Dave Cuneo, owner of The Mad Platter Mobile DJ Service, is a native Southern Californian. He was born with an incredible ear for music and a strong desire to play it. From the time he could talk, Dave wanted to pound on a little set of drums and constantly be around and listen to music. At an early age, he was exposed to a lot of different musical styles by his parents who were avid music fans and active ballroom dancers.
While in grade school, Dave turned his attention to learning to play the trombone. All through his high school and college days, he played in various orchestras, big bands, jazz, and funk/rock bands. Dave’s last project as a band’s manager and musician resulted in an offer to perform as one of the regular “house” bands at a popular weekend dance spot, local performances as an opening act for several major recording artists, and a small recording contract for his own band. Through that whole experience, Dave soon became aware that talent was only one component of the very competitive music and recording industry, and he decided to enter the banking and financial services industry for stability.
In the business management world, Dave quickly learned that he possessed great people skills, detailed planning and organization skills, and the ability to provide outstanding and personalized service for his customers. He also became involved in various service clubs and speaking groups which gave him the opportunity to further develop his public speaking and MC talents. In addition, he taught various bank management classes, addressed large groups of business executives, and received invitations to speak to select Toastmaster groups in the Los Angeles area.
Although steadily progressing through his bank management career, Dave realized that he still had the same burning passion for music that was not being adequately fulfilled. So, in 1983, he decided to put his business knowledge together with his music knowledge, and he created The Mad Platter DJ Service while still working for one of the nation’s largest banks. The new business name came from a play on words combining the slang term for a vinyl phonograph record, “platter”, and the partying character from Alice in Wonderland, the “Mad Hatter.”
From the start, Dave wanted to create a unique product that would distinguish his mobile DJ service in the marketplace and separate him from the competition. He amassed a huge music library so that he could please everyone’s musical tastes. He designed and invested in custom made speakers that truly sound more “alive” and “cleaner” than those offered by the competition. He dedicated himself to becoming an outstanding Master of Ceremonies, and he learned how to most effectively apply his attention to detail with his clients.
Quality control has always been the number one priority for this business, and Dave has always known that the best way to avoid being “generic” and to ensure consistent quality was to have only one mobile DJ in the company. He immediately began describing his service in all printed material as the “personal touch in mobile music.” In order to back up that commitment, Dave made the conscious decision to offer only customized services for his clients by having them deal directly with the owner of the company and the only DJ offered as The Mad Platter.
