Community Highlights: Meet Duerell (DJ D. Jones) Jones of Spark Entertainment Group

Today we’d like to introduce you to Duerell (DJ D. Jones) Jones.

Hi Duerell, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a full-time traveling open format and club-style DJ/Emcee. I’ve been booked and trusted by some of the most discerning clients and come well-reviewed and highly recommended. I’ve crafted my signature open format style for upscale clients at private and corporate events. Over the years I’ve developed a reputation for painting soundtracks for celebrity, corporate, and gala events.

Since 2008,  I’ve been a trendsetter in the private event world with the single goal of creating better DJ experiences for clients and party-goers. In addition to having an impeccable reputation for being a well-rounded party rocker.

Throughout my career, I’ve found the Successful Weddings by D. Jones brand and most recently the Spark Entertainment Group in 2019. I’ve established myself not only as a DJ but also as an astute branding guru, business owner, and team leader for my roster of equally talented DJs and musicians. Each year I push my brands and event presentations higher never losing focus in the pursuit of perfection.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Owning and operating a professional DJ service is so much more than just showing up and playing music. The biggest hurdle, in the beginning, was finding a way to differentiate me from other DJs. I’ve always taken the business approach with my DJ brand so it was only natural to search for a niche and fill a void.

But how do you find a part of the market that is being ignored? It takes time, research, and trial and error. No matter what industry you are in, you have to look at your market as a whole and see what most of your peers are focusing their attention on. The answer to being successful is not found by also focusing your attention on where everyone else is, it is found by focusing on what they are not focusing on. I realized that there were plenty of DJs, but no one was effectively serving the private upscale market with solid club-worthy DJ skills and professional service. In this business is usually one or the other, rarely do you get both.

Finding my niche took nearly 3 years of trial and error and various marketing approaches. Never give up and don’t forget to look, where others are not looking.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Spark Entertainment Group is a boutique DJ service that specializes in offering a truly bespoke DJ experience to discerning clients. We specialize in upscale weddings and corporate and private events.

As a business owner with hundreds of clients, I pride myself in knowing that I actually spend time getting to know each client as a person. This helps me to better understand the music they love and what their guests will enjoy as well.

My general manager and I are almost always available to my clients, rather it’s via phone, text, or email. I don’t believe in office hours, I believe that DJing is a part of my life and lifestyle and fully offering my company to my clients is what sets us apart from others.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a military family so I travel for the majority of my childhood. I’ve lived in some really cool places like Italy, Hawaii, Maryland, and California to name a few.

Chicago is where my family is originally from, so I spent a lot of time there as a child too. I finished high school, went to college, and began my career in Chicago as well. Music was a big part of my childhood, to be honest, we listened to music more than we watched TV. My musical influences range from rock, soul, pop, hip-hop, electronic, folk, jazz, and everything in between.

Pricing:

• Our weddings start at $3100. Our couples typically spend about $3550 with us.
• Our event fee starts at $1200

Contact Info:

• Website: http://sparkentertainmentgroup.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkentgroup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparkentertainmentgroup
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sparkentertainmentgroup
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/spark-entertainment-group-chicago
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/djdjonesdotcom
• Other: djdjones.com