Split Second Sound Hall of Fame

Jonathan Kessler 2000-2020

20 Years of service


Jon was the 1st DJ ever hired by Split Second Sound and he became the first solo Lead DJ other than the owner, Vinny. Except for a small break in between when having twins, Jon was one of the original 5 OG’s that helped define Split as a leader in the Charlotte wedding market. Jon was the true definition of consistency. Always ready, professional and reliable. Originally from Kentucky, moving to the Charlotte area in the 1990’s, he met Vinny & Diane a week after they moved to North Carolina, joining the company about 6 months later.

Neil McCleery 2000-2020

20 Years of service


Neil was the second DJ ever hired by Split, mostly helping with sound jobs in the very beginning and later developing into so many roles with the company. From being the first DJ with good mixing skills to developing our AV department and then building custom stands and cases, Neil was the handyman, DJ trainer and equipment guru for the early days of Split. Neil met Vinny working at SoundChoice (the largest karaoke producing company in America at the time) in 2020 and they hit off working together on so many jobs. Funny thing was, Neil never MC’d as he just let his music do the talking for him.

Joey Verde 2003-2021

18 Years of service


Joey was was one of the original 5 OG’s. Having moved down from NY in 2003 since knowing Diane while they were childhood friends, he started to work for Vinny in the Corporate world and immediately started DJing with Split Second. Joey in fact worked as an office manager for Split for a brief time in 2012 and again later in 2016. Joey was a perfectionist, always making sure he had everything right, double checking his back up plan, made sure everybody was in the loop on everything and more. Joey worked along side Vinny at Panther games as his DJ assistant in the booth from 2013 through 2018. His first job with Split was actually a sound job for the Sugarhill gang and 14 years later, he met them again as they performed half-time at a Panther game, snagging a cool picture both times. Joey’s nickname was Joey Dreamer because he always had big dreams and high hopes and a work ethic to back it up.

Jonny Piscitelli 2007 - 2022

15 Years of service


Jonny or "Jonny Tango" as he was known from his radio days on Kiss 95.1, was a perfectionist in the fullest sense. Everybody joked as he would make his assistants practice intros 10 to 20 times before performing at his weddings but everybody could agree he nailed it every single time. Jonny’s commanding deep voice was one of many reasons he was such an excellent MC and had such a great way of controlling a room. Jonny helped Split in the early days with recording and producing videos of our DJs in action and providing these amazing voice overs to them. Jonny was and still is a writer, a swim instructor (which takes up most of his time now) and he also did some film work. A man of many talents and deep thoughts who always challenged Vinny to think of things from another point of view, which is one of the many reasons for the long term success of Split.

Levar “Mista LG” Gladden 2007 - 2021

14 Years of service.


Levar was one of the first really popular DJs in the high end market for Split. Handling many professional athletes weddings including NBA star Stephen Curry (along with DJ Neil) and Panthers safety Tre Boston just to name a couple. For years, Levar would go back and forth with long time Split DJ Jonah as the most requested DJs on the staff. If we were to describe his style we would probably say it was just 'smooth and cool.' He knew how to hype a crowd as he would just find a groove with his crowd and keep building on that vibe. Levar came to Split as he was at a gig with longtime DJ Neil along, with Vinny, and was given the mic to rap the Ludacris part of Usher’s song "Yeah." The rest was history and from time to time, Levar would be requested to break out the jam and rap to it at some of his events. In fact, when going to Studio East with Vinny to hear a final mix version of “Carolina Shuffle” by the band Chairman of the Board, he was quickly asked to write a few lines and drop a rap on their single.

Julian Weinbrenner 2011 - 2022

12 Years of service


What started out as a fun gig dancing at Mitzvahs because his brother was a DJ in the company, turned into Julian being the best party motivator Split has ever had. His love to make people happy was infectious and as he became more successful, it fueled a desire to be even better. Julian had such a presence he could take over a party if it needed the boost. At times, he would always ask the lead DJ if he could go wild and after he got permission, he would take out his wallet, put it down at the DJ booth, watch where he was going to target and then get in the middle of the dance floor just lighting it up with the guests. Truly a unique talent! He even had the chance to go do some auditions in NY after being discovered by one of Lady Gaga’s dancers at a wedding he was party motivating at.

Brittany Estes 2019-2022

3 Years of service (Office)


Brittany was actually a past customer who got married and then years later applied for a job in the office when she wanted to leave the teaching world. After a brief time with Split and returning to teaching for one more year, Vinny and Brittney reconnected when Split needed a sales manager. That quickly turned into an office manager and then operations manager. Brittany oversaw Split, during what was the toughest and probably hardest, time Split Second ever had to endure… the Pandemic. Along with Maddie and Jen, they helped Split stay afloat when the live entertainment industry was practically shut down. Eventually, as Split steered it’s way out and around, we grew even faster in 2021 and 2022. Brittany started a family having little baby Carson and moving into a part time role after returning to work. Brittany's impact on the office and our business is why she will always be in the SSS family.

Alexis Hughes 2012-2013

1 Year 9 months of service (Office)


Although Alexis was only with Split for a little over a year as a full time employee, her impact was tremendous. At one point during the fall wedding season with about 150 weddings taking place that month, about 50 in person appointments to schedule and writing about 80+ contracts, all while Vinny was in football season with the Panthers, she manned the office with Diane. Her infectious personality and positive spirit shined. She is the one that started the high fives in our office when saying goodbye for the day or if she achieved her own personal goals. When Alexis felt the need to start a family, she still came back to work PT for Split. Her total time with us was 1 yer and 9 months and we have asked her to come back numerous times since! Alexis will always be a part of the Split family and is a very successful real estate agent now and handles all of Vinny and Diane’s real estate business. She was always offering suggestions and ways to grow our business as her mind and dedication to The Espositos never wavered. Loyal, trust, and dedication are a few words to describe her. She is considered as Diane and Vinnys "adopted daughter".