Meet Ajay Manaktala of Special Occasions DJ & Lighting in Beverly Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ajay Manaktala.

Ajay, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a single parent household for most of my formative years and started working, albeit under the table at the age of 14. I never would have thought working in a restaurant as a bus boy would lead me to having my own events and sound/lighting company, but here we are. I used to shadow the DJ’s who would come in and be fascinated by their gear, the technology and how they just commanded the room. I knew I wanted to be in that space, since I had no talent for guitar or piano.

Has it been a smooth road?
Contrary to popular belief, running a business isn’t 9 to 5, it’s 24/7. They’re always things that come up, and you’re the HR, marketing, operations, sales, and everything else. Although it’s not what you expected, it’s also everything you expected and more. So in that sense, I guess it’s kind of like marriage and I’m lucky to be in the same business. It’s also very difficult in the south Asian scene to go off the beaten path of engineering, business, medicine and so forth. So it was very challenging early on, until I made my mark financially and professionally. Thanks to a great team and partnerships with great creative we have managed to take our firm to the next level.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Special Occasions DJ & Lighting – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I founded Special Occasions DJ & Lighting. We are the largest entertainment and technology provider for South Asian / Ethnic weddings and events on the west coast. With over 200 events annually we are invited to play for high end clientele that would like to offer a Bollywood theme with a Hollywood / sexy twist. Indian weddings being a multi-billion dollar industry we find ourselves requested all over the country. We are known for our ability to offer an Indian feel while maintaining a trendy push that LA demands. We take that all over the country and to other parts of the world. We’ve had the pleasure of working and playing for Fox Studios, NBC and several celebrities. We pride ourselves in getting to know our clients which we really feel sets the tone for a unique performance and sets us apart from others. Our business is built by the passion and talent from our team and it’s able to succeed from the trust of so many fellow creatives in the event industry. This is absolutely a word of mouth industry… Your work and reputation is your marketing.

Contact Info:

• Address: 390 Cliffwood Park
  Brea, CA 92821
• Website: www.specialoccasionsla.com
• Phone: 714-253-3118
• Email: info@specialoccasionsla.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sodjla
• Facebook: facebook.com/specialoccasionsla
• Twitter: twitter.com/soevents
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/special-occasions-dj-and-lighting-brea

Image Credit:
Davina & Daniel Photography, Duke Photography, Andrena Photography, Zasil Images, David Michael Photography

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