DJ // Event Producer // Host
Brent is the life of every party and event bringing his blend of fun, professionalism, and empathy to every experience. Brent has numerous 5-star ratings on online platforms and over 16 years of experience in events of all kinds. Brent is a BFA graduate in Interactive Media of the International Academy of Design and Technology. His DJ prowess has been cultivated from love of music, people, and hosting at Fig’s internship program in 2005. Brent’s love of music came from his mother, a CPS veteran arts/music teacher, and his grandfather, a former Marine and jazz aficionado.
Brent is a nerd of many kinds—Japanese anime and culture, game shows, Legos, voice actors, and food, especially ramen.
Brent is a Christian and serves his church, New Community Covenant in Bronzeville.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
"...always LOVE working with you! You blend kindness, fun, and truly the best music, better than anyone I know."
– KELLY LYNCH, CO-OWNER OF SHUTTERBOOTH, 2021
LATEST REVIEWS
“Brent and the Fig Media team were wonderful to work with during our wedding. They were professional, responsive, and delivered exactly what we were looking for. They took the time to understand us and what we wanted. We never danced and enjoyed ourselves so much at a wedding and everyone was raving about it! We highly recommend them for any occasion because they would knock it out of the park!”
“We had the BEST experience working with Brent Rolland from Fig Media for our wedding at the MCA Chicago in July 2021! We initially read his DJ profile on the Fig site and knew he’d be a great fit for our music taste, but we were incredibly blown away when we finally met him and discussed our vision for the wedding. Essentially, Brent understood the assignment. :)Brent’s so professional, thoughtful, and takes great care of his clients. He took time to learn about us as people and our music preferences. He also helped us create our music flow for the entire event from ceremony to close (i.e. acoustic ceremony, house cocktail hour, r&b dinner, 70s / 80s then current hits for dancing). When we needed recommendations for cake cutting, first dance etc. on short notice, he pulled together an entire playlist with songs for us that suited our taste. Brent emcee-ed and transitioned from event to event flawlessly, and set the mood perfectly throughout the entire wedding. We also appreciated how he stayed in touch with us throughout the early stages of the pandemic when we had to postpone our wedding to just check in with us, and he was really flexible about any music change requests we had over time.Even months after our wedding, our friends and family continue to rave about Brent and how great the music was. The dance floor was packed the whole time and no one was ready to stop dancing by midnight. We love Brent and 100% would recommend him forever and ever - thank you so much Brent!”
“Brent Rolland is the man!We hired Fig Media for our wedding in June 2021 after they were highly recommended to us by friends who had prior positive experiences with other Fig Media partners. We loved Brent right when we met him - he’s so genuinely excited about his events and puts in 110%. He were impressed by his professionalism and attention to detail, and we did not once question his MC abilities after having a coffee with him to discuss our vision for the wedding day. We had a few challenging requests including a remixed father-daughter dance and traditional Greek dancing songs, and he absolutely nailed it and it made the night. The dance floor was packed from start to finale like nothing we’ve ever seen at any other wedding in our lives - he read the room so masterfully and mixed up song genres to keep different generations interested, but throughout the night he really channeled the vision we’d discussed for our wedding in terms of song selection and energy. He delivered as MC just as expected and smoothed over unexpected venue microphone hiccups with ease. We’re so happy we met Brent and felt honored to have him as our DJ and MC for the night - could not possibly recommend him more highly to anyone!!!”
“Best dj ever!I cannot even begin to tell about how amazing it was to work with Fig Media! Brent was absolutely incredible from the first moment we spoke. Brent is one of the most professional, organized, kind and talented dj’s in the business! Brent captured our vision and nailed the vibe we were trying to achieve perfectly. The dance floor was packed all night and he created for us a night we will never forget! Hire Brent - you won’t regret it!
Thank you so much Brent!! ”
“Dear Brent: I was one of the parents at the Walker PTO Fundraiser in Clarendon Hills (at Neat Bar and Restaurant in Westmont, IL) last fall. I just came across your card and wanted to extend my thanks for your contribution to the fun we all had. I was thrilled to learn you represented Fig Media—the same company which had played at my husband’s and my wedding at Spiaggia in Chicago back in 2006. We had a wonderful time with you guys then, and I’m glad to say, you guys still have it now 11 years later. Keep up with the great work.”
“From my initial phone conversation to the final moments of the event, Brent was meticulously detailed and dedicated to creating an incredible ambiance for my event. He was able to take the theme of the event and seamless weave it into the music he chose and the tone he took with guests. He was a huge help in timing out the night and brought so much professionalism to his craft that went above and beyond my expectations for a DJ/Emcee. He really made the event the a success and we look forward to collaborating with him for next years event! ”
“From beginning to end, the collaboration with Brent in creating the right music selection to progress us through the 4.5 hour event was smooth, creative, collaborative and flawlessly executed. From creating the playlist for the cocktail reception, to the smooth transition into our live performance during dinner and then into the after-party vibe to round out the night, the planning was both creative and inspired—the execution flawless and exactly what we had discussed, complete with the innate ability to read the room and keep the vibe going. Fantastic partnership from beginning to end.”
“Well…you’re officially the most awesome DJ on the planet. Ever. You absolutely killed it last night—from helping SHUSSSSH the loud crowd so we could make more money, to being the coolest party-starter, party carrier and party ender ever. Thanks for dealing with my requests, the over-served mamas and the noise whiners .. I thought it was all SO PERFECT and you were amazing. I’ve already given out your contact info to four people! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!”
ABOUT
If you asked Chicago native Brent Rolland what his passion is, he’d say: Unity. He loves seeing people coming together, rejoicing, laughing, dancing, in a positive space—and being a part of the action. That’s why Brent chose to be with Fig.
Brent graduated as valedictorian of the International Academy of Design and Technology with a BFA in Multimedia Production and Design in 2005. Since that year, Brent has grown as an artist with Fig as a DJ, audio tech, drummer/percussionist, and an emcee/host. Clients have called him the "perfect combination of fun and professional” and is well-known, loved, and in-demand in the event industry.
Brent is versatile in all music genres, including top 40, jazz, Motown, R&B, soul, funk, Latin, electro-swing, '80s, electronic, world, and Japanese and Korean pop/rock. Brent believes that listening to his clients, feeling the energy of the crowd and room, and responding to the energy with appropriate music are important in making each party unique and memorable.
When he is not out and about in the world, Brent is a drummer/percussionist for various genres and groups, including Fig's own DJ/drummer combination. He has also been a game show aficionado since birth, and designs, hosts and produces game shows for fandom and corporate conventions locally and nationwide.
Brent is dedicated to ensuring your event is a success from initial contact right down to the last song of your event. With over 15 years of experience in hosting and providing the soundtrack for weddings, parties, and special events throughout Chicagoland and nationwide, Brent is always looking forward to the next celebration.
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PRAISE
“We can't say enough about how amazing it was to work with Brent as our DJ. Brent was professional and energetic from the first encounter. He took notes on everything we talked about at our initial meeting. Brent answered every question we had and was also very responsive to any follow up emails. He would always get back to us in a timely manner and take the initiative to check-in-with us. He gave us very helpful advice throughout the planning process. He was incredibly helpful and was even able to provide suggestions for event details outside of his DJ role that were fantastic. He worked incredibly well with all of our vendors. His reliability and interest in our event allowed us to have a nice comfortable relationship in place before the day our event. At the event, everyone had a great time dancing and he kept the party going the whole night. Our guests were on the dance floor the entire time! Brent played a perfect mix of music to keep the crowd up and dancing and having fun. He was very in tune to the crowd and the event. He is not a flashy/obnoxious DJ, which we appreciated. His focus is on playing great music and keeping the party going!! We highly recommend him for any event and hope to use his services again in the future.” – Danielle Broadwater, Associate Director, Special Events, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (2021)
"Working with Fig Media was a wonderful experience from start to finish. Brent was responsive, professional and helpful while coordinating the details; our DJ, Alvin, was great onsite! Thank you for helping to make our event a success!" – Stephanie L., Sidley Austin LLP (2017)
"Brent was amazing throughout the experience. He came over a week before the party to plan both his set-up as well as discuss our preferred music. He came early the night of the party to make sure everything would be great. The music was awesome during dinner and literally every guest ended up dancing. The guest feedback was off the charts and some even asked for his card that night!" – David and Carrie Heller (2016)
"Brent was amazing yet again! We have worked with Fig and Brent for many years for our office holiday party and they never disappoint. Brent is always very professional, on time and prepared. One challenge this year was that our party was on 2 floors and Brent was only able to view the upper level. Nevertheless, he still was able to keep the party going on both floors and get people dancing. Thanks for another great party!" – Becca G., Trading Technologies (2016)
"I think this might be my fifth year using Brent from Fig Media for our DJ at our yearly firm holiday party! Brent is simply the best. From my crazy timeline and speeches (which he nails every time) to the fun music he plays, I can only say - please don't take my date next year!!!! He is so thoughtful and carefully sees everything through to make our party the best it can possibly be!!! Cheers to Brent!" – Leslie C., Compass Lexecon (2016)
"Brent really went above and beyond to make everything perfect. Even with technical difficulties (on our end) the event went extremely well and I sincerely appreciate all of the help!!" – Rosey R., Northside Media
"Brent was a delight to work with. He met with us at our home to get a better feel for the event. We discussed our vision for the evening and he executed it perfectly. It was a Cinderella Ball for our disabled daughter's 30th birthday. And it could not have been better. Brent found the perfect introduction for my daughter to enter the ballroom on the arm of her boyfriend and then played the Cinderella song for their first dance. Then he Emceed the rest of the evening perfectly with a combination of timing the dance music between courses, reminding guests about the photo booth and then a music combination of oldies, more modern music, jazz classics, etc. that had everyone up and out of their seats until the very end. What I had thought would be a typical party of ours where our guests (who ranged from 13 to 75) are ready to go home by 9:30 or 10, became an evening where no one wanted to leave. I can't say enough about the feeling that Brent helped create. It was a wonderful event that Brent was a major part of. I would highly recommend him for any event."
– Linda H.
"Our DJ Brent was wonderful. So nice, friendly, and helpful. He even indulged my requests for a couple overplayed songs that I knew our guests would want to hear. All of our guests raved about the "vibe' of the night and how it felt "cool, not like a normal fundraiser." I think Fig Media really helped make this happen and I plan on booking them again for our event next year."
– Stephenie L., LIFT Chicago
"Brent was an excellent DJ. We had a group of 140 guests that night from Canada and they all loved the music and the ambiance. Brent was really nice to work with before, during and after the event, very flexible and helpful with us! I would definitely use him for future events!! Thank you very much!"
– Maider I., Global Management Services, Inc.
"THANK YOU Brent for giving me such GREAT sound, and making me sound my best!"
– Sheri Winkelmann as Marilyn Monroe, www.happybdaymrpresident.com
EDITORIAL
Hannah and Perry Max - Modern Luxury Weddings Winter 2021
VIDEOS
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MIXES
PLAYLISTS
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CLIENTS
Microsoft. AT&T. Toyota. Lacoste. Aetna. NBCUniversal. Telemundo. Northwestern Mutual. Nokia. Enterprise. Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Fidelity Investments. Baird & Warner. Vogue. Bloomingdale's. Saks Fifth Avenue. Modern Luxury Weddings. Chicago Social/Modern Luxury. Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine. The Magnificent Mile Association. The Sheraton Grand. Palomar Chicago. The Tremont Chicago Hotel & Towers. Crown Imports. Merit School of Music. Green City Market. The University of Chicago. Compass Lexecon. Trading Technologies. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. Skinny Cow.