With transportation help from mom, Watts Up Productions breaks the sound barrier.
By: Kara Fitzpatrick
MONTGOMERY Many a Saturday, Montgomery High School sophomore Lee Pedinoff can be seen loading speakers, a subwoofer, lights and a fog machine into his mother’s minivan.
Lee, at 15, is a young entrepreneur who has been delivering music and entertainment to eager partygoers since he was a seventh-grader at Montgomery Middle School.
Through his business, Watts Up Productions, he has been dishing out tunes for area block parties, sweet 16s and dances for years and at this point, he says, he’s built up quite a loyal customer base.
"I just entertain people," said Lee, who began the business after discovering that his dad’s old stereo from college, when combined with his computer, was a convenient way to entertain at his friend’s surprise party.
"A couple of my friends decided to have a surprise birthday party," he recalled. "I thought I would just (deejay) for the one time."
But that one time turned into a full-fledged service and hobby.
"I just had a fantastic time doing it, so I started trying to promote myself and get some more gigs," Lee said. "I invested in some real speakers and a true mixer."
Using dozens of CDs and his iPod to access almost 4,000 songs, the entertainer said he has "all the hits, so I’ll play whatever they ask for. I have everything."
Throw in a few lights and his smoke machine, and, according to Lee, that is the recipe for a proper party. The lights, he said, "make the mood a little more elevated."
Reading books and talking to other deejays about the business has given Lee a good idea of how to amuse his audiences. But, he said, "Most of the learning comes from experience."
The frequency of his gigs can mean he may have as many as two functions on the same day.
"I would like to keep expanding," said Lee, who primarily runs the business on his own with a little assistance from his mom’s minivan and friend Allen Malhotra.
Whether or not he brings a friend for assistance depends on "the magnitude of the party," said Lee.
The middle school’s Parent Teacher Association has hired him for dances and he has deejayed local charity events, including the yearly breakfasts with Santa and the Easter Bunny.
Lauri Rosenthal, co-president of the middle school PTA, said Lee is the first choice when booking teen dance entertainment.
"The first dance of the year we were using a different boy from the high school and he canceled at the last minute," recalled Ms. Rosenthal. She asked her daughter, who is also a sophomore at Montgomery High School, if she knew of a deejay who could be booked in a pinch.
Her daughter suggested Lee.
"The kids adored him and now we use him all the time," said Ms. Rosenthal.
Lee said he recognizes his gigs continue to multiply because of word of mouth the way the PTA discovered he could provide worthy spinning for dances.
"My best advertising would always be through word of mouth," he said.
The entertainer has used his business experience as an avenue for personal learning as well.
"Deejaying has led me to a very wide appreciation of music," said Lee. "It has inspired me to look into a lot of music."
And, he said, his mom doesn’t even mind being his taxi in fact, he said, she rather enjoys his hobby.
"She loves it," he said. "She thinks it’s great."
For more information about Watts Up Productions, visit www.wattsupproductions.com.

