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850.501.1078 · PowellEntertain.com
story by
Courtney Murray
Business Profile
Making People
Happy
“My favorite part of the job
is watching people enjoy our
work…making people happy
is my passion.”
E
ntertainment can make or break an event. Nothing can
spoil a wedding like a cheesy DJ or ruin a party like bad
lighting. Entertainment guru Matt Powell knows a thing
or two about pulling off event entertainment seamlessly!
He’s been a musician practically his entire life, getting his fi rst set
of drums and fi rst stepping into the limelight in the 3rd grade. Matt
took the stage live in front of his whole school which spawned his
love for drumming and performing. These were the stepping stones
for building his passion for DJ’ing, which led to receiving his fi rst
job at the age of 14 DJ’ing at the local skating rink. Matt continued
drumming his way through high school and DJ’ing all the parties,
even playing in an all original band. “After high school our original
band stuck together for another 5 years and I also became one of
Atlanta’s big club DJ’s on the weekends,” said Matt.
Matt then felt it was time to shift his entertainment angle to the
wedding and private events scene and started his own business in
Atlanta DJ’ing weddings and events. With all of this experience
under his belt, Matt went on to be hired by Princess Cruise Lines
as Entertainment Director where he spent nearly four years
entertaining thousands of people every day all over the world.
After having his fi ll of life at sea, Matt decided he needed a change
of pace. Instead of returning to Atlanta, he picked up and moved
to Pensacola and became the Entertainment Director of Seville
Quarter. “It was the closest thing to being a cruise director that I
could fi nd,” Matt explained, “It’s basically a cruise ship on land.”
It was after six years in that position that he decided to start his own
company alongside his wife Janie; Powell Entertainment.
Their statistics are staggering; in three short years they have done
over 300 weddings and over 400 special events. Their team is
constantly evolving, “DJ’ing is the backbone of my career that got
us to where we are. Making sure we are the best DJ’s in town will
never move to the backburner as we explore new, exciting parts of
the entertainment business such as lighting design décor,” explained
Matt. They are now a team of six crew and DJ’s with a downtown
warehouse and offi ce space. In addition to Powell Entertainment,
in the past year they have also opened Janie’s hair salon, Birchfi eld
Beauty, and opened their downtown event space, the Rails on
Wright St.
Powell Entertainment is a jack of all trades where they provide
DJ services, custom design lighting, draping, and audio/visuals for
weddings, parties and events. Matt described, “My favorite part of
the job is watching people enjoy our work... making people happy is
my passion. When I see someone dancing and smiling or in awe of
the environment that we created, it’s truly a rewarding experience
that fi lls me with joy.” As they move forward, Powell Entertainment
plans to keep evolving and keeping up with new technology to make
their events and Pensacola the best they can be.
40 | VIPPensacola.com
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