P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N.A.L.
(Part 1)
P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N.A.L.
(Part 2)
You’ve probably heard people say “I’m a
PROFESSIONAL clown”. So, what
exactly does that mean? Is it based
on how many years they’ve been performing as a clown?
Does it refer to how busy or how often they clown?
Perhaps it relates to how much they’re able to charge?
Or possibly how many clown conventions or festivals they attend?
Let’s take a look at these ideas.
Sometimes a person will say “I’ve been
clowning for 5 years”. It’s
possible that they only do one event a year. The
more accurate description would be that they’ve clowned 5 times.
And then there are lots of people who perform numerous times throughout
the years they’ve been clowning. So,
the term ‘professional’ doesn’t exactly refer to how long a time
that a person has been clowning, as we can see how much that varies from clown
to clown.
But does it refer to how busy or how often they
clown? There are people who perform
infrequently. However, when they are
out there, they put everything they have, everything they can possibly give to
an audience, into their show. The
smallest detail is never overlooked. And
then there are some individuals who slap something together and do the same old
tired performance over and over and over again.
Once again, the frequency or infrequency of performances doesn’t seem
to relate to whether a person is a professional or not.
Perhaps it relates to how much they are able to
charge? Since different regions
across the nation and around the world have different economic structures, what
an individual charges can vary tremendously from town to town, state to state,
region to region, etc. In addition,
a newer clown usually charges less than the going rate in an area as they start
to build up their business. Some of
these entertainers might be better at what they do than the ones who have been
around for a long time who do only what they have to in order to ‘get by’.
Consequently, what a person is able to charge doesn’t automatically
make him or her a professional.
How about the clowns who attend every clown
convention, every clown festival, every workshop that is offered?
Based on the amount of educational avenues they’ve explored, does this
make them a professional? Some
people can attend a class, listen to a lecture, read a book or watch an
educational video and get enormous amounts of information they can use on the
first try. Then they work on these
new skills and new ideas and put them into practice.
Other people can attend the same classes, listen to the same lectures,
etc. They might take copious notes
from the class and then take them home, drop them in a drawer and never do
anything to implement this new knowledge into their clowning.
So, the information one garners from attending conventions, festivals,
classes, etc. can vary immensely from one individual to the next.
Obviously there are so many variables to
entertainers (as to how often they clown, how many years they’ve been
performing, how much they charge and how often they attend educational venues)
to affix any one of the above to classify an individual as a professional.
So, what does make one a professional entertainer?
I took the word PROFESSIONAL and used it as an acronym.
We will look at the first 6 letters this issue.
“P”: Phone
etiquette is a key element in how you make a good impression on a client. This
relates to how you party plan for a birthday party or other event.
It is a good idea to get a business line as soon as possible.
Either that or look into getting a second line that piggy-backs onto your
home line but has a slightly different ring.
This way you always know when it’s a business call coming in.
There is a world of difference in answering your phone as “ABC Clown
Company” or “ABC the Clown” as opposed to “Hello”.
It also eliminates the phone being answered by your kids, a babysitter or
a spouse who doesn’t know what your schedule for next month looks like, etc.
The majority of people nowadays have either an
answering machine or voice mail. This
is important for a variety of reasons. First,
if you are not home, you won’t miss out on those important calls.
Second, if you are in the middle of fixing dinner, changing a diaper,
refereeing a squabble between your kids, angry with your spouse, etc., this is
not a good time to answer the phone. Use
the answering machine to screen those important calls and call them back when
you can present a business-like image. If
you use an answering machine to pick up messages for you, record a professional
message as opposed to having your young children recite a message or sing a song
that may not be intelligible to callers. Remember
that some of the callers are business clients looking to hire a professional
entertainer. The first thing they
hear (whether it’s you personally answering or a recorded message) should be
business-appropriate.
“R”: Reputation.
I can’t say enough about how important your reputation is.
If you are always on time, always prepared for your event, always
courteous on the phone, always deliver what you promised, etc. then your
reputation can speak volumes of praise for you as an entertainer.
If you cancel out on gigs, fail to show up, arrive late, don’t do what
you were hired to do, fail to live up to what you promoted yourself as…this
will adversely affect your reputation. There
is an old saying: “Anyone can get
hired a first time.” The
key is to get rehired. That will
only happen if you are careful about your reputation being spotless.
Your reputation precedes you. If
you have done a wonderful job, then your client will pass the word along.
In the same respect, if you have created a black hole surrounding your
clowning, that same client will spread the bad word along.
Your reputation is one of the most important things to care about in
clowning.
“O”: On
Time. Being on time is essential.
The best way to do this is to be prepared.
Know where you are going. Check
out the directions carefully. Listen
to traffic reports as you are getting into makeup.
Having a cellular phone in the car is important for those unfortunate
traffic jams that can occur. Corporate
events are usually concrete as far as the time you should be there.
They’ll want their entertainment from a certain starting point in time
for a set number of hours. Birthday
parties, however, can vary from one to the next.
Generally speaking, I like to arrive at a party about 10-15 minutes after
their party starts. That gives all
of the children a chance to arrive, take off their jacket, set their gift down
and say their ‘hellos’ to the birthday child and other guests.
I like to arrive 5-10 minutes early, parking slightly down the block.
This allows me to see when the majority of kids are there.
If they all seem to be there by 10 minutes after, then I know I can go
in. If there are still cars pulling
up, I’ll wait a few more minutes before going in.
This, however, is not always the best scenario.
I just had a mother book me to arrive at
“F”: Fees.
Whether you are just starting out or whether you have been clowning for
years, it is important to figure out your prices ahead of time (The New Calliope
May/June 1999). Have your list of
fees right by your business phone. That
way, when a parent calls, you don’t have to verbally fumble to come up with
the fee. Your fee might be different
for a variety of reasons. Do you
want to charge a little more for a party that is expecting 25 to 30 children as
opposed to the party with only 6 or 7 party guests?
Depending on where you live, do you charge the same for someone close to
your neighborhood as opposed to having to drive for an hour one way?
If you offer options to your basic party, are there additional fees
necessary? Do you charge differently
for a corporate event versus a private birthday party?
This is all information that should be figured out ahead of time and
posted near your phone where you have easy access to it.
“E”: Energy
and Enthusiasm. Do you get to an
event and just go through the motions? I
hope not! Your energy and enthusiasm
should be apparent even when on the phone while party planning.
My clients tell me they can ‘hear’ my smile over the phone.
I regularly have new, prospective clients tell me that they’ve called a
number of clowns from the phone book and that quite a few of them sounded 1)
unenthused, 2) dull, 3) uninterested, 4) no energy, 5) unfriendly and sometimes
all of the above! Before answering
that phone, put a smile on your face and in your voice.
After all, this is what we love to do.
Let that enthusiasm shine through. When
you get to the party or event, whether it’s the first or last in a long day of
performing, your energy and enthusiasm should be unwavering.
It’s rather dismaying to see another clown at an event standing there
doing balloons without any life to them. I
want to tap them on the shoulder and ask them “why are they here?”
A few years ago, I had a conversation with someone in my area that offers
different types of entertainment for parties, one of which is for her to dress
up like a clown. She said she just
couldn’t figure out how clowns managed to always be in a good mood.
She admitted that when she got into makeup, if she was in a grumpy mood
from dealing with her own unruly kids, she remained in a grumpy mood even when
she got to the party. Maybe she
needs to re-think her chosen career!
“S”: Supplies
/ Equipment / Props. Having the
right supplies, equipment and props for our clowning is important.
And keeping them in good condition helps us in using them correctly as
well as gives us a more professional look. When
you’re starting out, your supplies are likely to be minimal.
As you grow in your clowning, adding to what you do, its most likely that
you’ll also add to your supplies and equipment.
I’m not suggesting that you load up on expensive equipment when you are
first starting. Most of us add
things, a few here and there, as we progress over the years with what we do and
what we offer. It is important to
have the props you need when you get to an event (and that you maintain them in
good condition). I remember at one
party I started to perform the Beads of Prussia magic trick.
As I went to pull out the clear plastic tube that the beads are dropped
into, I realized that it wasn’t in my trunk.
Not good! There is no way to
complete that trick without the tube. I
quickly pulled out another trick as if I’d just found a wonderful new treasure
and focused on wanting them to see this exciting new find.
I hope the kids were distracted enough to forget about the other
unfinished trick. I doubt that I
succeeded in pulling the wool over the adults’ eyes.
It was one of those ‘lessons’ we learn that hopefully makes us more
careful in the future to double check to see if we have everything we need
before walking out the door.
Last issue, I took the work Professional and
turned it into an acronym, using the first half of the initials to explore what
makes an entertainer a true ‘professional’.
We discussed “P” Phone Etiquette, “R” Reputation, “O” On
Time, “F” Fees, “E” Energy & Enthusiasm and “S” Supplies,
Equipment & Props. This issue,
we will explore the second half of that word.
“S”:
Skills. There are so many
different skills associated with being an entertainer that it’s unlikely that
any two among us who has the exact same combination of skills, skill level,
comedy technique, humor, etc. What
sets each one of us apart from each other is how we use those skills in the art
of entertainment. Some of the skills
that come to mind are physical comedy, magic, balloon art, face painting,
juggling, unicycling, stiltwalking, musical instruments, singing, playacting,
game coordinating, puppetry, ventriloquism, strolling interactive fun,
pantomime, fire-eating, etc. As you
can see, there is quite a variety of ways we can entertain people.
The object is not necessarily to do as many of these things as possible.
Rather, the object is to find out what you are good at, what you enjoy
doing and then learn to do it the best you can.
In addition to our skills, we also are different
in the ways we like to entertain. Again,
the list is almost endless. Some of
us like to perform at birthday parties, company picnics, grand openings,
anniversary celebrations, corporate functions, sports events, hospitals, nursing
homes, parades, singing telegrams, grad night parties, schools, shopping malls,
stage performing, festivals, libraries, wedding receptions, trade shows, etc.
The skills we use are also affected by the venues in which we use them.
For instance, the comedy magic that you perform at a small private
birthday party would not necessarily be the same that you would perform on stage
for an adult audience. You have to
consider what you do with the age of your audience and the logistics of where
you are performing. But whatever
your skills are and whatever your performance venues are, the important thing is
to do the best with what you are offering.
“I”:
Improve with training and education.
With so many conventions, festivals and conferences offering classes,
this might seem unnecessary to mention. However,
there is a difference between just attending these educational sessions and
really getting training from the classes. First
of all, choose those that appeal to what you are interested in.
For instance, if you are having to choose between which conference to
attend and one offers a lot about puppets and that’s what you’re interested
in, then that would probably be the best choice.
When you go to the classes, listen, take notes, share/exchange notes with
other attendees, ask questions and then put the ideas into use.
If you are buying new props, be sure you know how to use them before
going home. Don’t be afraid to ask
for help from the instructors and from other participants.
If there are jam sessions on balloon art, face painting, magic, juggling,
etc., don’t be afraid to join in. It’s
amazing how much you can learn from these impromptu group sessions.
Once home, look at your notes. Think
about how you can implement what you’ve learned into improving what you are
already doing. And then put these
new ideas into practice.
Don’t forget the multitude of books and videos
that are available. Read up on the
old masters, the classic skits, books on skills and how-to instructions.
If you don’t belong to an alley, look into one in your area.
If you have access to the internet, get involved with the COAI e-alley.
There is a wealth of information and help in this wonderful group of
entertainers. And don’t forget to
practice, practice, practice.
“O”:
Organize. This word is so
important in our business. Do you
know where your paperwork is on every event that you’re booked into?
Do you know where that phone number is?
Where are your notes from the last time you performed at a particular
event? Where are your props?
Anyone know where the clean gloves are?
What was the price you quoted for that show?
If possible, you should have a separate place for
your business, preferably an office. If
you don’t have the luxury of a separate office, then find a spot where you can
keep all of your paperwork necessary for being professional with how you run
your business. When someone calls, a
phone message book keeps all the messages and phone numbers in one place.
I recommend using a standard booking sheet to write down all the
pertinent information about each event. This
should include:
1)
The
day & date of the event
2)
What
the event is
3)
The
location of the event
4)
The
name of the contact person
5)
Their
billing address
6)
Their
phone number, fax number and cell phone (for the day of the event)
7)
The
time you’re to be there (starting and ending)
8)
Number
of people anticipated
9)
What
you have promised to do (performance-wise)
10)
If
you offer more than one character, which one you’ll be for this event
11)
The
fee
12)
Where
they got your name from (this helps keep track of your advertising
dollars)
13)
Directions
to the event
14)
An
area to write down any notes afterwards as to suggestions for their next event.
Of course, you can add more information on your
own booking sheet. This is a list of
standard information that applies to most events.
If you send out a contract, be sure that the
signed copy gets attached to your event sheet.
If you require a deposit, keep track of when that is received.
After the event, take a few minutes to record the information into your
data base plus for bookkeeping/tax purposes and then file it away.
I have 3-ring binders (for each year) for Birthday Parties, Company
Picnics, Other Events and Church Performances.
This allows me easy access to any event from any year when a client calls
and asks me for the “same as last time”.
In addition, you should also keep a separate
calendar or time systems book for your performance dates.
If you are marking it on your family calendar, it might get buried under
the notations for school schedules, PTA meetings, doctor appointments,
friends’ birthdays, etc. You can
use this book or calendar to keep track of business meetings, luncheons, alley
meetings, etc. that pertain to your clowning business.
“N”:
Network with other clowns and entertainers.
I remember how isolated I felt when I started clowning 22 years ago.
There weren’t any other clowns in my area that I was aware of.
I flew to
And don’t forget to check out other types of
entertainment groups (i.e. magicians, jugglers, storytellers, puppeteers, etc.)
and feel free to join up with these talented individuals too.
It is amazing how much you can learn from watching other entertainers.
Our local magic group, S.A.M. #59 (Society of American Magicians) has a
wealth of wonderful individuals who are willing to share their knowledge and
skills. They also have an S.Y.M.
group (Society of Young Magicians) to help those under the age of 18 to learn
the skills.
Networking with other entertainers is not only a
learning experience, but it can also become profitable.
If a juggler is booking an event that also requested a clown, you might
be the one they call to hire. This
is only possible if they know about you from networking.
“A”:
Appearance. A picture is
worth a thousand words. And the
first time someone sees you as a clown is like a picture.
What are they going to see? Is
your costume neat and clean or dirty and wrinkled?
Do you know how to neatly apply your makeup or is it a slop job?
Is your wig washed and trimmed or is it all wadded and snarled?
Did you wash the dirt off your shoes from that last picnic?
Do you wear a clean pair of gloves for each event?
Are there holes in your socks? Is
your costume faded and old, worn and ragged?
Stop and take that ‘picture’ of yourself and think about that first
appearance. And don’t stop at your
costume and makeup. Take a look at
your props. Is your trunk or bag in
good shape? Are your props in good
order? Will their dingy appearance
take away from the quality of your performance?
Before you head out for your next event, take some time and go through
your props, your costume(s) as well as your makeup technique.
Wash, mend, paint, replace, improve, refurbish anything that doesn’t
reflect the professional look you want.
If you are involved in business meetings with
prospective clients, dress like a professional.
Years ago, I was involved in an event with another entertainer for a
major department store. The client
requested a meeting. The other
entertainer showed up in sweats! What
does that say to the client? How
might that reflect on how they view him as a professional?
If he doesn’t make an effort to dress professionally for their meeting,
how professional will he be for their event?
Remember, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
“L”:
Love what you do with a passion. This
seems to be an unnecessary thing to say. Obviously
if you don’t love what you do, it will show in your performance.
So, if you find yourself simply ‘going through the motions,’ then
it’s time to take a look at what you are doing.
People have asked me if I ever get tired of putting on the makeup.
I answer them that the day I get tired of putting on the makeup is the
day I’ll need to re-think my chosen career.
If you absolutely love what you do, then that love, that passion will
filter on down to everything you do. It
will come through on the phone when you are talking to the client, it will
affect the care you take in your makeup, props and costume, it will shine
through to the audience. That love
will touch the hearts of everyone you come into contact with while you are
entertaining. And then you will
truly be clowning ‘from the heart.’
We have now explored all 12 letters from the work
P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N.A.L. Take time
today to think about the steps you might need to take to improve or enhance your
entertainment business. There’s no
question that we are highly visible when we’re out in the public.
So, why not offer the very best that we can?
Organize your office space, get additional educational training, network
with other entertainers and brush up on your skills.
But most importantly, love what you are doing…with a passion.
And, as always, have fun with your clowning!
(503) 281-7393 (Voice) * (503) 335-8568 (FAX)
PO Box 13187 * Portland, OR 97213
