E3 Group

Please note the following article was written in April 2009. For more recent updates on Britain’s Got Talent, please click here.

Britain’s Got Talent began again in earnest this weekend providing avid viewers with entertainment that continues to add new definition to the word variety. From the bizarre to the sublime, Britain’s Got Talent has it all. Whether your personal preference is dancers, singers or perhaps something a bit more madcap like Stavros Flatly, the show continues to provide a buffet of entertainment spectacle to suit all pallets. In my opinion, Shows like Britain’s Got Talent are a real bonus for event organisers everywhere. It is a platform from which some of the less traditional but often more remarkable acts are thrust into the public eye and therefore making them more attractive booking propositions.

Before Signature’s amazing run on the show, offering a potential client looking to hire an entertainer a bangra-infused Michael Jackson dance spectacular would have labelled you as some kind of raving maniac. The overwhelming public support and acceptance Signature received during and as a result of the show has made them extremely popular amongst our clients looking to book utterly original entertainment. Britain’s Got Talent has opened the doors for people with exceptional skills to promote themselves to the events community. E3 Artists’ entertainers such as The Barwizards, Bang On! and Tracey Lee Collins (who all indecently found fame appearing on Britain’s Got Talent) as well as acts who would fit right in to the make up of the show such as Nathan Zorchak and Mat Ricardo, have all benefited from the huge resurgence of variety as a popular entertainment option. So whether you’re a small venue booking a magician or a huge outdoor event looking to hire a unique entertainment experience, examining the variety entertainer option is a great way to maintain impact while keeping the budget reasonable.

For further information on booking Britain’s Got Talent acts please get in touch with our London office.

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Listening to Michael Ball’s Sunday Brunch this week, I couldn’t help but notice a brief mention he made of the impact of the credit crunch on celebrity booking fees. Michael himself humorously quipped that his fee has always been the same, four pounds and a portion of chips, but he did raise an interesting point. Has the credit crunch impacted on how much it costs to hire a celebrity? Paul Daniels has reportedly dropped his fee from a respectable £10,000 to a more modest £6,000, Ken Clarke, current Shadow Business Secretary once charged up to£ 10,000 for after dinner speeches but has dropped that to less than £5,000 and Craig Phillips, the inaugural Big Brother winner has hinted he would be happy to attend events for free, as long as there is a pint of beer waiting for him. Although Craig’s suggested fee is clearly tongue-in-cheek, the source of this info, the People Newspaper, may have failed to take into account some of the other factors which can, do and will have impacted on these and many other celebrity prices.

Undoubtedly, Britain is suffering in the current economic downturn and it would be foolish to deny that there are fewer jobs out there than before. This of course also extends into the celebrity sphere with event organisers looking to get more value from their budgets. Many of those who are planning events are trading celebrity entertainment for non-celebrity and specialty acts. However, at E3 Artists, we see celebrity fees fluctuate so much that we know it is not just the current climate that impacts upon them. As reports of the downturn began to emerge, the extremely popular vocalist Duffy’s fee was around £20,000. Now, as the credit crunch is at its full, rampaging height, Duffy can command upwards of £50,000 on the back of her hugely successful awards season. Leona Lewis, Girls Aloud, Lilly Allen and The Saturdays have also seen marked increases in their fees from last year. Those artists listed in the article and discussed on Sunday Brunch have had reduced press, television coverage and public interest in recent months. Not that they have any less value as artists, it’s just they’re a product of the cyclical nature of the media. One star turn, appearance of note or favourable story and you could see these fees reach levels even surpassing those seen before. Paul Daniels, for example, is gaining cult celebrity status on social networking phenomenon Twitter. It won’t belong before he can demand similar fees to days gone by, credit crunch or not. It is all these factors that make gauging the value of celebrity appearances extremely difficult. When doing so it is always useful to seek the advice of someone who keeps up to date with the fluctuating trends in this rapidly changing industry.

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As April begins and Easter draws near, many businesses have received their budgets for the coming months. As a result, there has been a number of enquiries coming through from anxious events planners looking to get that big, headlining act tied up for events just around the corner, and those later on in the year. To help with these decisions we’ve outlined some of our recommendations for April below.

We’re often asked to provide price guidelines for hiring celebrities and entertainers. As fees for acts vary considerably according to the specifics of an event, it’s only possible to offer an approximate guide on this. Major pop stars and celebrities can command over £20,000 for private and corporate event appearances. Other television and media stars have fees starting in the region of about £2,000. You can always give one of our agents a call for up to the minute prices for celebrities and entertainers but in the meantime, check out our list below for popular celebrity and entertainment choices for the Month of April.

1.    Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a force to be reckoned with on the pop music scene. When their members are not scaling mountains in the name of charity or judging talent shows in front of millions of viewers, they are topping the charts with hit after hit. For an indication of the cost to hire Girls Aloud, view Category A.

2.    Will Young
Will is the original Pop Idol and his longevity in what can be a fickle industry for stars of his ilk is testament to his talent. An extremely popular booking last year, Will is set to continue the trend this year, culminating with an eagerly anticipated tour. For an indication of the cost to hire Will Young, view Category A.

3.    Justin Lee Collins
With a brand new chat show and the continuing success of the Sunday Night Project, ‘The JLC’ is a hot ticket for 2009. For an indication of the cost to hire Justin Lee Collins, view Category A.

4.    Ferne Cotton
An expert presenter and regular team captain on ITV’s Celebrity Juice, Ferne is especially popular following her amazing efforts for Comic Relief. For an indication of the cost to hire Ferne Cotton, view Category B.

5.    Rachel Stevens
From S Club to Strictly, Rachel has proved to be a favourite amongst any audience, even the cynical find something to love in this beautiful and talented presenter and performer. For an indication of the cost to hire Rachel Stevens, view Category B.

6.    Paul Rankin
Paul is a Ready Steady Cook regular and makes many guest appearances on the UK’s most popular cooking shows. For an indication of the cost to hire Paul Rankin, view Category B.

7.    Signature
Favourites from Britain’s Got Talent, Signature have forged a hugely successful career as entertainers following their massive popularity on the show.  For an indication of the cost to hire Signature, view Category C.

8.    Swing Connection
This unbelievably talented and experienced function band is expert at Big Band and Swing favourites. Their highly trained and gifted musicians appear as an intimate four piece, right up to a full swing orchestra, complete with a scintillating brass section. For an indication of the cost to hire Swing Connection, view Category C.

9.    Simon Newton as Jack Sparrow
Exhibitions and live, themed events benefit hugely from interactive entertainment. Simon Newton’s expert portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow has proved extremely popular at these events. For an indication of the cost to hire Simon Newton, view Category D.

10.    Sam De LA Haye
Sam is a hugely experienced vocalist proving a smash hit with E3 Artists’ client London Clubs International at their casinos and exclusive private members clubs. For an indication of the cost to hire Sam De La Haye, view Category D.

Contact E3 Artists for a tailored quote for all these acts and many more. Subscribe to our blog for monthly updates!

I couldn’t help but notice a news story today concerning Jessica Alba and her sudden ban on ‘white food’. It has been reported that any food white in hue such as sugar, milk and white bread has been banned from her household, dressing rooms and professional riders. While I’m sure that this is simply some sort of dietary concern that has been pounced upon by the media, it got me thinking about celebrity riders in general as E3 Artists deals with them on a regular basis. The popular conception of a celebrity rider is that of diva-esque stars making costly and outrageous demands on top of their fee in order to ensure their signature for a particular contract; a dowry or even bribery of sorts. Another popular idea is that all celebrities will make these demands, no matter their stature in the entertainment world.

Don’t get me wrong, some riders that have come through the E3 office have contained some choice items, including one hundred bottles of crystal champagne (costing more than the celebrity’s fee itself), Smarties with all colours except red removed from the bowl and an oxygen tank, but in some cases we have found that the celebrities themselves have not made these demands and are utterly shocked when these items materialise in their dressing rooms. Over-zealous managers can sometimes hear a celebrity making an off-hand comment like “I don’t know why, but I think I prefer the red smarties to all the others!” and from that moment, the rider request will read “the artist expects red smarties and only red smarties to be available for her in her dressing room. If these are not provided, the artist will not perform”. This may sound ridiculous, but it has happened many times before.

We find that riders differ drastically from celeb to celeb. Jennifer Lopez is famous in the industry for her demands which include: a suite painted and furnished completely in white, white lilies, white roses, white candles prominently placed, Egyptian cotton sheets with a thread count of at least two hundred and fifty and room temperature set at exactly twenty five and a half degrees Celsius. This is a stark contrast to stars of equal standing such as Sting, who requests an organic meal and some cough mixture, Lilly Allen who requests a bottle of Jack Daniels and twelve packets of monster munch or Oasis, who request Lots of Guinness, lots of beer, lots of red wine, lots of vodka, Monster Munch and Wotsits. What is it with celebs and Monster Munch?

When our clients choose to hire a celebrity through E3 Artists, they are safe in the knowledge that we will organise the rider for the celebrity and make all costs associated with it completely transparent. It is important to remember that celebrity riders will also include all technical equipment the celebrity needs to perform such as sound systems, lighting and venue space. These parts of the rider are often the most costly and create the expenses which are then wrongly attributed to the food or luxury items a celebrity has requested. It is always prudent to work with experts when booking a celebrity as all unnecessary surprises, like seemingly confusing riders, can be dealt with by someone well versed in managing these prickly lists.

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Heathrow airport ran a survey recently to determine which celebrity their passengers would most like to have sat next to them on a flight. The answers they received were surprisingly varied and included such notable figures as, Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver, Russell Brand, Richard Branson, George Clooney and Stephen Fry. After some averaging out, the survey concluded that David Beckham was top choice for a large percentage of those surveyed. The sheer variety of names given prompted me to ask some of the E3 team who their top three celebrities to share a dinner with would be. The results, again, were varied and interesting. No two celebrities were duplicated with names such as Sharon Osborne, Barbra Windsor, Will Young and Beverly Knight rating highly for professional admiration. For sparkling conversation, luminaries such as David Attenborough, Will Self, Anthony Hopkins, Jonathon Pryce, and Richard Dawkins were requested. And some guilty pleasures such as Paul O’Grady, Tiffany Amber Thiessen and Pat Sharp appeared in the list. As you can see, no duplications and not hide nor hair of David Beckham.

What this serves to emphasise is just how diverse people’s desires can be when it comes to their ideal celebrity company. This is especially true when it comes to hiring entertainment for corporate events or private functions. As no two events are the same (even annual events strive to be different each year) it is imperative that E3 Artists tailor the type of celebrity or entertainment to each event based on in-depth consultation with the client. Events organisers sometimes find themselves in the awkward position of booking an act for an event that is unsuitable, simply because the act in question is available. E3 Artists adopt a “celebrity dinner party approach”. We make sure that there are a range of options to choose from, all offering something different, but all complimenting the event as a whole.

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Twitter is a social networking phenomenon that has dominated the technology headlines for some months now. Initially, like most people I think, I was sceptical of the benefits that Twitter could bring and also quietly thinking that it was a flash-in-the-pan fad, here today gone tomorrow. I feel no embarrassment at accepting how wrong I was and also will now openly admit how much I enjoy using this remarkable little site. What has struck me recently though is the level of engagement the celebrity community contributes to Twitter. Fans feel connected to their favourite actors, singers and performers in a way rarely seen on the cluttered pages of Myspace and Facebook. Many of the celebrities we book here at E3 Artists are on Twitter, Jamie Oliver, Alan Carr, Russell Brand and Derren Brown are a few names of note, posting regular updates about where they are, what they are doing and anything that may have caught their eye that day.

There is a rather predictable dark side to this celebrity engagement; the fakers. Ordinary members of the public are impersonating well known celebrities, and something that fans consider even worse, celebrities are hiring “ghost twitterers” to post updates for them. This has become such a concern for Twitter fans that many feeds have sprung up dedicated to exposing the fakes and applauding the genuine. It seems to us here at E3 that getting someone else to tweet for you without explicitly explaining that this is what is happening doesn’t seem to serve any purpose. Eventually, you will be found out, as in the case of 50 cent, so if you don’t want to engage with your fans through this medium, why pretend? I doubt celebrities would hire tribute acts or impersonators to do their public appearances for them so ultimately, ghost twitterers risk hurting their celebrities reputation. There are so many celebrities engaging in the fantastic and lively community on Twitter, like those above, it seems impossible to compete as a faker. Follow the Authentic E3 Group Twitter feed here.

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The British Academy Television Awards nominations were announced late last night peaking public interest with some surprising and long overdue nods to British television actors, entertainers and performers. The fantastic Peter Serafinowicz Show, Charlie Brooker’s Dead Set and the cringe-worthy Peep Show all received surprising, but thoroughly deserved recognition for their services to comedy and entertainment. Less shocking but possibly equally deserved were the nominations of the Jonathon Ross Show and Rob Brydon’s hilarious turn on Gavin and Stacey. The real turn up for the books was the nomination of June Brown for the celebrated and hugely influential role of Dot Cotton on Eastenders.

What has surprised the E3 team is the fact that a soap star has been nominated for the first time since Coronation Street’s Jean Alexander, who played Hilda Ogden, was named in the category in 1987. Yet there has been story after story highlighting Jonathon Ross’ nomination and how controversial it is considering the Andrew Sachs debacle. If Ross picks up the gong, it will be his fourth win at the awards, probably deserved, but hardly remarkable. In contrast, June’s nomination has received only a passing mention despite what appears to be a landmark recognition of British soap’s contribution to entertainment. E3 Artists’ clients often look to hire soap stars for their own corporate awards ceremonies and as an alternative to hiring a more traditional actor. Soap stars are viewed as popular with staff and perhaps as a less “serious” option. Hopefully June’s nomination will go someway to dispelling this idea which is clearly a myth considering the influence and impact characters like Dot Cotton have on the public at large. Last week, Eastenders enjoyed viewing figures in excess of 9 million people, proving just how watched and loved the British soap opera really is and how beneficial it can be to book a soap actor to represent both your brand and your staff.

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Celebrity chefs have come under fire this week for the amount of saturated fat contained in a number of their recipes. Some dishes were identified as containing as much as 216 per cent of an average person’s daily allowance of saturated fat. Some chefs were singled out as being more health conscious when it comes to their recipes. Unsurprisingly, Jamie Oliver was commended for his balanced view towards healthy eating and Lesley Waters, a recent edition to E3 Artists’ roster, was applauded for her use of ‘good fats’, such as olive oil, in her cooking. Concerns were raised due to the increasing trend of people choosing to cook at home to avoid expensive restaurant bills.

I think that celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver have increasingly tried to make people aware of the fat content in their food and exactly what foods we need to avoid or eat less of. If you see a recipe chocked full of butter, sugar and cream, it’s hardly surprising to find that it exceeds your daily fat allowance. When E3 Group clients hire a celebrity chef for their event, their waistlines aren’t exactly a big concern. What’s more important is the knowledge that they will be eating truly exceptional food and that the chef they book provides a real treat for their attendees. There are thousands of healthy eating cook books on the market these days, often written by celebrity chefs themselves and ultimately, we are all entitled to a treat sometimes aren’t we?

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Gaining publicity for your opening or supplying memorable entertainment for your event can be a real headache for small business owners and blue-chip giants alike. Often the event coordinators will consider booking a celebrity for an appearance or performance to raise the profile of the occasion. Hiring a media personality can increase interest from the press and raise attendance but it can also prove a very difficult proposition to actually carry out. Many people are unaware of all the factors that go hand in hand with booking a famous face; some are unsure where to begin, others are totally amazed by the fees that well known individuals can expect and some people are unaware that it is even possible to hire a high profile star.

There’s no Business like Show Business

The first port of call for most people when attempting to hire a celebrity is to contact their agent. This would seem like a sensible approach but the truth is there can be issues in dealing with agents directly. In essence, celebrity agents are solely responsible for representing the needs of their clients. As a result, they are often less inclined to show an interest in providing a good service or value for money to potential bookers. This particularly applies to first time bookers or those who have not hired a celebrity before. In many respects this is quite understandable. Celebrity agents have become accustomed to phone calls from start-up businesses and first time bookers looking to hire well-known personalities. The problem is that, although the intention to book a specific star may be true and good, it often doesn’t become a reality. Celebrity agents have been burned in the past dealing with bookers who are adamant they require a celebrity on a given date and are happy to engage in the lengthly contractual processes to make it happen. Often at the last minute, the booker will pull out, leaving a hole in their client’s schedule as well as everyone’s wallet. As such, many artist management companies try to avoid dealing with public enquiries altogether and rarely promote themselves in conventional channels for the precise reason that they don’t wish to receive these sorts of enquiries.

Double Agents

So how do you go about booking a celebrity if you have limited or no experience in doing so? The best way to manage your celebrity booking needs is to hire a booking agent to do the work for you. Booking agents differ from regular artist agents as they have a much broader scope (they are not limited to concerning themselves with the needs of a specific array of clients). This means that dealing with a booking agent offers the booker the opportunity to gain impartial advice and discuss the best options for the event that is proposed. Essentially, a good booking agent will act as a bridge between the private sector and the entertainment industry, helping both the client and the celebrity achieve a fast and efficient outcome that both parties will be happy with. Dan Kujawski, Senior Entertainment Agent at E3 Artists tells us:

“A booking agent’s role is to act as a guide for all aspects of the celebrity hire process. Booking a celebrity can be extremely time-consuming and can hinder the whole event management process. A booking agent is there to manage all the stressful aspects, freeing up time and anticipating any problems that may arise as the negotiations develop.”

Dan also shed some light on the kind of fees celebrities will expect:

“Celebrity fee expectations depend on the clients’ requirements for the event and the status of the celebrity in question. TV favourites, such as reality stars, usually come in at around £1500 to £3000 but for major personalities, the fees can be anywhere from £10,000 to £100,000 per appearance.”

Although these fees may be higher than you might expect, a booking agent will always attempt to negotiate the best deal for their client. Their industry knowledge allows them to compare your requested celebrity’s fee expectations with other similar artists as well as assess all costs that the appearance or performance will incur. Booking agents are therefore able to generate a realistic figure for their clients and impress upon the artist’s agent the reasonability of that fee.

If you find that your desired celebrity is way beyond your budget, a booking agent can help suggest alternatives that could be supplied on budget but maintain the original mood of your event. They can do this as their focus is on your satisfaction and not simply achieving a booking for an artist in their stable. Booking agents are also experts in managing artist’s expectations. Ryan Curtis, Entertainment Agent at E3 Artists reminds us that:

“Dealing with the artist’s manager directly will require the client to anticipate all the celebrity’s expectations. This includes travel, accommodation, technical specifications and riders. It is part of my role to make sure all these things are taken care of within the client’s original budget.”

Before arriving at your event, a celebrity can sometimes expect very complex technical arrangements to heave been made. They could also expect a large and obscure rider to have been created for them. A rider is a personal list, normally comprised of food, beverages and personal items, which the celebrity will expect as part of their fee. It is invaluable to have someone dealing with the rider that has done it many times before.

I Can’t Work Under These Conditions

If, heaven forbid, something should go wrong on the day of your event and the celebrity you have hired can’t make it, a booking agent will be on hand to save the day. They will make every effort to find a suitable replacement right up to the eleventh hour and if they can’t, they will guide you through every query you might have regarding legal options. The booking agent will initially insist on a contract recognised by both the Agents Association and Equity, who are the actors union, to ensure that all expectations, client and celebrity, are clear to both parties before anything is set in stone. This way, there is an obvious procedure to follow if anything should go wrong.

Curtain Call

Once your event has drawn to a close, a booking agent will ensure that there is a professional close-down for your event. David Hill, CEO of the E3 Group reminds us:

“Artist management companies are generally quite difficult to access and work with in this country and they can often appear ‘suspicious’ of corporate and consumer enquiries. It is unlikely that they will provide any service after the close of your event as their vested interest in the contract has terminated.”

With a booking agent, you’re guaranteed to receive a call to make sure everything has gone well as there is a vested interest in future business. Finally, David had this to say about the benefits of using a booking agent:

“I believe we can bridge the gap between the artist and the client and deliver a smooth, fast, efficient and friendly service. Effectively, we are an approachable and knowledgeable resource that can be utilised by any ‘booker’ wishing to secure a high profile star.”

Following a hugely successful turn at the Grammys and Golden Globes, Oscar success was hotly tipped for Slumdog Millionaire’s director Danny Boyle and Kate Winslet’s performance in The Reader. Winning these awards was a huge compliment for the British entertainment industry albeit a slightly unsurprising result, considering almost every pundit, analyst and commentator had universally claimed that they would. What was truly surprising was the sheer volume of Oscars that British talent came away with this year. Of the twenty four gongs on offer, British films took nine, around 37%. These included awards as varied as best sound editing and best adapted screenplay.

Last year, Stephen Fry attributed British Oscar success to the American love of the British accent. With Slumdog Millionaire’s cast comprised of local talent from Mumbai and Kate Winslet putting on her best American inflection, the same definitely cannot be said this year. A wave of good feeling seems to have surrounded the British Oscar contingent this year, especially Slumdog Millionaire, after a glowing reception at the Toronto film festival where it premiered. Hopefully, these success stories will inspire the future of British talent and make them aware of exactly what they can achieve.

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