Make Your Network Work: Leadership, Events, And The ROI Of Showing Up

The room lights fade, the mic clicks on, and a familiar rink-side voice guides the crowd. That same calm command powers a 200+ event DJ company and a community leader who helped steer a chamber through the hardest year in recent memory. Shane Griffin joins us to share how a local entertainment brand scales without losing its soul.

We dive into the craft behind great events: reading the room, pacing the night, and using MC work to support the host rather than steal the show. Shane explains how he built a nine-DJ roster, the training that keeps quality consistent across weddings, school dances, and corporate gatherings, and why his name is treated like a promise. You’ll hear how the Stingrays’ in-rink announcing sharpened his timing and presence, and how that same clarity shows up in every timeline, transition, and announcement.

Community sits at the heart of the story. As a past chamber president during COVID, Shane unpacks what it took to protect member value when gatherings vanished and why strong financial stewardship and experienced boards matter. More importantly, he makes the case for moving from attendee to contributor: join a committee, take a role, and let your work be your marketing. That’s where referrals deepen and partnerships last.

We close with practical playbook items: social proof that actually converts, simple ways to make booking painless, and how early planning protects your date and your outcome. Whether you’re planning a wedding, running school events, leading corporate programs, or growing a service brand, this conversation offers clear steps to build trust, deliver consistently, and stay booked.

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This is a grounded guide for founders, contractors, agency owners, manufacturers, and service leaders across Charleston and beyond who want a no-nonsense path to an exit. We share red flags that can sink deals, the role of local market knowledge, and how Viking’s success-based model aligns incentives. Join us, get practical next steps, and walk away knowing exactly how to make your future sale smoother.
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Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce

Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions

Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪Pollen Social‬

Production Sponsor: RMBO.co

Design Sponsor: DK Design

Interested in Sponsorship? Click here.

Committee:
Kathleen Herrmann | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Mike Compton | Co-host | Marketing Committee | RMBO.co
Rebecca Imholz | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director 
Amanda Bunting Comen | Co-host | Social ABCs
Benjamin Nesvold | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones

Transcript

Meet Shane Griffin Entertainment

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Shane, you are the a man of many, many things going on here. But right today we're here with Shane Griffin Entertainment. Entertainment, yes.

The Voice Of The Stingrays

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Yes. Yeah, I have I wear a number of different hats. So I have on my Shane Griffin Entertainment hat. Right now. Yeah. Yes. Right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

And you're DJing.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

The DJ voice is ready.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Making some MC work, uh, making people aware of what's going on here at this great event. But yeah, it's uh a local wedding DJ company, been in business for eight years.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Been a DJ for uh almost 20 now. Nice. So um, and this is a great town to uh to be in the DJ business for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

There's no events happening ever. You're probably dead.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

I was just telling Shane that we hire him for all of our school events. And I know Laurel Hill does also. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

So there's a lot of events and there's a lot of schools.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

You know, so how are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 2:19

I'm great, very busy. Uh we just passed over 200 events booked for the year. So this year? For your to your point. Incredible. There's a lot of events that are happening.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

Do we still have DJ Sparkles in the mix?

SPEAKER_00 2:29

DJ Sparkle is in the mix. I have actually have a team of nine DJs that work for you. Nine DJs? So we stay very busy from weddings, corporate events, uh, school events, we do all kinds of different things. You have a team roster.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

That's great. That's amazing for you. And you're the voice of the stingrays.

Family, Work, And The “Dad Voice”

SPEAKER_00 2:44

I'm the in-rink voice, yeah. I do the in-rink announcements. So if anybody goes to the hockey games and they hear the penalties and the advertisements and you know that voice that sounds like this, that would be uh that would be me. I've been doing that. This will be my 19th season being there. 19th season season? What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Now, do your kids think it's cool that you do all these things?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Uh they do. They do.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Yeah, they do. My daughter, my youngest daughter, doesn't quite understand it yet. She's only four. She's four, right? Uh but uh yeah, my oldest, they enjoy it. Um but when my youngest comes to the games, she's like looking at me like She's like, where is that coming from? What's that voice?

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Is she doing it at home? She does not. Not yet. Not yet. No, no, no. Soon it up, she'll be like, let's go.

Chamber Leadership During COVID

SPEAKER_03 3:24

I can't even imagine your dad, like, mean dad voice. Uh it can be it can get up there, yeah. Yeah, can't? What was the question? The mean dad voice voice. Because he's got this like fun, like get in your room, it's time for bed! It's very whole. I I can't even imagine it.

unknown 3:41

That's so funny.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

The starting line for your stick race, get to bed.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

There's no yelling at your kids nowadays, anyways, right? It's uh that's up for debate. That's up for debate. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

I try to yell less. A past president of the chamber. Oh, that's right. That's how we've met.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Yeah, I was based to be uh president. I was the COVID president. So I was able to uh lead the lead the team, lead the uh organization through uh COVID, which was obviously a very challenging time for an organization that meets and likes to get together and network. I remember those. That was uh that was a tough year. Tough year. But I tell you, the the financial status of the organization, uh given what Joe Hinsky and uh the other members of the team uh did, uh Chris Dobbs and Phipps and you know the the the old school, the old guard, um really put us in a great position to weather that storm and really did a good job of kind of uh holding the members and keeping everything in place until we knew more about what was gonna happen moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Right, right. So you you know the ins and outs of this thing. You've been a part of the chamber for a while. You've been able to do that.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

When I got introduced to the chamber, you were the president.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Same.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Yeah, I started here my first year meeting, um coming to networking events for the chamber probably 2006, seven.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

And look at you look at you now, look how successful you are now.

Building A Name And A DJ Team

SPEAKER_00 5:03

Like a Charleston household name. Well, I appreciate that. I don't think of myself that way, but you know, I try to run a solid business. My name is everything to me, so try to um obviously put together you know a solid uh plan when it comes to events and work with my DJs to ensure success. But we do it all from weddings to corporate events, school events. If you have an event that needs music or an MC, we can certainly help you.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

That's amazing. So far built for 2025. That's impressive.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

It's been fun, a lot of fun. So dot com? Uh LetChainentertain.com. Let's do it in your voice. Do it in your voice. Let Chainentertain.com.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

So you can find me online, you can find me on social, uh, Instagram, Facebook, regular updates. You know, we do videos and we pics and tag where we are with events and um, you know, all that kind of fun stuff. So yeah, it's a it's a lot of fun. I'm enjoying it.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Well, thanks for your leadership here in the chamber. Thank you, I appreciate it. Continuing sponsorship here in the chamber. Uh it's definitely worth joining. Look at Success Story 103. We've got, oh, remember the race to 500.

Booking, Social, And Contact

SPEAKER_00 6:07

I will say, if I may, for folks that are watching that may be thinking about membership. Yes, please. I had a sales manager when I started coming to the organization, uh, he said, there's this little group in Mount Pleasant that meets, it's the business association. Sure. If you can go out there and really make that your own and really work that group. And so I really kind of dug in, and I was the marketing chair, I was, you know, obviously president-elect, and then president, past president, but I found that when I immersed myself in the organization and became a part of a board, uh, or a committee rather, and then became a position of leadership, that's where the return on the time really kind of went to that next level. So I would invite folks that are maybe regular members, look at ways to really get more involved because I think in the long term you'll see a return on that time and the investment that you're providing to the chamber. I love that. So could I have said that any better than that? No, solid, solid advice.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Nope, that's it. Thank you. Absolutely for having me.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Let Shane entertain.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Thanks to our sponsors, Pollen Social, for sponsoring the podcast here in the live stream. Thanks to the Mount Pleasant Chamber.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Yes, Cause Films, Larry Monte for doing production.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

Cause Films, Larry. Who else?

SPEAKER_02 7:14

I think we got it covered.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

We got it covered. Thanks, Shane, great to see you. I'll be there.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Awesome. I can't wait.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Thank you all.

SPEAKER_00 7:23

Good work.