Business Card Contest

June 1, 2010 by Dennis Baker 

Well, I am back from the dead, or at least a busy month of May, with end of semester grading, final teaching artist workshops and preparing for the understudy run of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which is running till June 13th at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ.

To celebrate my return to the blogosphere, I am holding a contest. It is time for new business cards.

Details: Below are three versions I am debating over. All you need to do is leave a comment saying which one you like. I will pick one comment by random to win.

Prize: One hour search engine optimization consultation.

Expiration: 6pm EST on Friday, June 4th

Card #1

Card #2

Card #3

Update: Card #4 (based on Devon’s comment)

Update: Card #5 (based on Ann’s comment)

Update: Back of Card

Filed under: Social Media, Web 2.0, Web Design
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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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The Launch of Dennis Baker Design

March 21, 2008 by Dennis Baker 

I am working on launching my new design company,

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. I promise my work will be more creative than the title. It will take the place of my current design company Website for Actors. I am looking to go live Sunday, March 30th as Dennis Baker Design will be at the ActorFirstNY Party and Career Fair. Below are the details if you are in NYC.

Sunday March 30th, 4:00 pm
The Producers Club Theaters
358 W 44th St
Btwn 8th & 9th Ave

From 4:00 -7:00pm we will have tables set up where you can meet acting teachers, photographers, video production services & other acting service related companies/individuals. This is of course FREE for you as a way to say thank you.

There will be drink specials & again “NO COVER”

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Filed under: Acting, Web Design
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Hitting the Pavement

January 29, 2008 by Dennis Baker 

Life is busy! I was the city three days last week for drop offs, design interviews, auditions, and classes. I have been doing some “strategic” drop offs to casting directors. What is great about New York is I can walk/take the subway and do three or four drop offs in an hour, which would have taken two hours or more in LA. I also had a three hour callback for Romeo & Juliet at the Pax Amicus Castle Theater. It was intense, but fun. The most difficult thing was that it was my first audition. They called me into a callback straight from my headshot, which was nice, but I did feel like the underdog. They went into rehearsal today, and I did not get the call. It was good to work on the skills I am learning from John Basil at the American Globe Conservatory. John is one of the best teachers I have had in a long time and would highly recommend him.

On the web design front I had an interview with fusionlab. I felt the interview went well and the job is a perfect fit for me. Hopefully I will hear from them soon. I have also been interning over at Slideluck Potshow, helping them as they are doing a major update to their website. Things are even getting busier so stay tuned…

Filed under: Acting, New York, Shakespeare, Web Design
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Practical Undergrad Degree

November 23, 2007 by Dennis Baker 

If I had to do it over again, I would have my undergraduate degree is something practical. I would have majored in Business or Graphic Design and minored in Theater. I am realizing that when I am done with graduate school, it is going to take me another year or two of classes and hands on experience to make me viable in the Web/Graphic Design field.

I know I will need a “day” job to supplement the acting work and I wish I had prepared for that job in a better way. They say that you should not look for a back-up to acting, but let’s be honest, you should! Since I did not it is going to take me longer and cost me more money to get a “day” job that I enjoy, pays well, and gives me time to audition. Doing the typical actor “day” jobs like waiting tables or substitute teaching usually means more hours for less pay.

So heads up to any seniors/undergrad peeps. Get a practical undergraduate degree. With a minor in theater and with classes/work you can get outside of school you will be prepared to enter the field of acting. And if you want more intense training that is the time to get your MFA. Because once you are done with graduate school you will be glad you have a degree to get a good “day” job while you are auditioning.

Filed under: Web Design
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Summer Plans

June 21, 2007 by Dennis Baker 

I am working with Graphic Design USA three times a week in New York City. The company produces a monthly graphic design magazine that is used by various graphic design companies to track trends. GD USA also runs various contests. I have been hired to help with their website tracking and process the current contest they are running. American Graphic Design Awards is a three decade-old competition sponsored exclusively by Adobe Systems Incorporated. It is open to everyone in the community: advertising agencies, graphic design firms, corporate, institutional and publishing inhouse departments, and more. It honors outstanding new work of all kinds: print and collateral, packaging and point-of-purchase, internet and interactive design, broadcast and motion graphics, corporate identity and logos. Winners receive an embossed Certificate of Excellence for each piece selected and become eligible for reproduction in Graphic Design USA’s Awards Annual, a 300-page edition which will be seen by more than 100,000 at ad agencies, graphic design firms, inhouse departments and more during the course of the year.

I also have signed up with Central Casting, an extra casting company in the city. They are known as the premiere extra casting company in Los Angeles, but only have had offices in NYC for about a year. I am eligible to join actor’s equity, the theater union, once I complete three days of extra work as a SAG member. I also have to wait till I have been a SAG member for a year, which will be in September. The office seems pretty quite right now. They are gearing up to do a movie of the week in July in Connecticut for Oprah’s production company. Hopefully I can get some work on that project. I have also sent in headshots to Extra Extra Casting, Kee Casting, and Amerifilm Casting.

I have researched and found a web design certificate program at Middlesex County College in the nearby town of Edison. I missed the summer dates for the Dreamweaver and Photoshop classes. I will be enrolling in three classes this summer: Database concepts, PHP programming, and PHP and SQL Database. I am excited to get these tools under my belt and be able to get to the next level in this profession. Next summer I am planning on taking classes in Dreamweaver, Flash, and Photoshop. If I am able to also want to do two online courses in JSP and Javascript.

Last, but not least, I am also tutoring in math and SAT math prep. I am currently working with an organization called Club Z. I just completed working with a student in Algebra and now working with a student in Geometry. I have also placed ads on Craigslist in the New York and Central New Jersey area. I am hoping those will create some leads to round out the week of work.

Filed under: Acting, Film, New York, Web Design
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Back in LA

February 10, 2006 by Dennis Baker 

We are back in LA. The auditions went well. University of Iowa and Rutgers were the two schools that seemed the most interested. Indiana University also expressed some interest. Overall, Rutgers gave me the most positive feedback, saying they wanted to fly me out to see the school.

I still have Cal State Long Beach audition tomorrow and UCLA in two weeks. More and more I am thinking about it, I think Rutgers is the place Karen and I will end up. I have always received good feedback from them. While at the interview they told me they wanted me to come last year, but I did not officially apply to the school. Last year would not have been a good year for Karen and I to leave LA for New Jersey. This year is a little different. I will not know for sure till I hear back from schools in April. We plan to go visit Rutgers the first week of April, after we return from Europe.

Filed under: Acting, Auditioning, Graduate School, Los Angeles, Music, Rutgers, Web Design
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