“Ability is a wonderful thing, but its value is greatly enhanced by dependability. Ability implies repeatability and accountability.”- Robert A. Heinlein
The word reliable defines a lot about one’s character. How often
does a person include it on a CV, mention it to potential employers or maintain
the belief that they are reliable?
In the entertainment, world I often find myself wondering
whether the term is too loosely thrown around and not advocated nearly enough. Unfortunately,
Musicians in particular have gotten the stigma of being unreliable. It’s a horrible
idea as I know many musicians that would go to the end of the earth to ensure
they are able to make it to a particular commitment.
Let me explain using our company, Be On The Scene as an
example. We hosts regular events in which we need Models, Musicians,
Photographers and Presenters to turn up to help us run a successful night, in exchange
for a platform to showcase work, assist with portfolio growth and introductions
to industry professionals. Yet we often find people cancelling at the last
minute or not showing up, even after confirmations and contact several weeks
before. Sure, we understand that at times,
other opportunities like paid work would pop up at the last minute or an illness
could prevent you from performing or doing your requested job. However, how you
handle the cancellation is extremely important and could potentially make or
break your reputation as an artist.
For example, if you are unable to make it to a job, would
you just not turn up? Its sounds crazy, but many people do this and personally,
I would never contact that person again. I’m not sure if people are aware of
the time it takes to organise events, nor how cancellations affect the ability
of the event running smoothly.
This is from an event
perspective, but what about a potential employer, record producer or journalist
perspective? To bring up a particular
scenario from an event I once worked at, a performer arrived over an hour late
for their slot and an announcement went out that they were not at the event yet
and guests would need to wait. We had invited a well- known and influential
journalist to cover the event and she was particularly interested in speaking
to the performer. This was without our knowledge, as far as we were aware of,
the journalist wanted to cover the event. We were delighted that the performer
would get the coverage in an international publication as we believed they deserved
it. Low and behold the performer turned up, but without so much of an apology
to the audience or organiser and unfortunately for him, the journalist picked
this up. After the performance was done, the journalist wanted to have a brief
discussion with him. But, He was nowhere to be found as he left the event without
talking to anyone. We received the
article and there was no mention of the performer. This particular publication
would have potentially changed his life.
To cut a long story short, you never
know what opportunities you could be missing out on or who is watching you. - This is another topic that will be discussed
at a later stage.
There may be a million and more people involved in the
entertainment world, but it remains a tight knit community that likes to weed
out people who are not committed nor true to their words.
Words spread quickly and people prefer to talk about the bad
things, rather than the good. Regardless
of how good you are as a performer/artist/photographer, if people believe you
are unreliable, you will struggle to find work.
Here are some tips to guide you when you have no other
options but to cancel.
* Always let someone in charge know that you will be unable to attend or if you will be late. be truthful regarding the circumstances as far fetched stories will get you nowhere.
* Begin with an apology for any inconvenience caused.
* If you are able to, suggest a replacement.
* If you arrive late, always apologies profusely to the people you have kept waiting. They will find that this is considerate and you might be let off the hook.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation describe here? If so, how have you handled it? Send me an email or leave a comment.
Romy
romy@beonthescene.com
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