HEY THERE
and this is my story of following my dreams and living life like I have only 6 months to live.
I am a One Man Band in a Kombi Van and a born entertainer. I give 110% to every wedding I do, no matter what size or budget.
Read more about me, Mr Entertainment, below, or you can follow me on social media here:
Growing up as the middle child of 5 boys, I was always the one acting the goat and creating enjoyment for the family at parties, around the home and dinner table. I was constantly encouraged by my brothers to do anything that they would get a laugh. This stretched all through my childhood and into my adulthood.
As a child, I was always surrounded by music. Every morning at 5am, Dad would wake up and the first thing he would do even before his morning trip to the loo was put music on while he was getting ready for work. Thanks Dad.
I first picked up a guitar in grade 8 and learnt songs that I could play and sing to people around a beach fire on Stradbroke Island, where I have spent a large portion of my life. I hold these memories so close to my heart as they were the roots of who I have become today.
I had many different jobs during my young adult years but would always pick up a guitar and have a good strum at a party. As an apprentice mechanic, I had a deep love for Kombi Vans, so I got a job building and working on them. After owning several I decided to really put my learnt skills to the test. With the green machine built and on the road, I had friends and family hitting me up to chauffeur them around to weddings and formals. What an honour.
With a huge selection of music and a great gift of knowing which song to put on at the right time to set the mood, I started DJ’ing at parties which then led onto weddings. From then on, I started joking about being Mr Entertainment, “MR” being my initials. Brilliant hahaha.
As life took over and bills became excessive, I decided to follow the crowd at the time and do fly in, fly out mining. After 3 years I started losing my outgoing personality and mentally took a dive suffering from Anxiety and Depression. I fast learnt money does not equal happiness.
I flew home one break and entertained a good friends wedding. Truthfully, I was so nervous as I had lost almost all my people skills while working away, but by the end of the night the praises were flying and my head grew bigger than an over-inflated beach ball. I had never in my life felt so pumped at the end of the days work.
Flying back to the mines got me sad all over again. Two weeks in, I hit bottom AGAIN. I sat in my small cabin and a message popped up on my facebook. “If you were told you have 6 months to live, would you be happy with what you have achieved and leave with no regrets?”
Crap it hit me hard, I pulled out my computer and googled available business names and there it was waiting for me. Mr Entertainment. Out came the credit card and within minutes it was mine. I started building the business from the ground up and started advertising.
My first business wedding was on Straddie in 2013. I was the transport, Dj and MC. What a cracker of a night. I quit the mines and followed my dreams. I was going everywhere; Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron, Brisbane and my favourite, Straddie.
In 2015, I got the courage to add Live Acoustic into the business- it has now become my favourite service! Whilst travelling on the road living in a bus with my wife and baby, I spent a great deal of time busking and doing live entertainment and working on my One-Man Band show. After returning from our road trip in 2018 we have been crazy-busy back into the wedding scene and loving it!! We now have 2 beautiful little kids, which makes life fun and chaotic all at the same time and we are based centrally in Mount Cotton.
