DJ Spotlight of the Week - Jonny Piscitelli

Jonny got started in the music business working at Kiss 95.1 here in Charlotte, NC in the promotions department at Kiss 95.1 and K-104.7 doing live events and "Remotes" in the business. He eventually he worked his way up to being On the Air as “Jonny Tango”.

In October 2006, Jonny was having lunch in the break room at the station when he struck up a conversation with one of his producers who used to work for SSS. Jonny says, “We got to talking about our plans for the weekend, and he mentioned he would be DJ'ing a wedding at Firethorne Country Club that Saturday.” That piqued his interest, so that Saturday Jonny tagged along, and the next weekend he did a wedding with Vinny and Neil at the Charlotte Speedway Club, and the rest is history!

Photo Credit: Beautiful Mess Photography 

Jonny has been very successful with us and in the industry because he has a love for music and putting on great events that create unique experiences. Jonny says, “I love what I do, and I love the people I work with. The entire team at Split Second Sound is incredible, and the amazing group of vendors I have the opportunity to work with at every wedding is an inspiration. That is the name of the game, love what you do and surround yourself with talented positive people!”

Photo Credit: Critsey Rowe Photography

Jonny has an eye for detail, and he does his homework to get to know the bride and groom. Jonny says, “At the end of the day, we get one chance to create an unforgettable experience for our clients, and to me that boils down to doing my homework and visualizing every detail before it happens. That was one of the first things that Vinny taught me when I first started with Split, to visualize the night before it happens, anticipate potential issues and do everything you can to ameliorate those items before they happen, and when you do that, you set yourself up for success and give yourself the bandwidth to handle the unexpected things that will always come up when you are putting on a live event.” When Jonny meets with his couples, he gets a sense of their personalities and their vision for the night. He then works diligently to create playlists and work on mixes to make their night extra special and unique.

Photo Credit: Beautiful Mess Photography 

Jonny’s ideal vendor to work with has flexibility, attention to detail, experience, and the willingness to go the extra mile for our clients. He knows that each vendor just wants to deliver top tier service to our clients, the photographer wants great pictures, the videographer wants great video, and it is way easier to deliver those things when we all work together, when everyone is on the same page, and when we all take the time beforehand to anticipate the best places for different parts of the night to occur and then work together to make that joint vision a reality.

Jonny defines hard work as arriving early, leaving late, and coming prepared by anticipating everything about the event before it starts. Because Jonny comes to each event prepared, he is able to be spontaneous and flexible to come up with unique ideas for each event. Factors such as, time of day to location, to time of year to the weather, the age range of the guests to the demographics and desires of the clients are parts of every decision Jonny makes to guarantee the event is perfect. Jonny spends time practicing making sure that he has perfected every cue. Jonny looks up to his mom most in life. He says, “Life is all about overcoming adversity, identifying and overcoming challenges, and the amount of things that she has overcome and done for me and for my sister and brothers resonates with me beyond words.”

Photo Credit: Beautiful Mess Photography

One of Jonny’s favorite things about his job at SSS is the connections he has made both personally and musically. He has made a very positive impact on SSS by his continued focus on every aspect of every detail. By over preparing, Jonny is able to improvise to add in some unique energy. The phenomenal level of talent Vinny has cultivated as well as the culture for continued improvement motivates Jonny to continue to be a top contender with SSS.

Q & A with Jonny

If you could meet any celebrity (living or past), who would it be and why?

I think Benjamin Franklin would be a pretty cool guy to get to know. He seems like he knew how to structure his life in a way that was conducive to incremental personal progress while at the same time having a pretty good time and leaving his imprint on the United States!

If someone wrote a biography on you, what do you think the title would be?

“Searching for Balance” because at the end of the day that is what it’s all about. That and time management meaning how did you prioritize your days and your years and ultimately your life. I'm still searching...

On a scale of 1 to 10, how lucky would you consider yourself in life and why?

10! I am super lucky. I get to do what I love everyday. I am surrounded by talented driven people who push me to be a better man everyday and a better version of myself, whether they know it or not. Sometimes just being near smart, motivated people can be inspiration enough, and I am lucky enough to have positive people in every part of my life all day everyday.

If you were starting a company tomorrow, what would the top 3 core values for your company be?

1. Undersell Overdeliver 2. Manage Expectations 3. Hard work pays off

What would the closest person in your life say if I asked them, “What is one characteristic that they totally dig about you, and the one that drives them insane?”

The closest people in my life would probably say they really enjoy my sense of humor...at least I hope they do...ha! The characteristic that probably drives them insane is that I am kind of a perfectionist, and I hate leaving anything to chance, so that means late nights and early mornings and lots of preparation.

Pepsi or Coke?

Coke

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Mint Chocolate Chip...but only if it is green

Mountains or Beach?

Beach

Cook or Eat Out?

Eat Out

Burgers or Hot Dogs?

Burgers

NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?

Backstreet Boys...I still love you Justin!

What is your personal favorite genre of music? Favorite artist(s)? Why?

I like Underground Hip-Hop, J-Dilla, Pete Rock, DJ Premiere, Madlib, MF Doom, You Know! I also really like Jazz, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck Aaaaand I can't live without my Latin Music, I love Buena Vista Social Club, the Gipsy Kings, Django Rhinehart

If you were to win the lottery tomorrow, what is the first thing you would buy?

I would buy my mom a house, then I would buy all of my siblings a house, then I would put the rest in some safe financial product with a relative decent return of 4%-6% annual return style and keep working like nothing ever changed.

What’s your favorite 90s jam?

No Diggity - Backstreet

What’s your favorite 80s jam?

When Doves Cry - Prince

Favorite TV show?

I Like House Hunters...there is always so much to decide!

Favorite movie?

Mediterraneo. It is an Italian film about Italian soldiers marooned on a Greek island during WWII. It is just so beautifully shot and scored, highlighting the similarities between all of the mediterranean Cultures, Greek, Italian, Turkish. Check it out if you can. It is ridiculously hard to find even in this day and age.

Favorite restaurant?

RuSan's

What would your pet say about you if he/she could talk?

“Jonny sure does like to dance...Keep practicing!”

If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for?

Health and happiness for all those I love, Peace of Mind... that's it. You can have my third wish.