Meet the DJ
Boardwalk's Own DJ Shawn Cox
Shawn has been a popular local professional disc jockey for over three decades. With a career in radio and mobile entertainment in Hampton Roads dating back to 1989, Shawn is a talented DJ and emcee, has a variety of music spanning the decades, carries professional sound equipment from Shure, Denon, and EV, and can even provide LED dance lighting and wireless uplighting to bring your dance floor and venue to life!
Boardwalk takes on only a handful of clients every year for DJ services, so your event gets the special attention it deserves. When you book Shawn as your DJ, you get Shawn as your DJ , and you'll work with him personally on the musical details of your event from start to finish. You'll also have access to Boardwalk's online DJ planning tools, which make creating a timeline and selecting the "do plays" and the "don't plays" easy and fun!
Check out Shawn's reviews on The Knot, and be sure to scroll down to check out a Q&A with Shawn.
How Long Have You Been DJing?
"If I had to put a number on it I'd say...35 Years. Holy cow! I was spinning tracks on the radio from artists like MC Hammer, Bell Biv DeVoe, Vanilla Ice, and Whitney Houston when I was in high school...and now that you know that, you can't "unknow" it."
Any Fun Facts?
"Almost everyone who knows me is aware of my affection for the 1980’s. I love the music, the arcades, the cheesy-but-awesome TV shows (like Knight Rider & The A-Team), my old school friends, and the roller skating rinks. I still eat it all up! I actually collect and restore classic arcade games like Ms. Pac Man, Galaga, Dig-Dug, and Donkey Kong in my spare time. I've put together a pretty cool arcade collection over the years, and they're all set on FREE PLAY!"
What got you started in the DJ world?
"I began my career in 1989 as part time on-air personality "Shawn O'Bryan" for WNVZ/Z104 FM in Hampton Roads. One night after a shift, I met the owner of a large local mobile DJ company who offered me an audition for an position that needed to be filled. I accepted the challenge, rocked the audition, and before you know it my life was a balance of college, a full-time position on the air with Z104, and a night life full of gigs! Performing live for a crowd quickly won me over, and I walked away from a lengthy career in broadcasting to focus more on my future as a full-time mobile disc jockey."
Any Related Experience?
"Well, let’s see…other than a short stint working at a local pet store when I was 15, I have always been a DJ. It’s really all I’ve ever known, other than photo booths, of course. Over the past three decades, I have honed my skills performing for almost any type of event you can imagine. Local nightclubs, corporate events, awards banquets, anniversaries, birthday parties for young and old, and most importantly...wedding ceremonies and receptions."
When DJing, what's your ultimate goal?
"Every event is different, and that’s what makes this job a challenge and a blast. My goal, of course, is to make sure that my clients and their guests have the time of their lives. That’s a given. For me, though, the ultimate goal is to make sure that the final “product” ends up exactly the way that my client envisioned. That’s most important."
What's Your Specialty?
"Wedding receptions. Early in my career, they quickly became my favorite type of event, simply because of their importance and the fun challenge that each special day presents. Some of my clients want their weddings to be wild n’ crazy. No problem. I can do wild n’ crazy. It's actually really easy to pull off. Most of the clients who choose Boardwalk for both their photo booth AND DJ services are looking for a more polished and professional approach. In other words, they want just the right amount of interaction with the crowd, without coming off as the annoying “game show host” DJ. The music is actually the star of the show. Making an event both fun AND upscale? I've always thought that required a bit more finesse. That's my specialty."