Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Leigh.
Hi Lindsey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I used to be a super shy kid. I went to a high-pressure gifted school where everyone was encouraged to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Some of my classmates work for NASA. Two of my best friends are doctors. I really only resonated with music, but never thought I’d be able to do it as my profession becauase it was instilled in me to seek out a “reliable” career. It was always told to me by adults growing up that music wasn’t a solid career choice. However, as I tried various jobs early in my teenage years and into my early 20s, I still always came back to entertainment. I began to think, “Why can’t entertainment be my career path? If it makes me happy, shouldn’t I follow what makes me happy instead of going the safe route, or do what everyone else thinks I should do?” I decided to follow my heart. Music and entertainment made me the happiest, so I trained for weeks to preapre, then packed up and made plans to leave my hometown for a life in the music industry after some successful audtions and my first official job offer as a singer/dancer.
The week I was supposed to move, I was driving home when a drunk driver crashed into me, leaving me with multiple spinal fractures, and additional fractures all over my entire body. I was in such bad shape my own parents didn’t recognize me in the hospital. I went into immediate surgeries and couldn’t walk without assistance for a very long time. Needless to say, this derailed my entire plan to move, and I was so discouraged. Thinking I’d never walk normally again, and left unable to work, I lost everything: my apartment, and the job for which I was moving. I decided to try going back into the corporate world, and even went to college for awhile while I recovered (I can’t sit still, even when I can’t walk!). After a few months, I was slowly recovering and getting quite literally back on my feet, but I couldn’t help but feel stagnant. My near death experience really made me think about what I truly wanted to do with my life and what truly made me happy. I realized, pain or no pain, this is the only life I’ve got, so I’m going to take my chances. I decided that once I recovered, I’d follow my original plan and still make the move. This time, though, I decided to move to Orlando, somewhere I’d always loved and visited frequently. There were tons of opportunities here, and I’d always wanted to work in the theme park industry. Little did I know there was so much more than that for musicians here, and that I’d meet some of my closest friends and be given some of the best opporunities I’ve ever had.
With fresh stitches in, I moved to Orlando, knowing only one person here. With no turning back, I spent the rest of my savings on doing the rest of my physical therapy here, getting an apartment, and taking some time to do as many auditions as I could, eventually working for all the major theme parks, plus some local theatres. I was approached by an agent who provided musicians for corporate events, and I joined a band. The band focused solely on corporate entertainment, which was something new to me. They were private events for some of the largest corporations in the world. We had many local gigs which kept us working steadily, and we also traveled all over the U.S., and even to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and so many other beautiful places. I absolutely loved it. Once I got my footing on how to work with corporate bands, I started making bands of my own, while still partnering with other bands in town. The thing I love about the band world is that we all know and respect each other, we all work together, and it truly is a family of sorts. I paid attention to what people were asking for, and curated a few acts that I knew were in demand, but weren’t always available. I created a tropical band where we did reggae remixes of popular songs and I played the steel drums, a chill groove-infused band called Vibe Lounge for people who wanted good music to have some drinks to without the pressure of having to dance, a jazz band, a Top 40s band with a versatile open format of all dance floor fillers, and it just expanded from there. People were loving the bands, and hiring us. Everything I had worked hard to put together was gaining traction. I was also a DJ, so I started paying attention to what excited people and what really got them pumped, and made a lot of mental notes like, why do all kid DJs have to be cheesey? Why can’t it be cool and enjoyable for the adults too? At the time I started DJing I was working for the Nickelodeon brand, and we had crazy stage shows with really fun physical challenges. I decided to start offering a blend of trendy kid-friendly DJ dance parties with the option of adding in original relay style games that my creative partners and I knew would really be outside the box of what any other family friendly DJs were doing. I called it the Game Show DJs, as a nod to my days working for Nickelodeon. I realized someone needed to be advocating for the kids, too, offering them more fun and unique options. It was a huge hit. Pretty soon we were partnering with OCPS schools and other venues that trusted us year-round for their kid-friendly entertainment.
Because I was doing so many random things, I realized I had to start curating a team of other DJs, musicians, and entertainers because my business had started expanding rapidly, and I could no longer meet the demand coming in on my own. I was also getting calls from other agents in town, asking me for help staffing various projects. It was then that I realized that I had a knack for managing events and staffing the entertainers, as well as speaking with the clients. Soon after, I obtained my talent agent license. Fast forward to today, and I am proud to say that I went from a one woman operation to working with hundreds of different vendors, clients, and entertainers every year. We’ve even expanded the talent agency to non-musical entertainment as well and now have a sister photo booth company. We started offering sound and lighting options. I’d like to consider us a one stop shop. At this point, the sky’s the limit. There is no project too big to consider, and I want to continue to grow more and more each year.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The world of entertainment is such a fun, but rocky road. It appears glamorous to anyone who isn’t in it, but there are a lot of dues to pay. Those fancy events you go to where there’s a band playing? There’s so much that goes into getting that band there. The event was planned months in advance, with many phone calls, contract signings, e-mails, and rehearsals. The band loaded in hours prior, usually next to the dumpster out back. We sweat and pushed all our heavy gear from a loading dock in the Florida heat to get it inside the venue. We set everything up, and we break everything down after we play. We practice for hours on our own time at home, which cuts into our social life. We are met with last minute changes and requests that require us to do damage control to save an event. It is a LOT of hard work that most people don’t see, and a lot of it isn’t pretty. Even going on tour is super fun, but exhausting and depleting at times, going on very little sleep, and no one to cover for you if you need a day off. I remember once on tour singing backup for Tiffany, the tour van’s air conditioning went out as we drove through the desert going from Los Angeles to Houston. We rode the whole way with no air conditioning and we all definitely had heat stroke. We drove over 20 hours, got to the venue, and immediately played a show. Once we got on stage, though, everything was okay. This lifestyle is a lot. Yet, as crazy as it all is, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It all has major rewards. We have been given the opportunity to travel, and played for wonderful people who appreciate what we’re doing, and to see them smile and have a great time reminds us each time why we do what we do. We have gotten to work with huge names, and do things you’d only dream of. In the end, all the blood, sweat, and tears always pays off. In the end, you’re living your dream.
At one of the highest points of my career so far a few years ago, when everything seemed to be going so well, I got really sick out of nowhere. I was diagnosed a few weeks later with an autoimmune disease. It slowly progressed and really tested my strength emotionally, mentally, and physically. I spent many of my breaks on the floor in our green room, laying down in pain, unable to eat, and dehydrated. If it weren’t for my bandmates and their great energy, I don’t know how I’d have made it through some of those gigs. I have had to channel every bit of my inner strength to persevere through countless infusion treatments and medical procedures over the last 10 years and still show up and walk on stage with a smile and give 100% because our guests and clients deserve it. And while I am still on my journey to combating this disease, I try to remain positive and look at how far I’ve been able to come desipte this setback. I worked too hard for everything I have, and I won’t let anything stop me from pursing my goals.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
With over 20 years of experience as a professional musician and DJ and making great connections with so many talented professionals along the way, it was time to expand and create a team of A-list musicians, DJs, and entertainers that would set the bar high for anyone looking to book entertainment for their events.
We went from a one person operation to working with hundreds of vendors, contractors, and venues each year. The name stayed the same, but the business expanded into a talent agency with endless entertainment offerings. We can provide any style of music or entertainment to fit the individual needs of each audience with musicians, bands, specialty acts, and DJs.
I believe that an agent should be hands on and have the experience in the field, and being both a musician and an agent, I am able to see and accommodate everyone on both the client side of things, as well as the talent side.
Some of my entertainment highlights: I have performed at events hosted by Jay Leno, Sinbad, and other celebrity acts and am a backup vocalist who has performed alongside pop stars Tiffany, Shaggy, Michael Bolton, and Olivia Holt.
I have DJed before and after the concerts of artists including:
FloRida (x2!)
Kelly Clarkson
John Legend
En Vogue
Bret Michaels
The Wailers
Extreme
The Fixx
Lita Ford
Sebastian Bach
Information Society
Naked Eyes
Smashmouth
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
Blessid Union of Souls
Kate Voegele
I am also a studio singer and have provided vocals for various recording artists as well as audiobooks, DVDs, and was even the voice of a My Little Pony.
Other performance highlights include performing for Nickelodeon, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Hard Rock, and Sea World.
CLIENTS AND PERFORMANCE VENUES INCLUDE:
Apple
Spotify
Hard Rock Live
Walt Disney World
Universal Studios
Tampa Bay Lightning
Bloomingdale’s
Orlando International Airport
Blue Martini
I am proud to have a team of the top musicians, entertainers, and DJs in Central Florida (and beyond!). We will find the right fit and style for you based on our years of experience. No matter what, you will always have personable and seasoned professionals for your event when you choose us.
We pride ourselves on making your entertainment experience stress free. Whatever your vision for your event, big or small, we do our best to make it exactly what you’re looking for and hope to exceed your expectation. We are always searching for the latest material and mixes to keep things fresh and exciting so you can always come back to us to make your event memorable.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Our industry is pretty unpredictable as to forseeing what is coming next. We are immensely affected by any major economical change, because we are sometimes considered to be a supplemental element. But if you really think about it, entertainment is so important to an event, or to any venue, and can make or break it. It creates the entire energy and vibe for your guests, right down to the lighting in the room. I hope in the coming years, people will continue to see how important live music or other forms of entertainment are for any event, and I hope people will trust us as professionals to know what would work best and know that our goal in all of this is to make others happy, and to create great memories. DJs are a huge trend right now, but bands are starting to make a comeback, which makes me really happy. There are so many incredible musicians here in Orlando and I feel so lucky to be able to work with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lindseyleighmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindseyleighmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@THELindseyLeigh
Image Credits
Toni Tillman, Jacob from Photolocity
