Hans Daniels is the original founder and CEO of Nice Entertainment, and he leads his team of DJs. He does all the marketing for the company and trains new DJs at his DJ school - and still manages to DJ sometimes along the way. Hans has worked about 650 weddings. His company expanded from their original DJ company (Nice Guys DJs) and now have bands, strings, photo booths, and more. Hans started his DJ journey back in 2004, just working clubs. In 2007, he got married and was set the task of finding a wedding DJ. Having little experience with weddings at the time, Hans found this to be an extraordinarily difficult search. The wedding DJs he interviewed were too cheesy for his taste, and the club DJs had no experience talking on the microphone. Eventually, he hired a friend who was a club DJ, and they made a plan. Then, on the day of the wedding, in front of 200 guests, when the DJ was supposed to start Canon in D for the processional music, he pressed play - and “Love Shack” came blasting out of the speakers. They recovered, but a long line of uncomfortable moments followed. Hans realized there was a need in the market for good DJs who understood weddings. “On one side of the spectrum you have the shady club DJs, on the other end you have the cheesy old guys - we’re right in the middle. We know how to mix like pro club DJs, but we also know how to properly speak on the microphone and lead crowds both young old.” he explains. Hans started his DJ school in 2012, and has kept the best of best on his staff throughout the years, getting up to as many as 17 DJs at a time. Currently, they have 7 DJs in Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Nashville, and Jacksonville. Hans’s expertise is entertainment. He doesn’t dabble in the look or the “pinterest-worthy” pictures but more of the environment, the vibe. “And that is a constant exploration - I actually have a podcast called Nice Weddings where I interview wedding industry people. From my experience, I’m always trying to pinpoint what makes a fun wedding,” he says. His advice for choosing your wedding music is to get a general idea of what you want but not to limit it too much because you never know exactly what your guests might want, and they’re the ones that will make it fun. His next piece of advice? Choose a fun wedding party, without a lot of drama. “That’s who my target is from day one - the wedding party. If you can get the wedding party on your side it makes the whole dance floor happen.” Unsurprisingly, Hans’s hobbies center around producing music. He writes songs and plays guitar, and was once in a rock band called the Hans Daniels Band. Originally from north of Charlotte - Statesville, North Carolina, he’s lived in the Atlanta area since 1999. He and his wife have two kids, ages 5 and 2.
When asked what his favorite part of his job is, he laughs and says, “I drill my DJs all the time with this question. The best thing about my job is when people tell me, ‘My aunt and uncle haven’t danced since their wedding 20 years ago.’ Seeing people having a good time that don’t always get a chance to is priceless. Looking back on my wedding, which was a complete mess, it was still one of the best days of my life.” Hans’s goal is to be a light at the party. He loves the vendors, the wedding, and the wedding party, and his passion for events is obvious. “Oprah said “the opposite of love is fear”, and I’m never nervous or scared that they’re not gonna have a good time - because I really love the people at the wedding and I love having fun,” he says.
Once you have encountered Hans and his boundless energy, it should come as no surprise to hear that the only non-musical career he’s ever dreamed about is racecar driving.
About Hans
Email: Hans@NiceEntertainment.com
Professional DJ - Nice Entertainment.
Strengths: Song Selection, Reading The Crowd, Interactive MC.
15+ Years Experience.
How It All Started
Started as a club DJ. Then after my wedding was ruined by a terrible wedding DJ, I set out to create the best wedding DJ company ever.
Favorite Wedding Moment Ever!
I DJ’d a wedding at the Swan House in Buckhead where the bride was from Paris and the groom was from Amsterdam… they had people fly in from all over the world, like Tokyo, London, etc… The energy for 4 hours was like something I’ve never experienced.
Hans’ Favorite Part Of A Wedding…
There are so many great moments at a wedding! The exit song at the ceremony always makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The intros are another fun part and I believe set the stage for a good dance party.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS…
If you were attending a wedding as a guest, what's your "go to" dance move on the dance floor? Shuffle
What's your spirit animal? Lion
Beach or Mountains? Beach
What did you have for breakfast? Egg Whites and Spinach
What's the last exercise thing you did? Crossfit
BUT SERIOUSLY THOUGH…
What's one tip you'd give a couple planning their wedding?
Don’t overcomplicate it. Give time in your timeline for spontaneity and just enjoy yourselves.
"After moving to ATL at 19, North Carolina native Hans Daniels made his way through the local club scene before marrying wifey Angela in '07. But at his own wedding, Daniels noticed something funny about the DJ industry: There were lots of goofy old guys and irresponsible punk kids, but not much in between. So he set out to split the difference, officially forming Nice Entertainment in 2012. Armed with a hot hipster haircut and crew of dapper gents (he hires and trains fellow rock-band frontmen who really know how to work a crowd), Daniels rules local wedding venues like Swan Coach House and Peachtree Club. With the right set list and tempo, he says, "We can get grandma breaking it down to Skrillex at the end of the night." His other spin spots? Bert Weiss house parties, JEZ fetes and North Point Community Church (did somebody say Christian dubstep?!), considered the largest in the United States @hansdaniels
In a life with little direction, a single word and a well-timed book changes everything. Hans Daniels, founder of Nice Guys DJ (Nice Entertainment), shares the raw and emotional journey behind the start of his business with us.
