A Cleveland, Ohio native, Ernie's road into event entertainment started with a mentor: Paul "Skoobie" Thompson, a DJ with one of Ohio's multimillion-dollar entertainment companies, who introduced him to the industry. Before turntables and AV cables took over, Ernie was fresh out of high school and working full-time in fast food when he landed an opportunity that changed everything — becoming a dance instructor at Urban Artz Dance Studio under owner Desiree Parkman. That first taste of teaching and performing is where it all began.

Known to his crew as DJ Ernie — or simply Flash — Ernie built his name on what he calls his "capless amount of energy," the kind he can summon the second he wakes up. He layers that energy across four disciplines at once: breakdancing and party motivating on the floor, running AV behind the scenes, and emceeing and DJing everywhere in between. It's that combination, more than any single skill, that makes DJ Ernie, DJ Ernie.

Today, Ernie is the founder of his own entertainment company, PassionEye Productions, which he runs alongside his older brother, Nick Kelly, leading a team of seven multi-talented artists. Together they handle entertainment and AV for weddings, Mitzvahs, corporate events, birthday parties, charity events, and community celebrations Ernie has already partnered with notable brands such as the Cleveland Browns, So You Think You Can Dance, Red Bull Dance Your Style, the Cleveland Zoo, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, alongside his ongoing partnership with Jaime Kravitz and The Energy Producer, one of the nation's first women-owned certified DJ companies. Along the way he's picked up wins in dance battles and DJ battles, Best New DJ nominations, a Father of the Year honor, a Who's Who nomination, and three-plus years as Lead Tour Guide at A Christmas Story House and Museum.

Ernie's mission is to provide a solution for every entertainment need while creating an environment that's fun, safe, and genuinely memorable. His energy with a crowd is engaging and endlessly adaptable — he reads whatever room he's dropped into and makes it better.