About the only thing that everybody in the world knew about was the pandemic. A close second is (unfortunately) the Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Hamas wars going on. And if you say, “What do you mean a close second? Everyone knows about the wars!” then consider that there actually might be some people who don’t! And that helps you with perspective on not assuming that everyone knows who you are and/or what you do.
I have seen athletes interviewed after a game, saying, “We just went out there and shocked the world.” Really? Did you? The world? So, the guy down in Mozambique is shocked because of the upset your team pulled off? Everyone in Singapore can’t get over that your team just won despite being underdogs?
It’s important to keep things in perspective as you continue your journey with your professional career.
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It’s never good to assume, period, but to think that everyone knows the producer who worked on your latest album or the writer with whom you created your newest song, well, you’re in for a surprise. When I am planning towards an interview with a guest for my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, I ask them where they’ll be calling in from so that I can say it (twice) during our conversation. I will tell them, “If you’re not in a major city that someone in, say, Sweden, will have heard of, give me the nearest major metropolitan area.” You might also encounter this if you’re telling someone about a venue you performed at that you feel they must know.
When you’re writing your bio, yes, go ahead and list your top highlights. People want to and should know the top achievements that show that you’re having success in entertainment. However, don’t be naïve to think everyone is going to know names you list within your accomplishments and, just as importantly, don’t make someone feel bad when they admit they’re unaware of who you’re talking about. Saying, “You don’t know who (name) is?!” is a sure way to turn off the person who up to that point had been interested in you and what you do.
Keep in mind that you also need to flip the script. Meaning, it’s important to not put yourself in a position to not know names simply because you don’t take the time to find out who other folks in the industry are.
A week ago today I was on day 3 (of four) at the 39th Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival (on the Alabama/Florida Border). If you were a participating songwriter at that event and only looked through the program to find your own name, you missed out on an opportunity. When you’ve got down time during such an event, read through other participants’ bios so you can learn who’s who there. In fact, it could turn into some new connections because you might not know who the writer himself or herself is, but, if you read that they worked with someone that you did, voila. Now you can introduce yourself – through that mutual connection – and get yourself a new contact. It might turn out that they say back to you, “Well heck, we should write together!”
I used to work in the Olympic Movement, and I can remember that there were 202 countries recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Since my weekly podcast has gotten listeners from 163 countries, I can’t pretend that the whole world knows about NHTE. That’s why more than 500 episodes in you’ll still here me say, “For those who might just be hearing this show for the first time.” It’s not unlike the links I’ll include in a blog post to send readers over to something that I realize they might be unfamiliar with.
Navigate your way strategically through your communications with a posture of openness instead of being confrontational. You’ll find whoever’s on the other side of your conversation to be much more receptive, which can only benefit you in the long run.
What else from my experiences helping indie music artists over the last 19 years can I share with you? What challenges do you need help with in your entertainment career? Let’s get on a call so I can share some insights with you and keep you pointed ahead. By doing so, we could very well become new contacts for one another!