Testimonial Letters and Success Stories….What others are saying…
We got married on June 9th, 2023 at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown and had the absolute pleasure of working with DJ Sam!
Throughout the whole process, DJ Sam made wedding planning EASY and FUN. He helped us to create and personalize our entire wedding timeline of events. He made sure the flow of the evening was correct and seamless.
DJ Sam is professional, organized, energetic, and so much fun. He provided the lighting equipment (where we got to customize specific colors we wanted) and live music. We also had a photo booth which was a hit!
Lastly, we really wanted to be outside on the patio for cocktail hour and dancing but unfortunately the weather wasn’t in our favor the day of the wedding, however, DJ Sam came to the rescue and was able to make it happen by wrapping ALL his equipment. He truly went above and beyond!
I would recommend DJ Sam to anyone looking for a polished, professional, and fun DJ to add to whatever kind of party you’re planning. He is the best!
Thank you for working with us and for keeping our guests dancing all night long!
DJ Sam, We had an AMAZING TIME! The dance floor was a party all night and that was one of our top priorities! We danced our hearts out! We can’t thank you enough for helping us make our wedding dreams come true! We thought the flow of everything was perfect! We would recommend you to anyone looking for a DJ! I’ve already told my friend about you!!! We will definitely write a public review!
The music during cocktail hour was amazing too, and I loved the music during dinner!! Everything was perfect! We’ve heard nothing but positive remarks from family and guests!
Professional, entertaining, and well organized, Atmosphere productions gave a great performance and made everyone comfortable. Ben, the violinist, especially gave a fun performance during dinner services. We highly recommend the team to our friends in need for a DJ service
Thank you, DJ Sam! Everyone had an amazing time and they could not say enough how much they enjoyed you and the music. You made it an amazing party. I will for sure tell everyone that I know you are the best in the business.
DJ Sam came highly recommended from my best friend who got married in 2019 and after interviewing a few other DJs during our search, it was clear that DJ Sam was the most experienced, professional, responsive, organized, and talented DJ in the industry. We had no doubt since our first discovery call that we would be in good hands, and it was clear after the wedding that our guests agreed. We received many compliments from guests both young and old. Not only is DJ Sam a disc-jockey, but he helps orchestrate the entire event flow, and guided my husband and I through the planning process in order to make sure every detail was as we wished. Thank you so much, DJ Sam, you gave us peace of mind while planning and kept us dancing the night away on our big day. You are the best!
He was personable, articulate, and most importantly, got people moving! Our wedding was incredible, but I can’t emphasize enough his professionalism and attention to detail during the time leading up to the big day. We really appreciated that he provided and walked us through his planning tool which gave us confidence that we were on the same page. He’s a wealth of knowledge. Highly recommend!
What a great evening we had! Not only did you keep our guests happy and dancing the whole evening, you had the whole evening scheduled to perfection, which gave us confidence you had things under control so we could enjoy the evening. WORTH EVERY PENNY!! Many of our guests have already asked us for your information because saw how you orchestrated the entire event. Thank you so much!!
Atmosphere Productions and DJ Sam have been a prominent part of our family’s weddings since 1998. Their openness to our requests goes unmatched. They are diligent in preparation and triple checked changes prior to our wedding day. DJ Sam has the best personality and kept our party going all night. Our guests continue to rave about how much fun they had on the dance floor. We also had violinists through Atmosphere Productions and they were wonderful during cocktail hour. They even played some Christmas songs like I requested. You cannot go wrong with having Atmosphere Productions as part of your wedding day. DJ Sam and his team truly care and made our wedding the best possible. We love Atmosphere Productions!
We had the absolute best night ever! We would recommend your services to anyone we knew! Thank you for all that you did for us to make our night so special! From your planning to music selection and meeting our requests.. It was perfect!
Thank you so much for a fantastic night of music and dancing! Our guests had a fantastic time! The cocktail hour music was perfect too! I only wish I had extended it one more hour.
DJ Sam was great from the moment we met him at an expo. Very organized, honored our wishes and was always available to discuss any details we had questions/thoughts on. Given our wedding was during Covid-19 we had many changes/updates to inform him of and he always listened and adjusted his plans. Very upbeat and everything you need in a DJ for any event.
Atmosphere Productions was such a great choice for our wedding day. DJ Sam was the best through the whole process. He was very professional, organized, thorough, and FUN… All things we wanted/needed for our perfect day to go smoothly. The lighting was a great touch, but the biggest hit was the voice edits into the Parents Dances… So many tears by everyone! DJ Sam kept the dancefloor going the whole time. I will highly recommend you to everyone! Thank you for a great event and I will be sure to give positive reviews on wedding sites.
DJ Sam did my best friend and her brother’s wedding then I found out he also did my aunt & uncles wedding 20+ years ago and my grandparents anniversary party. He is AMAZING and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else.
DJ Sam made the wedding by keeping the perfect music flowing throughout cocktail hour and the reception. He also assisted with the ceremony music and cake cutting ceremony. He took the time up front to understand our vibe and totally knocked it out of the park! I would highly recommend his services.
Working with Atmosphere Productions for our wedding was a fantastic decision! DJ Sam is amazing as both a DJ and MC, and we were really lucky that he was available. Sam was responsive, knowledgeable and incredibly organized, with every aspect discussed and planned with us (with spreadsheets, which we loved and appreciated!!!). It was very reassuring, and truly emphasized how much of a professional DJ Sam is. We are very grateful for his guidance with the reception planning, and not to mention, he knows exactly how to keep a party going! The music was awesome, and the transitions between the songs and genres, as well as the ceremony activities, were flawless. Everyone had a blast all night! The lighting also created the perfect ambiance, and it was so cool to be able to pick unique colors! Atmosphere Productions offers live musicians as well, so we decided to have a violinist for the ceremony and the cocktail hour. Shoutout to Ben, who was incredible! We loved having Atmosphere Productions at the wedding, and the package was affordable, even with a live violinist! We would work with Atmosphere Productions again in a heartbeat, and we look forward to going to an event with DJ Sam again. DJ Sam made our night incredible. We would highly recommend!
Due to Covid we had to cancel DJ Sam but he was so easy to work with and still let us have the Violinist for an hour for our ceremony, and Celine was amazing!! DJ Sam was so responsive and easy to get a hold of. His organization was impeccable.
Next party we will call DJ Sam!!
DJ Sam was fantastic. That’s actually an understatement. From our first call, I knew he would be the perfect DJ for our wedding. For one thing, I loved how organized he was (I’m just as organized myself!) about everything. His methods made it so easy to know what to expect and what he was looking for from us. He played everything we requested, and made it so much fun for our entire crowd, we danced ALL NIGHT!! He also did our lighting, which was hard to picture originally – but Sam did a great job showing us the options we had and what it would look like, and it ended up adding so much to the venue, we loved it! I can not recommend DJ Sam and his amazing assistant, Chloe enough. He is the best!
We had DJ Sam at our wedding last night. My family is not the most talented on the dance floor, but he got them out there. The timing of the wedding was thrown off by transportation issues and Sam rolled with it and made it seemed planned. My husband and I cannot say enough great things about him. Also, I HIGHLY recommend the photo booth. So many laughs looking through the album. 10/10
Believe it our not music was the MOST important thing to me as a bride. Ive had the privilege of working with Atmosphere Productions for many years now as a wedding photographer myself. One thing I always knew was, when I’d be working with as a vendor, it would be a stress-free, well coordinated and energetic wedding. His pure love for music is infectious and even on the days when I was exhausted from working for 12 hours, you’d always catch me out on the dance floor if he was the dj.
So when I choose him for my own wedding, it felt like a no-brainer. One thing I made clear up front is that a lot of our music might not be typical and that we wanted the music to literally be the soundtrack to the day through our eyes. Music has been a BIG part of our relationship and we wanted that to be part of our wedding just as much. When I worried that my choices in music might be too obscure or not even available- Sam assured me he had everything we choose and more. He understood the “feeling,” we wanted and simply took our suggestions and filled the rest with his picks which we loved since he is the expert!
The preparation prior to the wedding was what surprised me the most. Being a wedding photographer I had NO idea what was involved for the DJ. This was very eye opening and Sam took the time to sporadically check in, throughly go through each step of the day and easily accommodated our not-so-traditional families. He asked questions and mapped things out so that by the time the day came I KNEW Sam had everything he needed and even when a couple things changed that day he took care of it like a rockstar.
All the care, time and energy Sam provided for our day made him the best choice and his rates match his quality ten times over. Thank you so much Sam for sharing your talent with us and being part of the best day of our lives!
Amazing experience!
Excellent service, we are so happy we chose Atmosphere Productions for our wedding day. I Definitely recommend!
DJ Sam was very professional and great to work with! Would recommend for anyone getting married.
DJ Sam was a great decision for our wedding day. He made the planning process super easy. I really appreciated how organized he was. He kept everyone dancing and played all the music we asked for. We also were able to hire live musicians for the ceremony/cocktail hour through him which was a huge plus. Highly recommend Atmosphere Productions!
If we had to do it all over, we would book DJ Sam again in a HEARTBEAT! From the moment we first talked with DJ Sam, we knew we were in good hands. Sam is more than a DJ. He is a Reception Entertainment Director who took care of all of our wedding day entertainment—from the ceremony music and sound to the reception music and lighting. He made sure everything was just perfect.Sam is very passionate about his talent and incredibly organized. He was very responsive to our questions and concerns and gave us some great suggestions that helped make our day special. Sam is true professional—he knows how to get the crowd hyped up and dancing. We had several guests comment how great our DJ was and it was evident—the dance floor was PACKED all night! His daughter Chloe also assisted him during our wedding and she couldn’t have been nicer – they make a great team. We are so glad we chose Sam for our wedding day and if we had to do it all over, we would book him again in a heartbeat!
We HIGHLY recommend Sam! He did our friends wedding and was so good there was no question we wanted him for ours. He is on top of all the details and delivers a fun – upbeat experience!
DJ Sam, Thank you doing such a lovely job at our wedding. The extra touches with the string players and the back lighting made it so unforgettable. We appreciate your professionalism is unmatched and we loved working with you.
We felt like music and MC was the most important decision regarding our wedding. DJ Sam was better that we could have imagined. He provided the perfect balance of guidance so that everything went smoothly and accommodation so that we felt our reception was incredibly personal. Our guests raved about the ambiance and playlist. He was extremely professional, organized and a pleasure to work with. Would highly recommend!
DJ Sam was in one word “WONDERFUL!!!” He was the DJ for our daughter, Chelsea and her now husband, Emmett’s wedding reception on Oct 27, 2018. The music was perfect!! We had SO many compliments how he played music for all ages to enjoy!! Everyone literally danced the night away!! I would HIGHLY recommend him for your wedding or any other music event!!
DJ Sam is extremely professional, organized and reliable. He made the prep part easy – and we the crowd was on the dance floor the entire night. We received several comments from the guests on how great he was. He is an excellent Emcee and really has a special ability to read the crowd. I would highly recommend him for your wedding/any special event!
DJ Sam did an outstanding job for our wedding. It was extremely personalized for us to include musical selections, a very special recorded blessing from a family member that was unable to attend, and unique ideas to get everyone on the dance floor. Plus he allowed family members to plug into his sound system and perform some special songs for our first dance and the father and daughter dance. Everything flowed smoothly thanks to his well designed and orchestrated planning system. He spent quite a bit of time up front helping with organization, making musical suggestions, outlining a recommended schedule and all of that time paid off with a wonderful reception. We would highly recommend Atmosphere Productions!
Hi Sam, I wanted to send you a quick note of thanks for an excellent evening at my daughters wedding reception. Everyone had a great time. Everyone jammed on the dance floor – great job! Thanks for helping make an incredible day … well, so much fun! The photo-booth was a huge hit … The light show got a ton of thumbs up. And the dance floor was always full!
Thanks again!
DJ Sam was very professional and easy to work with! He played music for all age groups and he had everyone on the dance floor all night! Everyone had an amazing time and we are so happy we chose Atmosphere productions to DJ our wedding!
Sam is top-notch! Our daughter was married last weekend and we have to say Sam kept the place dancing all night, and we had an international crowd! He’s organized, professional and we didnt want the night to end! Highly recommend Atmosphere!!
Sam is fantastic – the most thorough and attentive vendor we had. Planning with him was very helpful and a breeze! The violinist for our ceremony was great. Sam’s music selection was great, I received several compliments on his choices from guests. He kept people dancing! Thanks so much Sam! We had a great time and are so happy we chose you!
Sam was the best DJ and wedding planning partner we could have possibly hoped for. He was organized, fun, outgoing, and very intuitive about what needed to be done and how to do it. He had people dancing and laughing from start to finish and made our night everything that it was. Thank you, Sam!!
DJ Sam and his team were perfect. They thought of EVERYTHING and helped us plan every detail to make for the absolute best day of our lives. We really appreciated how organized and easy he made the planning process. He accommodated our every need and was super helpful. Highly highly recommend!
Thank you so much for being there to make sure our special day went perfect. You are so much more than a DJ!! You’re the best!!!
DJ Sam did an amazing job! From the very first phone call we knew we had to have him as our DJ. He is very knowledgable and professional. In the months/weeks leading up to the wedding, he would check-in several times with us. Those check-ins and reminders made us feel very comfortable. We knew our wedding reception music was going to be in good hands. At our reception, Sam had the music extremely organized and made sure the whole night went on track. Our dance floor was packed all night! He was very flexible as well. We could sense our guests were getting a little restless sitting down during our four course dinner so we asked him to starting playing dance music asap so that people could get up and move around before the cake cutting. He did it and we were so happy. He made our night amazing!! Thank you DJ Sam and team!
Let me start by saying that DJ Sam was so good at our wedding that we started chanting his name at the end of the night…enough said 🙂 Music was one of the most important parts of the wedding for my husband and I, so we were pretty particular about the music choices that would be played during the cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. DJ Sam was extremely accommodating and left no detail to chance. This guy is a true professional! DJ Sam made recommendations based on his experience but was sure to be respectful of our preferences and requests. We had multiple people tell us that the music at our wedding was the best they had ever seen!
Sam was excellent throughout the entire process, highly reliable and honest in order to make sure the evening went perfect! He listened to what we wanted, but also gave amazing advice. Highly recommend!
DJ Sam was professional, detail oriented, and the dance floor was packed all night!
We just wanted to express our gratitude to you for making our wedding so fun! From the help with the wedding planning to always being available to answer my questions, you made it easy! On the day of our wedding, you made the ceremony and reception so much fun! Our guests absolutely loved the Custom Intros! Our guests have been raving about you for the past 2 weeks and so have we. You do such a phenomenal job and I will recommend you to anyone I know getting married. Thank you so much for making our wedding day so much fun!!
Everyone at my wedding, including myself and new husband absolutely LOVED DJ SAM!! My maid of honor first recommended him because she was used him at her wedding, and I knew he would be a great fit. When our big day exactly came, DJ Sam and his staff blew my expectations out of the water and certainty made our wedding a day to remember. He and his staff were very professional yet full of excitement the entire day. DJ Sam knew exactly what to play to keep everyone dancing the entire night. After our cake cutting, our dance floor was full the entire the time until the venue turned up the lights and told it was time to go hah – that was almost three hours! I would recommend to anyone looking a for dj, lighting, and/or and photo booth.
Sam and his daughter Chloé were absolutely wonderful! Sam did a great job getting the crowd up and moving! Everyone had a blast and we’re still getting compliments on him! He was great when it came to picking out genres for certain times. He did a great job making sure things were running on schedule! Overall, wonderful and no complaints!
DJ Sam is awesome! He was the DJ for my wedding on 9/23/17. He was referred to me for my wedding from my sister-in-law and brother-in-law who both used them for their weddings! Through the wedding planning process, one thing I did not have to worry about was the music. Sam had everything extremely organized and made sure the whole night went on track. I did not expect that from a DJ! bonus points! I would highly recommend DJ Sam!
DJ Sam was very accommodating, and was willing to meet with us on numerous occasions to ensure our wedding was the most magical day! His preparation is very thorough and detailed, leaving us with the feeling that everything would be covered and exactly how we imagined. I don’t think we left the dance floor all night!! Thank you DJ Sam!
DJ Mike, I just want to say thank you very much for the amazing job you did and for being our DJ for our wedding. Phil and I can’t thank you enough….. We couldn’t have asked for a better night and understand why you guys are number one on Norwich Inn’s vendor list for the DJ’s. You can guarantee that I will send any business I can your way and know who to call of a DJ is ever needed for something again!!! Once again thank you so much for an amazing night.
DJ Sam did an amazing job at our wedding! He was very thorough and his details made the event run smoothly. Our dance floor was packed for the entire night, and our guests were constantly complimenting the music selection. We highly recommend working with DJ Sam, you won’t be disappointed!
DJ Sam was extremely organized and easy to work with throughout the planning process. He was constantly keeping us in the loop and helping us to feel how prepared he was for the big day. As a dual military couple planning from afar could have been very stressful but Atmosphere Productions made us feel at ease. The day of the wedding we had so many guests approach and let us know how much they loved DJ Sam’s music choice, transitions, and how involved he was. We loved his unique twist on the entrances for the Bridal Party. We would recommend Atmosphere Productions to any couple planning their wedding!
Sam did a wonderful job on our wedding day! He knew exactly what to do.
DJ Sam was absolutely the best. He did a fantastic job at my daughter’s wedding–we wanted a low key, classy DJ and he fit the bill in all respects. Always totally organized and focused, he was always on time for all appointments. He responded promptly to emails and phone calls. DJ Sam had lots of good suggestions for our backyard wedding, and he clearly knew what we had to think about in our planning, but he wasn’t one bit pushy. He thought of things that we hadn’t thought of, but needed to be addressed. He came to our rehearsal to help out. He played all the music we asked for, and made great choices for the rest. We had specific requests and several “don’t do’s”, and he did everything we asked. He hired and coordinated the string trio for the ceremony. Everything worked out perfectly, in large part due to DJ Sam’s efforts. If you are looking for a great DJ for your event, I recommend DJ Sam without reservation.
Thank you for your help in making it a celebration to remember. We feel super lucky to have had you as our DJ!My husband and I used DJ Sam for our wedding on June 10, 2017 and we couldn’t have been happier. We knew the moment we had our first call with him that he was going to be a perfect fit for what we were looking for in a DJ. He was very organized and made planning the music for the wedding easy! DJ Sam and Chloe exceeded all of our expectations the day of the wedding and the dance floor was packed the entire night! He also provided the uplighting for the room since we had seen other couples use the uplighting at our venue and it added a nice touch to the room – not to mention we got some pretty awesome pictures! Through Atmosphere Productions we chose to use Ben as our violinist for the ceremony and cocktail hour who was also fantastic! I would highly recommend DJ Sam, Chloe and Ben for anyone looking for a DJ, Violinist, and uplighting! Thanks again for helping to make it the best night!
Everything was perfect from start to finish. Absolutely amazing day!
The evening from start to finish was great. We loved how DJ Michael worked with us on our opening song by combining two songs…. We would love to do it all again with DJ Michael and would let all our friends know about you guys!! Thank you again for making our night to remember.
Thank you for making our wedding incredible. Your professionalism and attention to detail were highly appreciated.
DJ Sam and Atmosphere Productions was wonderful! He was very friendly and patient throughout the planning process, and a very calming presence on the day of the wedding. He is a great communicator, and always on top of planning and deadlines. He was extremely engaging and entertaining as a DJ, and made sure everyone had a good time. Highly recommended!
I don’t think we could possibly thank you enough for performing and playing at our wedding. I have never been to such a FUN wedding and it was largely due to you both, DJ Sam and your assistant Chloé!! I would recommend you in a heartbeat!! Thank you for being AMAZING!!!!
Great to work with and provided great music and entertainment for my event! Loved the photo booth as well!
We were so glad to have DJ Sam and violinist Ben for our wedding day! DJ Sam was always easy to contact and quick to respond via phone and email….. DJ Sam was awesome during the reception; he made the bouquet/garter toss fun and kept our friends on the dance floor through the whole reception! He took our requests to heart by playing what we wanted but avoided the cliche songs that we did not want to hear. Our guests said that it was one of the most fun and enjoyable weddings that they have attended. We fully recommend Atmosphere Productions!
DJ Michael, Chris and I can’t thank you enough for everything you did to make our wedding day sound great! You were such a pleasure to plan with and we had such a fun time throughout the day! Thank you again!!
DJ Sam was awesome! Super professional and a really nice guy. They did a great job at our wedding, everything we asked for and more. Highly recommended!
DJ Sam was amazing! He really helped to tie the whole wedding together. His experience with weddings and the processes were so valuable. There are tips he gave us that I don’t think we would have thought of ourselves!
DJ Sam and his assistant Chloé were absolutely amazing. By the end of our wedding, we were told it was the best one our guests had ever been to, and were asked about the DJ quite a bit. DJ Sam kept the party going, picked great music for the mood, and was incredibly organized and helpful. Definitely recommend him for any and all events!
DJ Sam was great! All of our guests have mentioned how they both loved the music selections and the flow of the reception. As he was getting set up I was getting ready to step out of the reception space and head down the aisle, he played “Going to the Chapel” as I was waiting to go out. It put a smile on my face! We would definitely recommend him!
DJ Sam is a true professional and was one of the reasons that our day was so special. We would recommend him to anyone. Like he says he may be pricier than other DJ’s but we were more than happy with the value we got!
Thank you for supporting my daughter’s wedding reception last weekend at Simsbury Inn – and all the things you did to keep things moving – in particular our “My Girl” rendition. We all had a lot of fun and many people came up to tell us it was one of the best – if not the best – wedding receptions they experienced in a long time.
DJ Sam was our DJ at our wedding reception…. He was great from the beginning to the end of the process. He sat down with us and explained what to expect and exactly what he would need from us. He also had great ideas and suggestions we had not thought of. He was attentive to everything we wrote down on our planning form as well as the song suggestions we made…. He made sure he had all our information a couple weeks before the event and even checked in the week of to make sure there weren’t any changes. On the day of the wedding we arrived at the venue a little earlier than expected and he was flexible about starting a little earlier than planned. He had everyone on the dance floor! We did pay a little more than other DJs we had considered but Sam won us over with his professionalism. Our peace of mind was worth it! Thank you Atmosphere Productions!!
DJ Sam was fantastic! He had a great attention to detail with the entire planning process and made us feel confident that everything would go smoothly! He had our guests dancing all night! The up lighting he provided was perfect and made the room look so beautiful! We cannot thank him enough for making our day so special!!
We would like to thank you DJ Sam from the bottom of our hearts for such a great day…. We could not have asked for anyone better to DJ our wedding. From the very beginning you were patient, kind, caring and professional. Sam, You worked with us from day one and never judged us on what ideas or songs that we had for our special day and making it special for us…. Our friends and family have nothing but wonderful things to say…. Thank you for being a part of our wedding and all of the memories we now have for a lifetime.
Listen to live rare broadcasts of DJ Sam on this classic Hartford R&B, Classic Soul & Jazz music radio station. WKND was the ONLY Connecticut Black Music station in the 60’s & 70’s and a powerhouse for R&B music in the 80’s & early 90’s. From 1988-1992 the legendary on-air line-up talents of Eddie Jordan (Morning Drive), Sam Harrison Jr. (Gospel), Sylvester Samuels (Mid-Day) & Melonae McLean (Afternoon Drive) graced the Greater Hartford airwaves.
Click HERE…and enjoy!
In The News…
DJ Times
DJ TIMES – Mobile of the Month – June 1996 The International Magazine for Professional DJs For Hartford’s Atmosphere, Getting Associated Helps By Brian O’Connor, DJ Times West Hartford, Conn. – Fewer cities were hit harder by the early ’90’s economic recession than Hartford, the insurance capital of the Northeast. Oddly, one result of such economic misfortune was a marked increase in the number of mobile DJs, according to Sylvester Samuels, owner of Atmosphere Productions in West Hartford. 
“We found that with the recession, the quality DJs were still getting a lot of work, but we also found that many of the laid-off people started DJing to make ends meet,” says Samuels, who has been operating in the Hartford area since 1981. “We were getting a lot of bottom feeders. I would bid a job and get undercut $200 by someone who had very poor equipment.” In response, a frustrated Samuels allied himself with the upper echelon of Connecticut’s mobile DJ operators, hoping the clientele would discover that a hierarchy of professionalism existed in the region. “In effect, the recession prompted me to become a member of the Connecticut Professional Disc Jockey Association,” says Samuels, who joined the organization in 1994 and currently edits its newsletter [and is on the Board of Directors]. “Now that the economy is starting to pick up, we’re finding a lot of those “bottom-feeder” DJs are gone. I’ve tracked Yellow Pages advertising for years, and it has gone down about 50 percent from what it was in the early 90’s.” Samuels is unsure whether that is a sign of improved economic times or an indication that the disc jockey association helped squeeze out some nonprofessionals. Whatever the case, by joining an association Samuels polished the quality of his marketing efforts and his performances. “When I first started Atmosphere Productions, I would run a few little advertisements in local papers, I would hand out lots of business cards to friends, and I would leave cards in shopping centers and stores,” says Samuels, who started his company on a part-time basis in 1981 and went full-time in 1986. “Like most DJs” he says, “I had always felt what I was doing was the right thing, but later I joined the DJ association and started going to the International DJ Expo, I realized that there was a lot of stuff that DJs were doing in other markets that I could fine tune for my market.” For his bridal clients – more than 80 percent of Atmosphere Productions gigs are wedding affairs – Samuels gets a mailing list from various bridal shows he attends, and direct mails every bride on the list. “It’s a twofold strategy,” explains Samuels. “I send every name on that list a “pre-mailer”, which comes with a perforated card that the potential client can mail back, requesting further information about my company. From those cards, I’ll mail a second package that has a full color brochure, a fact sheet explaining my service, and a couple of reference letters and a business card.” Samuels says he gets more than five percent response from the initial mailing – quite a lot of new non referral business, considering Samuels sends out more than 3,000 pieces in a year. But most of Samuels’ business has come via word-of-mouth.” “Word of mouth is so very important,” he says. “When I’m at an event, I make sure I talk to people. After the event, I send out a survey form to the client. I usually get about 75 percent of those back, and I make it easy for the client: With the survey I include a pen and a return envelope. On the survey for, among other things I ask the client if they can be used as a referral contact – more than 50 percent of my clients love to be contacted and say a few good words about what I’ve done. When I get these [surveys] back I put them into a binder and I use that binder to sell myself to the next client.” Seems to work, too. Samuels, along with his partner George Gray, performed at 300 parties [and other events] in 1995. “I don’t cold call anyone,” says Samuels. “I only use a small Yellow Pages listing – a very small percentage of my bookings are generated through the Yellow Pages. In the old days, it’s where people went to find a DJ; now, there are marketing books specifically for brides, such as The Wedding Guide, and The I Do Book, and that’s where I find the quality clients.” Samuels, like many savvy DJ companies, also finds quality leads at the various bridal shows he attends throughout the year. But Samuels goes one step further. He organizes a small bridal fair networking group. “I hook up two fellow vendors – a still photographer and a videographer. We each have our own booths, but we have them placed right next to each other so we can cross-pollinate referrals. We each have a raffle giving away a certain aspect of our services. The brides fill out a registration ticket at the fair, and I’ll go home, compile those names and send them out to the other two vendors. They, in turn, do the same. Basically, we’re all after the same clients, and since 90 percent of the brides will hire a photographer first, I can take advantage of that contact.” The minute a bride books a wedding with Atmosphere Productions, Samuels goes to work. “Once they book with us,” he begins, “they get what we call the Atmosphere Productions Bridal Package. With that they get a contract, an introductory form so that they can fill in who’s in the bridal party for introductions, when the cake cutting takes place, what the first dance song is, a song list – one page has love songs, and fun dance songs on the flip side. I ask the couple to circle the songs they like, and cross out what they don’t want. And they are free to attach a list of additional songs. They also indicate how much involvement they want at the party, and I give them two choices: If you want it to be a fun wedding, make sure you get involved with the event and dance and have fun; if you don’t want to get involved that much, then allow me to do it for you, and I will gauge the audience. For that, they have to be convinced of my professionalism and experience.” Samuels says that a basic wedding package costs $625 (1996 price – current prices are higher) for five hours. He also advises to build two amps into your road case”. If something happens to one amp, I just hit a switch and the other goes on. In this business, the fewer equipment problems there are, the better you can concentrate on the performance and the customer.”
Brighter Days
Brighter Tomorrows Inc – April 29, 1988 Marcie McCaffrey, BTI Board Member I am writing to express my deepest gratitude or the great show your company put on for us at the 4th Annual Suitcase Party. This year you entertained 535 extremely happ people and we hope to have an even larger crowd for you next year. As you know, the proceeds from this event benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and we raised over $6,000 this year thanks to the professionalism and hard work of people such as yourself. It is through contributions such as yours that we can continue donating funds to this most worthwhile cause. I look forward to working with you in the future as do all the people you had partying all night long!
Monday Morning Reply - Radio Industry Publication
Monday Morning Reply – Radio Industry Publication July 16, 1990 Mid-Day Chat with Sylvester Samuels
WKND / Windsor, CT, recently opened itself up for some pretty hot interviews with the likes of Bootsy Collins and Barry White. They joined PD Melanie McLean, as did Jack Gibson (aka Jack The Rapper), who entertained listeners for two hours. Johnny Gill strolled in during mid-day to chat with SYLVESTER SAMUELS. During the fourth of July weekend, the station featured the “WKND Power Music Fest,” providing a unique array of local entertainment, food and beverages. Listen to live rare broadcasts of Sylvester Samuels
on this classic Hartford R&B, Classic Soul & Jazz music radio station. WKND was the ONLY Connecticut Black music station in the 60’s & 70’s and a powerhouse for R&B music in the 80’s & early 90’s. From 1988-1993 the legendary on-air line-up talents of Eddie Jordan (Morning Drive), Sam Harrison Jr. (Gospel), Sylvester Samuels (Mid-Day) & Melonae McLean (Afternoon Drive) graced the Greater Hartford airwaves. Special thanks to these great broadcasters. 
Nutmeg State Games
Connecticut’s Olympic-style Sports Festival – September 30, 1993 William G. Mudano, Executive Director Dear Gentlemen, The 1993 Nutmeg State Games saw close to 6,000 of Connecticut’s best amateur athletes compete in 30 different sports. The Opening Ceremonies, though rescheduled due to inclement weather, were immensely successful and finals week competition ran smoothly under sunny skies.
We would like to congratulate you on a job well done and also wish to express our sincere thanks and gratitude for all of your efforts on behalf of the Nutmeg State Games. We hope to have your continued support in the future and good luck in all of your future entertainment endeavors. 
Hartford, CT - First Night
December 31, 2007
“We would like to take a moment to say thank you for your performance at First Night Hartford 2007. We had a great turnout and succeesful evening, which is due in part to the many wonderful artists such as yourself who performed throughout the day… Thank you for sharing your gift and making this event possible.” Ed Woodward – Production Coordinator – First Night Hartford 2007
Other Press Releases
Hartford, Conn. – For many in Hartford, the reopening Tuesday of the downtown Hilton was a double cause for celebration. And while the developers showed off their new Trumbull Street building, the workers were at the center of the celebration. Although the hotel’s management has not yet reached an agreement with their union, the workers were welcomed at the ribbon-cutting and a special luncheon at which they entered on a red carpet and were showered with blue-and-white confetti. All the attention caught senior bellhop Gordon Johnson a little by surprise. “It’s the atmosphere,” Johnson said. “It’s about the people.”
Renee T. Mulvey, CMP and Vivian K. Elba Destination Connecticut!, LLC – Event Planners 
Thanks for providing the great music for the Opening Ceremonies and Employee Lunch for the Grand Opening of the New Hartford Hilton on Trumbull Street in Hartford, this past March 2nd, 2005. The DJ’s at Atmosphere Productions are the most professional, versatile performers who can aptly handle any type of event we produce – social, corporate, or a combination. We can count on them to adapt to a versatile group as well as enhance any teambuilding or motivational activities with their special brand of entertainment. Thanks Sam for being our “preferred DJ”!
The Citizen
The Citizen, Gloucester, England
November 20th, 1979
DISCO FEVER HITS TOWN
The boom in the number of disc jockeys in Gloucester just goes to show that disco fever is well and truly in town. The close competition and rivalry between budding DJ’s was evident in a disco competition being run for the past three months in the city, writes Joey Wilton. The finals last week at Tiffany’s brought the competition to a climax, with Atmosphere II just beating Little Ian’s Creation Disco. 
Both are Gloucester discos and the winners Paul Palmer (20) and Sylvester Samuels (19), won themselves two hundred and forty pounds worth of disco equipment and prizes. Runner-up Ian Fernehough, of Kingsholm Rd., who has just started DJ work full-time, won prizes worth one hundred and fifty pounds. In third place was one of the visiting DJs who took part – Disco Fever, with Jeff Slater, from Buckinghamshire. Winner of the dancing competition was Donovan Smith, of Gloucester. One of the judges, woman DJ Honey Bee Benson, who worked at Tiffany’s until October, chose Jeff’s disco to win a Scandinavian tour – with the possibility of an extended contract. Organizer of the competition was Barry Brown, of Barry’s Disco, who said he was pleased with the high caliber of entrants. “We wanted more recognition for the disco scene and more respectability”, he said. “There are now 300 DJs in Gloucester and although it is competition there is work for everybody. Disco’s are the in thing. It is now a big industry.” And good news for any more hopefuls – he plans to organize a bigger and better competition next year.
The Citizen, Gloucester, England September 11th, 1979 Charisma Wins The Day The final heat of the Grand Disco Competition was held last week and now entrants will be keeping their fingers crossed for a placing in the semifinals. The winners of the fourth heat were two local youngsters who despite their brief experience in the business, and a small rig, won over the crowds. Under the collective title of Atmosphere II, Paul Palmer (20) and Sylvester Samuels (18), took on the two other outfits and managed to assure themselves a place in the battle to come. The competition organizer, Barry Brown, was highly impressed with the flamboyant style of Paul and Sylvester. Second place went to Geoff Slater who had traveled from Chesham with Disco Fever. Third position was awarded to the Cheltenham-based Blue Ice.