Agents and record label execs can only sell what you bring to the table.  Here’s how to bring more to the table.

A consulting client of mine recently told me that he was moving to LA and asked me if I would advise him on his strategy:

‘I’m gonna move to LA, get a waiter job and start sending headshots to agents, hoping I get ‘discovered’ by taking lots of classes and hanging out with lots of actors.’

‘That will probably lead to a record deal and I might even dance and do some voiceover if I have time.’

Another client told me he wanted to be a famous singer and then move into films and television and wanted me to coach him on the process of making that a reality.

Sounds simple enough, right?  Wrong.  Here’s why:

Step #1:  Pick a talent or genre you are world class at and stick with it.  Not many people (less than 5%) are world class at more than one thing and the more focused you become on your specific talent the more focused attention you will receive from industry.

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Step #2:  There’s no such thing as being ‘discovered’. There are people out there looking for the next big thing but don’t count on them finding you by accident.  If they do, consider it an accident.  In the meantime, discover yourself.  Create something that will make you stand out – something that plays to your strengths and is so good you can’t be ignored.

Step #2.5: Once you create that something, COLLECT INFO from your audience.  Information is power.  Having lots of fans on Facebook, followers on Twitter or having a massive e-mailing list is more valuable than a ’slammin’ demo or an acting reel.  The power of social media means that having a huge fan base gives you an upper hand when it comes to getting the attention of those who write the fat checks.

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Step #3:  Know what an agent is looking for.  It’s more than looks and acting class.  Every agent has to figure out how much time they need to put into a client to get a return on their investment (you).  If you walk in and all you have is head-shots and botox you’re not going to get far.  How do you get them to invest in you?  Refer to steps 1, 2 and 2.5 and repeat often.

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As a mentor of mine so eloquently put it:  ’On You’

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

Andy Nulman on The Craig Ferguson Show

This content originally appeared on POW! Right Between The Eyes! the blog of Entrepreneur, Business Guru and all around great guy Andy Nulman.

I’d normally list a bio here but Andy has done way too much cool stuff (he started the world famous Montreal Just For Laughs Festival). Read more about Andy Nulman here.

THE OVERHAULING OF SHOWBIZ (excerpt)

‘Tom Silverman, founder of Tommy Boy Records dropped this bomb at his 2010 New Music Seminar in New York:

• Of the some 100,000 albums released last year, 17,000 of them sold only one (!) copy
  
• More than 81,000 albums sold under 100 copies.
  
• Just 1,300 albums sold over 10,000 copies (an astonishing figure given that these numbers combine physical and digital album sales)

Yowtch!

But this type of paradigm shift (now there’s a term I’m sure you haven’t heard in a while!) is happening everywhere in the world of leisure:

• Amazon reported that digital ebooks are now outselling its hardcovers.
  
• The geeks have inherited the earth and now rule Hollywood’s roost thanks to Comic-Con.
  
• Other than tentpole events, more TV is timeshifted than watched live…and watched on devices other than TVs.
  
• Green Day is simultaneously appearing in huge outdoor concerts, on Broadway and in Rockband.

The Web is changing, and will continue to at a dizzying pace, the way people find out about shows, the way they buy tickets to them, the way they attend them, the way shows are marketed and–most notably–the content of the shows themselves.

Given AttentionSpan 3.0, how can I continue to shoot TV shows on a single-focused, old-Broadway-styled stage, and present them to an at-home audience with only one moving image on screen at a time?

So here’s this week’s brain-splattering lesson:

The music biz is just the canary in the coalmine; The Web is about to destroy and overhaul all of showbiz as we know it.

Them’s tough words, but they’re true.

The evidence is everywhere.’

-Andy Nulman

www.andynulman.com

Still don’t get it? Read this: Talent Isn’t Enough.

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

your new friends

‘Who in the world isn’t on Facebook?’

Check out these quotes from a recent CNN.com article that posed this question.  For the full text click here:

On Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the site hit a half-billion active users.

That’s nearly five times as many people as watched this year’s Super Bowl — the most popular television broadcast ever — and about four times as many people as voted in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

People spend more than 700 billion minutes per month on the site and, according to Facebook, 400 million of them have logged in during the past month. Keep in mind there are only 309 million people in the United States — total.

So who isn’t using Facebook?

“It’s people who are not computer users — either really young or really old and for whom using technology just isn’t a part of their daily lives,” Smith said. “For people who do rely on technology, Facebook has just really become a common way to function and get a lot of normal things done.”

So what does this mean to you?

Maybe you don’t care about Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or Digg.  It can all sound a bit overwhelming trying to keep up with what ‘everybody else’ is posting and why you need to jump on the bandwagon.

If you want to succeed as a performer of ANY genre and don’t have a GOOD website and significant presence on at least Facebook or YouTube you’re fooling yourself. The more people are looking at you the more people will talk about you.  And when you meet with an agent or record label or whatever, regardless of how great your talent is, guess where they’re going to look as soon as you walk out the door?  Google.

They’re going to look you up online and the less they find, the less leverage you have to make them pay attention.

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are free advertising.

It’s stupid to assume that everyone on Facebook will see your page but it’s also ridiculous to think that ‘holding off for now’ is helping you in any way.

Let’s keep in mind that DeBeers doesn’t flood the market with diamonds.  Having 30 mediocre YouTube videos can be just as damaging as having none.  Learning that less is more and having a sense of discernment is something we don’t have the space or time to get into.

Moral of the story is:  If you’re a performer and you’re not using the Internet effectively you’re not serious about your career.  If you’re afraid or ignorant of how to play the internet game, there are people you can hire to help you.

Gordon Ogden is the best there is when it comes to maximizing your social media and web strategy.  Read his post here.

Can’t afford to hire anybody?  Buy a book or Google it and learn it yourself.  It’s pretty easy.

Need a website? Check out Femath Media www.femath.com, they did mine.

Instead of asking ‘why should I’ maybe the question is ‘what do I have to gain?’.

The answer?  Everything.

If you already have a website: Is anybody visiting?  Find out for free by using Google Analytics.  It tells you how many people are visiting your website and how long they stay on each page as well as how they found you.  No good having a lemonade stand if nobody’s thirsty.  Your site must evolve to engage your fans in new and exciting ways.

Go get it.

Kahlil (at) Gigsmacked (dot) com

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This content originally appeared on Mashable.com.   Thanks to Samuel Axon for the footwork!

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Name: Headliner.fm

Quick Pitch: Headliner is a real-time social media recommendation exchange for artists and bands.

Genius Idea: It’s tough for an upstart band to make it big, and since all you young musicians are in roughly the same boat, so why not work together? Headliner.fm makes that happen by helping bands promote one another on their Twitter,Facebook and MySpace profiles.

When you sign your band up at Headliner.fm, you’re given a number of “Band Bucks” proportionate to your social media presence — the more followers you have on Twitter, for example, the more Band Bucks you’ll get. You can use those Band Bucks to request that other bands give you a quick shout-out on their social media accounts.

Each time you give another band a shout-out (you can do three per day) you’re given more Band Bucks. This video explains the basic concept.

headliner.fm Sizzle Reel from headliner.fm on Vimeo.

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Bands have to accept promotion requests from other bands, so you can control what kinds of shout-outs are hitting your feeds. Once you accept, Headliner.fm automatically handles the scheduling and the posting — just in case you might forget to do it yourself. You can also get band bucks for inviting other artists to join the site.

Headliner.fm offers analytics tools so you can track how much of an impact your promotions are making. Be smart about the bands you do promotions with by targeting audiences you think would also be interested in your music. For example, it’s probably a safe assumption that Diddy’s feeds aren’t the optimal place to promote your old-fashioned Bluegrass band.

Speaking of Diddy, there are a few big artists on the site, including Travie McCoy and The Hives. Most of the thousands of members are smaller groups, though.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Jan_Kowalski

Another tool you can use to erase the excuses and start doin gigs.  Go make it happen!   -Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

I’ve been performing onstage professionally (getting paid for it) since 1988.   I’ve performed through hail, thunderstorms, hecklers, lightning, threat of sniper fire, diarrhea, and power outages.  Nothing phases me when it comes to performing.

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Except when I suck.  When I have a bad show it completely ruins my day.  And my week.  Instead of honoring my tradition of shaking everyone’s hand as they leave the theatre I just duck into the dressing room and hide, stewing in the countless number of mistakes I made that night, mistakes the audience would never know existed.  I wanted to figure out how to get over the disappointment of what I saw as shortchanging the audience.

And then came the World Cup.

I happen to be a huge Brazil fan.  When I heard that Ronaldinho was not selected for the Brazilian national team I couldn’t believe it.  This guy was the FIFA player of the year, had millions in endorsement deals, and is easily one of the most talented footballers on the planet.  So why didn’t he get the call to represent his country?  He had a bad season.  Actually he’s had a few.

Lionel Messi, the 5′2″ Argentinean dynamo who has captured the imaginations of futbol fans around the world with 47 goals in one season, had a terrible World Cup.

How many goals did he score in the World Cup? Zero.

If athletes playing the most popular sport in the world on the biggest stage can have a crappy showing then why was I beating myself up about forgetting lines and character transitions?

Ever had a bad night on stage?  How did you recover?  Comment below with your experiences and advice.

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See you at the 2014 World Cup.  Brazil Baby!

This post originally appeared on Mashable.com.  Thanks to Alec Shankman for the content!

Alec Shankman is the CEO of Gotcast.com, one of the industry’s top interactive casting sites used by dozens of networks, brands and magazines seeking talent. You can follow Alec on Twitter @alecshankman.

As reality TV continues to gain a larger share of the television and new media landscape, the Hollywood casting industry is seeing a substantially increased need for new types of talent. On-camera experts, “real people” contestants, and larger-than-life personalities are now in constant demand. Simultaneously, talent agencies are watching the demand for traditional talent like TV hosts and classically trained actors decline as shows like Ace of Cakes, WipeOut, Survivor, andDeadliest Catch, all featuring non-traditional talent, grow in popularity.

I personally experienced this drastic shift while running the Alternative Programming Department (a.k.a. reality TV) at Abrams Artists Agency. In the beginning, I was representing well-trained TV hosts, radio DJs and broadcast journalists — but my roster began to evolve into a different breed of talent including experts, celebrities and personalities who were not from the traditional talent world. Examples include Chad Rogers from Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing and Mystery from VH1’s The Pickup Artist.

With reality TV now taking the lion’s share of programming, there is a new, insatiable need for talent. It has driven network executives, TV/film producers, casting directors and talent representatives to alternative means of discovering artists, particularly the Internet. Many people, like Grayson Chance for example, have first blown up in popularity online before talent managers and agents noticed them. But, contrary to what many believe, most Hollywood casting executives are not just randomly trolling YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc., to find talent.

Social Casting Campaigns

It’s not just limited to the television and film business — modeling and brand advertising are also going social. For example, luxury discount retailer HauteLook.com recently turned to a top casting resource to host a model search for an advertising campaign. Cookie Dough Bites, a frozen candy snack, did the same to find new viral content to promote the brand. With these dedicated casting portals and resources attracting new talent, a wider variety of casting needs can be met.

For both talent and aspiring talent, there has never been a more direct way to personally connect with top casting directors, producers, and agents. Rather than simply hoping for attention resulting from enough views on YouTube or MySpace, talent can now more efficiently and directly reach Hollywood executives. Online casting does not just involve endless lists of casting opportunities, but also the ability to create personal profiles to share photos and demo reels, and socialize with a gamut of potential future employers. Because these tools are casting-specific, casting directors and agents are able to easily post job notices, browse through talent, and communicate with potential job candidates.

The rise of people like Tila Tequila, Grayson Chance, Perez Hilton, ****** ****** and countless others sent a powerful message to people about leveraging social networks to gain Hollywood attention. It also showed major casting agents and networks that the Internet is a viable resource for finding and filling the need for talent, creating a new and exciting category on the Internet.

The effect on the casting industry has been very positive and will likely continue to grow in importance. Casting executives have a new, constantly growing well for finding talent — and talent have new direct resources and opportunities in Hollywood no matter where they are in the world.

-Alec Shankman

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What are your thoughts on being YouTube talent vs beating the streets?  Comment below and give us your insight on this, reality tv and Social Media are definitely forces to be reckoned with.  My two cents is that the cream will rise to the top whether it’s YouTube or YouWorkingyourbuttoffrefusingtobeignored.  But that’s just me.

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

I heard this guy was good.

Who are these gigsmacked guys anyway and do they really know what they’re talking about? Here’s your chance to find out!  I’m performing in Los Angeles at the Comedy Sportz Theatre as a part of the inaugural Hollywood Fringe Festival June 23-27.  Click here for info.

If you don’t live in LA send someone on your behalf.  If the show sucks I’ll buy you a drink.

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

Little Richard

Whenever I am preparing for a run of Basic Training I have to find new ways to motivate myself to rehearse – which for me includes 5am runs and consistent physical conditioning.

A few years back I had dinner with Little Richard.  I won’t tell you how I know him because although it’s a hilarious story, it’s another post for another time.

He lives in a hotel in Hollywood and he’s just as dynamic in person as he is on stage.

As I sat there with one of the few true legends of the music industry (there would be no Coldplay, Madonna or Lady Gaga if it wasn’t for Little Richard) his stories inspired me to get off my ass and do more with my talent.

‘In those days all we did was rehearse because that’s all we could do’, he said.  ’You could get hanged or shot in the head just for looking at a white woman and we damn sure couldn’t go to the mall and hang out because folks of our color didn’t have malls.  So we found solace in our talent.  Even then it wasn’t a fair playing ground but we didn’t have time to worry about fair.  Performing was the only way out of our situation.  If you thought that your talent was the only thing that could rescue you from, you know, bein poor or the police messin with you- you would rehearse until you were dead.  Just for a chance to get on stage and wow folks. To prove yourself.  And honey, prove myself I did.’

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So many years later his words still ring true.  He had every right to make excuses and he didn’t.  I need to rehearse as if this talent was the only thing I have left, my only way out.  If Little Richard can find the time to rehearse and stay on top of his game, so can I.   How about you?

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If that don’t light your fire, you got wet wood.

-Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

A Career Built On Talent Alone Is Like A House Built On Sand.

Sudds and I were in a meeting yesterday with a young, energetic and immensely successful theatrical show producer.  This guy is at the top of his game and has the branding and successful shows to prove it. 

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Among the many things we discussed was the unforgiving nature of the business and how if you aren’t careful with your reputation you may soon find yourself without one, scrambling to pick up the pieces while you beg people to hire or book you again. 

Here’s what I learned from this meeting:

It doesn’t matter if you are amazing on stage.  If you don’t carefully manage your brand reputation off stage your career will suffer significant setbacks and it may not fully recover.  Like a house built on sand it may look impressive and last a little while but at the first sign of adversity or bad weather it will slowly sink, leaving a large hole to be filled by someone else.

The media would have us believe that we may end up like Mickey Rourke or Robert Downey Jr, who bounced back from ruined reputations and drug riddled oblivion to win the hearts of many. 

 Two things about those situations:

1. They are the exception, not the rule. 

2. What they went through to recover pales in comparison to what they got out of it.  We only see the movie premieres and magazine covers, not the decade of rejection, pain and irreparable harm they caused family, friends and colleagues because of selfish decisions. 

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Why should you care?

Whether you work in an office or onstage the first thing that arrives for work every day isn’t you.  It’s your reputation.   What do people think when they hear your name or your brand?  What they think is exactly what you’ve built.  We all get tough breaks and sometimes things don’t go our way but the magic isn’t in what happens to us, it’s in what we do with it.

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Here’s how to strengthen your brand reputation:

1. Stop thinking that your brand is so strong it can’t happen to you.

2. Thank the people behind the scenes – the waiters, waitresses, technicians, the assistants.  These people are the heartbeat of this business and being kind to them will provide priceless advertising.   Want to know who’s truly great?  Ask these guys and gals.

3. Take the time to get to know your audience after the gig.  Shake some hands afterwards and don’t talk about yourself – ask about them.

4. Provide a way for your audiences and clients to give you anonymous feedback such as a poll or a survey.  www.surveymonkey.com helps you build free surveys that are super easy to customize and distribute and www.polldaddy.com has some inventive formats for simple polls that you can post on facebook or attach to emails.

5. Keep a close eye on your competitors and learn from their success and mistakes.

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The days of being the only game in town are over and the way we play the game has never been more crucial. 

-Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

This is a guest post from our colleagues at TheSavvyActor.com, a groundbreaking website with countless proven and effective resources that encourages actors and performers to think like small business owners.  Thanks to Jodie Bentley and Kevin Urban (Savvy Actor head honchos) for contributing this valuable post to GigSmacked.com. 

For our readers:  Remember, this can be applied to any artist relationship, not just actors – agents.

Jodie Bentley

The Secret to an Ideal Relationship with Your Agent

By The Savvy Actor

Excerpt from The Savvy Actor Career Manual

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At some point an actor will inevitably begin their search to get an agent. Many actors look at the agent relationship as the be‐all and end‐all. Really, that’s when the work begins, but on a different level.

When an actor gets an agent, we often find that one of two things happen:

1. They’re at a loss as to how to proceed.

2. They rely too much on the agent, and stop their own self‐promotion.

Both of these can hurt the agent relationship.

At the Savvy Actor we have created the Five P’s to a Productive Agent Relationship to help you unlock the secret to building the ideal relationship with your agent.

Five P’s to a Productive Agent Relationship:

1. Proper Setup of Relationship

The first step, mainly with legit representation, is making sure they agree with what you sell. This is why packaging and aligning your brand is so important. If you have done all your branding homework and know where you fit in the industry, and they agree, then the relationship will thrive.

In beginning any business relationship, setting up proper communication is vital. Do they prefer email, phone, or dropping by? If there is a project you’re right for, how should you communicate that? These are important questions to answer because if you establish the communication style upfront you never have to second‐guess or worry when contacting them. When you do contact your agent, it must be for a reason – not just to check in. 

2. Peer and Partner Thinking

Your relationship with your agent is a business partnership, it’s not a time to be passive! Remember, they only get 10% commission. It is your job to do 90% of the work. It’s your career, not theirs.

Think of them as a peer, not an authority figure; ask for what you want and need without fear. Being afraid of your agents is not the way to have a relationship. When you come from a place of fear, you are not being your authentic self. It’s harder to function in a productive way.

3. (Be) Proactive

You’ve got to be proactive with your agents. This means filling them in on what’s going on in your career and giving them the tools to sell you.

Tools that “sell” you would be:

• Feedback you get in the room when you audition.
• When someone you know is directing/casting/producing/musical directing/ writing a project.
• Casting directors who know you and what they’ve said about you.
• Maintaining and updating information on your website and submission sites.

4. Professionalism and ‘Preciation

You are a small business owner, and it’s of the utmost importance to be professional. Actors tend to complain about their agent situations – whether they don’t have one or they feel their agent isn’t working with them. A small business owner would not complain but rather take steps to fix it. If you treat your agent with professionalism, they will do the same.

‘Preciation or gratitude is the key in maintaining relationships and being professional. Thanking your agent for negotiating contracts and getting you in for auditions is just good business practice. Thank you’s are a must.

5. Position of Trust

When you start working with an agent in a freelance or signed capacity, both parties are really saying,“ I trust you to do your job.“ The actor must trust that they are being submitted, and the agent must trust that you are doing your best work in the room and being professional.

Yet, agents hear these words countless times ‐“Can you submit me for this?” What actors don’t realize, is by asking this question they are basically saying, “I don’t think you did your job, so I have to check up on you.” There’s a big difference between saying, “Can you submit me for this?” and “ I’m sure you submitted me, but I’m very interested in this project” or “I’m sure you submitted me, I just wanted to let  you know the director knows my work.” By demonstrating trust, your relationship will be based on a foundation of respect and, inevitably, grow.

Use these five P’s and you are guaranteed to create a successful, savvy partnership with your agent.

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--Jodie Bentley, TheSavvyActor.com