DJ Brian Dawe of VH1 & MTV! The night to remember was all captured on film by Matt Reisinger of Elite Entertainment, and still-frame images were shot by Marc Anthony & Tony Ryan Photography. Special thanks also go out to L’Nique Linen Rental, Nikki’s Perfect Petal Designs, Paul Mitchell the School: Cleveland, and Justin Campbell from the Akron Art Museum, who all did their part to make the day a success for the Duve’s! You can find more pictures, and videos from the Duvé Wedding by following the hashtag #HereComeTheDuves.

Want Rock The House to make your dream wedding a reality? Contact our team of event professionals today to see what we can do for you! Photos courtesy of Marc Anthony & Tony Ryan Photography and The Rock The House Photo Archive. Videos courtesy of Rock The House and Matt Reisinger of Elite Entertainment.

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RTH Signature Event: Sam’s ROCKING Bar Mitzvah

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Cleveland has been deemed as “The Birthplace of Rock N’ Roll” ever since Alan Freed first coined the phrase in the 1950s. While that may have already been 60 years ago, the spirit of the music still lives on just as it always has in our great city. Young Sam Heller couldn’t help but feel the same way, and decided the only true place he wanted his bar mitzvah was not only in the rock and roll city, but at the epicenter of it; The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Take a look at how we at Rock The House were able to ROCK Sam’s Simcha, providing him and his guests with an evening full of incredible fun and great memories!

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It was the direction of the Joe Mineo Creative team that really brought the night to life, transforming the Rock Hall into the party of the year! Sam’s celebration started with one of our rockstar DJs and one of our signature Ultimate Video Dance Party setups, with wireless LED uplights, strobe lighting, 70″ monitors, and truss structures transforming the dance floor into an ocean of light and sound. Guests were kept entertained both on and off the dance floor with a series of multiplayer, interactive games; Including RTH favorites such as Rockshots, RTH Game Show Mania, and even giant versions of classic games such as Jenga, Connect 4, Pick-Up Sticks, and Scrabble. Another hit attraction was the new RTH Coinless Claw Machine, which allowed guests to test their skills and attempt to win themselves an additional party favor! Rock The House also provided a custom photo opportunity, bringing in one of our professional photographers to take beautiful portraits of the guests. As the night continued on, guests enjoyed musical entertainment courtesy of The Pella Singers, and some fine cuisine catered by the 5-star staff from Executive Caterers.

RTH_Claw_Machine

Throwing parties for a living may seem redundant after a while, but never for us at Rock The House! It brings us quite a bit of joy to be continually called upon to provide great celebrations for Sam’s family. The 2nd in his family to have their Simcha ROCKED, we always enjoy the challenge of thinking up fresh and exciting party options to create the best night possible for the family. We also love working at a premier Cleveland venue such as the Rock Hall, and working with their fantastic event staff! Last but not least, a big thanks goes to Event Source, Aable Rents, and Be Seated for helping with select item rentals, and Marc Golub Photography for taking some incredible pictures of the night!

From Simchas to weddings, there’s not an event out there that our team can’t ROCK! Contact our team of event professionals today to see what we can make possible for your next celebration!

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Your Guide To A Hauntingly Good Halloween Party

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RTH_Jack_o_lanterns

With the leaves falling from the trees and the summer heat drifting away, it can only mean one thing; Fall is finally here! With Fall comes pumpkins, football games, flannels, and of course, Halloween. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, Halloween is the perfect time to throw some of the craziest parties of the year. As your friends and neighbors prepare by decorating their houses and making fun costumes, here is your guide to throwing a spectacularly spooky soiree they won’t soon forget! Putting on a Halloween celebration may seem like a monumental task, but really it can be broken down into three main facets: Lighting, Special Enhancements, and Entertainment. Luckily, Rock The House is not only able to provide you with all of these things, but we’ll even walk you through each step of the planning process! Here are a few of our ideas, if you dare to dream big!

Lighting:

RTH_Spooky_Lighting

Lighting is a very powerful tool for any event you may be throwing because it allows you to not only transform the look of any space, but also the mood that is set by that space. Orange uplighting on a bare wall is a great way to give your guests a mysterious feeling as they arrive, or use it on some white drapery to make your own wall! Black lights are also known to set an eerie tone, and can be a great addition to any room’s design. While these lights are used to set the room’s general atmosphere, there are also advanced lighting options that will help bring your party to life after it kicks off! Strobe lights, hazers, and blinders are all great ways to turn your average room into a full-fledged Halloween production. Freedom sticks and gobos are some other good additions that can really bring a space together nicely.

Special Enhancements:

RTH_Chandeliers

Once you’ve got the lighting in place, it’s time to polish off your production with some extra flare. Fog machines are a great accent to our advanced lighting choices, or you can add some chandeliers to give the room a touch of aged elegance! Also don’t forget about any of our fantastic extra entertainment options, such as Rockshots, LED Ping Pong, Giant Foosball, and more! Our selection of games and extra activities are a great way to ensure that guests will stay entertained both on, and off the dancefloor!

Photo Opportunity:

RTH_Halloween_Photo_Oppourtunity

Another special enhancement that is a must-have for any Halloween party is one of our many different photo opportunities! Photos booth options have become a new staple piece for guest interaction, and can be very appealing to those who may be a bit too shy to put their dancing shoes on. Not to mention that if you’re throwing a costume party, your guests will be itching to get a picture of themselves in their new attire! Add social media sharing, and guests can easily share their photos directly to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even have their pictures sent to them instantly through e-mail or text message.

Entertainment:

RTH_Halloween_Entertainment

When all the lighting and production work is done, you’ll still need to entertain your guests! Whether you prefer live entertainment or a good old-fashioned DJ, Rock The House is always ready to make your party ROCK! Our masterful DJ/MC pairs are trained to play for any kind of crowd, and our in-house, award-winning party band Rock The House LIVE is able to play a wide variety of genres from funk, to rock, to today’s biggest hits. No matter which option you prefer, you can be sure that all your guests will be out of their seats, enjoying themselves the entire night! As you can surely see by now, trick-or-treating isn’t the only fun thing you can do in October. Now’s your chance to throw a party so good, even ghosts from last Halloween will want to attend! Contact our team of event professionals today to get started, and mention this article and receive 5% off your Halloween event. Images courtesy of Google Images and the Rock The House Photo Archive.

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Rock The House 2016 Company Party Recap

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RTH_Award_Winners

Every week of the year, members of our talented team of entertainers exceed expectations to make events the very best experience they can be for our clients and their guests. For this reason, we have the Rock The House Family of Companies Party; a night full of awards, music, dancing, and soon-to-be great memories! As our way of showing gratitude for all the hard work our employees do every week, we present our 2016 Rock The House Company Party Recap!

The grand celebration took place on August 16th at Camp George Forbes in Beachwood, with dinner being served by Driftwood Catering. Over 110 RTH team members attended the party, which featured a variety of activities including a photo booth, an ice cream cart, and even a bonfire. While we appreciate every employee that comes to our annual company party, there are a few entertainers that deserve special recognition this year. A few of them include Faucet Award winner Nick Lockhart, Renaissance Man Award winner Travis Rose, and the newly-named Rock The House Employee of The Year, Nick Duve.

Shawn_Smutak_1000_AwardsJay_R_Rich_1500_Awards

Also, we would like to extend a special congratulation to one of our lead entertainers Shawn Smutak (Left), who was commemorated for his completion of 1,000 events! A similar award was presented to Selective Sound’s “Jay R.” Rich (Right), following his completion of over 1,500 events throughout his career. The night was closed out with our company-wide DJ Battle, where Matt “Mattitude” Novick was crowned as the winner.

Rock The House is a very unique company filled with many unique individuals, and we wouldn’t trade any of them for anything. Events like our annual company party help our staff grow closer together as a whole, and is the reason our company’s culture is unmatched by any of our competitors. Plain and simply, it is because our entertainers love what they do. Thank you to all our DJs, dancers, MCs, technicians, and executive staff members for all that you’ve done this past year! Great job team!

RTH_Photobooth_Fun

Interested in working with our staff to make your next event ROCK? Contact our team of event professionals to get started! Photos courtesy of the Rock The House Photo Archive.

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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.

RTH_Moca_Gala_2016_Clouds

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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Alascia Jones Wins The ILEA President’s Award

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 ILEA_Cleveland_Awards

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 May: Nick Lockhart

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For the month of May, our ROCKstar is none other than MC/DJ/Dancer Nick Lockhart. We have had the pleasure of working with Nick at Rock The House for the past 4 years. He never fails to bring energy and personality to every event he works at Rock The House.

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Reliable, personable, humble, resourceful and always a team player, Nick never lets minor hiccups interrupt his ever-positive perspective on the work we do as entertainers.  We are honored to call Nick a member of our RTH family.

Lets get to know Nick a little better now, shall we?

Nick, what is your favorite…

  • Guilty pleasure song? Take On Me by A-HA
  • Pre-event snack? Gushers
  • Post event snack? Chinese food
  • Cartoon character that best describes you? Gerald from Hey Arnold
  • Best part about being on the Rock The House team? Going on events and making people happy. Being able to get to dance and have a good time is what it’s all about.
  • Favorite event you have performed with Rock The House? The first Bar Mitzvah I ever Emceed. Everything seemed to go wrong, but it was a great experience and the client had no idea! Everyone had an amazing time.

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Fun fact

It takes Nick 5-10 minutes to do his hair every day. However, he is always tending to it throughout the day to make sure it stays looking fresh. Nick has been rocking this hairstyle for 4 years now.

“Nick is an invaluable asset to Rock The House because of his ability to perform at ANY type of event. Whether he is asked to get the dance floor rocking with his DJ skills, dance skills, or rock his mic skills, he answers every time. It’s been a pleasure to see him grow from a talented but shy 17-year-old, to a talented and charismatic young man.” – Travis Rose, Talent Director

Do you want Nick to be apart of your next event? Contact our team of event pros to get started!