One of those three girls, Sara, is the lead singer of Jerry Bruno Productions’ own band, Iconic. Iconic was created especially for young brides who want the class and energy of a full, live band but the spirit and sound of modern music.

With her infectious smile, talent and bubbly personality, it’s no surprise that Sara was picked for the high-profile job. In fact, when she approached us about auditioning for a band, we liked her so much we built Iconic around her.

Being a Cleveland sports fan myself, I was dying to hear more about Sara’s new gig. She was kind enough to let me share her answers with you all:

Congratulations on being one of the first Fox Sports girls!

“I was so excited to hear about this opportunity… I’m a huge Ohio sports fan so having an opportunity to cheer my favorite teams on at this level is amazing.”

Did you have to display a knowledge of sports to get the gig?

“I know a lot about basketball and baseball. I grew up watching teams like the Cavs, Browns and OSU… so I’m a pro at cheering our teams on. I get loud and really excited!! I even played a little volleyball and basketball back in the day.”

Sara singing with Iconic

What is the job description/function/purpose of a Fox Sports Girl?

“My job description: First and foremost, I’m a fan ambassador. We be connect with fans through social media like Facebook and Twitter and are involved in fun promotions and community events. Additionally, we’re on-air hosts for Fox Sports Ohio, guiding viewers through our great programming. Like us on Facebook and follow FSOhio_girls on Twitter!”

When we first auditioned you for the band Iconic, you were working at Progressive Insurance. Are you still with them? Is it hard to balance everything going on in your life?

“I’m no longer at Progressive. I sing in Iconic and model and act part-time. It’s a busy life, but I love it. I hate sitting around!”

What was your prior experience in on-camera work?

“I’ve done a lot of theater in my past, as well as various commercials, training videos and print work.

Have you lived in Ohio your whole life?

“Yes, I’ve lived in Ohio all my life. I grew up in small town called Orwell in Ashtabula County. I grew up a country girl!”

Sara at a video shoot for Fox Sports Ohio

When did you realize you wanted to be in entertainment?

“I’ve wanted to be in entertainment since I was a little girl. My grandpa was a minister so I got an early start singing at church. I was always putting on shows for my family! I wanted to be a singer or a weather girl when I was little… I would set up a news studio and my mom would videotape me doing the weather using maps I found in the back of my bible!”

What was your first paid job in entertainment?

“Technically, my first paid job in entertainment would probably be when I would go sing at nursing homes. I was in high school and to earn extra money I would sing at area nursing homes for their entertainment hour. I loved it! Music is therapy to many of the elderly and they were so excited to sing and clap along.”

Did you study singing or acting in college or anywhere else? What was your college major?

“I did not study acting or singing in college. I decided to round myself out a little and study business in college after studying voice privately at Youngstown State University throughout high school.”

Linda Lee Smigel recently published Once Upon a Choice through Infinity Publishing. On page 56 she included this interesting mention of our most popular band, also known as “The Orchestra.”

This fact was brought to our attention by our friend Theresa Hahn of The Ritz. As Ms Smigel doesn’t appear to be a past client of ours, we wonder if she enjoyed the band at a local corporate event or friend’s wedding. Regardless, we are flattered!

What is it with some people?  Throw back a few drinks at a reception and they start treating  the band or DJ like their own personal ipod.  Don’t get me wrong – we always want guests to have a great time and keep the dance floor full and polite requests are expected and even welcomed at many events.  But you know the type – the drunken goon whose beer-goggles (or, in this case, earphones) lead him to believe that unless the band plays the particular song of his choosing, the Earth will crack open like a walnut.  Ironically this pickled heckler’s “requests” are never really requests at all, but insistent demands bellowed after every song that isn’t his tune of choice.

And why is it that it’s never like a really unique or interesting song?  I’m really starting to believe these buffoons’ musical vocabulary consists of “Hang On Sloopy” and “Let’s Get Drunk and Screw”.  I’ve even started mentally giving a prize to the first over-served party boy to loudly demand we play “Shout” (usually somewhere near the top of the 2nd set)!

I realize this makes me sound like a party snob or something, and I really don’t mean to be.  I like a good drankin’ song as much as the next guy.  But the fact is, these types of guests can be really disruptive to a band or DJ as well as the other guests.  Even worse, they sometimes get threatening (I’d love to be a fly on the jail cell wall when this guy tries to explain to the cops that he assaulted the DJ because he wouldn’t play “Sweet Caroline”!).  It’s a good bet that this obnoxious guest hasn’t been in on any of the planning for this reception and probably doesn’t know that the DJ has strict guidelines from the clients who are paying not to play certain songs or types of music, not matter how politely the DJ might try to explain that.  Not to mention the fact that we actually do like those tunes too and would have played them in due time anyway.  They’re great party songs.  But for most artists, the more a guest screams at us, the less likely that guest is to ever hear that song at this event.  We are there to do a job and like, everyone else, demand the respect that affords.

I guess I’m a little biased.  I’m not a song requester type.  In all my years of experiencing live music, I’ve never felt the need to infuse any of my personal song preferences into a band or DJ’s set list.  I’m sure it’s because I’m usually the one performing the music week to week and I know how constant requests can take your eye off the ball of trying to keep the dance floor full.  But when I’m not performing, I’m usually cool with whatever the band plays.  I just like watching live bands and DJs perform their craft – good or band, to me it’s always interesting.  The actual songs being played have little to do with it for me.  It’s either a good dance song or it’s not.  And if the setting I’m hearing said music in happens to include some social drinking, that has a much different effect on me than it seems to on the song request bully.  After a couple drinks I’m digging every song and become the friendliest dancer on the floor!  This band is AWESOME!!!

So if you’re an Aggressive Requester – and you know who you are – take it easy.  Just let the band or DJ do their thing and enjoy the night.  If you don’t like a song….go get a drink.  Scratch that – go get a cup of coffee.  But if you think you can’t handle that, load up Hang On Sloopy, Brown-Eyed Girl and Shout on your ipod and jam the night away…from the comfort of your car…..out in the parking lot!

Just kidding – we’ll get those tunes on in the next set!

Geoff Short

Geoff is the Sales and Promotions Manager at Jerry Bruno Productions and is a DJ and the bandleader of JBP’s band The Avenue. Contact him atgeoff@jerrybruno.com.

It’s the perfect night to party with your friends: the night before Thanksgiving!  RadioActive, our HOTTEST Top 40 band rolls into Quaker Steak & Lube in Mentor on Wednesday, November 24th.

Jon Blair, Brittany Klarich and the band will hit the stage at 9 pm and the party don’t stop until 12:30 am. Call your designated turkey cook to get Thanksgiving dinner started for you. By the time the party washes off, you’ll be ready for a feast and thankful for a rockin’ time courtesy of RadioActive.

Where: Quaker Steak & Lube
7834 Reynolds Rd
Mentor, OH 44060
440-954-9464 (WING)

When: Wednesday, Nov. 24th from 9 pm-12:30 am

Who: YOU, your friends, and RadioActive

What: PARTY!!!

Here’s a preview. Visit the RadioActive page at JerryBruno.com to see more!

BANDS

AKA at Gambitta’s Party Center for a benefit.

DJs

Scott E. Jones at the Cleveland Renaissance for a wedding.

Mike Alexander at Sammy’s at Legacy Village for Euclid Hospital’s Medical staff dinner dance.

JAZZ & SPECIALTY

Esto Jazz at Fairlawn Country Club for Valentine’s Day dinner.

Guitarist Will Cheshier at Chagrin Valley Athletic Club for Valentine’s Day dinner.

Guitarist Pete Cavano at Sammy’s at Legacy Village for Euclid Hospital’s staff dinner dance.

Solo steel drum at Fairview Hospital for a Pediatric open house.

Harpist Virginia Dickson at Fairview Hospital for an open house event.

Solo violin at the Ritz-Carlton for Valentine’s Day dinner.

Watch for the rest of the video from The Orchestra soon!

DD is the lead female vocalist for the Cleveland wedding and event band, FasTrack. She may potentially be seen and heard on tv and radio airwaves as part of this wonderful opportunity.

The beast was among them…dressed as one of them..and it was hungry.

The newlyweds were flushed with excitement.  They had painstakingly planned every detail of the reception….the perfect flowers…the perfect band…gourmet dinner…special dances…the……toasts…

It wouldn’t be long now. It had been too long since the thing had fed.  The unsuspecting victims were just now enjoying the salad course.  Soon the thing would eat too.  Only one thing would satisfy its insatiable appetite…time.  And lots of it.  It was just waiting for its cue…

…”and now ladies and gentlemen…a special toast from the Best Man…”

SUPPER TIME!!

The timeline was dead.

Fiction?  Unfortunately in too many cases, no.  I always remember a “toast” being something along the lines of “over the teeth and through the gums, look out tummy, here it comes!”..but too often a well-wishing Best Man or Maid of Honor sees this custom as their 15 minutes of fame – literally…15 minutes.

One question I always like to ask clients is “what is your goal for this reception”?  Most people say that they want their guests to have a great time, to stay and dance and make the event one people have great memories of.  In short, they want to throw a great party.

So why do so many people seem to forget what makes a great party?

True, a wedding reception is not an ordinary party…but there are some ingredients for successful parties that are universal, no matter what the occasion.  One of those ingredients is the ability for the hosts to take the focus off themselves and put it onto their guests.  This may seem contradictory to the very reason this event is happening in the first place- to celebrate the new union of the two most important people in the room.  But the happy couple is THE reason everyone is there in the first place and the big white, fluffy dress is a big clue as to who the center of attention is.  Making 200 guests – who have already dedicated an entire day to celebrating the rookie-weds – continue to sit through long speeches and toasts to further drive the point home can be the very definition of overkill.

And it can kill your timeline.

The bride and groom are most likely not going to be aware of what time it is – or rather, how much time they’re losing – at any given point of the reception.  Nor should they. But the band the bar and the bus boys definitely know what time it is.  That’s our job as planners and bandleaders and DJ’s – to keep things moving and on schedule.  And ready or not at the end of the night, the party is going to come to a close.  Hopefully by this point it’s your guest’s feet that are tired from dancing and not their rear ends from sitting all night.  You’ve probably paid good money for the band or DJ.  You should get the most out of your investment and let them do what they do best..fill the dance floor.  I’ve seen more than a few brides with that surprised look as though the dancing just started, and it seems we’re “already” thanking the audience and going into our last dance.

Besides, wedding toasts are kind of like inside jokes – filled with memories that approximately 2% (according to statistics I just made up for this blog post) of the entire crowd were involved in and thus, care about.  Making guests endure long winded speeches about things they weren’t involved in is kind of like inviting friends over to sit through  a slide show of your last trip to the Grand Canyon.

Don’t forget the show business aspect of throwing a party.  Appeal to the larger audience.  More elements that everyone can enjoy  – like dancing, eating and drinking – can help ensure a fun reception.

None of this is to suggest toasts should be done away with.  But if brides and grooms make it clear to their respective Best Men and Maids of Honor from the very beginning of the planning process that their timeline is limited, things can move more swiftly to the true business of partying.  A brief toast can still be funny, congratulatory and heartfelt.

And the time-eating beast will have to eat elsewhere.

Geoff Short

Geoff is the Sales and Promotions Manager at Jerry Bruno Productions and is the bandleader of JBP’s band The Avenue. Contact him at geoff@jerrybruno.com.

THE AVENUE – from Jerry Bruno Productions

Seated: (l. to r.) Tiffany Marchak (Vocals), Geoffrey Short (Vocals), Leigh Peterson (Vocals
Back Row: (l.to r.) Ray Porello (Drums), L.R. Smith (Keyboards), Ian Indorf (Trumpet), Joe Blues (Guitar), Bob Kessler (Bass), Chris Vollstadt (Saxophone), B.J. Bishop (Trombone).