Today we’d like to introduce you to Lenny Thompson.
Lenny, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, let’s see! I began deejaying to save money and it grew to everything it is today! Sounds wild right. I grew up in a small town called Blytheville, Arkansas. Prob have never heard of it unless you are from the area or have passed thru. Not really much to do there growing up. My parents let my sister and I open a teen club when I was 14. He actually let us manage it as well. We noticed we had packed houses but our profits weren’t there, We noticed our Dj was taking up half of our expenses and he did not want to negotiate down. We had a ‘special party’ where we could charge higher prices and invested in speakers and CD players so that I could start deejaying with an older cousin of mine. That was the start. I began deejaying most of the parties in the town and even spilled over to neighboring towns. Went to college in Alabama and came to a point where I needed money. That’s where I really took deejaying serious. I began to see Djs who had this as a career and not just a side hustle. I finally was able to see I could make a good living off something I really enjoy. Full steam ahead and here we are years later a Wedding and Special Events Dj and photographer. The Photography route came a little different. I purchased a camera for my ex and she left it behind after the breakup. I couldn’t return it so I started playing with it and teaching myself how to make my pictures look like what I was seeing on the internet. It gradually turned into Lenny’s Lens Photography. Very grateful for my beginnings and how things have developed! Im proud of how far I’ve come and excited to see what is coming my way next!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This road has been FAR from smooth. Those rough times are all learning experiences. Opportunities for growth. I can vividly remember chasing people down to be paid for gigs. I can remember a time where being lowballed was the norm on top of having to harass promotors for the money they owe you. Sounds stressful, right? Before I understood the value of investing back into yourself, I was renting sound for every gig to where they came and set up and broke down the speakers for me. It took one time for them to not show up and leave me without a gig for the night and a stain on my reputation at the time. I can also remember being passed up for weddings because all I offered was dj services and not uplighing, sparklers, dancing on a cloud, etc. The bumps in the road and constructive criticism were all opportunities for growth. Opportunities for me to make the Dj Lenny experience much better than before. They taught me to invest in yourself whether it be better equipment, more up-to-date equipment, keeping up with the times, or just investing in my own mental health. It’s all needed for me to keep the business moving forward.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business entails Dj services and professional photography. From a dj standpoint, I am a wedding and special events DJ. I have over 200 weddings under my belt in over 20 states and 4 countries. You can call me Dj Lenny Love since I’m in the business of Love. I really enjoy weddings because you have such a large range of music to choose from and every is coming to have a good time. I love being the curator of the vibe and the creator of memories. I have done clubs, music festivals, concerts, corporate events but my favorite is weddings. I am known to entertain the crowd and get the people moving. I like to be interactive with my crowds and involve them in the vibe. Once I’ve gotten you on the floor, it will be hard to leave. My goal is to have someone kick off their heels and sweat from dancing and having fun. Music selection is major but it does not stop there. I can provide uplighting, cold sparklers, dancing on a cloud, gobo (name illuminated on the wall) and even smoke canons to make your event epic. I am most proud of the professionalism and the results I yield. Every event is different so the road to satisfaction for your customers will be different. I love the challenge of figuring it out and getting it right. If you want your event to have great music and a live environment, Dj Lenny is an easy selection.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
My competitive drive is my most important characteristic that contributes to my success. I don’t really look at other DJs as competition because there is enough business to go around. The competition is with myself and the expectations I set for myself. I expect to get a certain amount of people on the dance floor. If I succeed, it’s a win. If I don’t that’s an L. Anything not going to plan or not as expected from my standpoint as Dj or photographer is considered a loss for me. I HATE losing. I hate the feeling of losing. It feels like I’ve let my customer down and they didn’t get what they expected or wanted on their big day. With that being said, I use this competitive nature to make the current gig better than the last one. I often go back thru the night and see what I could’ve done better or more efficient to make the experience better. Kind of like watching film. So yes, my competitive nature with myself to be better than the last is my most important characteristic for success so far.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.djlennylove.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/djlennylove?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/DJLenny14/posts
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DjLennyLove
Image Credits
All images captured and edited by Lenny’s Lens Photography!
