Building Your Personal Brand

May 26, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

In this tough economy many people are becoming freelancers. According to a recent New York Times article, “More than 14.8 million people were self-employed last year, accounting for about 12 percent of the private, nonfarm work force.” The first thing one needs to do as a rockstar freelancer is to create a personal brand. A great source is the Rockable’s minibook Rockstar Personal Branding. There are so many blogs out there as well as many freelancers and entrepreneurs. A personal brand helps you stand out from the crowd. It puts an image to you, the business. The minibook breaks down personal branding to five points: positioning yourself, building reputation, crafting the elevator pitch, blogging, and perfecting the package.

Positioning Yourself
Position yourself for what, you might ask? What is your selling position, specifically your unique selling plan. What are you putting out there for people to buy? Is it clear? What do you do that no one else if offering or that you do better? Can that be highlighted above many different skills that you possess? Are you formally a real estate broker who is now in web design? Than you can market to the real estate industry claiming you are one of them and therefore know how to market to their business’ needs.

Building Reputation
To build a reputation you will need to meet people and get your brand out to the public. One can gain credibility by joining trade organizations, attending conferences, publish an article or teaching a class at their local community college. Doing this, while learning your trade, can help build your reputation even before you get your first client.

Crafting the Elevator Pitch
How can you say the most about your brand in the smallest amount of time? Four key areas to focus on: who you are, what make you unique, what do you do, and why should the listener care? Remember this is a sales pitch, that should not sound like a sales pitch. Keep it short and make it personal.

Blogging
Google, and other search engines, like to see a website with updated content. A blog is the best way to do this. Updating your blog often will most likely get your name to #1 in Google search. A blog is a way for your brand to have a conversation with potential clients. You can write about the latest trends in your profession, while people can comment and interact with the brand. The longer you write and become established the more of an authority you will become.

Perfecting the Package
The package consists of all the things that represent your brand like business cards, logo, photos, bio, and design elements. They all need to have a cohesive aspects to create the whole package. Is your brand fun and vibrant or cutting edge and trendy? Your package will communicate this to potential clients and will help create a feeling about your brand.

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3 days left to win the Twitter Ticket Contest. Click here to Retweet (RT) the free one ticket giveaway for the May 31st performance of New York Theatre Workshop’s Things of Dry Hours.

Filed under: Social Media, Web 2.0, Web Design
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TEDtalks: Sir Ken Robinson says School Kills Creativity

May 25, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

“In the next 30 years more people world wide will be graduating through education than since the beginning of history. Suddenly degrees aren’t worth anything. When I was a student if you had a degree you had a job and if you didn’t have a job it is because you didn’t want one. Now you need an M.A. where the previous job required a B.A. and now you need a PhD for the other. Its the process of academic inflation. It indicates the whole structure of education of shifting beneath our feet.”

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4 days left to win the Twitter Ticket Contest. Click here to Retweet (RT) the free one ticket giveaway for the May 31st performance of New York Theatre Workshop’s Things of Dry Hours.

Filed under: Creativity, Graduate School, Teaching
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Building Relationships with Local Theaters

May 24, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

When a small New York theater company reports that they received 700 submissions for 22 parts in their summer production, it is a telling factor of the odds one actor has in getting an audition, let alone a part. How does this fair for larger regional theaters that hold EPA auditions in New York? People stand in line sometimes as early as 5am to make sure they get an audition. While at the same time, some of these companies still hold auditions, through their casting directors, for actors that were submitted through agents.

Instead of only doing these cattle call auditions, an actor needs to find other ways to build relationships. What are possible ways to skip the middle man and go directly to the buyers, the directors and artistic directors?

Define Your Area
What regional theaters are in your area? Define your area. Is it the theaters that are less than an hour drive from your home? Is it two hours? Be clear so you can have a purposeful marketing and networking plan.

Research
Once you have made a list of all the theaters in your area, do the research. Go online and find out what their season is going to be. From their you can determine what roles you would be right for. Send an odd-size mailer of your headshot to the artistic director wishing them good luck on the season and that you would like to submit for a role. Read any of the plays that are not familiar. Also research the artistic director. Are they new to the area? Are they originally from your hometown? This information will help when you meet them at opening night.

Opening Night
If the production you are submitting for is later in the season, go see the other productions. Opening night would be the best night to go, as it is almost guaranteed the artistic director will be there. Don’t be shy (also don’t be pushy or rude) and introduce yourself. If this is after you sent your mailing, then the artistic director might remember you. Make the conversation about the current production and the artistic director. Do not make the conversation all about you and how you would be perfect for their upcoming production. The point of this meeting is not to sell yourself, but to begin a professional relationship with someone in your field. Don’t sound like a needy, out of work actor.

Don’t Forget the Middle Man
While doing all this work, do not ignore the casting director that the theater company hires for each production. You can find out who the casting director is in the Playbill of the production you just saw, or maybe on their website. The artistic director might ask the casting director about you once they see your mailing, or meet you, and it would be good to have a headshot in the casting office so they can look you up.

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5 days left to win the Twitter Ticket Contest. Click here to Retweet (RT) the free one ticket giveaway for the May 31st performance of New York Theatre Workshop’s Things of Dry Hours.

Filed under: Acting, Auditioning, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
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Twitter Contest for Free Ticket to Things of Dry Hours

May 23, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

This is for my twitter followers! (Become a DENNIS BAKER LLC twitter follower)

Click here to Retweet (RT) the free one ticket giveaway for the May 31st performance of New York Theatre Workshop’s Things of Dry Hours. Do it any time before midnight on May 29th and you will be automatically entered to win.

Filed under: New York, Social Media, Theater/Theatre, Web 2.0
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Social Media Is All About Relationships

May 23, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

“However, the main source of return from social media simply isn’t quantifiable. We’re talking about trying to quantify human interaction and communication.” – Technology in the Arts

A must read for anyone working with Social Media, Rethinking ROI for Social Media

Filed under: Social Media, Web 2.0
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Being Broke Does Not Enhance Creativity

May 20, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

Originally posted by Mike Daisey:

Filed under: Creativity
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Discount Tickets to New York Theatre Workshop’s Things of Dry Hours

May 18, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

It pays to be a reader of DENNIS BAKER LLC!

New York Theatre Workshop is offering discount tickets to DENNIS BAKER LLC readers to their production of Things of Dry Hours written by Naomi Wallace and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

Naomi Wallace’s Things of Dry Hours marks the return to the New York stage of famed stage and screen star Delroy Lindo, who received Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations for his last Broadway appearance in the original Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Lindo is joined on stage by OBIE Award-winner Roslyn Ruff, who just earned rave reviews for her performance in Athol Fugard’s Coming Home at Long Wharf and Garret Dillahunt (No Country for Old Men). Set in Depression-era Alabama, Things of Dry Hours tells the story of Tice Hogan (Lindo), an African American out-of-work Sunday school teacher and member of the Communist Party, and his daughter Cali (Ruff) whose lives get turned upside down when they take in a mysterious white factory worker (Dillahunt) on the run. Tony Award-winning actor/writer/producer Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Lackawanna Blues, Seven Guitars) directs.

Tickets for performances on May 22 & 23 are just $32.50 each and tickets for performances on May 26 – June 28 are just $40.00 (reg. $65). Tickets must be purchased by June 8, 2009.

Use code DHTB424 when ordering.

To purchase tickets, call (212) 947-8844 or visit www.broadwayoffers.com

New York Theatre Workshop also offers both Student Tickets and CheapTix Sundays.

CheapTix Sundays: All tickets for all Sunday evening performances at 7pm are just $20 each! Tickets are available in advance but must be purchased at the NYTW box office on a cash-only basis.

Student Tickets: Full-time students with a valid student ID may purchase $20 tickets for all performances (subject to availability). Limit one ticket per ID. Tickets must be purchased in person and require an ID at the box office.

The NYTW box office is located at 79 East 4th Street (between Second Avenue and Bowery) and is open Tuesday – Saturday from 1pm – 6pm.

**If you are feeling lucky, NYTW is giving away a pair of tickets on Twitter every Thursday. The winner may use their tickets for any of the following performances: May 22 @ 8pm, May 23 @ 8pm, May 24 @ 7pm. Sometime between the hours of 12pm and 5pm @NYTW79 will be tweeting a link to enter and win tickets. The first individual to follow the link and enter will receive a pair of complimentary tickets.

Filed under: New York, Theater/Theatre
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TEDtalks: Elizabeth Gilbert on the Creative Mystery

May 1, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

Thanks for Dr. Scott Walter over at Theatre Ideas for this…

“Why does creativity and suffering have to be linked?”

“Allowing one person to believe that he or she is the vessel, the font, the essence and source of all divine, creative, unknowable eternal mystery is too much responsibility to put on one fragile human physique…it completely warps and distorts egos and it creates unmanageable expectations about performance and I think the pressure of that has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years.”

Filed under: Creativity
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