E3 Group

Susan Boyle is slowly becoming a global phenomenon as her YouTube video, boasting an impressive 19.2 million views as I write this post, clearly demonstrates. Her unexpected vocal talents have been the subject of national debate, prompting some journalists to evaluate the snide and almost sickening reaction to Susan before she wowed the Britain’s Got Talent judges and audience alike. Susan has now made appearances on prominent American TV shows and is due to appear on the Oprah Winfrey show, if you believe the rumours. Susan clearly has an exceptional gift and her performance is testament to just how much we as human beings appreciate talent. Her success is in no way undeserved, but her instant achievement and catapult to fame hasn’t materialised out of thin air. Simon Cowell will have been busy working in the wings to garner this global exposure but, once again I reiterate, it is wholly deserved. What it has made me think about is that the Britain’s Got Talent judges clearly have a type of act they seem to favour, the musical variety. The true spirit of variety and indeed the royal variety show itself is one of complete diversity. People don’t watch the Royal Variety show to see a singer, then a dancer, then a vocal group, then a dance troupe, they watch it to see the plethora of talent on offer and, in fact, often to see a talent they have never conceived of before.

It seems that the judges’ predicate is to stick with what’s safe and what has a clear route to market. Simon Cowell knows that Susan Boyle will be able to sell records if she emerges victorious from the show. I am reminded of the reports that Simon organised “secret” singing lessons for previous contestant Faryl Smith which could have constituted an unfair advantage. There were no such reports indicating similar training for non-musical contestants. Ant and Dec who host the show have both expressed their desire to see a comedian win the show but admit that with Simon’s unusual sense of humour, such acts are at an immediate disadvantage. Is there money to be made from variety and light entertainment stalwarts such as comedians, magicians, circus performers and specialty acts? In Cowell’s eyes, Perhaps not. Undoubtedly, many of the aforementioned acts that do appear on Britain’s Got Talent are woeful but, here at E3 Artists, we see such a wide variety (no pun intended) of talented acts that fall under these brackets that it surprises me that the finals of the last two series of Britain’s Got Talent have been dominated by singers, dancers and musicians. Of the fifteen acts that made it through to the live finals of the first two series, just three stood out as offering something besides musical or movement related talent. Damon Scott, a ventriloquist, Strike, a martial arts team and E3 favourites, the Barwizards. Ultimately it is up to the British public to keep acts in the show so we can only hope that those E3 Artists clients who have chosen to hire a comedian, magician or speciality act in recent months, pick up the phone and keep these acts represented throughout the competition.

Booking enquiries for Susan Boyle can be made via our London office.

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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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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.

See the full list of British Academy Television Awards nominees here.

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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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In this busy awards season, the Brit Awards have often been perceived as a more light-hearted musical ceremony than its counterparts across the pond. The Grammy’s are often mocked in certain circles in America, but they seem to carry a gravitas which the Brit Awards have been lacking in previous years. With the current perceived revival of British music, lead by the likes of Coldplay, Duffy and Adele, this notion is slowly starting to dissolve and the Brit award is becoming a prestigious accolade for any mantelpiece. Coldplay have referred to the Brits as the ‘Musical Olympics‘ and the Ting Tings, a band portrayed as quite edgy and perhaps even anti-establishment, claimed that “it’s a bit stingy to accept all the free champagne and accolades and then just spend the rest of the night taking the p**s out of everyone else”.

As the Brit Awards reputation as a prestigious musical outing grows and grows, the impact of being a Brit award winner is growing too. The cost for hiring a top end celebrity musician, like those nominated at last night’s Brits, is always very costly. But what impact does a win have on these prices? A great deal is the short answer. Much like when a film receives an Oscar, the marketability of that film increases tenfold. It’s the same deal with the Brits as record companies now have artists endorsed and recognised by their peers, industry professionals, and that most important of groups, the music buying public. Hiring a band or solo artist who has won a Brit could set you back ten or twenty thousand pounds more than their cost prior to receiving the gong. The price increase could be even more dramatic if the act picks up more than one award, as Duffy did last night. Even a Brit Award nomination can be touted as a reason for a substantial price increase in famous band or musician booking fees.

If you want the notoriety that having a Brit winner at your next event would bring, you will have to pay for it! Alternatively, you could hope for your chosen act to have a catastrophic fall from grace as their fee would fall accordingly. But you have to ask yourself, would I still want the celebrity to perform at my event? Probably not I imagine.

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Heat winners from all over the UK are preparing themselves for the 2007 Grand Finale of Holiday Stars, set to take place on Saturday 16th February at the Brighton Dome. Holiday Stars, produced by the E3 Group for First Choice’s prestigious Holiday Village properties, is an international talent search with heats taking place in Europe, the Carribbean and North Africa.

Currently leading the online voting competition is Kirsten Winsborrow, who won her heat of Holiday Stars on the 23rd June 2007 with a rousing rendition of the No Doubt song “Don’t Speak”. There is still an opportunity to vote for your favourite contestants by visiting the Holiday Stars website.

If you are interested in attending the Grand Finale, please call our office on 0845 83 82 822.

Pictured above, heat winner – Kirsten Winborrow.