This article originally appeared on Seth Godin’s Domino Project Blog, and in it he referred to authors. I’ve substituted the word authors for actors, and writing for acting, but you get the idea.

.

‘Many successful, serious actors are in love with the notion that they get to be serious and successful merely by acting.

There was a brief interlude in which it was possible for a talented actor to be chosen, anointed, promoted and paid for her work. Where the ‘work’ refers to the acting.

This idea that people could audition, get hired, and periodically cash checks is now dying.

Actors of the future are small enterprises, just one person or perhaps two or three. But they include fan engagement specialists, licensors, new media development managers, public speakers, endorsement and bizdev VPs, and more.

No one has your back.

Sad but true. The actor of today (and tomorrow) is either going to build and maintain and work with his tribe or someone is going to take it away.

That whole thing with the ‘Casting Director Workshops’ didn’t last forever either.’

-Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

If people who don’t know you love what you’re doing, don’t ever give up.  If it’s only friends who tell you you’re great, hang it up.

-Anonymous

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

This is a re-post of something I brought up a year ago. These businesses continue to prey on the faith hopes and dreams of performers. It needs to stop.  Education is the key.  Please re-tweet and share!

As a performer it kills me to see my fellow actors and performers getting duped. It’s usually by the same kinds of people every time. You know the ones. ‘Do you want to be the next Hannah Montana or Ashton Kutcher? Has the Lord called you to use your talent to build his kingdom? (that’s an actual quote) Then you need to come down to the SnakeNavel Convention Center and audition for our top agents and managers this Saturday from 10am to blahblahblah.‘  Actors For Christ. Singers For Buddha.  You name it, they’re out there.  Ads in the paper or on a website promising casting info or introductions to casting directors, agents or producers for a fee.   This is a multi-BILLION dollar criminal industry.

.

I get it.  These ‘trade shows’ or ‘talent conventions’ give you a chance to meet lots of agents and managers at one time.  But it’s not the agents and managers who get you the work.  Don’t believe me?  Read this.

.

Like a slimy used car salesman these businesses promise you the stars and deliver zero.

Question: How do you know if you’re being taken advantage of?
Answer:  Below are the most common scams and how to spot them. (thanks to the Better Business Bureau for their help on this)

Beware of any person, company, ‘talent convention’ or organization who:

1. Asks for up-front money, which may be called “registration,” “consultation,” or “administrative” fees.  Or they require you to ‘audition’ first and then if you’re selected they ask you to pay thousands of dollars for ‘training’ and ‘photo shoots’ with ‘their accredited professionals’ before you meet agents and managers. Legitimate agents work on a commission. They don’t get any money until you get paid for doing the work they have obtained for you.

.
2. Pressures you to leave a check or cash deposit or sign a contract immediately. (I’ve been repped by William Morris and ICM and never had to sign a contract.) The agent may insist that you take acting lessons at a particular school or from a particular teacher; or may try to get you to buy expensive photographs, audition tapes, or other services or materials sold by someone he or she suggests. An agent’s time should be spent finding work for his or her client, not selling products and services. One of the biggest complaints from casting people? Actors spend WAY too much money on photos that don’t even look like the person who walks in the door. Money doesn’t make you photogenic.

.

3. Displays pictures of famous models or celebrities on the walls to make you believe they are represented by that agency, although they’re not.

.
4. Uses names which sound similar to well-known agencies. Fraudulent companies will sometimes do this to give the incorrect impression that they are connected to a legitimate entity.

.
5. Places phony ads in the help wanted section of newspapers that say something like, “new faces wanted” for commercials, movies or modeling or claim that “no experience is necessary.”

.

6. Charges you money to speak with agents over the phone. There are several websites who do this. Agents and managers are busy people but they won’t charge you to speak to them. They may not return your calls right away but that’s part of the game. No one should charge you on their behalf.

.

Problems or complaints about an agent or an agency may be referred to the Better Business Bureau, state Department of Licensing and Regulation or consumer protection agency in the city where the company is located. To obtain helpful consumer information on a particular agency, you will need to contact the local BBB that serves that particular city.  Keep in mind that the Better Business Bureau recommends that you do your OWN homework, their accreditation is not an endorsement of any business or entity, they are simply the first step.  There’s no substitute for common sense.

There is no magic formula for success. Following your heart will take you to greater heights than following your wallet.   If it sounds too good to be true…well, you know the rest.  Here’s to your success!

-Kahlil (at) GigSmacked (dot) com

If you’re really interested in seeing the inner workings of a talent agency I highly recommend an internship.

Bathe, brush your teeth and comb your hair real nice-like and go to any talent agency and offer to work for free for a certain period of time.

It won’t take long for you to see what makes these people tick and how high the stakes are when it comes to signing or not signing an act.

You may be super talented, your mother may think you’re gorgeous and your friends might keep telling you you’re funny but if you can’t convince a talent agency that you’re worth their time (which translates to money) then it’s going to be a long day.

Instead of going into the numbers and statistics about what sells and what doesn’t I’ll keep this post short:

If you are not actively doing two things every day to leverage social media and get your brand in front of more and more people you’re wasting your time.  How do you do that?

Start here and then go here.

-Kahlil (at) GigSmacked (dot) com

GUEST POST – This week’s guest post is by Gordon Ogden.  Gordon has built and led an award-winning Web development agency, driving profitability for online brands and Fortune 100 companies. He’s an innovator who leverages cutting-edge technologies to design and implement popular, revenue-generating Web-based applications. He’s become an expert at assembling high-performance virtual teams, utilizing offshore talent to decrease Web design and production costs. To sum it up Gordon is a direct marketing and social media expert with proven results.  You can follow him on Twitter @gordonogden

………

A fan site, whether you perform solo or you’re a member of the band, is a great way to reach out and engage your existing fan base and actually grow it. More people show up for your gigs, a web site creates word of mouth (WOM) and serves as an outlet for audio downloads.

Yeah, but who’s got $5K to pay some pricey web designer? That’s cash that could be spent on a better sound system, or money to repair the bandwagon. Fortunately, you don’t need a site designer. You can build your fan base without blowing the budget out the back door – if you do it right.

Here’s how.

1. Go with a quality web host. There are freebie host sites, low-ball host sites and web hosts that provide all the tools you need to create a slick site complete with a blog, forum, performance updates and even videos.

The freebie hosts post their ads on YOUR site. And the low-ballers don’t provide a basket full of site building software. Quality hosts give you everything you need to build a good looking site for about $10 a month. You also get 24/7 tech support. It’s worth it to keep your fans in the loop.

Spend a little extra; get a lot more.

2. Build interactivity into your site. Add a blog, a forum, a bulletin board or some other means to enable fans to post their comments to your site. This builds your performance creds. Nothing builds WOM like referrals from existing fans.

3. Update regularly. Post performance dates. Answer posts to your site’s blog. Reach out and make a personal connection with those people who “talk up” you or the band. Regular updates also create site stickiness – keeping visitors (your fan base) coming back to see what’s new and where you’re playing this Saturday.

4. Provide free downloads. Some fan sites sell downloads. When trying to expand your fan base, give it away. One fan downloads your signature song, rips a CD and passes it on to a friend. You can’t put a price on that kind of advertising. Make your gigs viral and build a fan base organically.

5. Integrate your fan site URL into all other marketing. Posters, business cards, head shots, band shots, performance videos – all of these should have your professional URL prominently displayed, i.e. www.ourbandsite.com is EVERYWHERE! It worked for Amy MacDonald. It’ll work for you.

6. Keep it simple. Keep web site nav tabs simple and clearly labeled. If new, curious site visitors can’t find what they’re looking for, they bounce. Oh, and they don’t become fans.

7. Employ a “look” that appeals to your existing fan base. If you’re fronting for a thrash metal band, the site look should be edgy – bright colors, scraggy type fonts and eye candy. LOTS of eye candy.

Conversely, if you’re playing weddings every Saturday, the look should be toned down. You can even include a play list from which the bride and groom can pick their favorite tunes.

8. Provide all contact info. Your telephone number. The number of your booking agent. An email contact, Skype IM – everything site visitors need to reach out and touch you in a profitable way.

9. Refine your site. Google, Yahoo, Inktomi, Bing – all the major search engines employ similar protocols to drive traffic to a site. Keywords – the words search engine users enter into the Google search box – should be refined over time to more specifically target the listeners you want to attract.

10. Add stuff for sale. T-shirts, coffee mugs, thumb drives, bumper stickers – walking, talking advertising for your next gig. Give this stuff away if you can, award it to the “Fan of the Week.”

A web site is a great tool for building a fan base AND a site community. You’ll see the same user names posting over and over. These repeat visitors know you, they like your music and they want to be a part of your success. So, give it away.

It’s the best, lowest cost advertising for gigs. Use the web. Post to YouTube. Show performance footage on site. Make your expanding fan base family.

Then, watch as the gigs start coming to you!