Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 383: Inside Rue 3 Entertainment: Weddings, Events, And The Art Of Experience

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes DJ Phil Irvin with Rue 3 Entertainment a good neighbor?

 Phil believes great parties don’t happen by accident—they’re engineered with intention, timing, and heart. In this episode, we sit down with the DJ and entertainer behind Rue 3 Entertainment to explore how a mobile DJ becomes a true experience designer. From hearing a client’s vision to shaping the flow of the night and igniting the room at just the right moment, Phil shares what it takes to create events that feel seamless, personal, and unforgettable.

Phil traces his journey from high school DJ and choir singer to producing five-star weddings and corporate events. He explains the shift from simply “playing songs” to designing an experience, breaking down the entertainer-versus-DJ mindset that separates good events from great ones. We dive into why detailed consultations and itineraries reduce stress for couples and planners, how to read a crowd without abandoning the plan, and how pacing, transitions, and confident MC work keep guests engaged. At the core are Phil’s three guiding values—energy, open-mindedness, and love—and how those principles shape every event he touches.

We also explore the business side of Rue 3 Entertainment. With over 17 years of experience, the team understands how easily one wrong song can derail a room—and how the right sequence can elevate it. Phil shares why referrals are the backbone of his growth, how reputation compounds across venues and vendor relationships, and why Rue 3 protects client privacy by balancing selective social content with intimate, in-the-moment experiences. From hip-hop parties and religious family reunions to corporate events and unconventional celebrations, Rue 3 Entertainment customizes every set with a deep, genre-spanning music library so clients never have to worry about playlists, timelines, or transitions.

If you’re planning a wedding or corporate event and want a DJ who designs the entire experience—not just the soundtrack—this conversation gives you the right questions to ask and the confidence to choose well.

To learn more about Rue 3 Entertainment go to:
 Rue3Entertainment.com

 Rue 3 Entertainment

 +1 (972) 372-4901

SPEAKER_01:

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

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a mobile DJ, an event entertainment company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Phil Irvin, with Root 3 Entertainment. Phil, how are you today?

SPEAKER_02:

I'm great. Great, Sophia. How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00:

I am great. Now we are excited to learn all about you and your business. Please start off by telling us just a little bit about your company.

SPEAKER_02:

Awesome. I'm great. Root 3 Entertainment is a mobile DJ company. We burst out of Carrolton, Texas. We mainly focus on weddings, but we also work with a lot of corporate events as well as local schools and some private events as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Amazing. Now, how did you originally get into a business like this? And where does your love for being a part of weddings come from?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, my journey in regards to this company started with the mobile DJing or just DJing itself when I was in high school. I always had a love for music because I played a lot of different instruments from the violin to the tuba and the drums. And so I had a musical background. I even was in the choir. So DJing in high school for parties was just what came secondhand, second nature. Then I started uh doing being a wedding singer in college and then back to DJing again. And so um that's where my journey began in high school. And I've just been loving music and I love everything about music. I'm an eclectic. So I love to entertain and it's like see people laugh and have fun.

SPEAKER_00:

Amazing. Now, what makes a mobile DJ a good mobile DJ, in your opinion?

SPEAKER_02:

In my opinion, uh, what makes a good mobile DJ is the experience. Uh, to make sure that they have um the credentials, make sure they have all the necessary equipment. It's the difference between an entertainer and a DJ. A DJ just kind of shows up, you know, last-minute call, 30 minutes here, hour before the event setup, play some music. But an entertainer, they're going to kind of give you a call, do some follow-up visits as well as consultations. And we talk about, you know, your vision and what you want to see happen. And we want to make sure we implement uh the plan uh and implement the vision that you have for the event. Um, so being very detailed and having those scheduled meetings and consultations to make sure we dot our I's and cross our T's, I think is very essential to becoming a B the good mobile DJ.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, why is understanding one's vision so important for you?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, uh understanding individuals' expectations, but uh, you know, it's a thing we used to say back in corporate, and I used to be a corporate manager for a long time too. Um, people's um perception is their reality. So it's one thing for me to understand your perception and have my own perception, but it's one thing for me to make sure I ask very detailed questions uh from you to make sure we have a good perspective on what you would like to see happen. Uh, we go to a deep, we'll go through a detailed itinerary, just again to make sure we check off all the boxes for your event.

SPEAKER_00:

Amazing. Now, switching gears for a second, we know marketing is the heart of every business. Who are your target customers or audience? And in terms of marketing today, how do you attract them?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, my target customers are weddings. Um, that's mainly what we focus on. And in regards to how do I contact them, um, we had a relationship before with the NOT, um, and we're going to start that back up in 2026. Uh, we're going to start back advertising with the NOT. Um, but we use other different platforms. But honestly, 90%, if not over 90% of our business comes from referrals. Uh, from the previous companies we work with, we have a good reputation. Um, again, we're five-star rated uh if you Google us, but uh through through our referrals, uh, we continue to grow our business and we're just very happy with our customers. We've been blessed with some great, great customers.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, Phil, do you believe that relying on referrals is sustainable long term?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, in regards to relying on referrals, sustainable long term, I think it can be because I have been working independently, um, not working a corporate job, man, for over 10 years. The only time I worked a corporate job is when uh COVID kind of took place and I kind of had to jump back in management again, um, and I was a trainer. Um, and so those unforeseen things may happen sometimes, but yes, I think it is sustainable if you have a good relationship and you do the footwork and you're out there uh front facing customers and building that relationship and rapport.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, in terms of staying facing in front of customers, have you ever thought about having your own podcast before?

SPEAKER_02:

I've had professors tell me that I should. They say, hey, Phil, you're you're good with speaking and you're good with your voice. And I think uh I get those type of compliments also just from being an MC at different events. But the podcast thing is kind of new, and I'm I'm still learning a lot of this technology, and social media is not a big thing uh for me, but um, not not necessarily. But um, I think it's very interesting you asked that though.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, Phil, switching gears again, outside of work, what do you and your family like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, what we like to do for fun. Um I am a uh vested member in my community as well as church. Uh, so I do a lot of um church volunteer things. Um, in regards to not volunteering at your church fun things, we just kind of park on Netflix. When I say park, like walking through the park, we love the the nature, uh especially the nature trails. Um, but um just if not outside uh doing that and walking through Stonebriar mall, you know, having a little fun, get together. Uh, we're just kind of a family that's like to chill and just enjoy Netflix and uh family time for the most part.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, please tell our listeners the number one thing that makes Rue Three Entertainment stand out across every other mobile DJ and event entertainment company.

SPEAKER_02:

The one thing is me, you get DJ Phil uh mostly, but uh not only that, but entertainment. Like I said, it's about the experience, and we're all about making sure individuals have fun, bring laughter, bring great music. Um, and and we're very detail-oriented. Uh, and like I said, we're five-star rated. We have over some great customer reviews, um, but I think it's the experience. That's what really makes us stand out. And if you read our Google reviews, you'll you'll see that quite quite often. They talk about the experience. You know, uh, I try to, you know, make sure I understand and understand the expectations, along with building rapport, because I I find building relationships with individuals, and sometimes you just kind of have find those kindred spirits when you talk to them on the telephone and we just kind of click and they like me and I like them, and and we just kind of make the magic happen from there. Because my belief is trying to make the extraordinary out of any ordinary event, you know, making making that moment precious for everyone.

SPEAKER_00:

Bill, what are those top three ingredients to have a standout experience, whether it's in a wedding or a corporate event as a mobile DJ?

SPEAKER_02:

When you say the top three ingredients from me or from uh the experience in regards to the the uh I would say you because you create the experience. Okay, so the top three ingredients. I'm sorry. Uh the top three ingredients I think is energy. Um, I think is just making sure that you are open-minded. Um, I think those are one of the top three ingredients. Uh, and not only that, just love. Love, you know, love what you do, love your craft, um, and just being a people person, loving to uh try to please whenever you can. Um, I think those top three ingredients for me.

SPEAKER_00:

And where can our listeners go to learn more about root three entertainment?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh you can go to root3entertainment.com. You can also Google us, uh, root three entertainment. Uh we're on Instagram as well as Facebook. We don't have a big social media presence. It's not something we focus a lot on, but you'll find a lot of pictures, a lot of videos out there uh of some of our events. Uh, we're going to be working more in more in 2026. Uh uh people have been asking to kind of see me in action. Um, and and normally, like I tell people, the normal answer is our events are private. Um, so I generally don't record uh weddings uh um and me at weddings because they're private and for the client only. So um you can always see me live as well when I do have public events. But yeah, root threeentertainment.com, Facebook.com forward slash root threeentertainment, or Instagram.com uh forward slash uh root threeentertainment.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, Phil, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you. It's been a pleasure. God bless you, appreciate it. Merry Christmas.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmpfrisco.com. That's gmpfrisco.com or call 469-221-9345.