Meet Our Staff
Geoffrey Sandler
Geoffrey is the owner of Celebrations Entertainment. During his childhood years he showed the entrepreneurial spirit as he ran a very successful paper route business and was involved in high school and community live theater productions. His love for performing drew him to the DJ booth at a club called “The Bottom Line” in downtown Madison. He started DJing in that club and other Madison college bars at age 18. As he mixed music, created great energy and seeing people dancing all night he was hooked, and an official DJ career was launched! At age 20, he started DJing wedding receptions and other private parties. From the very beginning, clients and guests at every event could tell that Geoffrey had that ‘extra special’ touch as he controlled the energy and flow of the room. As his skill level increased, he began to realize that his growing knowledge of the industry, his desire to succeed, and his experience running a small business was the equation that equaled success, thus giving birth to Celebrations Entertainment!
At the age of 22, Geoffrey enlisted in the US Coast Guard and enjoyed a very successful active-duty military career that lasted nearly a decade. During that time, Geoffrey qualified as a small boat boarding captain, an EMT, small boat engineer, a helicopter flight mechanic and a jet engine mechanic. He received numerous awards and accommodations, including Commandants letters, hazardous duty recognitions, and the 8th District ‘Sailor of the Year’ Award! Geoffrey sums up his career in the Coast Guard as being “the best job in the world, I got to save lives for a living!”
For him, he knows music is very personal. As humans, music triggers moments in time and makes us feel good when a great song is played. A great DJ can use the power of music by playing the perfect song at the perfect time to not only trigger those memories but to create new ones. From his start, he was exclusively DJing with turntables & vinyl and really big, heavy equipment. Now, technology has allowed the equipment to be smaller, lighter and better. This has allowed Geoffrey to focus more on the dancefloor and being a better DJ instead of focusing on equipment.
Geoffrey is renowned throughout Southern Wisconsin for his legendary talents not just as a DJ/Emcee, but for his event planning skills. From weddings to corporate events to fundraisers, Geoffrey brings years of experience to the table and knows how to structure any event! As the owner of Celebrations, his day is always different and is always amazing. He gets to be creative and come up with ideas with couples who just want to make their weddings unique and different. As an event expert, Geoffrey gets to help his staff, clients and even other vendors reach the highest potential for success. As year pass and he gets older, it is a passion of his to have his legacy be to teach younger DJs what he has learned. One of the main aspects he has learned is how to build a DJ set. Building a DJ set is like building a house; starting with the wrong song can make the entire flow come crashing down. Being in a DJ set is like playing chess; Geoffrey needs to be completely in the moment and always thinking about the next 3 songs. Not only does he observe what is happening on the dancefloor, he is looking at who is not dancing and thinking about what can be played to get them part of the experience. The winning strategy for him is maintain energy, observe all guests and adjust based on what’s happening in real time.
In recent years, Geoffrey has become more involved in planning and auctioneering for events for charitable organizations and is proud of helping to raise millions of dollars for the Madison community.
Geoffrey’s approach to each event is the same and the success of each event is in the details. Venue, guest count, ages of the clients and type of event are the obvious details that will need to be known. The ‘micro’ details are what makes all my events successful. It’s knowing every detail about the story. Every couple has a story and the more he knows about that story, the better he will be about helping guide the wedding day story, so the guests have the best experience possible. It’s not just names and favorite music; it’s the finite details that guarantee success. That is why Geoffrey one of the most in-demand DJ/Emcees in Southern Wisconsin, so get him while you can!
Currently, Geoffrey lives on the near West side of Madison with his wife, has two amazing kids and an adorable Granddaughter that he showers with love more than he ever thought possible. Geoffrey is a huge Badger and Packers fan and very much enjoys his limited time off relaxing with friends and family.
Dave Ogden
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Super Dave! Fresh off his time as one of the best DJs around, Dave is now one of our amazing wedding and event DJs. We are so honored and excited to have him in the Celebrations Family. Dave started playing music in 1990 and has several hundred weddings/events under his belt over the last 30+ years. He came to realize that being able to create an atmosphere and memorable event with his music was so powerful. Seeing his guests having a great time is always his goal and he never disappoints. Throughout his career in music, both in events and as an on-air personality for the Big Y105 and Today’s Q106 he has curated a love for music in all genres. His work managing large scale events, as well as the production of concert series he has learned what it takes to help manage successful events. While he has stepped away from radio, he still has his hand in the music world in many ways. Dave lives here in Madison with his wife, daughter and dog; when he isn’t spinning the records for us, he is out enjoying all that Wisconsin has to offer especially in its sport teams! With Dave’s knowledge and career history he will rock your event or wedding!
Andre Jackson
Andre started DJing in 2018. His early influencers were DJ Corey Lynch, DJ Scrump Boogz, DJ Montay, Mike Dunn and DJ Puffy. Having been a music lover ever since he was a child, he started off rapping as a young youth. In 2011, Andre decided to put the mic down and ultimately turned to the pioneer controllers. His older cousin DJ Corey Lynch helped mold him into the DJ his is today, by watching him successfully execute so many parties growing up. For Andre, DJing isn’t a profession it is a lifestyle. His passion resonates whenever he is DJing and shines through in his work ethic. Andre lets the music, crowd and vibe come to him as he DJs, that is how he creates art.
Setting up, early on in backyards, Andre knew we wanted to take on the world with his music and talents. As he grew by popular demand, so did his sound systems and set up. Since coming on with Celebrations, he has really been able to hone his craft and learn the true meaning of telling a client’s story. Andre always wants to give the client the best party ever. That’s all he focuses on during the set. It comes naturally because of how much he loves music and seeing people truly enjoy themselves while dancing the night away to good music. Getting a feel for the crowd really gives Andre the drive to play the music that keeps the energy and vibe going for the duration of his events. For him, it is never a preplanned playlist, he lets it come to him during each set. The relationships he builds with each audience over the course of every event, gives them the sense of comfort and reassurance that he is going to give everyone the time of their lives.
In his everyday life, Andre works for MMSD as a mentor and coach, all the while taking care of his kids and giving them the base of what it takes to be a great entertainer.
Fernando Reyes
Kyree Brooks
DJ Ree Maniac aka Kyree Brooks has been a music producer since his early high school years and translated those skills into DJing in 2021. Through middle school and high school, he was an Oboe and Tenor Saxophone player. He is married to his wife, Natalie, who he married during the pandemic (2020) and they both studied the wedding industry thereafter. His DJ debut in Madison was the 2023 All White Party with the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, which had over 1000 attendees.
DJ Ree Maniac understands all that goes into planning your wedding and will provide you with amazing customer satisfaction. He approaches every event as a personal experience and caters to your unique needs, including your schedule. Keeping the night young with smashing playlists, he will make it his mission to get your guests on the dance floor for an unforgettable time. He makes a big day feel truly seamless!