Conversation with: Darren Olarsch

I sat down with Darren Olarsch, President of On the Move Entertainment and Events to get his thoughts on the entertainment industry, how to stay innovative in the ever-changing world of music, and try to get you the dirt on who will be performing as the surprise guest at my Celebrations launch party. Did he reveal the secret? Read on to find out.

PB: Tell us about your company and how you got started.

Darren: On the Move has been around for 18 years. We started, literally, right out of college. We wanted to be in the business of having fun and being able to make a little money and found that the music business was the calling.

PB: What makes your company different from other entertainment vendors?

Darren: We’re a boutique entertainment company. We prefer to be a smaller company where my partner Joe and myself are in touch with every single client. We’re involved with every single song that gets played at every single party. That personal touch makes whatever we’re doing, at any party, pretty special.

PB: Can you share your thoughts about music and how it should affect the flow of the party?

Darren: Sure. Especially for a party like your Celebrations book launch, we believe in building the party. So, instead of hitting everybody hard as soon as they walk in the door, it’s a process. It’s taking people on a trip. When they come into the room, we start out with something ambient, a little mysterious and then build up the tempo from there. By the time this party gets kicked into full gear, it’s rockin’.

PB: How do you stay innovative within the entertainment industry?

Darren: You need to be in touch with what’s going on out there in the clubs and the scenes, not just here in New York but globally. My DJs don’t just work here in New York, they do events across the globe from Europe to Asia. There are hot tracks happening right now in Europe that haven’t even hit the States yet. So by the time they hit here, if we’re the first ones doing it, we look like the heroes.

PB: What’s your favorite aspect of each gig?

Darren: My favorite aspect of each gig is seeing the reaction of our client. When they’re on the dance floor and they’re movin’ and they look up and realize, “Holy cow, this place is awesome,” that’s when we get the good response. When they look over at us and give us a little wink or a thumbs up...that’s what it’s all about.

For the last question, you can hear from Darren personally in the video below. I asked him: Can you give my readers any information about who will be performing at my Celebrations book party?

Click play to find out the answer:



Who is your favorite band or DJ and why? Let me know. If you’d like to contact Darren or need more info from him, feel free to email: info@onthemove.com.

Interview on ET

I was interviewed on ET to discuss the process of event planning, and planning Ivanka's wedding. Check out the video below.

Amoi Magazine

Hi Everyone! Sorry I missed you last week! September has been really busy, and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. If you get a chance, pick up a copy of AMOI magazine (http://www.amoimag.com/magazine). It's a new Canadian magazine devoted to diversity and community building. It is published quarterly, and I have the honor of being on the cover of the fall issue! We did the shoot and the interview here in my studio, which you can get a peek at below:

I think it is a great magazine with a really interesting perspective. And I am not just saying that because I am on the cover! In the interview, I discuss some of the elements I have built my company around. I always say that the most important thing in this business is to have a product that is different. There are enough parties and events for everyone to be working, so I really don't like to get into a competitive mode at all. I would much rather set myself apart with unique elements and interesting design.
If you are in the New York area, come check out the program I'm doing with the Learning Annex. On October 9th, I will be appearing at the Metropolitan Doubletree Hotel to talk about entertaining and the events business. You can check out my calendar for more details!

Good Day LA

I am in sunny California producing a wedding this weekend. I love it out here- the beautiful beaches, the beautiful people, the sea air! The event is taking place at a private home in Malibu. This is a really special event for me because it is for an old client and I always feel incredibly gratified when people choose to share another of their milestone events with me! The other big news is that while I am here, I am going to stop by Good Day LA (http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/GoodDay?pageId=5.2)
and give a little presentation on "End of Summer Entertaining". I will be setting up a table and showing some of my new designs tomorrow morning (Friday, September 7th) around 9AM. I hope you guys tune in!

Bride-o-rama Video

Thought I would share this interview that I recently did with Bride-o-rama:



You can find more videos and lots of helpful information at http://www.brideorama.com/.