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looking for advice
I have some questions about personal managers and agent stuff for you heavy hitters out there who are represented by someone other than just yourselves. This seems to be something that would benefit me as well. Work SMARTER instead of harder, right?
I've worked with local agents and such, I'm pretty well known locally. There's just not much local business and busking is, frankly, becoming a chronic pain in the ass. So I've hit the wall- What I'd like to do is to get some gigs (especially corporate gigs) nationally/internationally. I'd really like to travel and get paid to do so like some of you do. What I'm working on right now is using some of the agent/booking resources in the library area and compiling a mailing database to send off promo material to the four corners of the universe. This is a pretty ambitious undertaking for me. What I'd really like to know is what I should realistically expect from this effort? Is this common? Has/does/would anybody else do this? Also, I'm aware that agents are not the most trustworthy folks in the world. Am I just asking to get ripped off this way?
I'm also looking for ideas that would help me define a market for myself: There are caricature artists all over the country who could be hired just as easily. What can I tweak in my performance that would make an agent want to fly me in to do a job over hiring a local person to do a gig? For instance, Pablo does a cool stage show with a message for kids and stuff as his schtick which strongly defines his considerable market with schools. Not many guys do that. It's unique. That's worth a flight! My uniqueness is my speed. I do strolling caricatures in between 15-60 seconds. Although I do 3-10(+!) times as many caricatures per hour as most artists are capable of, I currently can only charge about the same amount as the local artists do. Although I have reached the goal I set for myself speed-wise, and I do have the favor of some agents, I have hit a wall in the money department. It's not getting me much more work and is actually a disadvantage for me financially as I draw more people in less billable hours. Any ideas on how I can turn this into the asset it should be financially? How can I make this a more marketable advantage for me and make me worth a flight? I'm open to suggestions!
My plan as of right now, is to just flatly mail out all of my info to corporate agents, national and international agents, cruise lines, venues, and such and hope they call me when they have the kind of work that would be appropriate for me. (I'm sharing this info with my cousin who is a musician, so my personal target group remains broader than it really needs to be. What's a few more stamps? Perhaps if the agent doesn't represent caricature artists, maybe their performers could use a sweet caricature to enhance their visual promotions). However, when it comes to personal management, I'm pretty confused. Wouldn't I want a personal manager to be sending me their information if they want to represent me? It seems to me that they would want my business as someone they could represent. How does this work?
I've worked with local agents and such, I'm pretty well known locally. There's just not much local business and busking is, frankly, becoming a chronic pain in the ass. So I've hit the wall- What I'd like to do is to get some gigs (especially corporate gigs) nationally/internationally. I'd really like to travel and get paid to do so like some of you do. What I'm working on right now is using some of the agent/booking resources in the library area and compiling a mailing database to send off promo material to the four corners of the universe. This is a pretty ambitious undertaking for me. What I'd really like to know is what I should realistically expect from this effort? Is this common? Has/does/would anybody else do this? Also, I'm aware that agents are not the most trustworthy folks in the world. Am I just asking to get ripped off this way?
I'm also looking for ideas that would help me define a market for myself: There are caricature artists all over the country who could be hired just as easily. What can I tweak in my performance that would make an agent want to fly me in to do a job over hiring a local person to do a gig? For instance, Pablo does a cool stage show with a message for kids and stuff as his schtick which strongly defines his considerable market with schools. Not many guys do that. It's unique. That's worth a flight! My uniqueness is my speed. I do strolling caricatures in between 15-60 seconds. Although I do 3-10(+!) times as many caricatures per hour as most artists are capable of, I currently can only charge about the same amount as the local artists do. Although I have reached the goal I set for myself speed-wise, and I do have the favor of some agents, I have hit a wall in the money department. It's not getting me much more work and is actually a disadvantage for me financially as I draw more people in less billable hours. Any ideas on how I can turn this into the asset it should be financially? How can I make this a more marketable advantage for me and make me worth a flight? I'm open to suggestions!
My plan as of right now, is to just flatly mail out all of my info to corporate agents, national and international agents, cruise lines, venues, and such and hope they call me when they have the kind of work that would be appropriate for me. (I'm sharing this info with my cousin who is a musician, so my personal target group remains broader than it really needs to be. What's a few more stamps? Perhaps if the agent doesn't represent caricature artists, maybe their performers could use a sweet caricature to enhance their visual promotions). However, when it comes to personal management, I'm pretty confused. Wouldn't I want a personal manager to be sending me their information if they want to represent me? It seems to me that they would want my business as someone they could represent. How does this work?
) and creative. You are such a great group of people to pose this question to!
) agents and personal managers. As of now, I'm planning on blindly sending out like 1500+ letters to various agents and managers world wide. I'm sick when I think of the possibilities, good and bad. Something I feel that I gotta do though. I'm particularly worried and tingly 
about the non-english speaking countries and their reception of an english promo from an American. I've heard that American entertainers are very well received in foreign countries but some insight would not only be helpful but IMMENSELY interesting to me! Any thoughts?
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