A Great DJ Does More Than Press Play

You can feel it when the music is being “played” versus when a real DJ is running the room. We hang out with Stacey and Jeff Thomas of Hit N Run Mobile DJ to unpack what professional mobile DJ services actually look like, from the first planning call to the last song of the night. They’re based in the Binghamton, New York area, and they’ve built a reputation for keeping the dance floor moving while staying calm behind the scenes.

We talk about the biggest misconception in the DJ world: that anyone with Spotify can do the job. Stacy and Jeff explain why weddings especially demand more than a playlist, including crowd reading, clean audio for key moments, reliable equipment, and a plan that keeps the whole event flowing. They also share the wide range of events they handle, like graduation parties, birthday parties, anniversary parties, gender reveals, and even funerals, where the right music matters in a completely different way.

Then we zoom out to the business side: how a family-owned and operated DJ company markets itself, why word of mouth is still the strongest channel for local service businesses, and how being on the radio three days a week shapes their voice and their ideas. We even get into why they’ve considered starting a podcast as a place to be less filtered and more real.

If you’re searching for a wedding DJ, a party DJ, or a mobile DJ near Binghamton, this conversation will help you know what to ask and what you’re really paying for. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend planning an event, and leave a review so more neighbors can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:04

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Virginia McConnell.

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live. Are you and need a mobile DJ? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Stacy and Jeff Thomas, uh, with Hit and Run Mobile DJ. How's it going?

SPEAKER_03 0:33

What's up, guys? It's your boy.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

So we're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your company.

SPEAKER_03 0:45

Well, we are a mobile DJ. We cater to pretty much any event ever.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Yeah, we've we've been done funerals, so we've done pretty much everything. Okay, awesome. Yeah, so weddings are probably what we're most known for, but we do graduation parties, we do birthday parties, anniversary parties. Um, literally anything that needs music, we're there.

SPEAKER_03 1:12

Uh we we work for WBDY in Binghamton, 99.5 FM.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

They can catch us every Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Yep. Okay, cool. Yes. What area is that? Just real quick so we know.

SPEAKER_03 1:28

It's uh Binghamton.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Uh New York.

SPEAKER_03 1:31

Yes, New York.

How Jeff Became A DJ

SPEAKER_02 1:33

All right, awesome, awesome. And how did you get into this business?

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Oh well, um, I was drunk real one night at a bar, and my dad's like, hey, push play for me. Okay, I push play, and then 25 years later, here I am.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

All right, he makes it sound like crazy, but his dad's a DJ also taught him the ropes and um handed down his business to us. So um when I came into the picture, Jeff was kind of doing it casually and buying all this equipment. And I'm like, if we're gonna be buying this equipment, why don't we do something with it and be productive with the business? And we kind of just went on from there.

SPEAKER_03 2:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Cool.

SPEAKER_03 2:24

That sounds more fun.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

And then what are some of the myths or misconceptions in your industry?

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Um, I think one of them is that anybody can be a DJ. Um, you know, we have a lot of people that are like, oh, I'll just pay my own Spotify. And there's a lot more that goes into it than just pressing play. Um, it's a lot of planning, it's knowing the crowd, it's knowing what's going to get people dancing, and like the equipment is an insane part of it. Um you know, it's knowing how to work things and and making sure that every little thing, especially for weddings, weddings, you want to make sure everything goes flawlessly because that most people only get married once. So you want that to go as flawlessly as you possibly can. So it's a day for them to remember. Um, so there's a lot that goes into it. It's not just uh a radio, it's you you there's there's processes to it.

Marketing Through Word Of Mouth

SPEAKER_02 3:27

Yeah, it sounds like it. There's there's more to it than people actually think. Yes, absolutely. Just like podcasts, right? Right, right. Yeah, um, and so we know marketing is the heart of every business. What's your target customers and how do you attract them?

SPEAKER_03 3:46

Uh that that's a that's a little question because our our target audience could be from birth to 90 years old or higher. Targeting how how do we target that?

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Like well, really, anybody that loves music, yeah. Um so like I said, we we cater to every event. Like we've we've done two funerals so far. Um, we've done plenty of graduations, we've done even more weddings, um, anniversary parties, um, birthday parties. So anybody really, um, as far as marketing, baby reveal parties, gender reveals. Yeah, that's yeah. Um, as far as marketing goes, we've been really trying to just get our cards in people's hands and really letting our work speak for itself. Um, word of mouth is really the best, the best that you can do in any business, but especially in a service industry.

SPEAKER_03 4:54

Yeah, like you had you had Rich on here recently. He you know, he recommended us coming to you and saying hi.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

So yeah, yeah, word of mouth, I think, is an excellent way. It's you know the best, it's the oldest.

SPEAKER_03 5:09

Yes, I mean, I'm not gonna lie though, I do have a pretty cool business card to say that helped. Uh so it's a business card with a lollipop in it.

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Yep. Oh, cool, okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:24

And then um go ahead, it just makes us a little bit different. Standing out, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 5:32

Uh a live pop.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

So and have you guys ever thought about having your own podcast?

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Yes, actually. We have it's it's a lot trickier than most people realize, um, especially when you have a life and a ton of kids and a business that you're running and everything else happening, like health issues.

SPEAKER_03 5:56

Um we're on the radio three times a week, so it's yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

So we used to it. We definitely thought of a podcast. I I I think it'd be a lot of fun. Um, I think there's a lot of things that we can't talk about on the radio that a lot of people would enjoy hearing. Um it's like, I mean, obviously nothing like crazy, but um sound pretty crazy, you know, like I don't know, maybe like things that we're going through in life, you know, where we're at, or um I don't know, just like the radio is fun, but you can't cover a lot on the radio.

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Yeah, it's not censored, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Yeah, filtered something.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Yes, we're very filtered. So um I love being on the radio, it's great, and and I love being able to allow you know our fans a way to listen to what we're what we're doing, but I think a podcast would be fun so that we could kind of let ourselves out there a little bit, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:10

And then so outside of work, what do you guys do for fun?

SPEAKER_03 7:15

He used to punch my friends in the face for fun.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

He used to be a professional wrestler, but makes more sense. Okay, yeah. So um, we're really big into wrestling. Um, we like I said before, we have a lot of kids. So our nine, our nine, our life is based off of our children. Um, like our daughter plays softball, so we do that. Our son's starting swimming, so we're doing that. So um anything we can do with our kids is is where it's at.

SPEAKER_03 7:47

Got two grandbabies on the way.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 7:51

Oh, congratulations. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 7:54

Three of them are getting married.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:56

No, one of them's already married.

SPEAKER_02 7:59

So Stacy and Jeff, um, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about hit and run mobile DJ.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Well, he said outside of remembering how awesome he is. Um I think for Hit and Run Mobile DJ, it's we are the DJs that keep a moving. So um we try to keep the dance floor going, we try to make sure that you know the vibe is up.

SPEAKER_03 8:37

Um but we definitely have a cool logo.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

We have a really awesome logo. Um, but I think the biggest thing for us is that we're family owned and operated. So, you know, the money is not going towards like this big corporate, you know, whatever. This is money that is helping. Yeah, that's helping us take care of our family and um, you know, support local, I guess is the biggest thing.

SPEAKER_02 9:13

Yeah, a lot of people, you know, love doing that. And I personally love doing that. Um, and so can you tell our listeners how they can learn more about hit and run mobile dj?

Website Socials And Text Contact

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Sure. Um we have a website, it's hit and hit and run mobile dj um dot club. Um, you can also find us on Facebook at hit and run mobile dj at facebook.com. Um, same thing for Instagram and TikTok, I think. Um, although we're not really big in TikTok. We're kind of a little too old for that.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

I quite haven't old.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

We haven't quite figured out the TikTok thing yet, but we're trying. Um, but yeah, our social medias are are all it's got all kinds of cool videos. Um, we have repro videos up there. We have one from Jody Sweeten, who is Stephanie Fuller on Full House. We got to do a show with her. That was really cool. Um Step by Step. I don't remember her name. I know Larkin Step Jody Jody Larkin, no, Stephanie Larkin.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Stephanie Larkin.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

Stephanie Larkin from Step by Step. She she also did one.

SPEAKER_03 10:38

Um, she's a nice person, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Um, but anyways, so you get to see all of our cool things. Um, we have like dancing on the clouds and all kinds of cool toys that that Jeff gets excited about. Um yeah, so all of that information can be found on the website. Um, they can also contact us. Um texting is preferred, uh 315-572-1672.

SPEAKER_03 11:09

Don't forget about the mixed cloud.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Oh, yeah, and we're on mixed cloud.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

Okay, awesome. So uh, Stacy and Jeff, thank you. I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward. Thank you so much for having us.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show. Go to gnpsarasota.com. That's gmpsarasota.com or call nine four one nine four nine one eight six five.