Anatomy of a (Missed) Interview Booking

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

Depending on whether you’re a glass half-full or glass half-empty person will determine whether you are drawn to the artist (or artists) in this post who blew it on potentially getting booked for an interview, or, the individual who seized the moment and was successful in consummating the appearance. 

Here is the timeline of events that I had a front row seat for recently, with names withheld, of course, to avoid public embarrassment.  Like any other entry that gets posted here each Monday, read and learn.

To set this up, understand that Artist A contacted me to initiate the conversation, not the other way around. 

Monday, dinner time – Artist A agrees over Instagram DMs to be interviewed for “Now Hear This Entertainment” that coming Saturday in-person in Orlando.

I ask then and again the next morning what time we can meet to record.  I have gotten a hotel to agree to let us use space in their facility for an hour at no charge, but they are asking me when this will take place. 

Tuesday, late morning – The guest’s mother (manager) is now taking over the DMs and gives me a specific time, so I let the hotel know that we will be there at 1:30.

Tuesday evening – I email the address the artist’s mother provided just over an hour ago, giving the details and instructions, including what I need sent back to me to prepare for the interview. 

Wednesday afternoon – Through Instagram DM I ask if the email that I’d sent last night has been seen.

Wednesday dinner time – The artist’s mother says no (“Haven’t checked it yet”), so I reply and mention that there were assets I was asking to have sent back by dinner time Thursday. 

Early Thursday evening – The artist’s mother DMs me to ask if I got it yet (note that last word).

Friday morning – I write back and say No (and that I’d even checked my Spam folder). 

Friday lunchtime – The artist’s mother writes back and says that someone in the band was supposed to have sent the email.  Thus, the use of the word ‘yet’ above, meaning, (unbeknownst to me) she wasn’t actually the one sending what I’d asked for.

At this point we are just under 25 hours until the interview is supposed to happen. 

Friday afternoon – The artist’s mother explains that the band member is going through some family issues, so instead she “will get into my emails right now and send you the information needed.”

Friday, just before dinner time – I send a message saying that I’m “standing by, watching my email closely as I need to get started with this ASAP.” 

Friday evening – I send a message saying that “I just checked my email and still don’t see anything.  We’re really cutting it close here.  Hoping you’re working on everything I asked to have sent for tomorrow’s interview?”

The artist’s mother responds, “I am I’m working on an (sic) I apologize for how close we are cutting this…”  I answer with, “Okay.  I will keep watching my email.” 

Two hours, 21 minutes later (now 10:28pm Friday night) – I message the artist’s mother and tell her, “At this point we might just have to cancel,” and the response I get starts with, “I think so.”

I text a colleague in California asking if there’s a potential referral that can be made last-minute so as to fill-in (over Skype) Monday (or “Sunday could be a possibility too”) and I even throw out a specific – who we will call – Artist B as a potential option. 

Late Saturday morning – I call the hotel and tell them we won’t be coming in to do an interview after all.

I hang up and wipe the egg off my face and DM who we will call Artist C on Instagram.  This had been a referral from another guest somewhat recently and was filed away in my memory bank. 

One hour later – My colleague from last night texts me saying Artist B “is in” and that an email has just been sent to connect me with Artist B.  I hit Reply All on the email and ask Artist B about availability for Monday (or Sunday/the next day) and note that “I need some lead time for you to email me assets that I will be requesting.”

Saturday, dinner time – I text the guest who’d referred me to Artist C asking if a gentle nudge could be put in towards the Instagram DM that I’d sent.  Thirty minutes later I get back a, “Sure.  I’ll touch base with her!”  Eleven minutes after that I get a screenshot texted back to me of a text conversation that the two of them had, including instructions for me to be given Artist C’s cell number to text.  I immediately text Artist C who responds four minutes later with, “Yes I would love to do it lets work out a time.  I’m at my brothers wedding right now so can you text or call me tomorrow…?”  Admiring that this artist is taking time out from her brother’s wedding to text with me, I ask for an email address, get an answer back immediately from her, and I write an email with the details and instructions for an interview we agreed to do Monday. 

Late morning, the next day – I text Artist C to follow up.  She answers me twelve minutes later while on the road returning from the wedding.  Just 79 minutes later she texts me again, saying that the “email is sent.”  Yes, already.  What a pro.

Around this same time, Artist B is finally emailing me back.  Too late.  The ship sailed.  And as happens so often in this industry, you have lost the booking to someone else. 

Decide which artist you are going to be.  The one that makes excuses and drags their feet, or, the pro who is present, who is attentive, who is timely, and who seizes the opportunity when it comes their way.

Which one are you?  Has the above account inspired you to shift out of Artist A and Artist B mode into Artist C mode?  Share your feedback with me on Twitter via @NHT_tweets or on Facebook, LinkedIn, or even through email.

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I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.

Don’t Be Fooled – Live Entertainment is NOT (All the Way) Back

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

As I surf the feed on Instagram every day, watching what past guests from my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast are up to, it’s encouraging seeing some of them posting about being back out playing real shows, meaning, in-person, not sitting at home and broadcasting via livestream.

Frankie Raye (pictured) from Episode 279 is loaded with gigs in the greater Tampa Bay area.  Shannon LaBrie from NHTE 340 just played a show or two in Nashville last week.  Missouri-based Paralandra (NHTE 267) has been performing.  Melissa Bret (NHTE 9) is performing live in Atlanta.

Ah, just when we thought it was safe to assume that the country and stages were opening back up.

Friends, do NOT get fooled into thinking that everything is okay now and we can all take live entertainment for granted as though it will be there for us as it always has been in the past.

For starters, here in Florida our (Coronavirus) numbers are trending back up.  Noticeably.  To the tune of 5,500 new cases over the weekend.

But even more than that is the fact that despite what I reported above, there really isn’t a full compliment of live entertainment options out there.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite and it’s not good at all.

One month ago I wrote a blog inspired by the National Independent Venue Association making a push to get Congress to pass a Save Our Stages Act and a RESTART Act “to ensure the survival of independent venues, theatres, and even the event promoters across the United States.”  One month before that, a guest blog was published from a performer who had suffered a string of canceled performances due to the pandemic.

And now, over the weekend, I saw something that told me that we need to keep this discussion going, even if it does mean three months in a row of having a blog written on this site about steps needed for getting our entertainers back where they belong.

Granted, I do very much realize that not everything you see published on Facebook is true (lots of it is far from accurate, I get it).  However, when I see something that paints a very bleak picture for one of our major entertainment markets in the U.S. (New York), talks of massive job loss from big time employers in the industry, and tells of the countless people having to scramble for some kind of work, I mix in reality to know that it’s one post that you probably shouldn’t question the accuracy of – at least, out loud.

So yes, it’s great that some folks ARE getting SOME work back, but let’s not be lulled into thinking that everybody is happy, healthy, and living large.  There’s still a LOT of work to be done so that entertainers can get a LOT of work again.  Do what you can to make a difference, even if that’s only by supporting them with music downloads or tipping them while watching those who are still having to livestream from home.  They need it now more than ever.

Share your thoughts with me about this via @NHT_tweets on Twitter.  Or, instead, use Facebook or LinkedIn, or even good old email.

• • •

I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.

Making Introductions with No Ulterior Motive Just the Right Thing to Do

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

I, myself, am almost getting sick and tired of hearing my own voice preaching to people about the value of connections.  You can never have too many contacts, I always say.  There are just so, so many benefits to networking.

But there’s another very popular expression out there that wasn’t originated by me, yet I feel such a strong attachment to.  “Pay it forward,” you’ll often hear people say.

To some that’s paying for the order of the person behind you in the drive-thru line.  And I love hearing those stories, by the way.

But what if you could combine paying it forward with the equally impactful power of networking?

That’s what I’ve done twice very recently, and you know what I got out of it?  I just flat out felt good.  There was no ulterior motive.  There was no, “Let me sit and wait to see if one of those people comes back and does something good for me.”  It was just the right thing to do.

Let me explain these scenarios so that this could be a potential teaching moment for others.

In the first instance I was interviewing a guest for my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast and knew that although there were lots of other highlights to talk about (and we did cover those), there was a particular interest in talking about that guest’s podcast.  The more we had that conversation, the more the wheels turned in my head and I started thinking of potential guests I could recommend.  In later writing a follow-up email about one of those individuals I even made clear that this person was not a client and so I had no attachment here.  If it wasn’t a fit, I wasn’t going to be upset.  Voila, it ended up being a great referral and the host was most appreciative of my having made the connection.

The second instance was somewhat similar, with just a bit of a twist.  This time I was interviewing someone for NHTE again, however, in listening to this guest’s story – not to mention what they wanted to promote – I saw the proverbial light bulb turn on over my head.  After we stopped recording, I asked if there would be interest in and permission for me to try to place this guest onto another show that could likely be a fit for an interview.

Some months ago, I had learned about someone who does a podcast whose subject matter left enough of an impression on me that I was ready to do some digging.  I got in touch with one of my key contacts and asked what they knew about the show and its host (and contact information).  Next, I used some of that information to dig up the show title, read up a bit on it, and prepare for the final step – the e-introduction.

Another successful match was made and the two of them would take things from there to arrange a date and time to record.

Meanwhile, I found joy in being able to help essentially four people, all by being a listener, being present, and having a giving mindset rather than a “what’s in it for me” approach.  I suggest you give it a try and share in the satisfaction that I got.  There is strength in numbers, and we can all help one another in some way.

How have you been able to pay it forward to someone?  Tweet at me to @NHT_tweets or tell me on Facebook or LinkedIn.  Alternatively, use email to let me know as well.

• • •

I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.