Tied in a Bow July 2016 | Page 128

Who Are the Royal Beats DJs?

My name is Stephanie Rivkin, AKA Stephanie Stardust, and I call myself the accidental DJ. With an

Associate Degree in Hospitality and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, it was 100% unlikely that my future should involve becoming a DJ. After college, I was working full-time in a hotel sales office and earning supplemental income as a karaoke hostess at a local bar. I didn’t even realize that hosting would involve playing music and that by playing music, I was becoming a DJ. I was working for a friend for months before I decided it was time to buy my own equipment. After booking 5 Karaoke nights a week I had gained a following of people who would come out nightly. We sang, ate, drank and made many memories.

From these nights I met so many awesome people and they started to hire me orrefer me for every type of event imaginable, including weddings! That’s when I got really excited. I had previous experience detailing weddings while working a brief stint on a small CT cruise ship as a wedding and meeting planner and I LOVED it! My part-time job was now about to take a new direction.

With the help of a friend I was able to purchase an incredible sound system and music library. I was

extremely particular about my equipment. After sound testing a few different brands my petite self

decided on a pair of 8” QSC Speakers for practical reasons. They were 1000 Watts each so they packed a punch for itty bitties. When it came to choosing a mixer I found one geared toward singers. I even made

sure to purchase the best wires, wireless mics and air powered speaker stands raise my speakers for me!

Books, sign up slips, a video monitor, and mic stand were all I needed in addition to my laptop and hard

drive packed full of songs. I was ready to party once I mastered how to it all set up. People raved about

the sound quality and the enormity of my karaoke library. It felt good to know that people were

appreciating my efforts! After all this was new to me.

It wasn’t long after I began my own business, which was called Rockin’ Karaoke, that I started singing in

a local CT cover band. We worked with professional sound “guys” when we gigged out. My ear for sound

was further developed by my experience as a singer in a band. Sound checks enabled me to hear the

various differences in levels that I never noticed before. Now when I run sound for myself or other

performers I am a stickler for perfection. There is nothing worse that feedback during a set or the

horrified faces of people who have had their ears offended. I also gained a self confidence that I hadn’t

had before. My newfound confidence would later prove to be invaluable to me as a wedding emcee and

DJ.

After a few years as a karaoke hostess and party DJ, I needed backup, someone I could trust with my new business. My clientele was expanding rapidly and I couldn’t keep up. I spent months training a friend that I had met at one of my karaoke nights. She had so much personality and was just the right girl to represent me at gigs. With more than enough work for the two of us, and still a demand, I found a 3rd female DJ, a singer named Elle Ce and we became The Royal Beats, or Royal Beats DJ Services. What

sets us apart from other DJs is that for us it’s not just about the music. We love good music but we know

a successful event is about more than that. We’ve incorporated years of customer service, hospitality, sales experience, with years of working with children, added to my band girl days, and my desire

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Photography by Airen Miller