Why Is Hiring A Celebrity Such A Pain In The Ass? 5 Tips You Can't Live Without!
Booking celebrities has been part of my business for over 20 years. Big names and small. We have booked Hilary Swank, Pele, Martha Stewart, Mario Lopez, Bethenny Frankel, Jen Selter, Venus Williams, Danny Glover, Arnold Palmer and Sir Richard Branson to name a few. As Donald Trump said, there is an “art of the deal”.
It starts with the 5 tips for hiring celebrities you should always consider!
Tip #1: Be honest about your budget! Everyone wants the biggest, best, most famous star with the biggest social media, but that comes with a price tag. Don’t be so cock sure that just because you can talk your way into a concert, you can book Taylor Swift for less than $5-7.5 million for an endorsement campaign with an incremental spend on top of that!
Tip #2: Have an Expert Assisting In Vetting Your Celebrity! I hear all the time about how internal staff can handle this or my PR firm has bought a lot of celebrity talent, but honestly would you let your HR department handle logistics? NO! Why, because that is not their expertise. Be smart when it comes to evaluating and buying your celebrity.
Tip #3: Don’t Be A Teenager! You are saying, what is he talking about? Well, it goes something like this. My teenage daughter is in LOVE with a particular band. No matter what they do or how awful they sound, she lives and dies with their every move. Can’t tell her they are anything other than great. I work with many clients that are like this as well. When it comes to securing a celebrity for them, they are in love with someone specifically and won’t listen to logic. It is called a vanity buy.
Tip #4: Beware Of The Celebrity Mirage! I counsel a lot of companies from start-ups to Fortune 100 firms and the one things bonds many of them is the unwavering desire to work with someone that is no longer relevant. Maybe it was their favorite athlete as a child or maybe it was their favorite actor in a movie or a reality tv star that they identified with from 2011. My first question is, what are they doing today? How are they going to help you brand or make money? If you know them only because of what they did and not what they are doing, they are a mirage. Exceptions to this are always iconic stars who have passed away. Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Michael Jackson, etc.
Tip #5: If the Celebrity Agent Asks For an Offer Before They Know Why You Called, RUN! I hear this complaint all the time. My client tells me they previously called this agent at that alphabet soup agency and some junior associate wanna be said that in order for Agent Orange to look at your program it has to be a formal offer. I am always like, why waste my time if you don’t even know if your client is interested. I don’t love working that way. If the celebrity rep doesn’t have time for a call now, what will it be like once you sign the damn deal! RUNNNNN!
There are many other insights, tips and secrets to buying celebrity talent. With over 20 years in the trenches me and my staff have seen it all. If you are in the process of looking for a celebrity for an appearance, speech, endorsement, media tour or promotional program, please let us know how we can help! Email me at or call (919)459-5426.
