Did You Know I Also (Sing, Dance, Act, Model)?

For whatever reason I just don’t find myself watching movies a lot, unfortunately.  Although, there must be a full moon lately or something because I’ve had the opportunity to see a few lately – from the comfort of my own home, mind you.

Now don’t get me wrong, this week’s blog is not intended so I can do movie reviews.  But rather, it reinforced something that I’ve told current and potential clients for years.

First I saw “A Star Is Born,” where actor Bradley Cooper showed us all that he can also sing (and, presumably, play guitar).  Then I saw “Bohemian Rhapsody,” in which we see and hear actor Rami Malek sing in his role as Freddie Mercury.  It’s eight years old, but I also saw “In Time,” featuring singer Justin Timberlake, yup, acting.

You know that at some point someone – a casting director, likely – was saying, “Wait, Bradley Cooper (or Rami Malek) sings?!”  Or, in the reverse, said, “Wait, Justin Timberlake can act?!”  (I know, I know, he was on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse approximately 25 years ago.)

So, that versatility is getting them extra work.

I have a client in Hollywood who is a dancer – but is also working an awful lot on voice.  And oh yeah, she has also taken some acting classes and workshops.

It’s like when I’ve told other clients (or prospective clients) over the years, “If you (just) sing, that’s a good start.  But consider learning an instrument so you can accompany yourself rather than just sing to tracks.”  Somewhere in there I’ll also encourage them to write their own original music.  They become much more marketable if instead of “just” singing they’re also a musician and/or a songwriter.

And as someone who manages/promotes that type of client, imagine how much more someone like me can do with someone who has those varied talents.

To the aforementioned Hollywood-based client I have said, “Imagine if all you did was just dance.  Someone might say, ‘It’s too bad you don’t sing.  I had something I was going to offer you, but…’  Or it could be, ‘It’s too bad you don’t act.  I had an opportunity I was going to tell you about.’”

So imagine when you make yourself more versatile and now someone who knows you from, say, the dance community, starts talking about something that calls for, say, singing or acting, and you speak up and say, “Tell me more – I (sing or act)!”

As I’m so often heard saying on “Now Hear This Entertainment” and/or in this weekly blog, there are enough ‘No’ responses in the business as it is.  You might as well give yourself a better chance for more ‘Yes’ responses by being a Bradley Cooper or a Justin Timberlake and letting people know that you’re a double (or a triple) threat.

And then stand back and watch more doors open.

By the way, on Episode 284 of “Now Hear This Entertainment,” which will be out in less than 48 hours, the guest (a singer/guitar player) talks about modeling that he did and how it brought out an opportunity for his band to perform [to which I remind listeners that the guest from Episode 175 – Katie Belle (pictured above) – talked about being in that exact same scenario].

What other talent(s) do you have that have opened more doors for you as a result?  What pursuits are you already planning in this regard?  Talk about this week’s blog in our Facebook group!