I recently received a call from a jazz vocalist by the name of Andrea Superstein (www.andreasuperstein.com). Andrea is a Jazz artist in Vancouver who has been successful in driving her business and talent forward. She’s going about things the right way.

.

Like a lot of other cities, Vancouver has a lot of venues that are booked by 1 or 2 companies and a handful of entertainment programmers. Andrea has been getting great reviews and great feedback from the venues she’s been playing, but with a lot of the venues she was getting the same story, which goes something like this: “We’d love to book you for a night, you just need to get a hold of (insert booker name here) because he books our calendar for us”. So, you can probably guess, Andrea was looking for advice on how to get attention from a specific booker.

.

She’s already been trying for several weeks to reach him via email and voicemail. She’s been persistent and has not had any luck with the traditional approach. So what was my advice?

.

“Change your approach.” Stop being persistent and start being clever.

.

Idea 1: send him a post card, from Vancouver or with some funny image on the front. On the back, she should hand write a very short note that will make him laugh or at the very least chuckle.

.

Idea 2: send him flowers, with a note attached. Again, it needs to be done in a clever way. Her goal isn’t to get angry with him. Andrea’s goal is to get him to help her.

.

Idea 3: send him a bottle of wine and place a label on the wine bottle that has her photo, name and again a handwritten note.

.

What’s more likely to get a response, the email that is in the same inbox with 150 other people, or the bottle of wine that is sitting on his desk when he gets back from lunch?

.

When you run into these daily obstacles and you find yourself frustrated and getting nowhere, take a step back and follow these steps:

.

1. Figure out what you’re trying to accomplish. Take away the frustration and anger and ask this simple question in order to clearly state your short-term goals. Be very specific.
2. Ask yourself: “ Am I being persistent or am I being clever?
3. Brainstorm with a friend, colleague (or with us) on alternative methods for trying to accomplish the goal. No idea is stupid, the more outside the box, the better. Every problem has a solution.
4. Shortlist 3 possible solutions you’re willing to commit to doing.
5. Do 1 solution at a time leaving enough time in between for a response.
6. Don’t let anything get in the way of accomplishing your goal.

.

Persistence has its place, but only to a point. Being clever is always going to produce better results.

.

-       Justin Sudds – Gigsmacked.com

.

Have you used a clever solution to achieve something in your career? Please share!

This is a guest post from Liza Dawson of Liza Dawson Associates in NYC, one of the most respected and well known literary agencies in the business. Liza Dawson launched her literary agency twelve years ago after a long career as an editor at major New York houses. Last week, her agency had four titles on The New York Times Bestseller List: THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, two novels by Robyn Carr and an illustrated picture book MY HEART IS LIKE A ZOO by Michael Hall.

Here’s what you have to understand about literary agents: Our days are spent sniffing for new talent.

.

We don’t do this consciously. It’s like walking or breathing. It just happens.

In my “real” working life, I’m phoning editors, Fed-Exing books to the UK, negotiating contracts, plotting marketing strategies and reading my clients’ manuscripts. But as I march down my daily to do list, there is rarely a moment when I am not evaluating each of the many strands of media that I’ve swallowed that day trying to figure out whether there is a genuine storyteller somewhere in the stew.

Those strands include newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs, television, radio, movies, books and stand up comics and performance artists. A performer who writes his own material is especially intriguing to me. I’m looking for storytellers — emotionally intense, honest, smart, fresh voices that connect with a crowd – and there’s a better chance that a performer will offer those qualities up than your average doctor or lawyer or MFA grad.

The act of creating a one man show – with its three acts, with its introduction and epilogue – well that’s the same structure as a book. And that clever performer has had to make each sentence count. She has had to shine, shape and twist her dialogue into something sharp and engaging. She’s had audience feedback, and so she’s revised, rewritten, and cut. She’s not as arrogant about her material as your daily journalist, who first needs to get the facts right and only secondarily has to write with flare.

All the above information explains why I could be interested in your work. But I understand, you want some takeaway:

Editors need writers who have platforms, who have a couple of thousand fans who will rush out and buy that author’s book the first week it’s published.

So what should you be doing to build that following?

• Start collecting e-mail addresses at every performance. Pass around a notebook, get everyone to sign in. And then…. Log in those addresses. Don’t wait until you have a thousand of them, do it now. This is important: Note what city these fans are in. When you come back to town, e-mail them and let them know you’re coming. If you can tell agents and editors that you have fans in ten major markets who will show up at book signings, who will host events for you, then you have something tangible to offer.
• Keep in touch with those people who were generous enough to share their addresses with you. E-mail them occasionally, unexpectedly, but don’t just try to sell them something.
• Use social media, of course. You know that. YouTube, Facebook, etc. I’m yawning as I write this. It feels like such tired advice, but as of today – it still works.
• Don’t neglect old fashioned print media. If your persona and material is suitable, try to place op-ed pieces. Collect journalists’ names and addresses as if they are filthy diamonds that just need to be polished. But don’t just ask them for favors – try to do favors for them. Become an expert on something, and then try to get on their rolodexes so they owe you.
• Make your web site interactive, again, collect e-mail addresses.
• Blog on your site, blog on other people’s sites. Don’t just talk about yourself, talk about some aspect of your performance, recount stories in your posts. These posts may turn into a book.
• Be generous with your time, pay attention to your colleagues, be kind to them, be curious about their lives.
• Give performances for free for local charities (and again, collect those e-mail addresses).
• Conduct an experiment: Say yes to every single performance or writing request that is made of you for six months. It’s exhausting to have to think through each and every invitation and wonder “What’s in this for me? Could this possibly be worth my time? ” So stop thinking things through so deeply, just say yes. Join every organization that asks you, see every friend who calls.
• Write heartfelt thank you notes to everyone who treats you right.

Except in rare situations (think Spalding Gray) a book can’t be the primary engine that drives a performer’s career. You started out in the performing business, not the book business. You’re not trying to change your career.

.

Writing a book, getting it published, getting good book reviews and off the book page coverage, getting talked about – all of that book publishing stuff, enriches your performing career, it gives you another income stream, but it runs in tandem to your performing career, not ahead of it.- Liza Dawson

Visit Liza Dawson Associates at www.lizadawsonassociates.com

‘Once you get really successful in show business they treat you like you’re no longer black.  You’re green.’ - Richard Pryor

.

Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers Pictures didn’t release a single movie directed by a female this past year, which makes The Hurt Locker (nominated for 9 Oscars) such an important victory for Katheryn Bigelow and countless other female directors.

.

There are still golf courses in the southern United States where Tiger Woods is not welcome.  And it ain’t because of his recent ‘transgressions’.

.

Studios listed Will Smith as 12th on the list of stars whose success translates overseas.   That means that when they are looking for a lead actor for a film that appeals to an international audience he’s not their first choice. He’s 12th.

.

During my five years living in LA I saw countless actors and actresses spending thousands of dollars on their appearance because their ‘research’ in tabloids indicated that if you want to get hired that’s the way you have to look.  Needless to say, focusing more attention on the facade rather than the skill is a dead end.

.

So what does all of this mean?  It means that racism, chauvinism, homophobia, ‘you name it’ are alive and well in this business.  We live in an imperfect world and there will always be things about us that ‘aren’t good enough’.  Trying to fit the mold will never work because there isn’t one.

How do you beat the odds and succeed despite your ‘differences’?

Hustle.  Turn your perceived disadvantage into an advantage by using it to create something that can’t be ignored.

Will Smith produced ‘I Am Legend ‘(grossed $585mil) and ‘Hancock’ (grossed $624mil)with his own money.  No more ’scrambling for crumbs from the master’s table’.  Now he’s the one who bakes the bread.

The ‘Hurt Locker’ producers hired a publicist who worked tirelessly to get the attention of the Academy voters.  Other than Katheryn’s obvious skill behind the camera and a compelling story, what made this film stand out from the thousands of other films the Academy voters are bombarded with?  A female director. Katheryn Bigelow became the first female to win the Oscar for Best Director.

.

Your difference can either be a crutch or an asset.  The choice is yours.  It’s time for you to create your vehicle and ride it till the wheels come off.  How?  Click here.

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

I have 1 fan page that I agreed follow on Facebook. I have received 12 emails inviting me to performances from them in the last 7 days. It passed annoying at 3 emails. By 6 emails I was laughing at the absurdity and feeling sorry for them; at 12 emails I’m writing a blog post about a behavior that can ruin a career. 12 emails in one week to your fan base inviting them to a performance is doing damage to your career. This is an extreme example of being clueless about communication, but I think you get the general point.

.

.

Did I miss the seminar at SXSW where they told performers that the way to get attention from the industry was to email them at least once a day making sure to invite them to every appearance, every YouTube posting and every piece of news?? When did this become a good idea? Wait….It didn’t. Please, if you are one of these people, and some of you might be,  please stop. It is seriously hurting your career.

.

You need to respect your mailing list. Usually people have opted to join your mailing list or Facebook fan page because they are genuinely interested in your career. They hope that you move forward with your craft and if you respect that about them and don’t annoy them, they can help you reach your goals. Communication with your fans should not be about impressing them with activity, it should be about genuine and meaningful interactions so your audience can feel that they know you better.

.

If you have a great piece of news, tell your audience why it is important to you, not why it should be important to them. If you’ve had a great show, send an email explaining what made it great and offer a couple of photos. If you’re pushing out a new video. Don’t make the video self serving, make it endearing or insightful.

.

Your fan base will always be your most valuable asset. Treat it with incredible care. If you’re trying to get industry attention, be more clever, not more persistent. I guarantee clever gets noticed and persistence gets annoying.
.

- Justin Sudds – GigSmacked.com

This is a guest post from Bo Eason, former safety for the NFL’s Houston Oilers and star of the international hit one man show

Runt Of The Litter, directed by Larry Moss and currently in development as a motion picture.  Since retiring from the NFL Bo has taken his tenacity on the field and applied it to his acting career.  He divides his time between family, motivational speaking, international tours of his show and a prolific writing career that has attracted the interest of people like Frank Darabont (Shawshank  Redemption) and Leonardo Dicaprio.  Find out more about Bo Eason here.

.

Decision Time. Today you can decide to take your acting career into your own hands.

.

If you make that decision you will never have to:

-Wait for the phone to ring.
-Try to score a powerful agent.
- Meet movie stars that can give you a break.

“If you build it, they will come“.

When I was a kid I played football. The only thing that I ever wanted from football was to WIN. I figured out very early on that running with the ball and scoring touchdowns had nothing to do with winning football games. If you want to win at football,  you have to control the game.  If you want to control the game you have to play defense. Because if the other team can’t score, they can’t win. Then, I notice there is one position on the defense that single-handedly decides the outcome of every single football game…that position is called Safety. The Safety is the last line of defense. If you get past the Safety, you score. If you score, you win. If you can’t get past me, you lose. The Safety decides who wins and who loses. It’s a DECISION.

Since winning was the most important thing to me, I spent 20 years mastering the position of Safety. In 1984 I became the 1st Safety chosen in the NFL Draft.

After my football career was over, I applied the same exact mindset to my acting career. I thought, how can I control this acting game so that I can win? It didn’t take long to figure out that the “Key to the Kingdom” in the entertainment world was the script.  So, I started writing. Writing my own material was the only way to control this game.

.

I know what you’re thinking…you’re wrong!

.

Actors make great writers. You might not think you’re a writer, I didn’t either. But, all of us actors are great storytellers, it’s the only reason we’re in this business. We love story.

Make the DECISION to start telling your story today. I will promise you one thing…you will never be a victim to the industry again. You will have complete control of your career.

I wrote a play 12 years ago. Guess who gets to play the starring role? ME! That’s right, I’ve employed myself for 12 years straight. One thousand performances and numerous movie deals later, I don’t have to wait for that phone to ring again.

Remember how we began our story? With the  high end Agents and Movie Stars? They all came calling after I wrote my show because they know that a good story is the “Key to the Kingdom”. They want good story. It’s the only way they can survive in this business. If you’re holding the “Key” they’ve got to come to you.

“If you build it, they will come“.

-Bo Eason

www.boeason.com