TrendErtainment

A Video that Inspired Me (Thanks To My HS Guidence Councilor)

2009-11-09T11:30:00-05:00

Ken Robinson says Schools Kill Creativity…

This “creativity expert” says “We are educating people out of creativity”. I wish everyone in education, the arts, and entertainment watched this video.

Take 19 minutes and 21 seconds of your day to enjoy this seminar brought to you by TED:

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When I was a senior in high school, my guidance counselor in High School, Mr. W., pulled me into his office and attempted to “talk me out of” going into the entertainment industry. Thank gorsh the thick-headed teenager in me remained committed to my passions.

It disturbs me greatly that many educational systems are not promoting younger generations to explore their creativity and use their creativity in every day life. Please don’t think that I feel every child should be an actor, or a singer, or a musician (That would be scary). Creativity to me does not mean that you dedicate your life to the arts, it means you dedicate to make your life into a piece of art.

I feel obligated as a member of society to cultivate experiences that inspire others to take risks with their passions. It is my wish that as a member of the entertainment world that I can create safe, and entertaining environments that move audiences to grow.

Here are the ways I am currently doing this:

1) Through StarQuest – in 2009 we had over 21,000 performers under the age of 18 perform at our events. Many of our dancers do not attend our events with the goal to win top score, they come to be their best, to dance, to create, and to be part of a passionate community. As the Associate Producer for the upcoming season, it is my goal to ensure that young dancers have an environment to create, showcase, and grow.

2) Through This Blog – I hope that readers of this blog gain something out of it. Be it a gram of inspiration, an ounce of inspiration, or a bucket of inspiration, I enjoy sharing my journey with others in hope there is some form of connectivity that sparks motivation. I feel fortunate that every day I learn new things – Why wouldn’t I want share these lessons with you!?

3) Developing New Projects Intended to Serve Others – Over the next 12 months you will see a few new projects pop up all of which have the goal to support entrepreneurs and artists. Stay tuned to see.

* * *

What are you doing to foster inspiration or creativity in others?

Share your stories in the comment section of this blog.

When Money Doesn't Talk - Partnerships in Entertainment

2009-11-06T10:16:46-05:00

When I was a mobile DJ I had the honor of providing the sound reinforcement and music for a new bicycle race in NJ. Target, the mega-store, was the main sponsor of the event. The big red bulls eye logo was at the center of all the promotional materials. I thought I was the hottest thing in town being the DJ of a Target sponsored event.

Being a geeky 19 year old entrepreneur, I wanted to know how much mooo-la did the big red have to shell out to be a top billing sponsor. I excitedly went to the guy who hired me, and asked him. Anticipating to hear about a huge sum of money revealed to me I was disappointed to hear the truth. I was told, “….We didn’t get paid anything….They gave us permission…It makes us look bigger and more reliable…”

I was heart broken at the time, I was hoping to learn about a get-rich-quick plan., Quickly I got over my heart break as I started to work on more of my own projects.

* * *

Partnerships are a valuable way of building a brand. It is hard to put a price tag on the value driven by an association with a reputable organization. There are many win/win possibilities out there. In trade, in eblast swaps, in awareness opportunities, in product placements…You get it.

I am proud to announce my most recently won partnership. This partnership is a one hand washes the other payment system. We promote them, they promote us, we have their clients eyes, they have my industries heart.

Ladies and Gentlemen, today at 1:30 PM Eastern Time, StarQuest International will be formally announcing our alliance with the Broadway show Burn The Floor.

Look at (the bottom) of their Partners page…Ok…Ok... We have a small square in the bottom of the window, but hey.. This is one of many big steps to align our dance competition with other large entertainment and arts based organizations. And look at the other organizations we are paired up with as a partner!

We have been able to foster several opportunities with Burn The Floor, and I am excited to see what else we can do with them (While they are on Broadway, and once they start touring).

* * *

Look at your projects, ask yourself…”Self…What organizations can I build a partnership with?”. Now-a-days not many organizations are willing to write a check to you, but they are looking to build their brands to new markets.

What non-cash partnerships have you built? Have they brought you success, grief, nothing? Comment below or email me.

Do You Want a Job or a Life? Represent!

2009-11-05T00:07:45-05:00

We are in the process of staffing the weekend warriors for the upcoming dance competition season. In total 30 positions need to be filled for the 5 month tour. This includes Stage Managers, Merch Managers, Judges Managers, Tour Managers, and Awards Managers…Lots of people who need to…Manage.

Often I get questions through email, phone calls, and faxes (Yes… I get asked questions through fax from time to time….I didn’t even know my efax number was still active…). Here are a sampling of some of the questions I get:

- Should I send my theatrical resume or my business resume?

- Do you need a cover letter?

- Is there a limit to how many words I should keep my cover letter to?

- Would you like a photo? (Hu?)

- What should I wear to the interview?

Here is my answer to all of the above questions: “Apply in a way you would like to represent yourself for this particular position”.

I respect the fact that candidates want to make a home run for potential employers. Interviewing and applying for gigs can sometimes be an art into itself. I welcome questions from people who apply. It is important to me that you feel welcome in any company I am associated with, regardless to if you are going to be brought on board or not.

There is no magic way to apply for a position. There is no special outfit to wear. Follow the instructions the company has requested in the ad, beyond that do what you feel is right. Represent yourself in the light you would like to been seen.

If someone hiring does not like you because your cover letter has 25 too many words, or because you wore your hair up instead of down, you probably don’t want to work for that individual anyway.

Also, notice that I don’t use the word “job” in this message. Call me quixotic, but I want to work for people who love what they do and consequently get paid for it. That’s not a job, that’s a juicy life.

Go Juice Life….

(This posting dedicated to Randolph Pierson from AMDA, who painfully taught me the lesson above when I asked in class if I should get a headshot with or without my glasses on – which I ended up getting both – No wonder why I’m no longer an actor.)

Not Mr. Wizard! - Marketing to the Youth of America

2009-11-03T19:37:55-05:00

In gearing up for the 2010 Dance Competition at StarQuest International, I have plans to start utilizing social networking more. In my research to better understand what is the most appropriate, law-abiding, ethical way of marketing to the teen/tween market I ran into some interesting facts about advertising on television.

During children’s television programming the FCC has placed safeguards on advertisements to protect the youthful observers who has not yet necessarily figured out that advertisers are out to manipulate you.

I found the following FCC guidelines extraordinary:

1) There must be a transition between the program and the advertisements. The purpose of this is to separate the show’s influence from the product itself. This is why you hear “After these messages…” & “Now a brief word from our sponsor..” (I never knew why they said those things. It has become such a part of my childhood that I never questioned it).

2) Host selling during children’s programming is not allowed. Meaning you won’t see Mr. Wizard selling you a science kit in a commercial during his own show. (Wait.. Is that show even on the air still? I always wanted to be one of the kids on that show! If the show ever has a comeback I want on it!)

3) Products being sold in the advertisement cannot be part of the program content. Meaning, You won’t see Golden Grahams as part of the storyline in SpongeBob if they are an advertiser. (I don’t think the Sponge would like the cereal anyway…To soggy)

4) There must be a “Tombstone Shot” – The product must be in a shot all by itself with out the extra toys and accoutrement that can be purchased separately.

These fantastic facts brought are from the Future of Children Web Site. Want more about marketing to children. Read the entire document Children and Electronic Media.

This all being said, there is not a whole heck of a lot of regulation that can be put on advertisers since speaking to the public is part of the first amendment. Which brings us full circle to online content. How can online content be monitored and regulated? How can you regulate a website if it is set up in another country? Ahhh.. The future will bring many new policies I’m sure.

More on that as I journey down this road.

I Have The Cure!

2009-07-08T08:55:48-04:00

BECAUSE IT IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT

I am proud to announce that I have joined as part of the producing/management team for the NYMF production of THE CURE - A ROCK AND ROLL FABLE

What made me want to be part of this tribe?:

1)    The music is fantastic
2)    The book has great themes
3)    Vampires are super Hot right now
4)    The composer/writer Mark Weiser has a Passion for this! Get out of his way !
5)    One of the other producers was from my CTI class who I trust impeccably.
6)    This is intended to be a non-traditional theater experience.
7)    This is going to be hot!

Listen to some samples of the music right now!:

New Religion (Demo: Gregg Goodbrod, Jeremy Kushnier)

Rage On (Demo: Jeremy Kushnier)

Who I Am (Demo: Tim Carosi, Andrew Grant)

Walk in the Sun (Demo: Donna Sonkin, Tom Schultheis)

*Songs are mix of excerpts recorded live at Le Bar Bat reading* and studio demo recordings**. Excerpts from the reading contain some spoken dialog and narration.

THE FUNDRAISER & SOCIAL CURE

Please join me and my fellow creative producers at the Fundraising Social tomorrow (Thursday , July 9th, 2009).

Details below

DETAILS OF FUNDRAISER

RSVP HERE

Host:	Mark Weiser, Erica Ruff, Samantha Saltzman, and the rest of THE CURE!!!
Type:	Party - Benefit

Date:	Thursday, July 9, 2009
Time:	8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:	Brand New SWEET CAROLINES
Street:	322 West 45th Street (between 8th and 9th)
City/Town:	New York, NY

Come party at the BRAND NEW Sweet Caroline's, and help support our new rock musical - THE CURE, premiering this October in NYC!

Good drinks, good people and great tunes (provided by Mark Weiser, of SWEET CAROLINES)

SWEET CAROLINES KITCHEN WILL ALSO HAVE APPETIZERS AVAILABLE FOR ORDER.

Some of our rock n roll raffle items include:

TWO tickets to the Broadway smash hit ROCK OF AGES
6 month membership to EQUINOX FITNESS CLUB
passes to singles events with MEET MARKET ADVENTURES
and MORE...!!!

Tickets to the evening are $20, and come with a free raffle ticket, and a FREE DRINK! Every guest will receive a $5 gift certificate from Meet Market Adventures, for ANY of their upcoming singles events!! AND, the first 50 people in the door get a complimentary pass to Equinox Fitness Club!

For donations of $50 or more, you ALSO receive a ticket to the production of THE CURE this October, as well as 3 additional raffle tickets.

For donations of $100 or more, you ALSO receive (in addition to everything listed above) a second ticket for THE CURE (both for OPENING NIGHT!), another SIX raffle tickets (for a total of TEN!), and a special mention in the festival program!

YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN A RAFFLE ITEM...

ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE iF YOU PAY BY CHECK. If you cannot make the event but still want to contribute please e-mail Mark Weiser for more details: asongulove@aol.com

Visit www.thecuremusical.com to read about the show, which will be directed by Elizabeth Lucas and musically directed by Mark Hartman.

Become a fan of the show at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-CURE-a-rock-and-roll-fable/117957314883

National Endowment for the Arts = Hope

2009-05-13T12:05:48-04:00

My good friend Charlie sent me an article that sent happy-chills down my spine.

See it here

Rocco Landesman recently spoke at the Commercial Theater Institutes 14 Week Producer Intensive that I took part in. After hearing him speak for the hour, I am convinced he will be perfect for this role in the US.

Congradulations Mr. Landesman on your position as Chairman in the NEA.

Perhaps there is hope after all.

Smash Shack - Always a new way to Entertain!

2009-05-01T21:25:28-04:00

The wikipedia definition of entertainment is: "... an activity designed to give people pleasure or relaxation. An audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games."

As someone who is into the development of entertainment I always keep my radar tuned into innovative and new ideas. Some of my colleagues are interested in producing only plays, others only musicals. Me? I like anything that brings a burst of inspiration into someones day. Especially if it is through the medium of entertainment.

When I was in San Diego last week (Now one of my favorite US cities), I was eating at a diner that had one of those card racks in the lobby. You know, the type that has details on all the local attractions like zoos, shows, go carts, etc. Buried in the heaps of "to do" I found a neat little place that I wanted to share with readers of TrendErtainment. Here it is:

Sarah's Smash Shack

They even have a mobile unit. Imagine a Bar-Mitzvah with a bunch of 13 year old girls breaking glass. I tried to go myself but they were closed by the time I had some play time.

Any other interested forms of "Entertainment" you have come across lately?

Be the Weather

2009-01-26T10:00:00-05:00

My friend Marisa Escolar once asked what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I answered, “I want to be the weather.”

The weather is an experience that people share. It is what people talk about with each other everyday. It affects people’s lives and the way they feel.

I want the entertainment I create to be like the weather (hopefully good weather). I want my project to alter a person’s experience in life. I want a group of people to share a common bond together. Then I want people to go talk about it because they want to share that common bond.

As you develop and market your next property ask yourself, “How can I be the weather?”.

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*Stay tuned for the top 10 list of how to be the weather.

Hire Slowly - Fire Quickly!

2009-01-21T09:00:00-05:00

Learning Styles and Training Part II

Michael Krug is one of my favorite TrendErtainment Subscribers. He often leaves comments that take the blog one step further. In the last post about learning styles and training, Michael commented on the importance of evaluating the current level of skill prior to training a company member. I fully agree with his point of view.

I evaluate the candidate on three criteria outside of their resume itself when hiring for general positions: attitude, aptitude, and skill. I need to know that they have a specific level of “expertise” in order to join a company. Here is what I look for in advance when inviting someone to join my team:

The Criteria

1) Attitude
Is this someone who has a good attitude? If they don’t have a good attitude in the interview process when people are (hopefully) trying to be on their best behavior, they won’t have a good attitude in the work place. During the interview process, how does the candidate represent himself or herself? Will they be a pleasant person to work with or someone you and your team will want to avoid? Is this someone who is taking the job only because they need the money, or is this position going to help them grow? I often ask the individual to tell me about previous employers. I can guarantee you that if they trash the last person they work for, they will bash me too. I like to work with people who have an infectiously positive attitude towards the position they are applying for. It is amazing what a group of properly hired people with high enthusiasm can do for a company.

2) Aptitude
Do they have the ability to learn the specifics of the job assigned to them? Are they willing to learn something new or are they closed off and think they know everything already? Are they open to criticism or are they defensive? Will they learn quickly or will this be a long painstaking and expensive process?

3) Skill
Where is their current level of skill? I need the candidate to have a strong working knowledge of the technical or managerial elements of the role they are applying for. If I am hiring a sound engineer, I need to know they have the skills needed to operate and set up sound equipment.

Variations

Everything is contingent on attitude, regardless of your current skill. - I don’t always care what your level of skill is or your aptitude. In entertainment, we all work like a family. If you have a bad attitude, I don’t care what your current level of skill is or your ability to learn, you are not right for my team.

Just because you have the skill doesn’t mean you can do the job. – Live entertainment has many challenges. Every gig is different. Due to the demands of the theatre, you may have to be flexible with the way you are used to doing things. If you are not willing to learn the job the way it needs to be done for this company, then you are not right for us.

If you are a great person ready to learn but have no practical experience, I can’t use you, yet. – I can’t hire you to be a tour manager if you have absolutely no background in management. The road is tough. I don’t want you making beginner mistakes while in the line of fire. I will remember you though. Come back to me when you have some assistant training (or perhaps when I have an assistant position available).

Hire slowly – Fire Quickly!

It’s that simple, and that hard.

Several times I have made the mistake of not adhering to this golden rule. Every time it bit my team and me in the butt. If you are a road company, I fully acknowledge how difficult it can be to replace someone while in the trenches. Not releasing a bad company member is like staying in a bad relationship- don’t stay with the person if they are not right for you! (Another mistake I made too many times before meeting my wife.)

Tell, Show, Do and Review

2009-01-17T11:03:14-05:00

Asking for Feedback at Training

This has been an intensive week of training for the StarQuest 2009 road staff.

The dance competition world is unlike anything else I have ever experienced in entertainment. It is a mix of reality TV, a pageant, and a pop concert. I can promise you that a new set of rules apply to just about everything when working in a youth oriented dance competition.

This year we have a very strong group of auditors (Judges Managers), and awards managers. After a long week of training, they picked up on the complexities that come along with their positions. The other day we asked them, “…with all this training, and running through the motions of your role, is there anything else we could have done to enhance your learning experience?”.

The young women, already very energized (from what I consider a successful training period) started to rattle off ideas on what could have enhanced the experience for them. The ideas varied and each one involved a different learning style.

Their feedback reinforced my need to revisit learning styles and the importance of incorporating them when training my staff.

The Three Learning Styles:

1) Auditory Learners

2) Visual Learner

3) Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners

Often as managers in entertainment, we don’t take the time to work with these concepts; however, we run into conflicts when we don’t acknowledge that what is a common learning approach for one person, is not the best for another. A visual manager, who uses images to demonstrate to their staff how to do something, gets frustrated with a company member (a kinesthetic learner) when he doesn’t get it. A kinestheic manager gets frustrated when a well-educated auditory learner doesn’t get it after having them do it for the first time.

I don’t have the time to figure out what the best learning style is to teach each and every company member (and I doubt you have the time either). We often have to train entire groups how to accomplish a task – and everyone learns differently!

It is always a safe bet to incorporate the “Tell, Show, Do, and Review” method. It is really simple, and I have experienced and seen it work first hand.

Tell, Show, Do, and Review:

Tell – Tell the company members what the task is, and why it is being done. (This covers the Auditory Learners.)

Show – Do the task yourself, or have a skilled technician do the job. (This covers the Visual Learners.)

Do – Have the company members do the task themselves. (This gets your Kinesthetic learners in on the action.)

Review – Go over with the company what you have done by asking questions and getting feedback. (Reinforces the task overall.)

Everyone utilize all the learning styles in one way or another, so this method embeds the task further for everyone.

So…Before you get frustrated with a very competent employee, ask yourself, “Am I showing them how to do this the way I learn, or the way they need to learn?”.

-- Welcome to the team: Lyssa, Jennifer, Patricia, Stacey, and Leah (The new StarQuest International Auditors and Awards Managers)

What type of learning style works best for YOU?