The term “celebrity” is usually attached with an individual who is famous, who is known largely in a country or in the world for his contribution, especially to the society, in any way whatsoever. It can be an actress, an actor, an author, an industrialist, a motivational speaker, the President of a nation, you get the jist. Basically, a celebrity is someone who we all have heard of, we know about, who enjoys fame, and definitely, money. Such famous individuals have existed since many centuries, but in their time, they were not termed as celebrities, because being a celebrity was a thing that emerged mainly in the 19th century. Individuals of grandeur like Newton, Einstein, Edison, were not celebrities in their time, even though they invented things and concepts that entirely changed how the world works today. We all know how much the world craves for celebrities, especially their fans, who would do anything to get just a sight of them. Automatically, this adds a great value to a celebrity, to their mere presence somewhere. This, ultimately, is utilized by companies who specialize in providing celebrities to events in order to increase their publicity and value. Such companies are known as celebrity management companies. Let’s discuss broadly about them, shall we?
Celebrity Management Companies – What are they?
As the name implies, celebrity management companies are companies that manage celebrities to provide them for various events and destinations. Over the years, celebrity management has become quite the sought-after career path, because it provides a vast exposure to the celebrities and the industry, helps to build an enormous amount of contacts, and let’s not forget, the payments are pretty good. Celebrity management is a great way of benefiting both the celebrity and the particular event they’ll be making a presence at, utilizing his or her stature and value. As I mentioned before, celebrities gain quite the popularity which automatically endows them with great value and public stature. Their presence in an event, for example, a charity, a football match, as a judge at a dance show, or as a motivational speaker, immediately increases the value and popularity of that event itself. This is the primary factor that drives celebrity management companies to carry out their jobs.
The main task of celebrity management companies is to arrange the celebrities according to the budget of their clients. May it be a superstar from the television, sports, music, movie, or any genre, it is up to the company to assign the right celeb depending on the requirements and the budget of the client. Such companies are usually equipped with properly trained professional teams that handle security planning, celebrity negotiations, license liasoning, crowd management, and tickets planning. If the company is well seasoned with good amount of experience, they can easily take up 2-3 clients simultaneously. Most commonly, celebrity management companies provide celebrities for media events, personal appearances, charities, print campaigns, commercials, speaking engagements, and private parties.
Essentials of Celebrity Management
Providing quality service by sourcing a good celebrity can often be the difference between a forgettable event and an unforgettable one, and such stars of high stature often leave behind quite the lasting impression for the people visiting the event. Thus, it is very important for celebrity management companies to do their job efficiently, which also helps them to build a strong image. Therefore, there are some essentials that a celebrity management company must keep in mind, in order to make the right decisions and do their jobs in the best way possible.
1) Figuring Out the Budget
The very first and the most important step after the deal with a client has been done, is to figure out the client’s budget. The budget is what will actually portray what all services you can provide and which celebrity you can provide for their event. This can usually be done by having a transparent conversation with the client, where he or she can think about his or her total expenses for the event, the total budget that they have, and finally how much dough they are comfortable dishing out for the superstar.
2) Ensuring that it’s a Good Match
The next step is to make sure that the celebrity that you’ll be providing for the event is the perfect match for it. This usually goes without saying, but you’d be surprised to know how often celebrity management companies line up stars for events that are basically terrible fits, to be honest. For example, booking Tom Cruise for the launch of a romance novel. Just doesn’t sit right, does it? Thus, you must make sure to factor in all the aspects before providing a celebrity for the event, like, the celebrity’s fans, their demographic, his or her target audience, whether he or she is in any way related to that particular event or its genre, and whether he or she will resonate in a nice way with the event’s audience or not.
3) Figuring out what you want the Celebrity to do
Another important thing to keep in mind for a celebrity management company is to figure out what they want the assigned celebrity to do. This is directly proportional to the budget of the client. If the budget is less, you can suggest a celebrity who can make a short appearance or just a couple of minutes of an interview. If the budget is stretched and good enough, you can suggest someone who can stay for some time, interact with the audience, hangs out at the tables, etc. After all, you reap what you sow, right?
4) Being Well-Acquainted with the Agents
Most often, it is very hard to get directly in touch with the celebrities. After all, they’re hardly ever free. Thus, the best way to carry out a smooth process is to get to know their agents and to be well-acquainted with them. The agents and managers of the celebrities are usually the ones who know everything about the star’s schedules and wants, and can often say if the particular celeb can appear at the event of if he or she wouldn’t like to.