E3 Group

Comedian Mark Watson has become a familiar face on television recently following appearances on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, BBC2’s Never Mind the Buzzcocks and the BBC4 quiz show We Need Answers. He had a busy 2009, completing a 60 date tour of the UK, Melbourne and New Zealand, winning the Fringe First for his show at the Edinburgh festival.

Mark is currently a popular choice for up and coming private and corporate events and has been voted “comedian of the month” for March 2010 by our booking agents. Mark has a busy television and events schedule for this year plus a new tour set to start in October. He does, however, have limited availability and his broad appeal makes him an ideal booking for many of our clients. Contact our London office for details or take a look at our comedians page for more options.

It’s been another very busy month here at E3 Group for both our entertainment agency and production teams. Here’s a quick round up of what’s happening in our departments.

E3 Artists

Our London based entertainment agents have been involved in some high profile bookings recently. The first of these involved flying Paul McKenna, the renowned hypnotist and NLP practitioner, to speak at The Annual Conference of The Association of Professional Coaches, Consultants & Trainers on March 6th in Los Angeles. Our booking team have also just confirmed a five date tour of Ireland for Olly Murs, runner up in the 2009 series of the X-Factor. The tour will take place in April this year.

E3 Events

In addition to working with partner company DRP Group, our events team are also preparing for The South Devon Festival which is taking place at the Newton Abbot Racecourse later this year and is being headlined by Will Young.

E3 Costumes

Our production team recently announced that they have started work on a new touring show for 2010. The show will require a sizable amount of bespoke costumes as it is set to feature what can best be decribed as three larger than life girls performing as the latest and most unique girl group. The girls have huge amounts of talent and are sure to become the BIGGEST girl group you have ever seen!

E3 Production

Our production team have just completed another voice over session with the legendary Peter Dixon, (voice of X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, E4 etc.) The session was a ‘ruddy’ great success, with Peter voicing introductions for many of our new shows and formats for 2010.

E3 Careers

After many months of preparation the first 2010 entertainers training course was officially opened in Mallorca earlier this month. E3 Group CEO, David Hill, along with Thomas Cook’s Head Of Overseas Support, Chris Medd, attended the opening presentation to welcome the first of many delegates to the three and a half week intensive course.

Visit E3 Group for further details about us.

Our booking agents here at E3 Artists have noticed a significant increase in requests to hire swing bands for weddings. Swing music continues to be a very popular choice for weddings; couples who choose this genre of music are looking to create a stylish and fun atmosphere for their big day. With the peak wedding period occuring in June and July, many wedding event planners are booking now to secure the best possible band.

As a result, our band booking agents have voted Five Star Swing as their “band of the month”. Five Star Swing are a highly talented, scalable and professional group of musicians, based in London, but offering coverage across the UK. You can view a short clip of their work in the video below. Five Star Swing have an impressive history including appearances on BBC Breakfast TV, Top of the Pops, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and The Royal Variety Show. As a scalable outfit they are an ideal choice for weddings. For availability information you can contact one of our entertainment agents, or to view more bands for hire visit our bands page.

Barbara Nice has been a long standing favourite in the E3 Artists office. Performed by comedienne, Janice Connelly, Barbara’s riotous live shows have been a huge hit with many of our clients. Her character based comedy is both endearing and very funny. Performing as a Northern housewife, her show includes a sequence of crowd surfing to the sound of Iggy Pop!

The E3 Artists team believe Barbara Nice is one to watch in 2010 and, as a result, she has been voted this month’s “comedian of the month”. For details on Barbara’s availability, contact one of our booking agents at our London office. Alternatively take a look at our other comedians for hire or click here to visit our entertainment agency home page.

Each month we offer a quick snap shot of what it’s like to work in a busy entertainment agency and production company. Here’s a quick round up of what’s happening in our departments.

E3 Artists

Our London based booking agents have had a busy start to the year. Booking requests for X Factor contestants from the 2009 series of the ITV show continue to flood in resulting in some high profile bookings with E3 Artist’s corporate clients.

E3 Events

E3 Events are currently collaborating with Midlands based event production company, DRP Group. Further details to follow next month.

E3 Costumes

Our costume design team are currently producing some eye catching designs to accompany our shows for tour operator giant Thomas Cook. The shows include pantomimes, West End style productions and cabaret.

E3 Production

Our production team have recently enjoyed success producing bespoke children’s entertainment shows for the theme park attraction Alton Towers. They are also currently training 2010 season entertainers for overseas productions.

E3 Careers

Our recruitment team are continuing to look for talented entertainment staff to join our overseas show teams. For further information, visit the E3 Careers section of our site.

For general information on E3 Group, visit our home page.

Our booking agents are often approached by clients looking for affordable bands for hire. With the majority of professional four-piece bands now costing over £1,000 to hire, it can be difficult to secure high quality acts on lower budgets. One option to consider is to hire a professional duo or trio. Staines Tanzi are an excellent example (see the video below).

Staines Tanzi are a perfect choice for creating a relaxed ambiance at weddings, functions and corporate events. They can also provide a more uptempo style where required. With their fee as low as £500 for duo bookings, they are also an ideal choice for event planners working with lower budgets. The quality of their performances wins them our “band of the month” accolade.

For an accurate quote to hire this band please contact one of our band booking agents at our London office on 020 7836 4759. For further information on Staines Tanzi visit our bands page.

John Bishop’s appearance on the BBC’s Live at the Apollo catapulted him into the limelight. He’s now embarking on a national tour and has his first DVD scheduled for release later this year. A very popular choice now for both private and corporate events, the E3 Artists team think he is deserving of our “comedian of the month” accolade for January 2010.

For details on John’s availability, contact one of our entertainment agents at our London office. Alternatively take a look at our other comedians for hire or visit our entertainment agency homepage.

Our band booking agents have chosen Anna Reay as our “band of the month” for January. Anna Reay is an exceptionally versatile singer. Performing as the Anna Reay Band she is supported by a group of equally talented and versatile musicians. A short clip of one of her impressive performances is posted below.

Having just started collaborating with E3, the Anna Reay band are now our hot tip for upcoming functions and events that require a stylish approach. The band’s repertoire boasts a huge selection of styles from swing to salsa, country to current chart material, making them adapatable to most occasions.

For futher information on the Anna Reay Band or to view our other bands for hire, please visit our bands page or contact one of our entertainment agents at our London office.

Happy New Year! As a new feature to the E3 Group blog, each month we will now bring you a snapshot of what it’s like to work in a busy entertainment agency and production company, with a quick overview from each of our departments.

E3 Artists

December 2009 was an incredibly busy month for E3 Artists; our entertainment booking division. Besides dealing with our regular clients’ Christmas entertainment requirements our agents were also inundated with requests to book 2009’s X-Factor contestants.

E3 Events

E3 Events, our London based corporate events division, successfully delivered a high impact entertainment extravaganza for Thomas Cook’s prestigious VI conference in December. Highlights included star performances from the Noisettes and the legendary ABBA tribute Bjorn Again.

E3 Costumes

Our costume designers are currently working on summer season designs for several of our major tour operator and leisure clients.

E3 Production

Our production show team are currently working on several brand new entertainment formats set to be piloted overseas in summer 2010. Keep posted here for further updates.

E3 Careers

E3 Careers are now recruiting professional singers and dancers to join our touring shows in the Mediterranean for client Hi! Hotels. For further information on our entertainment jobs abroad, please visit the E3 Careers section of our main site.

For general information on E3 Group, visit our home page.

Despite the recession, 2009 has been a very busy year for E3 Artists, the entertainment booking division of E3 Group. Our booking agents have dealt with enquiries ranging from the bizarre to the near impossible. Here’s our round up of the most frequently requested acts to perform at both private and corporate events:

1. Susan Boyle

An eventful year for the Scottish singer who catapulted to fame via her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. Now an international star with a No.1 album under her belt, Susan is not an easy performer to secure for private events on account of her current £200,000+ price tag.

2. Diversity and Flawless

A rare feat for urban, street-style dance troupes, these two acts have secured household name status and popularity. Constantly in demand for both private and corporate events, the future remains bright for both in 2010.

3. Russell Howard

The cheeky, fast paced comedian Russell Howard has emerged as a popular choice for event planners looking to target a youth audience. Russell is currently embarking on a national tour.

4. The Saturdays and The Noisettes

The two pop groups most frequently requested in 2009. Both groups look set to continue their chart success in 2010.

5. X-Factor Singers

Our booking agents have been inundated with requests to hire 2009’s X-Factor stars including Joe McElderry, Olly Murs, Stacy Solomon and Jamie Archer. Their popularity for events looks set to continue in 2010.

The E3 Artists team would like to thank all our clients who have booked entertainment through us in 2009. We look forward to working with you again in the future and to seeing who become the stars of 2010.