Celebrity Sit-In was the brainchild of the award winning event producer and founder of Maggie Speaks Dave Calzaretta.  Over the years, Dave has traveled the globe producing and performing and cultivating long lasting relationships with the Celebrity Artists that Maggie Speaks performs with.

Dave grew up in Northbrook, IL and graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN in 1996 with a degree in accounting. 

Upon graduation, he began his professional career as a financial analyst for General Mills in Minneapolis, MN, where he passed the CPA Exam.  After one year, he moved back to Chicago and took a job as an intellectual property financial consultant for IPC Group.  Sitting in a cubicle was just not Dave’s style, as he longed to do something with his creativity and musical abilities. 

In 1998, Dave founded the award winning national cover band Maggie Speaks.  Performing over 4,000 shows over the past 25 years across the globe.  Dave gained exposure to all facets of the entertainment community through his work at corporate events, weddings, charity galas, country clubs, festivals and nightclubs. In 2000, Dave left the corporate world to pursue a full-time career in the entertainment industry, founding Magnificent Events.  He quickly established himself as one of the top event producers in the Chicagoland area.    With a keen eye for talent and a strong business background, Dave was able to build Magnificent Events into a company that helps clients produce high quality events, secure top quality celebrity and professional entertainment and production for their events.  Magnificent Events currently books over 5,000 dates annually.  Magnificent Events has been recognized annually as one of the top event producing companies by NACE (National Association of Catering and Entertainment) and ILEA (International Live Event Association) at the NICE Awards.  Magnificent Events has been the recipient of the following awards:

• Named by BizBash as one of the 500 Most Influential Event Professionals (2021)
• ILEA Lifetime Achievement Award – Dave Calzaretta (2020)
• ILEA Rising Star Award – Dave Calzaretta (2012)
• Sparkle Awards Best Musical Entertainment (2023)
• Sparkle Awards Best Fair or Festival (2023)
• Sparkle Awards Best Social Event (2023)
• NICE Awards Best Musical Entertainment (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
• NICE Awards Best Fair or Festival (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
• NICE Awards Best Team Event (2017)
• NICE Awards Best Social Event or Wedding (2018)
• Illinois Meetings and Events Magazine Best Entertainment Award (2016)

Dave has become known for his custom entertainment creations for clients.  His motto is “If it doesn’t exist, I will create it.”  Clients love Dave’s vision, creativity and calm demeanor.  He goes above and beyond to understand his client’s “WHY” for each event and crafts a program that connects with the audience.