The Global Media Site for Entertainment.
Menu
Before we look at how to get work in this area, we should define the entertainment industry, or at least clarify the subject. It encompasses music, theater, film, comedy, and other disciplines that would make up what used to be called variety, such as magicians, ventriloquists, and novelty acts.
Someone who comes on stage in a grass skirt and juggles with coconuts before showing us how to strip the fibers off it and set fire to them without using match or a lighter, then cracking the nut and extinguishing the fire with coconut water. That, as at least two songs say, is entertainment. Although working in the industry doesn’t necessarily mean being a performer, it is certainly the face of it..
Perseverance
There is no substitute for it. The applies to every branch of the entertainment business: perseverance. This is not a business for the faint-hearted. Not only will you have to face the judgement of all and sundry when you get up and do your stuff, but you will also have to suffer rejection by promoters, managers, and agents. As a musician you will be sitting in the record company A&R department’s office while the gum chewing character behind the desk stares out the window before saying, “It doesn’t knock me out,” or words to that effect. The determined would-be star takes that and moves on to the next company and keeps on moving on until they either get accepted or die of disillusionment. Actors get jobs as waiters or receptionists while waiting for the phone to ring. Comedians get their heart broken by audiences in clubs who think being funny is easy. Such is the reality of wanting to be a star. But there are other options. Be a suit, a tradesman, or a techie.
It takes a lot to build a successful stage management team or otherwise team of entertainment professionals.
In theater and cinema there are the technicians, electricians, carpenters, and painters, make-up artists, voice coaches. In dance there are choreographers. In the field of live music, the sound crew sets up the rig, the guitar tech gets the instruments ready so the performer can pick up the Fender Stratocaster and find it in normal tuning and perfectly in tune, then switch to the Gibson Les Paul and find it open-tuned and ready for some bottleneck playing. There is the one on the mixing desk and the one doing the lighting, following the singer around with a spotlight and observing a list of cues to keep people’s attention where it should be.
Financing Your Dream
So far, so idealistic or even pragmatic. But where is the money going to come from? What kind of college degree do you need to be successful? How much do you need to cover the fees and living costs while you study? If you are about to finish college or you’ve just done that, you probably have a student loan to deal with. If so, it’s time to go and talk to your lender about getting a student loan refinance so you can cut back on your monthly expenses. If they won’t go for that, shop around and see who might be prepared to do it, then move your business over to them. There is no substitute for perseverance, so get your business head on, do your research, create a business plan, then go out and get it.
Run The Whole Show
Promoters are entrepreneurs who set things up all the time. Every one-off gig is an event at which people need to be paid and therefore negotiated with. Venues must be booked, equipment must be hired, advertising must be done, and security arranged. You can start off small, putting on local bands in the back room of a bar or hotel, and move on up through your business acumen until you’re filling Madison Square Garden and selling out six months at one venue in Las Vegas.
Write or Talk About It
Journalism and broadcasting present a great opportunity to be part of the business even if you’re not good enough to make it big. If you can capture the essence of a song or a performance in nothing more than printed words, you can take people to a gig when they were never anywhere near it. If you can talk knowledgeably and convincingly about music or film or whatever, you could have a future in radio or TV.
Blog
The advent of the internet with its potential for publishing yourself has given everyone the chance to air their views on whatever subject appeals to them. Overheads are low, you can set up a professional looking website quite easily, then all you have to do is fill it with your thoughts, build an audience and monetize it. Bloggers can move into the mainstream or stay in their own medium, maybe getting established as an expert who is called upon to voice an opinion in other media.
Time and Money: Narrowing Down the College List
Guest Posts are written by featured authors who are not frequent contributors to TheatreArtLife. Details of the contributor can be found within each article unless the author wishes to remain anonymous. If you would like to submit a guest article to TheatreArtLife, please visit TheatreArtLife.com/Contribute or select CONTRIBUTE in the menu.
Read Full Profile
© 2021 TheatreArtLife. All rights reserved.
Thank you so much for reading, but you have now reached your free article limit for this month.
Our contributors are currently writing more articles for you to enjoy.
To keep reading, all you have to do is become a subscriber and then you can read unlimited articles anytime.
Your investment will help us continue to ignite connections across the globe in live entertainment and build this community for industry professionals.
