Every Company Has a StoryWashington, D.C. native and entrepreneur Karl Stallknecht founded Pulse Entertainment in 2008. From a young age Karl has always been interested in DJing, but also has had a passion for entrepreneurship. When Karl was about five years old, his grandfather (pictured) noticed Karl’s interest in the family radio and the fact that he constantly asked questions about how it worked. Karl’s grandfather took him to the local community radio station’s studio for a tour and the rest is history! Karl was infatuated with radio from there on out and made it his dream to work on-air, which he quickly accomplished even while still in school. Originally Karl wanted to work strictly in radio and he started a local terrestrial radio station, but as the Internet took over the radio world was changing and Karl was looking to adjust his path. After experiencing many other DJs who were great with music and crowds, but not so great when it came to running a business, customer service, and organization, Karl decided to start something that didn’t exist anywhere else in the D.C. metro area!
We utilize the highest quality equipment available. Everything from our cables to our computers are top-of-the line and exceed industry standards. In addition, we have spares of our equipment available at all times. We always have two backup computers ready to take over instantly in the event of a problem. Even equipment such as speakers are covered; we bring an extra set to every event.
We offer FULL liability and umbrella insurance coverage for every event - over $5M in coverage. Not only are our own employees and equipment protected, but your guests and the venue are too! Most DJs do not have insurance coverage, so be sure to make the right decision when hiring and ask to see proof of insurance.
You've most likely been to a wedding in the past where the DJ seemed to be doing his or her own thing with no regard to the guests, or even worse the newlyweds! Our goal is to provide you, our clients, with the best experience possible and that means following your instructions exactly - it's your day, not ours. Have a playlist already for us? Awesome! Want us to create your playlist for you? No Problem!
One of the most frustrating things about hiring, whether it's someone working on your house or a wedding vendor, is poor responsiveness and bad customer service. We get it...you want to make sure your wedding goes flawlessly, and slow response times and a lack of communication are frightening! Whether you've already booked us or you're an existing client, at Pulse we have a one-hour response guarantee for any calls/emails during regular business hours. Our office staff are standing by waiting to answer your questions! If you need to talk to us after hours, don't hesitate to send us an email and ask since we are happy to accommodate your busy schedule.
The Pulse team is composed of highly skilled and motivated employees, who are always thinking outside-of-the-box for the next big thing soon to come. When we look for new employees, we look for energetic personnel who are willing to learn anything put in front of them. Our team has also been hand selected to ensure compatibility among employees so that events flow smoothly. We have provided you with a sample below, showcasing some of our highly talented staff.
Karl Stallknecht Meet Karl
CJ Malm Meet CJ
Michael Mitch Meet Michael
Ben Scaldini Meet Ben
David Maze Meet David
Christian Cevallos Meet Christian
Ivan Cortez Meet Ivan
Carlton Flowers Meet Carlton
Evan Gordon Meet Evan
PJ Thomas Meet PJ
Dani Mazer Meet Dani
Megan Ritter Meet Megan
Dean Marquis Meet Dean
Bryan Notargiacomo Meet Bryan
Shakora Sykes Meet Shakora
Justin D'Avanzo Meet Justin
Included with the cost of your event are all necessary items to perform basic DJ services. These include, but are not limited to: two staff members, two speakers, one mixer, one equalizer, one turntable controller, three laptops, three wireless microphones, one microphone stand, and all required accessories such as tape and zip ties. Setup, takedown, and travel are also included in all of our pricing. There are no “hidden fees” and the only things we require are a table, two chairs, and electricity. We can provide a table and chairs for an additional cost if you need us to though. Emceeing is included in all costs as well.
We offer FULL liability and umbrella insurance coverage for every event – over $5M in coverage. Not only are our own employees and equipment protected, but your guests and the venue are too! Most DJs do not have insurance coverage, so be sure to make the right decision when hiring and ask to see proof of insurance.
Because we employ more than five full-time employees, the state of Virginia also requires us to have workers compensation and commercial vehicle liability. Please note that if your venue requires a certificate of insurance, we will have our insurance agent provide a special additional insured certificate for the venue. This is not a problem and is free, we just need to know prior to the event.
Another reason we have two DJs at every event is so that we do not need to take breaks and stop our services. Even though we have two DJs on-site, they are not permitted to take any breaks other than using the restroom or eating (one 15 minute dinner break is allowed). We prohibit our employees from leaving our equipment alone at any point during the wedding, so even dinner breaks will be taken separately to avoid any disruptions in music or DJ services.
Yes, we always keep duplicates in our vehicle for every piece of equipment that we need to perform, including additional speakers (most DJs only own one set of speakers and cannot provide this same level of redundancy).
First and foremost, make sure you hire a DJ that you feel comfortable with. If you have an uneasy feeling, listen to your gut! Unfortunately, there are many bad apples out there in the DJ world and sometimes it is difficult to weed them out.
Another important question is what happens if the DJ you hire gets sick on the day of the wedding? Make sure you choose a DJ with a backup plan. While a one-person DJ could do a great job, if he/she becomes sick at the last minute, your event will be ruined since they wouldn’t have a coworker who could take their place.
Lastly, do NOT pick the lowest quote simple because it is the cheapest. The saying “you get what you pay for” absolutely applies here. DJs who charge less typically do not have as much experience, or are DJing on the side (meaning your wedding is not their first priority). While we don’t recommend always going with the highest quote either, make sure you understand exactly what is included in the price you pay since not all DJ quotes are alike.
Just a few sample questions include:
“Do you have backup equipment in case your equipment is to malfunction? Assuming the answer is yes, is there anything that you don’t keep a backup of when you go to an event?”
“Do you have multiple employees to fill in, in the event that the DJ scheduled becomes sick or can’t make the event?”
“How long have you been in business?”
“How much setup time do you need?” (some venues restrict the setup/breakdown time)
“Can you access music on demand that you do not already have in your library for guests who would like to make requests?”
“What are your payment procedures?”
“What services are NOT included in the quote and what do you need us to provide?”
Before you even start contacting DJs, plan out a reasonable budget to spend on DJing and decide what you want from the DJ so that you can get more specific quotes rather than multiple quotes from each DJ that will make it more difficult to compare.
DJing is much harder than it may seem and is not as easy as just “turning a few things on and pressing play.” Don’t underestimate how hard the DJ may work and think that a higher price is absolutely unreasonable. It all depends on what you are actually getting.
Another thing to consider is what specifically do you want to happen during your wedding with regard to the timeline and events? While DJs do need to be creative and come up with catchy ways to improve the event, you and your event coordinator (if you have one) need to provide some direction to the DJs so that they can know where to start.
We are most commonly asked why prices in DJs vary so much. DJs can offer a wide range of services, and depending on what you are getting, the pricing could be drastically different.
Take, for example, a car. The cheapest package in a car model lacks the bells and whistles than the pricier package has. Just like cars, some DJs can offer a relatively simple experience; just two speakers and a laptop or other means of playing music could be what you are getting. Other DJs also offer on-demand music services, so that guests can request music on-the-fly even if it is not in their library already.
What generally bumps the price up the most with DJs is lighting. Lighting can consist of a few colored effect lights for a dance area, or lighting the entire venue including a total blown-out dance floor experience AND fancy but soothing lighting throughout the venue.
Make sure that when you get a quote from a DJ that you know EXACTLY what you are getting. Unfortunately, just saying “lighting” on a quote doesn’t cut it. Like mentioned previously, lighting could include anything from one simple colored effect light, to the most amazing light show you have ever seen.
The majority of our new clients come from referrals, some of which are past clients referring us to their friends and family, and others are referrals from other vendors. We believe that referral marketing is one of the best ways to find vendors since you are getting a personal recommendation from someone who has worked with that vendor before. The following is a compilation of vendors who we have worked with on numerous occasions. We receive zero compensation from these vendors and we are listing them here for the sole reason that we trust them to provide a very high quality product at a reasonable cost.
Photography is typically one of the most important items to an engaged couple. Every photographer has a different style so we've showcased a few of them here.
Rob Jinks Photography
www.RobertJinksPhotography.com
Nichole Haun Photography
www.NicholeHaunPhotography.com
Stephanie Messick Photography
www.StephanieMessick.com
Rosi Guyton Photography
www.RosiFotography.com
Megan Rei Photography
www.MeganReiPhotography.com
Good videographers are very difficult to come by. The three we have featured here produce higher quality work than any other videographers in the D.C. metro area.
Altamira Film Co.
www.AltamiraWeddings.co
Quixotic Worx
www.QuixoticWorx.com
As tempting as it may sound to let your friend/family member be your wedding planner, we find that weddings with a professional run MUCH smoother and on schedule!
Event Details by Edelina
www.EventDetailsByEdelina.com
Battista's Blooms & Events
BattistasBlooms@Gmail.com
Birch Event & Design
www.BirchEventDC.com
Wedding cakes are often joked at as moreso works of art than culinary enjoyments. Don't let that happen to you! The bakers listed here all have delicious cakes!
Cakes By Happy Eatery
www.CakesByHappyEatery
Edibles Incredible
www.EdiblesIncredible.com
Flowers can be a tricky process with many different options to choose from. Let one of our recommended experts provide you with a tailored package!
TableToppers by Cathy
www.TableToppersByCathy.com
Battista's Blooms & Events
BattistasBlooms@Gmail.com
Some wedding venues do not include things such as tables/chairs/linens/etc. If you are in need of any of these items or other decorations, look here!
TableToppers by Cathy
www.TableToppersByCathy.com
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