Ask Yourself

How Dirty is Free?

Fast and Free seem to be the new sheik business model : 

 

Google = Fast and free

YouSendIt.com = Fast and Free

FreeConferanceCall.com = Fast and Free

Zoho = Fast and Free

Pandora = Fast and Free

SethGodin.com = Fast and Free

Facebook = Fast and Free

The list goes on…

 

Check out this great list of fast and free services provided by Inc Magazine. Now-a-days even the free services are fighting for attention! In the 80’s I don’t think many businesses would have agreed with this “free” philosophy. Remember when you could buy the Encyclopedia in grocery stores? They tried to lure you into buying the whole set by selling you the volume of “A” for 99 cents. I bet Britannica would have never thought their competition was going to a free service.

 

* * *

 

I am in the process of develop several new projects, all of which will have free services attached to them. So…I posed the question: If the future model of business is “Free”, how will it work economically for businesses?

 

In my studies to understand why free is so popular for businesses right now I found the following fantabulous analogy and here it is:

 

The Bikini Concept Introduced by marketing writer Sean D'Souza.

 

By giving away 90%, the user is willing to “pay” to see the last 10%.

 

I know…I hear you saying “How chauvinistic Mr. Sudarski!”, (That was my family name before we got off the boat). 

 

It is the last 10% that is of monetary worth to the consumer. How far are you willing to give your audience, customer, or client? What last 10% can be unrevealed that has so much value that “they” will do anything to get the last part? Isn’t that what the Broadway performances at the the Tony’s and the Thanksgiving Day parade are all about on a small level? BroadwaySpace.com has started to offer their audience base free access to the stars. Will live entertainment continue to have a free models like this in the future?

 

Have you done anything FREE and gained business from doing so? Will you do it again?

 

Do Choregoraphers Have Software?

 Playwrights have software to make their life easier.

Lighting designers have software make their life easier.

Set Designers have software make their life easier.

General Managers have software to make their life easier.

Almost every creative and administrative department in live entertainment has some sort of computer software supplement to enhance their productivity and abilities. What about choreographers?

* * *

Check out this 30 second video explaining the new ChoreoPro software for Choreographers and Stage Managers:

The product is not released yet, but I have been told it will come out shortly. In the meantime you can request a trial version ChoreoPro through their web site.

I enjoy when someone takes something that already exists (In this case dance) and figures out how to make it better through technology.

Who can this help?

Dance Competition World = Some studio directors have to create anywhere from 25-50 group dances a season. With this tool, the directors can start imputing information as they are inspired and not have to rely on chicken scratch note pads to translate their thoughts.

Pre-Broadway = In the course of a Broadway show’s development phase dancers are made, cut, changed, and re-configured to work with scenery or a change in story line. With a software like this the Assistant Choreographer, Dance Captain, or Stage Manager will be able to update the module so no one has to ask, “What did we do yesterday?”.

After Opening = Have a long running show that has a casting change, or one of your ensemble dancers ate too much sushi? Your Dance Captain, Stage manager, and dancers can use this tool to cut rehearsal time down and improve accuracy.

Event Planners = If you are a production company that caters to the high-end event market, you will have to show your client in advance what the sets, lighting, and costumes will look like. You even have to go as far as showing your client what the napkins, table settings, and mints in the bathroom will be like. In the past you were unable to show them what the movement on the stage was going to be like. Now you can.

* * * 

Do you think this product will have merit in the marketplace, do you think something like this exists? Do you think this will make like on the stage easier or more complex?

Leave your comments here!

When Money Doesn't Talk - Partnerships in Entertainment

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!

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.)

Twittering the Birth of a New Company

You can now find me on Twitter under the name MICedar.

Lots of incredible things in the works for 2009. I would love to have you join me for the ride.

Why did I join twitter other than the fact that it’s a fun toy for my iGoogle page and blackberry?:

1) It is a really neat way to archive the creation of Future Generations Entertainment.
2) Another way to market my services as an Entertainment Professional.
3)) I can see what other people in entertainment and business are doing.
4) Hands on experience of how I can incorporate Web 2.0. into my new projects.

Want to learn more about how Twitter can assist your business: A great blog posting on the benefits of Twitter here.

Do any of you have a Twitter account. Feel free to list it in the comments section below!

Unionize Yourself !

For those of you who are freelancing in the entertainment world bring your attention to The Freelancers Union.

You see their ads in the subways and on the buses in New York City, but have you visited there website?

Free to join!It is comforting to know that we can work for ourselves and still have the support of a large organization behind us.

From networking opportunities to affordable family health insurance, this organization has amenities that some may find are hard to find or too expensive to obtain on your own.