Livingston–Despite a career in hedge funds, Eyal Bitansky’s passion for playing wouldn’t die down. On a pro bono basis, he worked as a DJ or–with his wife Anya as event producer–Including events for the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, the Friendship Circle, Bet Elazarki, Mikvah Yisroel of Springfield Mikvah Chana of Livingston–and even bar and bat mitzvahs for families in need.
DAEN Entertainment, their new event and party planning company came about as they realized they were getting more and more requests, and people were looking for something new.
“There are times any event, whether a simcha, a synagogue program, or a school fundraiser, seems like more of the same,” says Anya. “We are out to change that,” promising “Something uniquely different, each and every time.”
While Eyal is the DJ and party motivator-in-chief, Anya serves as both party/event planner and a shadchan of sorts. A prior career in microfinance introduced her to an entire creative class of budding, Jewish entrepreneurs. It’s her goal to help connect them to clients looking for something new.
Beyond that, Anya thinks she can help them market their talents. Why should a restaurateur work to find catering opportunities? “Let them focus on what they know, and we can help do the events that showcase their very best.”
From photographers to singers to caterers and florists, DAEN believes they can make sure the right event has the right team. They believe there’s so much new talent out there waiting to impress. It needn’t always be the same caterer and the same band as last week. “People feel like it’s the same event, with just a different name on top – a different family simcha, or a different charity, but otherwise it’s the same menu, the same songs, the same everything.”
As well, Eyal notes, the company “is new, but we have decades of experience in making parties fun.” That began when he was still in high school, when a family friend asked him to act as a DJ at their son’s Bar Mtzvah.
“People liked it, and they asked me, ‘Can you do ours?’” Investing in some stereo speakers and a small DJ system, the business grew both via word-of-mouth and door-to-door, or rather mailbox-to-mailbox advertising.
The IDF put a stop to that, almost.
Eyal recalls an officer giving him a day off, and a car, to travel home and get his equipment. Later, he DJed the graduation party celebrating his–and his classmates–as newly minted IDF officers.
After his military service Eyal returned to the business and took a partner to help it grow, leaving only when he came to the US to work in finance.
“We’re in the business of fun,” he notes.
And, according to Anya, the business of stress reduction. DAEN can be the one stop for all your simcha or event needs, from music to menu to mood lighting and beyond.
What they also hope will set them apart is their ability to speak, MC, DJ, and most importantly, to connect in English, Hebrew, and Russian. That opens up new avenues for vendors, but also for clients seeking that something new. Or, as sometimes can be, something old and traditional.
Besides simchas, which is where they got their start, and the non-profit events they’ve done for years, Eyal and Anya also see an opening in corporate functions.
“A fundraiser, or a business event is more than getting everyone in the room. They’re already connected. They need to feel like family, and to leave inspired to increase their connection,” observes Anya.
It’s really all about, as Eyal says, “making memories.”
Contact DAEN at https://www.facebook.com/daenentertainment/?__xts__[%2Ffacebook], [email protected], or 212.655.9630.
