ORIGIN STORY
Mario began his career in entertainment as an actor, singer, and dancer. A proud graduate of the High School of Performing Arts, with professional training elsewhere, resumé credits that include stage and screen, and a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild, he soon found himself seeking a job that would let him apply all of those skills while keeping his weekdays free to pu
rsue his studies. A chance encounter in 2003 led him to start working for a party company in Long Island. The company offered a very wide variety of entertainment services, which meant any given weekend could find him in the role of a DJ, a Master of Ceremonies, a Magician, a Clown, or even sometimes SpongeBob Squarepants, depending on the events he was assigned. This "we can do it all" approach helped Mario understand how important it was to be flexible, versatile, and creative when it comes to giving each client what they need. In time, he shifted all of his energy towards honing one of the best One-Man-Shows in New York, where he alone plays all the music, makes all the announcements, coordinates everything behind-the-scenes, and balances out the party so that it's fun, personal, and stress-free for his clients. While working on that, he was invited to work with many, many excellent companies all over New York, and his great work ethic has made it so that every previous employer still contacts him for events- which is why you never know where you might see him next, or for whom he's working.
His primary DJ home since 2012 has been A Perfect Blend Entertainment, which is where his abilities really skyrocketed. Under the tutelage of owner David Nazario, Mario pushed himself to be the best of the best. Whether that meant flying to Las Vegas to train with industry leaders, learning what it meant to be a Wedding Director, or finding new, innovative ways to bring his clients' visions to life, APB brought everything to the next level for Mario. MUSIC GURU & MIXOLOGIST
Before he ever stepped foot on a stage, Mario grew up in New York's thriving hispanic theater scene, where he not only learned to love the arts, but also to understand the hard work that goes into creating a show. More than that, he was given an appreciation for the artists behind the things he loved, and a curiosity about what makes every creation so meaningful. His parents raised him on the music they grew up on, which meant he was well-versed in the music of the 60s, 70s, and 80s by the time he was out of Elementary School. But they didn't just play the music; They explained the music. They'd point out the stories of each song, where pop culture was when they came out, and how certain sounds grew to define entire generations. This led Mario into the 90s, where his own musical tastes started to expand as he embraced an epic decade of music. When 2003 came along and he started DJing, Mario instantly fell in love with the job because it allowed him to use his knowledge of 5 decades of music to start creating memorable events. He saw the job as a way to create soundtracks by finding the right song for each moment. He'd use music to harness the energy in the room and take everyone on a journey, building towards an epic finale, then sending them home happy and buzzing about the time they just had- just like they would after a great play or movie. He had to be there, in the moment, mixing live while watching how every song is received so that he knew exactly where to go next. Sometimes that means extending an already hot set, smoothly shifting gears, or pulling an ace out of his sleeve. No matter what it took, Mario learned that being a good DJ is all about reading the room and truly connecting with the crowd. He's not big on convoluted remixes, or gimmicky mash-ups, preferring to play the songs people love the WAY they fell in love with them. He's got an ear and an eye for the songs and artists that truly define a genre or era, and a talent for seamlessly blending songs together so you can hardly tell where one song/genre ends and another begins, ensuring there are no awkward shifts that send people back to their seats. Because of his attention to detail, and his deep knowledge of different genres and decades, he's been referred to as a "Music Guru" by past brides. And his beat-mixing skills have earned him a ton of respect as an Audio Mixologist.
