Resumes are useless.  I don’t even know why they ask for resumes at auditions any more – they’re just going to Google you when you leave the room anyway.  And if you haven’t proven yourself in the room you’re not going to book the gig, regardless of how many times you’ve been a unicorn on Battlestar Galactica or ‘Cop 1′ on SmallVille.

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It used to be that singing, dancing and acting were the trifecta of the entertainment world.  If you could do all three of those you were considered a well rounded entertainer.  Michael Jackson. Sammy Davis Jr.  Tony Bennett.  Bette Midler.  The list goes on.

I’m not saying that there isn’t value in these skills.  The problem with the theory of ‘triple threat’ is two-fold.  First off, too many performers focus on trying to become all of these, when in reality, very few people can do three things well.  With the exception of the list of entertainers above and maybe a few more, a true triple threat comes along once or twice in a generation.  The rest are just mediocre.  Pick one thing that OTHER people (not family) recognize that you’re world class at and focus on it.  Focused time equals focused results.

Second thing is, the business of entertainment is no longer just on stage.  If you aren’t engaging or cultivating your audience through social media or if you don’t have some sort of web strategy, you’re not taking yourself seriously and you won’t be taken seriously.  Slapping up a MySpace page or a cheap website and then spending crazy money on extravagant head shots or equipment is backwards.  No brand, no stand.  It’s called show business for a reason and those who know the business will benefit most.

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Of course there’s always the exaggerated story of someone being discovered at a mall or being asked to model for Prada because of the way they licked their ice cream at a bar mitzvah.  There’s an exception to every rule and most of us are the rule.  The danger in this scenario is that you may get discovered but if you don’t know your business you’ll end up with a gig and not a career.

The decades I have spent on stage honing my craft have been truly blessed with many amazing successes and opportunities, but I have made more money as a result of these gigs than I have from these gigs.

Yesterday I sat in a rehearsal with Carmen Electra, Robin Antin and the Pussycat Dolls.  They heard about me through an agent who saw my show at the Vancouver Fringe Festival and after meeting with me realized that my business mind was something that had added value.  Since then this agent has sent me on the road with several major acts, asking me to re-tool their businesses both on stage and off.  I am touring with the Pussycat Dolls across Canada as they premiere their new Burlesque show and tweaking their business along the way.

So why does an actor with an award winning Off Broadway show, a national commercial and a television development deal continue to generate work as a tour manager and brand strategist?  Because the internet and social media have empowered performers to come off the stage and still perform.

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The new triple threat is:

1. Talent (what you do best, keep it up)

2. Business (creating opportunities for yourself)

3. Branding (knowing how to leverage 1 & 2 to make money)

How do you get there?  Visit my website and click on News for some recommended reading.

Now get off stage and go make some money.

-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

Talented people are a dime a dozen.  If you’re not effectively leveraging Social Media and the Internet to your advantage you’re going to get left in the dust.  Here’s how to avoid being the greatest act nobody heard of.

Personal branding is the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands.  The personal branding concept suggests instead that success comes from self-packaging. Further defined as the creation of an asset that pertains to a particular person or individual; this includes but is not limited to the body, clothing, appearance and knowledge contained within (something only you can do better than anybody else), leading to an indelible impression that is uniquely distinguishable.

Most performers don’t like to think of themselves as a brand – I understand.  Nobody wants to be compared to a box of cereal.   But branding takes on a much deeper meaning when it’s applied to an individual or group.

Why should you care?  Because word of mouth is crucial and money is no longer the deciding factor in how you get the word out about your brand.

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Branding 101 as described by those who do it best, courtesy of BNet.com

1. David Meerman Scott: Own Your Google Results

Known for his bestseller, The New Rules of Marketing And PR, Scott understood early in his career that he needed to stand out online. If you Google “David Scott,” a US Congressman from Georgia ranks first, and a marketing expert, as popular as he may be, can’t compete with a national pol. Scott’s solution: He branded himself as “David Meerman Scott” instead of just “David Scott.” Google that name, and his content shows up first. [photo credit: CC Chapman]

2. Seth Godin: Stand Out from the Pack

A self-described change agent and the author of several bestsellers, including Linchpin, Godin writes a popular blog and is a sought-after speaker due to his consistently iconoclastic thinking. He argues that in an increasingly competitive global economy, doing good work simply isn’t enough. Professionals need to make themselves “indispensable” by being willing to stand apart from the herd and voice their unexpected insights. [photo: Joi Ito]

3. Tim Ferriss: Get People Talking About You

The 4-Hour Workweek author is the master of creating buzz, using online media as well as traditional mainstream media to turn his book into a bestseller. While Ferris was interviewed on the Today Show, he says that a review by a single influential blogger, Robert Scoble, is what really got his book to the number-one spot on the Amazon bestseller list. In fact, since online content never disappears, a mention on a blog can have a long shelf life, helping you to market your brand long after a book or product’s release. [photo: Tim Ferriss]

4. Steve Rubel : Attach Yourself to a Bigger Brand

As a blogger, Rubel is one of the thought leaders in the social-media space. He’s also a senior vice president for Edelman Digital, the online division of the public relations giant. By working for a well-recognized and respected brand, he gained instant credibility and quickly became a prime media source for wisdom on the industry. [photo: Steve Rubel]

5. John Jantsch: Focus, Focus, Focus

Jantsch has built a successful consulting business, Duct Tape Marketing, helping develop marketing solutions for small businesses. The secret to his success: He focused relentlessly on this niche, came up with a catchy name for his brand, and put the name on his blogs, books, columns, and workshops. [photo: John Jantsch]

6. Gary Vaynerchuk: Be Nice to Everyone

Through his video blog, Wine Library TV, Vaynerchuk expanded his liquor business and became a social media guru, publishing the career book Crush It! Gary’s personal credo — be kind to everyone — infuses his stores, book, and blog, and as a result he’s attracted a large following of devoted fans. [photo: vaynermedia.com]

7. Keith Ferrazzi: Give Before You Receive

If you want to build a strong network — people who passionately support and believe in you — you must be generous, says Ferrazi, a business relationship consultant and the author of the best-selling book about networking Never Eat Alone. Instead of asking people for favors, ask, “What can I do for you?” You’ll be amazed at how many acquaintances will turn into fans. [photo: keithferrazzi.com]

This is a business first and entertainment is a brand, but selling yourself doesn’t mean selling out.  The sooner we grasp the fact that agents, producers, etc. buy our brand and not our soul, the easier it becomes to cope with the ups and down of the business.   Don’t attach your self worth to your talent.  Hope this helps!

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com