Monday, June 3, 2013

It is 5:30a.m. and I am just coming home from yet another high school grad night.I have to say as tough as it can be I always look foward to April ,May and June ,the hours are rough ,the drive can be long and lonely but the rewards are big.Some of the schools I perform at have been booking the show for 20 plus years, I get to see old friends and make some new one as well when the commitee or administration changes hands. These are loyal customers so they get first crack at next years dates ,they usually book for the following year as soon as i get off stage,with new clients we always make every effort to accommodate their request for specific dates.This year has been extrs busy,I had a few regulars who went price shopping last year ,you guessed it ,cheaper isn't always better ,they got what they paid for ,not only did they book me for 2013,I have a feeling they 'll be calling me back again for next year and for a few more to come. I also got a lot of new business for the same reason.This is the season when the part time wannabees come out ,lets face it you can't be everywhere ,some nights I'll do as many a 3 shows in an evening but it can be a stretch. The fact is you're always going to lose a gig here and there to a lowballer ,don't waste time worring about it ,ther are to many others clients willing to pay for a full time pro and not bith about the price.See you all at the end of June!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Back to the grind

Well folks it's a new year time to get back to work ,marketing,emails ,phone calls ,blogging,not a lot going on the past week or so but starting to lay the ground work for the upcoming months, generally January is kind of slow for me but thanks to good marketing last year things are off to a busy start,regular clients have begun to confirm dates for grad nites ,and some new customers have been added to my growing clientele list. I've booked quite a few new schools as well as some bigger events in the midwest.I'm not a fan of air travel but when the money is right you have to take it.It's nice to be wanted.Now for the flip side of this industry,you;ve all heard me repeat time and again my pet peeve about the lowballers and the skidders,sorry to be repetative ,but they are here to stay ,just like a bad penny they keep showing up .Hey if you're going to put you latest work on u tube at least edit it so it looks like you're a pro,nothing worse than a crap performance with 3 or 4 subjects and no one in the audience,save youself the time make it good or don't bother.Don't get me wrong we've all had a bad one now and again,but please please please refrain from posting it hoping it will get you more work ,ain't gonna happen.Maybe it's time for a nation wide search for the best and worst,it would be like an awards night ,lots of different categories just like the Oscars.The most boring,most over used skit, person most likely to make it,person most likely to fail,best and worst dressed,etc.etc.we can go on and on ,the categories are endless .How else will someone know if they are any good or not unless they are told ,its a good way to cull the herd.Hey don't get me wrong ,I'm not saying I'm the greatest but I don't think I'd still be doing this for 21years if I sucked.I only say this because this brings me to my point, I got a call the other day for a show in upstate N.Y. the booker offered $500.00 plus a room ,it's a 5 hour drive for me, I politely told him I couldn't do it for that amount and gave him my fee, his response was hypnotists are a dime a dozen ,and I said yes they are but not the really good ones!