My friend Angie Johnson has the world at her feet. An appearance on Ellen, a viral video on YouTube, and every major media outlet in the US fawning for her attention.  After seeing her YouTube video, Carson Daly got her a private audition for The Voice on NBC and Perez Hilton has blogged about her.

Here’s an excerpt from her website, where she describes how it happened:

‘…on August 8th, 2011, while I was deployed on my 7th tour performing for the troops in the Middle East, an audience member from one of our small acoustic shows posted a YouTube video that changed my life. (R.P. I believe God sent you from above!) Now here I am! Watching a wonderful, new path unfold before me. And I am so happy to be sharing it with YOU, the people who have made it all possible.’

Angie didn’t spend hours and hours in front of a camera, posting video after video, hoping somebody would give her a break.  She went out and did the only thing she loved, she performed.  She sang her heart out.

Artist Dan Dunn got 13 million hits on YouTube with this video and also appeared on Ellen.  His teenage daughter posted it without him knowing.  Dan is one of the most generous and talented people I know, and by his own admission, this father of five didn’t even know how to use YouTube when everything took off for him in August of 2007.  Since then he’s performed all over the world, from the Superbowl to Simon Cowell’s 50th birthday and now he has bigger things on the horizon.

.

At first glance it would seem that YouTube was the catalyst for these people to ‘hit the big time’.  And that is partly true – it doesn’t hurt to have exposure.  But there are literally thousands of talented people posting videos every minute on YouTube with very different results.

If there was a formula to becoming a YouTube sensation, someone would have found it by now.  The fact is that by the time Angie posted her video on YouTube, she had put in a stupid amount of time in the decade before, honing her craft.  Dan Dunn had been a caricaturist and illustrator for 30 years before his daughter posted that video of him performing in a variety show in Atlantic City.

.

Most of the artists I scout in my work at SL Feldman & Associates are looking for that magic bullet, that one thing that will help them get over.  The answer to becoming a YouTube sensation is the same answer that applies to becoming a sports sensation, a cooking sensation or any other.  It.Takes.Time.  DeBeers doesn’t flood the market with diamonds, so don’t flood the internet with your wares.  A few succinct and polished gems will do the trick.  And don’t forget, it takes at least 10,000 hours.

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

‘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

.

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

---

Talent seekers are now launching formal casting campaigns on social networking and talent-oriented sites. These campaigns are effective, quick to set up, and simple to manage. This has resulted in the creation of a new category of interactive online casting tools and resources that are growing in popularity and use. Links to job postings and casting notices can also be socialized among the big networks via badges and widgets to increase awareness and submissions. Earlier this month, for example, the Food Network launched an open casting call via YouTube.

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

.

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

Dallas Lawrence is Chair of the Social and Digital Media Practice at Levick Strategic Communications, the nation’s top crisis communications firm. He blogs on emerging digital media trends and best practices for social media engagement on Bulletproof Blog. Connect with him on Twitter @dallaslawrence.

With 450 million users globally (and millions more being added each week) Facebook is dominating the web in unparalleled ways. Yet, even as the social network has steadily grown over its short but remarkable history, many brands have remained on the sidelines of the social media revolution.

Facebook was the most visited site on the web for the week ending on March 13, 2010, surpassing even Google in week-long stats for the first time in history, according to Hitwise. The shift in user habits and audience targeting is palpable and it provides marketers, brand managers, issue advocates, and political campaigns today with an age old choice: Adapt and change or face irrelevance and extinction.

---

A Social Media Parable

---

In many ways, the fundamental decision facing those looking to compete in the next decade of social media dominance is reminiscent of Dr. Spencer Johnson’s bestselling business tale Who Moved My Cheese? It’s the story of two mice named Sniff and Scurry and two “littlepeople” named Hem and Haw who find themselves facing this same predicament.

As the fable unfolds, the book’s four main characters arrive in their maze one day to find that their once abundant cheese supply has disappeared. Sniff and Scurry knew this day was coming. They recognized that their cheese supply was dwindling and set out to find a new source.

Hem and Haw, on the other hand, hadn’t noticed that their cheese was running out. Rather than adapt, they retreated into the all-too-human reactions of fear, denial, and disbelief as they hopelessly waited for the change to prove passing.

For those who have not read this late-90s change agent bible, I won’t spoil the ending. The moral of the story however is clear: Change happens. To survive it, you must anticipate it; and to be successful, you must embrace it.

---

Realizing the Critical Value of Facebook

---

In the modern day maze that is the digital and social media realm, these lessons were again on display as the online community debated the value of the new Facebook user statistics this past week.

Viewed simply, the cheese moved again this month –- and just as intelligent companies adapted their marketing and communications models for the advent of Google over the last decade, Facebook’s dominance has forced another “change or become extinct” moment. To thrive in a rapidly changing marketplace, you must understand that the shift now underway is just as powerful as the one that transformed Google into the modern Yellow Pages and turned a Silicon Valley start-up into a $200 billion everyday necessity.

Unfortunately, most of today’s C-Suite decision makers lack the foresight of Dr. Johnson’s furry friends Sniff and Scurry. Far too many people still see Facebook as a vast, uncontrollable outpost for college slackers –- one better equipped for picture sharing and random life updates than brand reputation management, crisis response, and brand bulletproofing.

But the numbers don’t lie. Almost half-a-billion users each spend an average of nearly 6 hours per month on the site –- inhabiting networks that are largely free of corporate messaging, spam, and expensive advertising. This ought to make at least a few corporate titans rethink that next $1 million Super Bowl ad buy (even if Google did buy its first in 2010).

---

3 Ways Your Brand can Get Started on Facebook

---

Facebook users are openly sharing their life’s passions, personal interests, and their affinity –- or lack thereof –- for corporate brands, political candidates, and the key public policy stances. In effect, they are openly sharing every bit of marketing data a 21st century company covets.

For those still wary of change but now ready to dip their toe into the waters and begin to understand and benefit from the power of social, there are three free and relatively painless steps to begin the journey through the social media maze:

• First, evaluate your current advertising efforts and identify how they can best be tailored to Facebook. Consider allocating 10% of your current Google AdWords or online advertising budget to a 90-day trial run on Facebook. Be sure to develop clear benchmarks for success, and remember, unlike Google AdWords, Facebook ads rely on both keywords and a variety of demographic information –- information you no doubt have already identified as key indicators of your target audience(s). You can now put this information to use to further micro-target your advertising buy, narrow the net you are throwing in the online marketplace, and increase the return on your investment.
• Second, conduct a survey of your or fans to see who is already on Facebook and thus, who may be your brand’s most social media-savvy fans. You may find that your fan base is brimming with talent just waiting to be unleashed. For now, these future brand ambassadors may be ideal candidates to develop your Facebook presence and initial advertising program.
• Finally — and this may seem obvious — become a face on Facebook yourself. Become familiar with the site, its features and the value hundreds of millions of people find in the world’s most populous online community. It may ultimately not be for you personally, but as with almost every new platform, the best way to understand its value is to give it a try yourself.

.

For those still looking for meaning in the numbers released earlier this month, the message is clear: Not only has the cheese moved again, the entire creamery has up and relocated. It won’t be coming back. And no manner of hemming and hawing is going to change that fact.

..
This post originally appeared here.  Thanks to Mashable.com and Dallas Lawrence for the content! -Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com