Unit One Entertainment - Our Founder

Tony Thomas
(25th March 1951 - 7th April 1997)
founder of Unit One Entertainment

Tony Thomas - Biography (biographer Dave Bradley)
Former milkman Tony Thomas formed what is now known as Unit One Entertainment back in 1977, working out of the kitchen of his house which he shared with his wife Elaine and new baby daughter Dawn in Irlam, this initially a one man operation. As with all DJs had started working for himself, building a unique and extremely good reputation for himself entertaining the masses. He over time started to become so successful that he had to start farming out all the extra work to a few friends. Eventually there was a need to take the next step and create what was to be the beginning of Unit One as a company. Being based at home in a tiny kitchen, it was inevitable and necessary that Tony's wife Elaine had to be evermore involved helping out on clerical matters. As Tony's reputation had spread so had the demand, with handful of DJ's in his stable Tony started provide some of the best DJ entertainment that the North of England had ever seen. Before long Tony and his merry band of fellow jocks began to be recognised by other Agents.

The Crazy 80's
Although it wasn't any kind of recognised training scheme, Tony ended up introducing many lads to the joys of Dee-Jaying. Many a novice would go out with him as a roadie and see him work, then six months down the line would end up playing the wheels of steel as DJ themselves. Such was the influence that Tony had on anyone that went out working with him, they found themselves hooked, and wanted to do what he did. He was jovial, comical and had that indefinable quality where you instantly liked him, a man who was always ready to listen to what other people had to say. He never wanted to come across a boss, he wanted to be you mate.
Steadily through the eighties Tony worked away at making Unit One into much more of a company but keeping the feel of a friendly band of DJs doing what they do best - having a really good time. It was the decade in which everyone found that they could have a party for any occasion as DJs became evermore popular in pubs and clubs. With this in mind Tony got together with DJs Steve Sale and Jonny Spangles, and created a seventies show, "The Night Fever Roadshow". Where they recreated some the great dances of that decade (in full seventies costume). This show took them all the way to the Hippodrome in London where they performed to a packed sell-out audience. By the late eighties Tony's little empire with Unit One had grown to such an extent that a full time office was necessary.

Naughty Nineties
With the help of Elaine and now long time friend and fellow DJs Phil Brookes and Steve Sale Tony opened the very first office. Based near Irlam's' Of The Hight at Sorrel Bank House, this was to be Unit One's new home for the next few years. Where into the nineties the company continued to grow taking on more and more public and corporate work as well as taking on more much needed DJ's. The office staff also grew and Tony's daughter Dawn was also taken on in a temporary capacity to help with the increasing workload. A significant demand began to develop for other forms of entertainment such as singers and bands, so with Elaine & Steve Sale helping spread the load, Tony decided to dip his toe in the water, and Unit One began to take on and use live artists and entertainers. This was Tony's first step to become a fully fledged across the board entertainment agent. After a slow beginning things started to take off. With Tony at the helm the company started to grow in ever wider circles, having the added attraction that "Joe Public" could now book all their entertainment for their wedding regardless of the type. It had been a thorn in Tony's side that he had been denied some types of work, people had gone to other Agency's to get their DJ and their singer together, but now Unit One could successfully offer this same service.
At the beginning of the nineties Tony had over hundred and twenty DJs working for him and selection of live artists. With some many DJs working for him Tony started "The Unit One Awards Night", a night where once a year he would get together all the DJs, their family and friends for an "Awards Night". This event was fully catered for by Tony, complete with one or two live show stopping bands and a comedian. Along with this were of-course the all important awards, awards like "Best DJ of The Year", "Most Requested DJ", "Best Club DJ", "Best Pub DJ" and so on... This was a way of Tony giving something back to those that had been working for him by way of thanks. It was also a way of getting everyone together creating a big social event where everyone could let their hair down and be entertained and wined and dined for change.
By the mid nineties Tony with Unit One had begun to work with other agents in the entertainment world, big players, exchanging bookings and sub-contracting entertainers for more and more high profile events. The presence that Unit One now had in the entertainment industry couldn't be beaten as other large entertainment agencies started to approach Tony for DJs.
ITV commissioned a program that would follow the lives of different people from different walks of life and one of the people that they selected was Tony Thomas. Granada in Manchester had become aware of Tony and his reputation and wanted to delve further into the world of a full time professional DJ. It was a fly on the wall style program that featured every aspect of what was in Tony's day to day life in and around his job, from first thing in the morning to last thing at night. Each program was dedicated to each person and their job, this meant we got to see a whole day in the life of Tony. In it you got to see how hard Tony worked and how committed and professional he was at his job.
He understood the loyalty that was show to him by his DJs and looked on them as equals, which gave birth to The Unit One Holidays. He would with Elaine organise a small package holiday where he as some of the Jocks would take over a villa or small holiday complex in a climate that was bit warmer than Britain.
In 1996 Tony took his younger brother Lloyd Thomas on as a DJ. This proved invaluable to Tony, as well as having his brother onboard, he knew he would have someone else who would work to the same exacting standards so he could without hesitation put Lloyd out on bookings where Tony had been asked for. This was very important as Tony had a wealth of experience that no other DJ had, in many respects he was head and shoulders above all the rest, unrivalled. Lloyd grew and under Tony and developed a style of his own that had shades of Tony thrown in.
Sadly just six months later in 1997 while on holiday in America Tony died. It was totally unexpected and was big shock to everyone, especially his wife Elaine and daughter Dawn who were at his side when he passed away.
He arrived back here in the UK a week later where his funeral took place at St Marks church in Worsley which was packed to the rafters with standing room only. Throughout a very moving ceremony, a video of Tony's TV documentary was shown on a big screen. The funeral then moved on to Agecroft Cemetery where the burial took place with the whole congregation from the church in attendance that numbered into the hundreds.
Unit One then became under the ownership of Tony's wife Elaine. Undecided as to what to do with this highly successful company, she continued to run it as normal till 2001 when she sold it to Tony's best friends and fellow DJs, Steve Sale and Jon Hindley.

Tony's Legacy
As the years have gone by since Tony's death, the current directors Steve Sale and Jon Hindley have continued to take the company in the direction that they believe was in Tony's heart. Using Tony's ideas, ideals and hopes for Unit One. Taking it on to be an even bigger, stronger company and market leader in the entertainment field. Not just in the North West but in the whole of the country.