The high school rumor mill churns out daily content for students to discuss and debate in the hallways. Occasionally slipped into the gossip at Metheun High School is one claim that most students find hard to believe. “Yeah, right. There’s no way Mr. McCaffery is a DJ,” is presumably the response from some of the thousands of high school students Simon McCaffery has counseled over the years. And in some ways, they are correct. In order to find the alter ego that spends his nights and weekends hosting special events and rocking dance floors, those students would have to Google a different name: DJ Simon Daniels. What was intended to be an easier way for clients to remember his name inadvertently became an unofficial urban legend around campus.
For Simon, the intrigue amongst his students regarding his life outside of school is a source of amusement and potentially even a conversation starter. Known for his humor and affable personality, Simon is not shy about using any tool available to him to connect with the kids. As a guidance counselor, his job is to listen to the needs of his students and bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be. “I don’t get a commission on their outcomes,” he explains, “so I just ask them what they want and I try to help them get it.” When his students reach graduation day, Simon can sit back with feelings of joy and pride because he knows it’s not about him, but about the work, and, more specifically, about the people he gets to work with.
This same philosophy also holds true in the special events industry. As a DJ, Simon uses his knowledge and experience to guide clients through the event, from the planning stages all the way to executing their vision on the big day — all without needing to be the star of the show. Whether it is matching the musical vibe to the theme of a large corporate function or helping a bride and groom’s vision for their special day come to life, Simon’s specialty is delivering what people want.
In fact, it was that very quality that led him on the DJ path in the first place, or as Simon describes the moment, “when I accidentally became a DJ.” He was working as a restaurant server some years ago when a customer, floored by the combination of customer service and cheerful personality, asked if Simon had ever considered a job as a DJ. He hadn’t, and quite frankly, didn’t, until he later realized it was the perfect opportunity to have fun while helping people celebrate the most important moments of their life. Luckily for Simon (and all of his happy clients ever since), that customer was George from the White House. Correction, we are being told that the customer was actually George Whitehouse of A Good Time DJs/Denon & Doyle. Our apologies, we know how easily rumors can spread.
