Talent Bookings -- Competition for Gigs in a Recession -- Fly Solo or Get an Agent?

I'm an entertainment agency owner in what was once (and I still consider it to be) the entertainment capital of the U.S., Las Vegas. So, how hard should it be to book talent (especially talent that has talent)? What is the climate during this period of recession? Should talent pound the pavement and make their own deals, or use agents (the age old question which is even more pertinent today)?

Here in Vegas, home of Star Entertainment Worldwide, there is a casino literally on every corner, and a few in every neighborhood off Strip, and all of them have lounges and/or showrooms. Then there are the out of state properties, the fairs and festivals, the corporate events, cruise ships and even bars (for those hearty souls willing to move from town to town for brief stints at honky tonks). Who is hiring and what are they paying?

We seem to have regressed from the steady money and perks talent used to get for travelling gigs. Now, we are working harder than ever at routing talent from anchor gig to anchor gig, booking small venues in between for their gas and food money. Some bars and clubs are reverting back to percentages of cover charges and bar net without a minimum gig fee. Get your contracts in advance, no matter how small the gig.

I definitely have the pulse of what is happening because I personally spend at least 40% of my 14-16 hour days emailing and calling entertainment bookers for the talent I represent. I also network with other agents across the country (and internationally) to get my acts work.

I can say without hesitation that performers need agents to make their deals now more than ever. We have the booking power because we have more than one talent to offer any specific client, and we can make the deals without harassing the entertainment directors, fair buyers, corporate marketers, casting companies, and club owners. There is nothing worse than talent selling themselves when they are hungry (literally) for work.

Pick and choose your agent, ask other talent, and when possible, get contracts with them as well. You can find all kinds of entertainment industry agreements online or contact me directly (I really don't mind)lucille@StarEntertainmentWorldwide.com and we'll get you a standard booking contract template.

Finally, even if you work with an agent, if you don't hustle, you won't get the gigs. For every gig, there are hundreds (and often thousands, especially for acting/modeling jobs) of talented folk trying for one spot. Don't just sit back and wait for the calls to come in, get online and join every social networking site available to you. The best are Facebook, MySpace (still great for b2b networking in the entertainment industry, especially for bands), Twitter, and LinkedIn. Be social, but also be professional. Remember, potential clients are reading your profiles.

Good Luck!

Exciting & UniqueTransportation-Related Venues for Event Sites

Looking for a dynamic event site with a new theme? Transportation-related venues offer a step into history with a variety of museums, and other spaces to accommodate meetings, team-building activities and galas. Event planners at Star Entertainment Worldwide have a few suggested venues, from the adventuresome to the romantic.

There is no more exciting event than at one of 2 locations (VA and D.C.) of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum (NASM). For special events from 200 to 7000 guests, multiple locations are available for your group to enjoy cocktails beneath Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis with dinner in the Rockets Hall. Or plan a unique team building exercise on flight simulators, or as a scavenger hunt at the U. S. Space & Rocket Center, known as "Space Camp."

For auto enthusiasts, Star Entertainment Worldwide clients have enjoyed evening galas at the Antique Auto Museum (Hershey, PA) and 1 hour from Nashville, at the National Corvette Museum (Bowling Green, KY). These spaces also offer great spaces for team building exercises, including the popular scavenger hunts among artifacts.

But the most romantic form of transportation, and most luxurious of all venues involve the railroad. Our event planners suggest a few historic venues for meetings, board dinners or larger corporate events. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and the Strasburg Railroad, both in scenic Lancaster County, PA, housing collections of vintage engines and passenger cars, from steam to diesel and electric, with working trains (some lines operating for 125 years) for meeting groups to ride and dine. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, with its 1884 Baldwin Roundhouse can handle between 450 to 3000 guests for daytime meetings indoors or in their outdoor Pavilion. The Connecticut Trolley Museum is ideal for groups under 100, that can ride on mid-20th century railcars, enjoy a historical narration in the on-site theater, and a reception in the visitor center. In Virginia's Roanoke Valley, the O. Winston Link Museum celebrates the romance of railroad travel through the eyes of Link's artistic photography, and provides the backdrop for meetings in a 75 seat theatre, and receptions in the adjacent lobby.

The transportation theme, for small meetings, team building events or gala receptions, can be brought to life through these historic backdrops.

Emcee/Comic/Impersonator Wayne Diamond

Wow Wayne Diamond has come a long way since he first stepped on a stage in Vegas about 18 months ago!! Given the chance to take over as emcee of the Big Elvis Show (Bill's Gamblin' Hall), in the absence of featured performer Chuck Rawlings, Wayne really shined! He was funny....not just in a cute, matter of fact, dry humored way...but really "Larry the Cable Guy" laugh til you cry funny. And the audience loved every minute of that and his Toby Keith tribute. They wrote to his site http://www.myspace.com/waynediamondmusic looking for times when he'd be singing at the Toby Bar at Harrah's...which is funny cause he does like to go there...and promotes it during his act. So, look for Wayne, as Toby and as comic emcee at a local club or lounge soon. He's doing his first corporate hosting here in Vegas in a couple of weeks.

Speaker's Bureau Sample - Stem Cell Research

Star Entertainment Worldwide has a complete group of qualified and talented speakers in its Speaker’s Bureau. Great for any audience of any size, they are all eminently qualified and regionally or nationally known in their respective fields. Below is an excerpt taken from a position paper developed by one of these speakers. It is a sample of the type of public policy address that is available from the Speaker’s Bureau.

Doug Kramer, MHA,
Diplomat, ACHA
25 Years Experience in Health Administration
Management and Policy Development

Stem Cell Research

The inauguration of a new President brings a host of new policy decisions which will affect the course of medical research and medical care for the years to come. One of the most controversial is the subject of stem cell research.

Misconceptions:

Many of the misunderstandings of the status of stem cell research come from inaccuracies or in some instances direct and intentional misrepresentations, reported in the media. For example, stem cell research is not banned in the U. S., rather until now there is no federal funding for it. Other countries have moved forward with the research funded by respective governments, but there is every reason to believe that U. S. research will now blossom once the new administration inevitably modifies the federal position. Another great misconception is that stem cell research is a panacea, that many afflicted people have died as a result of failures to promote research. The truth is that there are no warranties concerning products or procedures that medical science may develop decades from now which could have benefit.

Pitfalls:

Not if, but when the new administration grapples with policy review concerning stem cell research, it will find a serious dichotomy of opinion on at least two major subjects that accompany any consideration of advanced work in the field. The first of these is abortion, or at least the definition of when life begins. Obviously this question has haunted politicians for decades; even far in advance of the Rowe v. Wade Supreme Court decision; and history tell us that no politician on either side of the question has ever been successful in taking a position on this subject. Once this gargantuan fence has been leaped, the next major stumbling block will be concern over cloning. While most legitimate governments and scientific experts have outlawed the cloning of humans, indeed some have outlawed the cloning of animals, there are still those countries that allow research in the name of advances in “medical science.” There is so much variability in opinion, religious dogma, law and codes of ethics throughout this country that the young administration could land anywhere along the continuum and still face adversaries from every direction – labeled as too liberal or too conservative for “science” to survive.


The Future:

In his inaugural address President Obama indicated that he wanted science to “take its rightful place” again. While certainly not definitive, this statement has been widely interpreted to include an ideological shift in federal funding to include Stem Cell research among a vast array of other projects upon which “science” may have future impact. The pot of funding and the time available to address regulation which must accompany release of funds is clearly not unlimited, given the current financial crisis which faces the world and pressing priorities in energy, transportation, infrastructure and security – just to name a few major policy reviews that the new administration must undertake at great expense of time and money. It is likely, certainly inevitable that the research will commence with the blessings of the federal government and the extensive grants to follow. A clear, rational position must be established prior to the blanket lifting of bans. It will need inclusion of the opinions of religious, philosophical, legal, and scientific scholars, but unanimous agreement is highly unlikely, leaving some large and necessary decisions to politicians and agents of the Obama administration. The political desire of inclusion and consensus cannot be achieved in light of the diversity of opinion and one side will be alienated and disenfranchised. We can expect the Obama administration to move to a centrist position regarding Stem Cell research.

Tribute Artist Shows!

Its new from Star Entertainment Worldwide! The agency now produces two concert style shows featuring the hottest music that country has to offer! Come and check out Nashville Nites!

The first of these shows pays tribute to the music greats that were the forerunners of today's country music. Known as "Nashville Nites! Pioneers and Legends" the singers include artists in tribute to Conway Twitty, Patsy Cline, Charlie Daniels and the great Johnny Cash! Each of these performers looks and sounds like the real star...and in the case of Charlie Daniels plays the fiddle well enough for the real Charlie Daniels to call him on stage in a fiddlin duet! Each performer also has a repertoire of every great country hit as sung by the original artist! The show has now been performed on a set reminiscent of the Grand Ol' Opry in the old Ryman Theater in Nashville.......and its latest was done in a parody of the old variety show "Hee Haw".

Looking for something featuring the greatest of today's country?....Check out "Nashville Nites: Rising Superstars".....these superstars have already risen and are still flying high on the country charts! They include tribute artists who look and sound like Kenny Chesney, Trace Adkins, Toby Keith and the lead singer fron the hit group Rascal Flatts, Gary Levox! The show features the greatest hits of each artist/group, but the singers can and do adjust the show to any of the hits by each of the artists! And to top it off......check out the blue collar comedy stars that entertain between the artists.....it will keep you rolling on the floor!

Its the best night of country music other than the real thing itself!

Check out the video and audio on the website!

WFA in Reno

Hey everybody, catch us at the WFA (Western Fairs Association) Convention Jan. 25-28 in Reno at Booth #612. We're members of the AFA, IAFE and WFA and have brought some great talent to all the conventions during the past few months. If you're a Fair Buyer check us out either in Reno or online at www.StarEntertainmentWorldwide.com (click the Talent Buyer button on the Home page) to see some awesome entertainers!

We're routing some individual performers and tribute shows to fairs in AZ, CA & WA this year. It's proving to be one of our busiest years ever! Thank you to the great attendees of these conventions. You've made it all possible! See you in Reno!

Lucille Star
Star Entertainment Worldwide