Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Books still matter - why you should publish

A few months ago CHB Media published my first poetry collection, Two Car Garage. The books received some good reviews on Amazon.com and I'm getting excellent response in poetry readings. I'm very proud of it. Of course, writing the book was a labor of love. It's a great feeling to hear from someone that your words have moved them. I've also learned something from this experience that's worth sharing with all my readers: Having a book published gives you credibility. I set that sentence apart because I want you to remember it. I may tell people I'm a poet, but having a book published proves it. Even when I'm talking to people about content creation in general, or discussing program distribution, the fact that I've authored a book on any subject impresses people. Having a book published should impress people. It's proof that you can sustain your creativity and finish a project. It's proof that someone else (the publisher), likes your work enough to put their own money behind printing it. In my case, it demonstrates an artistic side that people who knew me only as a media executive might not otherwise see. What I'm saying about books, of course, also is true for short films, websites, digital projects, CDs, etc. If you want proof of your creativity, make something. Thanks to the digital world, it's never been easier to get your book in print, or your film distributed. Print on Demand services abound through the major players like amazoncom and bn.com, but also through a host of other websites and local publishing companies. My publisher is CHB Media, but there are many others. If you want a career creating content, show people what you can do. As always I welcome your comments and questions. You can order a copy of Two Car Garage at http://www.amazon.com/Two-Car-Garage-Peter-Gordon/dp/0988631512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369873560&sr=8-1&keywords=two+car+garage. It's also available at bn.com, chbmediaonline.com, and just about any other website that sells books. Amazon has a kindle version.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Should Fox fix American Idol?

Just a couple of weeks after my previous post on American Idol's problems I am gratified to see Fox agrees with some of my suggestions on how to fix the program. Rumors are flying that none four judges or the executive producer will be back next year. Randy Jackson, the only judge left from the first season, has already left -- he announced he will concentrate on his music company and "other opportunities." Ratings for the final last Thursday hit an all time low for the final,down 34% from last year. The show did win the night, despite coming in second for the half our of a new episode of The Big Bang Theory. During my network career, I've been in a lot of meetings where we discussed what to do with hit shows that dropped in the ratings. American Idol is down tremendously in the ratings, but it's still winning it's night and is one of the top rated shows in broadcast. I'm not surprised that Fox is trying something radical to save the show. But should they? Yes, they should. You can call this Peter's Programming Rule #1 -- don't drop a show from your schedule unless you're sure you'll replace it with a higher rated show. It's not likely Fox can find a show that will do better than Idol. They have to save it. The first decision they have to make is whether they think the right changes to judges and formats will improve ratings, or if they have to cut costs (get cheaper judges) and do their best to hold on to the current audience. Kevin Reilly, the head of Fox Entertainment, made some comments that shows he's thinking along the right lines: everything's on the table, and the focus of next season needs to be on the contestants. Fox has learned that paying big name judges $18 million per year for a part-time job -- what they reportedly pay Mariah Carey, doesn't result in higher ratings. I stand by my earlier suggestions. I think the show's moment has passed, but there's enough life to justify an announced "Last Season." Make the judges all former American Idol contestants, and bring back everyone who was ever a judge or a popular contestant for some role during the year -- I'm talking about you Justin, Clay Aiken, and bikini girl. Maybe pit some of the old favorites who didn't win and don't have recording contracts against some new talent. If this works, and the ratings increase, Fox can always say that audience demand requires another season anyway. Think about how you would bring the audience back to American Idol. Can you use any of those techniques in the shows, videos, and stories you create?

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Do I need an Agent ?

In the traditional media world, the answer is yes. An agent can open doors that you can't open yourself. Tom Cruise has one. So does Harrison Ford, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattison. Stephen King has one. Almost all successful authors have literary agents, and speakers have booking agents. If you have success as a novelist, playwright, actor, director, and even producer or on-air talent, and deal regularly with big media companies, you should have an agent. Licensed agents recognized by major media companies bring you credibility that you can't get any other way. Agents know things -- they know which director needs to work, and which publishers are looking to get into the teen paranormal business, for example. It's a fact that most media companies won't look at material that's not represented, whether by an agent or a production company. If you're not represented and they do decide to review your idea, the company will make you sign a release that prevents you from suing them if they create a show with a similar idea. Agents are important. But agents don't get you work. They get you meetings and the opportunity to sell yourself. Then after you get the job, they make the deal for you. For this service, agents generally get a 10% commission on your earnings. An agent that works hard for you -- sets up lots of meetings, negotiates deals, gets you auditions -- is absolutely worth the money. But what about when you're starting out? Do you need an agent then? Even when you're starting out an agent can help you. But you might have trouble finding one. Because agents are paid on commission they want to make sure their clients can get work before they add a client to their roster. Therefore, the best way to get an agent is to show them your talent. If you're an author, send them your book. If you're an actor, get them to see you in something. Show them a video of your speaking. Put your work on youtube and send them a link. One way or another, get known -- at least a little bit. This will not be easy. It's likely your work will be rejected a lot at the start. But if you don't want to be rejected every day, pick another line of work. As I wrote in an earlier post, even if you have a best seller or a hit film, not everyone will like it. One important point -- do not pay an agent to make appointments for you. If anyone asks you for money before they send you to a meeting, walk away and find another agent. As always, before you sign any contract with anyone -- producer, agent, media company, etc, -- get that contract reviewed by a lawyer that represents your interests. I'll be writing in future posts with more details about how to get agents and the difference between an agent an a manager.