CAREY WEIMAN OFFICIAL

1960s

"My life sounds like a script for a movie"

Carey Weiman is an American entrepreneur, entertainer and live entertainment innovator. Raised in Skokie, Illinois, but made in the nightclubs and party scene of Chicago’s Golden Era, his professional career in entertainment began at eight years old when he started booking kids birthday parties. His show included magic and puppets and he booked several parties

a weekend and his parents, Irv and Dolores, would drive him around his neighborhood. The industrious Weiman at 10 years old built a small business for himself that started with a handful of quarters per show and in a few years commanded an appearance fee $10.00 per show. At 13 he opened a snow removal and landscaping business which he ran until he got his first job selling women’s shoes at Best & Company in the Old Orchard Mall and then Josephs; a job he kept after enrolling in a local Illinois community college. This experience of working with women selling shoes led Carey to say “ If you can sell shoes you can do anything“.

"With my Jerry Mahoney. Learned from records on how to throw voice from Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell and Jimmy Nelson. I was in 2nd grade 1966. Started doing parties that year.”

"8th grade and all about girls!”

"My grandpa taught me how to do the twist when it came out and eventually hired him for my corporate accounts."

"Walking on the moon was huge. I loved David Bowie and his song Major Tom. it was 1969 and that's when I started being interested in politics and the Vietnam War”

"In the class room TVs were first being used for the death of President Kennedy, air raid alerts and teaching videos. The Vietnam protest came to Chicago and I watched the Democratic convention with pain and outrage.”

"I watched American Bandstand and Soul Train every week. When I was 9, I set up a dance party with 45 records and my sisters "close and play" turntable and charged kids to come on in and dance. I wanted to be Dick Clark”

During his late teens, he launched his first party business called Disco Experience by going door-to-door with business cards until he convinced a fraternity at Northwestern to let him DJ for a party. After landing that first gig, he invited every event planner in the city to come, and from there started booking larger shows with greater consistency.

In 1977 Carey became an important artist in the history of DJ’ng when he came up with the idea of installing two turn tables and a mixer in a traveling cabinet after becoming inspired during a WGCI radio promotion in Chicago where he saw a guy put two turn tables in front of his van - he called it a Disco Van.

1970s

"Ever since I heard Billy Preston play a synthesize keyboard I fell in love with R&B and a funky beat. The spinners, The Temptations and all the greatest Motown group were the first 45s I bought - among my favorites was Bootsie Collins”

"The Sears Tower being built! I loved Chicago in the 70s. I could get on the Skokie swift and be home before anybody knew i was gone. Chicago in the 70s was the land of opportunity. Making connections and being successful in business came easy here.1973 the words tallest building showed how great this city was”

Jane Byrne becomes the first female mayor of Chicago

"Star wars in 1977 came at a time when disco music and dance music was filling the radio and clubs. Gloria Gaynor, Johnson Brothers and Kraftwork were changing the way we listened to music and movies would never be the same.”

"The 1976 Raid on Entebbe showed the world not to mess with Israel and the IDF. I was proud of the Jewish religion and how tough Israelis are.”

In 1979, after the infamous Disco Demolition in Chicago, Carey re-named his company Dance Experience. Dance Experience took the Midwest by storm in 1979 and quickly grew to become one of the top event production companies in the United States.

1980s

"Hot, Hot, Hot!”

The Rise of Michael Jackson

"Tear down that wall!" - Ronald Reagan

"I loved Synth Pop music that included the bands Kraftwork, Depeche Mode, Yellow, Georgio Mororder, Devine, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Soft Cell”

Saturday Night Fever

Our Lips are Sealed

Deney Terrio choreographing Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta

Wolfman Jack and the Midnight Special

Dance Experience took the Midwest by storm in 1979 and quickly grew to become one of the top event production companies in the United States. Carey expanded his equipment and props to just over a million dollars of inventory and another 200k in sound and lighting. Then Carey began building a team of DJ’s and event producers who were hosting events everywhere from hotels to corporate campuses; event centers to outdoor festivals like Taste of Chicago and Worlds Largest Office Party at the Hyatt Chicago. The music and props where on the road from Boca Raton Fla., to Los Angeles Ca.

In the early 80’s Dance Experience created the world’s largest office, beach and block parties; and then in 1981 developed an exclusive, members only floating event called Friends Inc. Friends Inc. and Teen Friends Inc, entity’s that where decades ahead of social media groups and organizations like MEET UP and Group On.

Young Variety Club Chicago Founders Andi Blanc and Carey Weiman with Monty Hall of Let's Make a Deal

Under the brand of WEIMAN ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, Carey became his own vendor on the services he sold. He built sub brands like Chicago Balloon Design, The Video DJ, Weiman Talent Services, CS Productions Design and Instillation and Video Experience.

Carey continued to build run his company, now with an active staff of over a hundred people, and build his national brand well into the 21st Century before investing in real estate in Chicago and opening a slew of popular night clubs and dance venues.