Artist Management Basics

There seems to be a lot to being an Artist Manager. Some of the duties would include but are not limited to: promoting, building a fan base, booking shows, determining career moves, business deals and recording contracts. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Artist Managers do so much more. They make sure things run smoothly when the artist is on the road, on tour. Making sure the backstage rider is in place and the artist is comfortable and happy. They are the ones who make sure everything runs smoothly.

Artist Managers might have an accounting or business background, as they are usually the ones who work the business side of deals for the artist. It is recommended that the prospective Artist Manager consider taking college courses to be up to date on accounting and business practices.

Getting along with the artist is paramount to a good relationship. Some people consider the artist/manager relationship to function as closely as a marriage would. There has to be a basic groundwork of trust and respect to make it work. If either person breaks that trust, it would be very hard to reestablish the function of the working relationship. Both parties should go into a management contract understanding how important this relationship will be.

Before an artist hires a manager, they should work together informally for a time period agreed upon in order to get to know each other well. Without knowing your manager and his/her style, it would be hard to know whether you could trust this person completely. The manager should be willing and able to produce past references and be open about anything the artist would want to know before signing a contract.

Last and not least, the artist should hire legal counsel before signing any contract. He or she should invest in the legal consultation, as this will affect his or her ability to make money in the future. Going into contracts blindly can have very negative effects on the artist’s career, so this is a must.

Artist and Talent Management

Going into Entertainment Business entails all kinds of different aspects of the business. One of the most interesting, yet least known about (by me) is Artist Management. I was considering what I would do if I were to take up a career in Artist Management and thought the first place I would look would be a professional association.

Professional associations can help gain knowledge, experience and networking contacts when starting out in a new field. That is why I am going to introduce you to the Talent Managers Association (TMA). 

TMA has been in business for over 54 years, giving it the essence of “know how”. Having experience and longevity, one would be interested to find out what they offer to members. This organization is founded on the principle of quality.

The very first thing a future TMA member finds out from them is the code of ethics. TMA is proud of their code of ethics and works to ensure that all members agree to and abide by them. Their purpose is to

“promote and encourage the highest standards of professional
ethics and behavior in the practice of talent management”.  A very good thing, I think we all would agree. Having standards of conduct and professionalism, as an industry standard, brings safety, comfort and reliability to the artists who rely on their managers. Seeing as TMA puts this first on their agenda is very encouraging as an organization worthy of joining. 

Joining the TMA is not a rubber stamped approval. Certain criteria must be met, in order to be accepted. References from licensed SAG/AFTRA franchised talent agents are required for membership. Once approved, the membership adds credibility to the new member and/or his/her company. 

TMA offers a full event calendar booked with many directors and gatherings which would be very interesting to current and future talent agents. The networking parties sound particularly fun and exciting. Becoming a member would be a great way to enhance one’s circle of contacts. 

Along with the listed benefits, the TMA also supports the growth of new members. Experienced members are willing to mentor new agents who become members. 

If I were to decide to go into Artist Management, I believe the TMA would be the first organization I would join in order to gain experience, network with experienced agents and to learn more about the industry. 

References

Talent Mangers Association. http://www.talentmanagers.org/

Women In Film

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Women in Film Organization

Another wonderful organization we can join as filmmakers is WIF: Women in Film. Of course you need to be a woman – it is for women who work in film.

This non-profit organization, located out of Los Angeles, California, is geared to help women in the media production business. It offers them so many benefits that it is impossible to find a reason not to join.

WIF’s mission: “Founded in 1973, Women In Film and its Women In Film Foundation provide for members an extensive network of contacts, educational programs, scholarships, film finishing funds and grants, access to employment opportunities, mentorships and numerous practical services in support of this mission”.

What a wonderful thing to find! Support for women in film. I have experienced a little of the seemingly male dominated field and find this organization to be a haven for women. It offers so many positive programs and opportunities to help women gain their feet in the profession of film.

After researching other organizations and associations, I have to say that this one offers a plethora of benefits to its members. There are just so many things: from education, employment, workshops to events: a member would never be stifled or bored in this group.

One of benefits of joining WIF is the networking opportunities. This organization is host to many industry professionals and well-known women in film. Being able to meet others and get your name out there is a huge advantage. As the website states, it may not what you know but who you know, that gets you the next job. I agree. Having good contacts in show business is essential to move forward. Having mentors in the business can help any career get a start or a boost. I am so very glad to see how they offer the networking breakfasts. This would be a good reason to live close to L.A. and join WIF. The Beverly Hills breakfasts sound so interesting and exciting. I encourage you to check out the website for more information at http://wif.org/foundation/.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful place for any woman working in film. WIF offers so many benefits that the membership fee will pay for itself quite quickly and the opportunities are endless. 

References

Women In Film: WIF. 2012. http://wif.org.

Inspiration: Rob Legato on the Art of Creating Awe

Once in a while I see someone in the movie business that inspires me and it sets a fire deep inside: a fire to create awesome movies. Rob Legato is one of those people. His lecture on Ted .com at http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_legato_the_art_of_creating_awe.html  is very interesting and engaging. His knowledge of special effects is evident and very inspiring. I absolutely loved the way he integrates humor and wit to enhance what he is speaking about.

Mr. Legato was the special effects artist on the movies “Apollo 13”, “Titanic” and “Hugo”. In this presentation he goes behind the scenes to show the audience how he’s achieved the effect. It is very interesting and to me inspiring. His experience is seen by how he can create such spectacular effects to recreate actual events or to build a gap with footage already taken beforehand. It takes a very creative person to understand how to create such intricate and exciting effects, which do create awe in the movies. 

I have to admit that I am a bit jealous. I would love to be the person with years of experience and know how to create such wonder. What a special talent and treat to be able to awe audiences with scenes that look like rockets taking off into space or deep sea exploration. I guess it’s the dreamer in me that resonates with the building of fantasy and making it seem like reality. How truly awesome of a skill to be able to create such things! 

You can tell from his presentation that Rob is a smart man with a quick wit. He is very entertaining and personable. I believe it takes both qualities to be able to relate well with other people. If he was branding himself, he would definitely be able to brand his knowledge and skill but also his very outgoing personality. He is a fun person to listen to during the presentation and I would recommend it to anyone, especially to anyone interested in making movies. 

As I’ve done some soul searching, it seems that special effects and animation have a yearning place in my heart. I hope my entertainment journey takes me on a route in one or both of these fields. 

Reference:  http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_legato_the_art_of_creating_awe.html.

Professional Update: Colorado Film & Video Association

In my other blogs I’ve mentioned various associations which a film/video professional could join. Upon searching locally, I found another association that would benefit Coloradoan filmmakers.

As a media professional, joining various associations can increase your networks, bring you more customers, help with marketing and help you keep up with industry standards. Finding the right organization that meets your needs is important; as they can help you gain experience and knowledge in your field.

Being in Colorado, one of the more prominent associations is the Colorado Film and Video Association (CFVA).  “Formed in 1982, CFVA is the oldest and largest media production organization in Colorado” (CFVA, 2011).  

What I like most about this association, other than all of their awesome benefits, is the price of membership. It’s not restrictive and most filmmakers would be able to afford joining. I give them high praise for keeping their fees down, therefore giving start-ups a chance to benefit from their membership.

Speaking of membership benefits, the CFVA publishes your company in the Colorado Production Guide. This marketing and networking tool is a nice way to be seen and found by other professionals. This comes in handy when trying to put together a local crew for a film shoot. 

Other benefits include free admission to all CFVA events, education and training workshops, access to CFVA business services such as health and accounting services, and discounted admissions to co-sponsored CFVA events. 

CFVA also has committees which you can join to make a difference for the film industry in Colorado. One of their past programs which impacted the film industry was the support raised to help pass the House Bill 12-1286, which was written to increase Colorado’s film incentives from 10% to 20%. CFVA created a matching funds program for raising money to help lobby the bill. Success was reached when this bill passed in May of 2012. Colorado’s film industry has been working to bring more productions to Colorado and now they have a new avenue to help increase the productions here. CFVA helped bring this success to the film industry! 

Overall, CFVA is a great organization to be a part of in Colorado. I look forward to getting involved and learning from the experienced professionals that make up this association.

Membership. (2011). Retrieved August  10, 2012, from  http://cfva.com/membership.

Ted Talks: Iain McGilchrist: The Divided Brain

Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist speaks about the theory how the left brain vs. the right brain functions. He explains in his talk on Ted.com how the brain is not divided and uses both halves of the brain to function in every situation.  His illustrated talk is very quick, yet understandable and enlightening.

Dr. McGilchrist explains how the Western society has viewed the brain as two parts: one of reason and one of imagination.  I love how he says that “this organ, which is all about making connections, is profoundly divided”.  He declares that the understanding that the human brain is divided into one of imagination and one of reason is incorrect. 

He states that the right hemisphere of the brain gives a broad attention to vigilance of what is happening around the person, whereas the left hemisphere is giving its attention, narrowly to detail. He goes into an intricately explained speech on how the mind works together with the help of the frontal lobes to determine reasoning and imagination. It’s very interesting and I don’t have the ability to restate what he so eloquently explains, other than to say that he brings it all together nicely. 

This speech is illustrated by an animation with a hand drawing pictures as he speaks. It’s very entertaining and helps bring the ideas to the audience in a clear and succinct manner.  Dr. McGilchrist gains the audience’s attention through the artwork along with his very believable ideas. He gains their trust by explaining how the brain works and narrates the ideas with graphics. Both, the ideas and the graphics build trust and give him credibility on these new ideas about the brain and how it functions.

He explains how the left hemisphere of the brain views the world’s lifeless objects whereas the right hemisphere is more about living objects such as people, plants, etc. He tells how the two intermix to create reality for the person and how every person’s brain mixes these things differently. 

Dr. McGilchrist’s ideas about how the Western society was built mainly on left brain activities, is very intriguing. He goes on to say that the world as we know it now is very left brain signified through the “virtual being more important than the real”. How “the technological becomes important and there is a loss of uniqueness”.  Basically, how the left brain functions have overshadowed the more intuitive side of the right brain in our societies. He goes on to explain how we are living paradoxical lives, where, as we “seek happiness it builds resentment and unhappiness which leads to mental illness”. 

The speech is very complex yet intriguing. I like how he ends with a quote from Einstein, “The intuitive mind is a gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant”.  He says that “we’ve created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift”.   There in a nutshell is the crux of his whole speech: how we have focused on the strengths of the left hemisphere (reason, purpose, knowledge) and have forgotten, as a society, the very valuable strengths of the right hemisphere (love, emotion, intuitiveness).  I highly recommend viewing this lecture yourself at: The Brain Divided. 

McGilchrist, Iain. The Divided Brain. [Animated lecture]. Retrieved from Best of the Web at

     TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/iain_mcgilchrist_the_divided_brain.html.

DPVA Association

Professional organizations and trade associations are a great way to connect with other professionals in your field. For filmmakers, there are many to choose from. This week I found one that is new to me and looks very interesting: The Digital Video Professionals Association.

This association has been in business since 1998 and has worldwide membership. Membership includes benefits from being in contact with experienced professionals, to training, to discounts on equipment to project networking opportunities. 

Some of you may wonder why a “filmmaker” might be interested in Digital Video. Generally, it’s due to the fact that film is being used less and less. This organization is keeping current with everything Digital Video has to offer. Cost cutting in films could be achieved by filming with DV instead of going to through the arduous process and cost of using film. Therefore, I feel it’s important to cover both mediums of film and DV.

DVPA is affordable for whomever would like to join, whether as an individual or as a corporation or as an educator. Their plans are reasonably priced and they have included some very nice bonus items to sweeten the membership deal. 

One of the most attractive programs the DPVA offers is free training to its members. This is very impactful on the industry, as it gives each artist the opportunity to expand their skill set. This is valuable to the person learning as well to the industry, as it brings up the level of knowledge in the people creating the media. This allows for better graphics and techniques being used across the industry and brings the standard of quality up. 

Another service this group offers is an area of message boards. It is used for anyone who wants to list a job, list their abilities for hire, list productions looking for talent, etc.  Bringing people together and helping them move forward in their productions and work is extremely helpful. Having access to like minded individuals and companies is a wonderful benefit for artists looking to find talent or connect their talent to a production. 

I give this organization a thumbs up!