Malike Adigun<\/a><\/span> is the founder and CEO of <\/span><\/span>Curate Entertainment<\/a><\/span>. He has grown a one-man DJ operation into a multimillion-dollar experiential entertainment company known for pairing high-end DJ talent with live musicians, immersive design, and hospitality-driven service.<\/span><\/span> <\/span>He’s based in Southwest Florida.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n “I didn\u2019t grow up thinking, ‘One day I\u2019ll run a multi-op entertainment company.’ I just loved music\u2026 and people. I started DJing because I liked making my friends dance. That turned into weddings. Weddings turned into referrals. Referrals turned into a team. Then suddenly I looked up, and we had 20 DJs, musicians, systems, flights every week, and a real business.<\/span><\/p>\n Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn\u2019t just playing music\u2014I was shaping how people felt on the biggest days of their lives. Now I build teams and experiences the same way I build a dance floor: Read the room, care about people, and bring the right energy at the right time.”<\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Courtesy of Curate Entertainment<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “Honestly? Energy. Anyone can press play. But:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Not everyone can read a room in 10 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Not everyone can lead a team that people actually love working on.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Not everyone cares about the guest experience as much as the client.<\/span><\/p>\n We focus on how things feel, not just how they look. Also\u2026 I color-coordinate my outfits to the design deck, which is unnecessary\u2014and extremely necessary at the same time.”<\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Courtesy of Curate Entertainment<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “For me, innovation isn\u2019t just inventing something brand new that\u2019s never existed. It\u2019s looking at something that\u2019s already there\u2014and thinking about it differently. Then having the guts (and the resources) to actually execute it when everyone else is comfortable doing the same old thing.<\/span><\/p>\n Innovation is living in the clouds with an idea, and then having enough nerve to bring it down to earth and make it real.<\/span><\/p>\n When I got into weddings around 2009, I felt like DJs lacked culture. They lacked style. They lacked cool. It felt transactional. Safe. Copy-paste. And I remember thinking, ‘Why does the music matter so much, but the DJ feels like an afterthought?’ So I set out to change that. I wanted DJs to feel culturally relevant, fashion-forward, curated, intentional. Not just ‘press play and announce the cake-cutting.’<\/span><\/p>\n A big part of my career has been pushing events to feel fresher, more immersive, more connected to real life and real culture\u2014not stuck in a 2005 playlist. I\u2019d like to think I\u2019ve played a small role in making the event DJ look cool again over the last decade.<\/span><\/p>\n And now it\u2019s bigger than just me. I\u2019m focused on educating, tooling, and helping other DJs around the world level up too\u2014because innovation only really matters if you bring other people with you.”<\/span><\/p>\nHow he got his start:<\/span><\/h3>\n
What sets his work apart:<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"IMG_0540.JPG\"](\"https:\/\/eu-images.contentstack.com\/v3\/assets\/blt725d5e066dc2264b\/bltc1206d53cf72cb24\/69987c6a6c7701000809dbe7\/IMG_0540.JPG?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale\" "\\"IMG_0540.JPG\\"\/")
<\/p>\nWhat innovation means to him:<\/span><\/h3>\n
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