Creative people being "ripped off by the white man"? Gee, that's news!

What I know about finance could fit into a thimble, and leave room for the Empire State Building. Nonetheless, a few things have become apparent, even to those of us who work in and around showbusiness,

The entertainment industry traditionally thrives during a down economy. That's not news. This down economy is different, though. Those who understand how and why the current situation came to be are saying it's worse than the cyclical ups and downs that previous Republican administrations had given us; in other words, the last guy was the worst we've seen in a long time.

Nonetheless, that doesn't affect musicians and other creative artist directly. Here's something that does: pension funds. Many musicians, actors, dancers, and others in the creative arts have worked at union jobs for part, most, or all of their careers. As part of employment with a union shop (such as the New York Philharmonic), they had a small pension contribution made on their behalf each time they performed. That pension fund was adminstered by God knows who, over decades. And now, union pension funds all over the country are invested in financial products that may have only ten percent of the value they had only two years ago.

Musicians: You're the first creative arts union to get the bad news. The American Federation of Musicians' and Employers Pension Fund recently announced that they're in really bad shape .

Since this is a crisis, we will defer the rant about how "Employers" could possibly be included by name /title in a union pension fund.

SAG and AFTRA are in slightly better (but not MUCH better) shape. If I understand their situation correctly, their pension funds merged around October 2008. Many of the union members of both unions wanted to merge the funds, but it didn't happen until very recently.

HOWEVER, as with many in SAG and AFTRA, there's some drama involved. The Actors Fund is suing JP Morgan for mismanagement/breach of fiduciary duties.

What a joy, huh?

People in all industries who looked forward to benefits after having spent thirty or forty years working union jobs, sticking by their unions–even during labor disputes, walkouts, and other tough times may not have anything left to which they can retire.

I don't mean to be an alarmist. What I know about money is...well, not a lot. But the stories I'm reading about failing banks, investment houses with stocks down to $1.50 or so, frighten me. Musicians, actors, dancers, or anyone else who worked a union job in the entertainment industry should be checking their pension funds often.

If it's possible to take your money out for a while, maybe that's the way to go. Talk to your investment advisor. If you don't have an investment advisor, get one. If you don't know how to get one, e-mail me, and I'll send you some information. I don't know about money, but I know people who do–and none of them are affiliated with a major bank or with Bernie Madoff. I don't claim to know about money. However, I care a lot about people who create art or who entertain for a living.

For those of you in other creative arts unions who are / were looking forward to some variety of retirement benefits, I'd love to know what your circumstances are.

Bottom line; CHECK YOUR PENSIONS!!!!

In Your Face!

Ask most successful people in showbusiness how they got to where they are, and you'll find that most of the answers will have some pretty similar themes. You'll hear things like "I could never see myself doing anything except playing the piano."; or "I want to act more than I want to breathe."; or "The only time I'm happy is when I'm on stage."; or "I knew since I was 5 years old that one day I was going to sing at Carnegie Hall.".

People who succeed in showbusiness have to want it more than say, the guy vying for Carpet Salesman Of The Year at the "Rug Shack" in Teaneck, NJ. They also have to be willing to starve for it, and to work really really hard for a very long time till it "happens". A few talk about being "discovered", like they're waiting for Magellan to come around. Those aren't the ones who make it.
Lana Turner is/was the exception to that rule. She got discovered in a soda shop, but that was "dumb luck". Don't count on luck.

So, how do you make it happen? Do you just keep perfecting your craft, working every little hole-in-the-wall club that'll have you? Do you write a blog, or screenplays for college films in the hopes that someone will find your work? Absolutely, yes! You take the work, and you "work" it. Get experience, perfect your craft. My friends who are comedians work their hometown clubs every night they're in town. The ones who are in New York, Boston and L.A. work six clubs a night sometimes.

NO doubt about it, you have to perform as many times as possible, in front of many many MANY audiences. You have to make mistakes, and you must consistently get better at what you do. What then?

Well, you have to get the word out. You have to be the best self-promoter you can be. No one will believe in you more than you do (at least until you get famous). Exploit every resource available that can help you spread your message. It's easy to do, and it's FREE!

The job of "talent scout" in the world of arts and entertainment has changed dramatically since twenty five years ago. A wise talent scout isn't just going from club to club, or open mike nights to find the next great talent; they're out here on the web, looking for every possible "place" in which the "next big thing"could be performing "on demand".

The web has SO many free means of advertising, promotion, publicity, that getting your name out there is easy. You've just got a lot of competition. So, assuming you can do something to merit the attention of a prospective fan or purchaser of your services; assuming you have to have "the goods" to be able to keep their attention longer than a few seconds, you've got a shot. Maybe your video will go viral, and will get you some attention. Maybe someone will forward something you've written to..."the right person", and things will start to happen. But you have to get "out there".

Most people have shorter attention spans today than they did twenty years ago. The number of messages that come our way every ten seconds is..mind-boggling. So your stuff better be a real attention-grabber, and an attention keeper.

Remember Lonely Girl 15? She was an actress who was hired to play the part of a, well, a lonely girl. She did this on YouTube. To date, her first video blog installment/webisode has had 1.83 MILLION views. It cost practically nothing to do what she did. The second episode had over 2.5 million views. Her least popular episode had a 150,000 views.

The series has had spinoffs for both the web and (European) broadcast television. See? Someone in their basement with captivating content, the desire to succeed, and the "grass roots" cleverness to market it well has a good shot. Lonely Girl 15's still makin' a dollar off what started out as a $500 a week lark.

In the age of YouTube, Facebook, and ...just the plain' ol' web, the means to reach out and GRAB your audience are are easily accessible, and are FREE-FREE-FREE!!!!!!!!! So how come you're not famous yet? It's about usin' the tools.

The self-righteous purists of the arts and entertainment worlds don't get it. About fifty years ago, Truman Capote said of Jack Kerouac's On The Road, "That's not writing, that's just typing.". Truman wasn't speaking out of professional envy, of course. Truman was already successful as an author when he'd made that remark.

There are many people out there whose "typing", gets published, and many others whose writing, is being seen 0nly by their parents, and the 75 followers of their respective blogs. Why, oh WHY is this injustice allowed to continue? Because the "typing" sometimes speaks louder than the "writing", and because most people don't know the difference between art and hackery.

People will judge what's in front of them. If you ask most people to choose between A and B, they won't think about C. "Coke or Pepsi?"..."Vanilla or Chocolate?". ..You might occassionally get someone who'll ask for "bottled water", or "butterscotch", or who might even pass on dessert, but most will pick one of the things you offer, because they assume that's all there is. If people will judge what's in front of them, get in FRONT OF THEM! Easier said than done? Yup. Nonetheless, it must become an important part of your daily activity.

Don't believe me? Coca Cola's the most popular soft drink in the world! They spent $2.6 billion in advertising in 2006. And they're already #1. You can be sure that one of the reasons they stay at the top is because their message is constantly out there; they buy the best possible message they can afford, and they can afford a LOT.

Another example in popular culture: Reality TV sucks! But a pretty large percentage of the world watches TV. The networks realized they could spend less on production by letting go of trivial luxuries like actors and writers, while increasing (or even just keeping the current) advertising rates. The broadcast networks were right: people will watch garbage on TV if that's all there is to watch on TV. But before the networks put something on, they hype the hell out of it. They spend tens-of-millions of dollars in advertising trying to convince you that watching people lose weight, or rebuild a house, or lose weight by rebuilding a house is better than some..."scripted" drama or comedy. They're just selling dreck. Collectively, they're offering you Dreck A or Dreck B. Either way, they win, and they continue to keep this junk ON the air because most Americans are buying their hype.

Cable TV subscriptions are up. There's never been a time at which premium content is more worth paying for than during a bad economy during which "Reality TV" is...a reality.

So, if you're a comedian, how do you get out in front of the world? You work every club, you play for every audience, and in your off-time, you update your website very often, you get a blog, you trade links with people, you tell every club at which you work that you'll link to them if they link to you. If you manage to get up in the morning, you issue a news release. Of course, you can't just write a news release and expect people to publish it. You have to work smart. This book will tell you lots about how to do it, even if you have no money.

So get good, then get great, but ALWAYS get your message in front of people OTHER than those for whom you performed that night. Use your creativity, ask your friends for help, ask me for help if you'd like.

Go get `em!

Musicians, poets, comedians: Continuing in the Gypsy tradition, in 2008 and beyond

Most performing artists are, in essence, independent business owners. Yeah? So what? So are a lot of people.

The strange and harsh thing about performing artists being business owners, is that performers base their livelihoods on their creative capacities. Performing artists are expected to run their business, perfect their craft, and do everything else it takes to get by, all by themselves (at first). Some are lucky enough to have help from family, friends, or others they trust on the business and logistics sides. To say it's difficult to nurture both sides of a creative person's business obligations is a tremendous understatement.

Creative artists have to worry about at least all of the following:
- Inventory
- Distribution
- Advertising/Publicity
- Health Benefits
- Travel expenses/reimbursement
- Payroll
- Taxes (personal and business)
- Unions
- Scheduling
- Wardrobe

and that's just the beginning.

Some who are married and have kids have the additional issues of child care, possible spousal neglect, and a host of other things most of us don't have to worry about—especially when combined with all the other facets of our business and personal lives.

If you own a hardware store, you have to know about hardware before you open up shop, you need to keep up with advancements in the field, you need to have inventory of stuff people need, and you need to be open so people can get stuff from you. It's hard work, but it's steady, and you can count on making a decent living at it if you stay in the same place, and keep providing the stuff people need. Can you imagine how much harder it would be for a hardware store owner to pack his stuff up in an RV and take his "show" on the road? Many hardware store owners can open up shop on the web, and be everywhere at once.

Somehow or other, people who need hardware will find a store. Performing artists have to go to the audience. With the exception of a few hotels in Las Vegas, or performance venues in Nashville, TN, or Branson, MO, performers aren't stationary.There's only so much of an entertainer's act they can convey through a website. That leads us to inventory. If you never thought of songwriters, poets or comedians carrying inventory, try this on for size:

Imagine if a hardware store owner had to build the store, and make every tool, nail, and whatever else in the shop himself. It's not the same gig anymore, is it?

A performer must create himself or herself from the ground up. A comedian or composer of music must write their material. Their music, poetry or comedy (respectively) is their inventory. Most throw away 75 to 90% of their material before they find the "gold". If the hardware store owner threw away 75% of his inventory, do you think he'd survive?

Every two years, the great George Carlin repeated the same cycle of getting new material for an HBO special. (He did fourteen of them, which, in total, represent thirty one years of work.)

In the last fifteen or so years of his life, he'd write a whole show (90 minutes or more of material), take it on the road, work it really hard for two years, and then perform it live on HBO, thus adding it to the canon of recorded comedy, and to his record collection—that is, the collection of records he'd made so that we could enjoy it. After he put a special out on HBO, he'd take a short break, then go back on the road using the previous year's material, and slowly start putting in the new stuff, with the new material eventually becoming a majority of the show.

I saw George live twice. Both times were during the beginning of a cycle. He'd just begun to write some new stuff, and was about 18 to 20 months from an HBO special. During the early performances in a cycle, he would read some of the newest stuff from notes. That's how "hot off the presses" it was. How exciting! I got to see one of the great comic minds of our time create, or at least refine his inventory.

After comedians or composers/performers write material, they have to perform it hundreds of times till they can do it in their sleep. The ones who are somewhat established can "get by" financially while developing new material. The ones who are starting out don't have that cushion. They're working without a net, or with a day job.

Imagine a comedian submitting a business plan to a bank, as part of applying for a small business loan. That's funny enough. Imagine the comedian telling the bank that 75% to 90% of what they create is going to be "tossed", and not "sold".

If you know a bank who would loan money to a comic, please let me know which one it is.

Many entrepreneurs have exploited creative souls' desire to be heard–to have their message brought to the world. The creative souls often look at the short term expression rather than the long term opportunity. That's part of what keeps them going from gig to gig. Little Richard talked about the early days of his career (and some of the later days) as if he had been a slave. His contracts were bought and sold (from one record company to another) for pennies. His last name is Penniman, but..he really shouldn't go living it out that way. He's 76 years old, and shouldn't have to be working quite so hard as he is now.

He could only be sold/traded that way because he cost the record labels so little in the first place. It's not a wonder that the great Little Richard–to whom both Lennon and McCartney owed much of their careers–is scrounging around playing dinner theater venues.

Don't get me wrong! I'm happy to have seen him live. But he looked like he was in pain. He's old. And being Little Richard up on the stage, even for an hour, looks like some hard work. To have to do that at age 76? That can't be fun.

So, why does this horrible tradition of exploitation and "gypsy"-style wandering continue? Are musicians and performing artists stupid? Are they gluttons for punishment; maybe just so attention-starved that they'd rather be on the stage and make no money than be a quiet conformist, average member of polite society?

No, I don't think that's it. I think it's in the "DNA" of creative people. Musicians, actors, authors, comedians have a holy mission. Their mission is to change their audience–to move them the way nothing but a great work of art could.

Billy Joel said it better in his 1993 Commencement Address to the graduates of Berklee College of Music—my alma mater, than I've ever heard/read anyone else say it:

And I hope you don't make music for some vast, unseen audience or market or ratings share or even for something as tangible as money. For though it's crucial to make a living, that shouldn't be your inspiration or your aspiration. Do it for yourself, your highest self, for your own pride, joy, ego, gratification, expression, love, fulfillment, happiness—whatever you want to call it. Do it because it's what you have to do. And if you make this music for the human needs you have within yourself, then you do it for all humans who need the same things. Ultimately, you enrich humanity with the profound expression of these feelings.

Once an artist has done that, their job—as far as that night's audience is concerned—is done. Performers of all types are holy people, in that they actively seek out audiences in order to help the audience grow.

That may not be how it appears on the surface. Dustin Hoffman, during his appearance on Inside The Actors Studio recounts how Sir Laurence Olivier answered the question "Why do we [actors] do what we do?"...Olivier's answer consisted of going nose-to-nose with Dustin, and saying, practically chanting "look-at-me, look-at-me, look-at-me, look-at-me..".

Okay, so actors (and comedians and musicians, and authors) want an audience. Without an audience their art wouldn't be very meaningful (, and they couldn't get paid). If one of their trees was to fall in the forest and nobody was there to hear it, the tree would have made a sound, but the artist wouldn't care as much about the tree if there had been no one there to have heard it fall.

But creative people's desire is to change the world with their contributions to it. The contribution couldn't be anywhere near as significant if you, an audience member, saw it every night. If you saw the New York Philharmonic every night for 20 years, you'd start falling asleep during performances pretty regularly—unless you were in the orchestra.

To me it's sad and ironic that standup comedians don't laugh very often. It's a pretty big no-no to tell jokes to comedians. The last thing they want to hear while they're cleaning house is "Hey, I'll bet you've never heard this one..."–especially if it starts with "Two Jews walk into a bar". I once told Judy Gold a joke of my own, but I did so in the context of conversation. She found it funny. And I know she found it funny because she said "That's funny.". Had she not found it funny, she'd mostly likely have made a face and a sarcastic remark.

Comedians don't laugh as easily as the rest of us because their whole job is to make us laugh. To them, hearing a joke (even a really good joke) is not unlike "talking shop". Their "resistance", if you will, to having a really hearty laugh, is higher than that of most people. That's sad and ironic, isn't it? I've been around some great comedians while they were just having casual conversation. They would talk about everyday stuff (taking their kid to school, or whatever), be really funny in recounting a story, but neither participant in the conversation was laughing at the other's remarks. I, as the guest of one of the comics tried not to be rude, but I'm not immune to the laughter—yet.

Dick Cavett said of my favorite comedian of all time—Groucho Marx—that it was sad that Groucho didn't have a Groucho to make him laugh.

Sturgeon's Law correctly states that "ninety percent of everything is crap." The "hacks" are 90%—the comic, or writer, or whatever, whose work doesn't make him or her grow, and whose work clearly doesn't strive to change or challenge the audience. It's the standup equivalent of According to Jim, or of most Adam Sandler movies.

Good comedians talk with contempt about "hack premises"—bases (for jokes) that are so overdone, tired, and clearly don't come from the soul, but rather from formulaic repackaging of common, everyday things that'll make a certain type of audience laugh. When the really good and great comedians work hard at their craft by baring their souls to an audience, they generally talk about something unique to them. They hope that you or I, as audience members, will be able to relate, or at least take something away—something that'll stay with you after the liquor from the club will have worn off.

Much of Steven Wright's humor's a little bit "out there". But it comes from inside him. One of his signature jokes is about his rented apartment, and how the landlord allows pets. Steven said "I have a pony". The great Emo Philips has a joke about suicide, religion, and the differences that separate us. Everyone can take something away from that joke. Me? I took away that the minute differences in people's beliefs can create chasms so wide, that two people may only get to know each other to the extent that they know the other's beliefs are different from their own. As a result, they may never get to serious dialogue. I'm guilty of it myself, and Emo made me even more aware of it. He taught an important lesson, but framed it in a funny context.

Jodie Wasserman talks about being broke. That's not easy, going on stage and talking about being broke. She was doing it before the economy tanked! It's one thing to tell your best friend something like that. Jodie says that in her act, to hundreds of strangers a day. She bares her soul on the stage, and hopes we will grow from it. That's an artist at work.

George Carlin said in 1977 (in "A Place for My Stuff") "That's my job: thinking up goofy shit...; coming around every once in a while, telling you what it is...".

Artists can't stagnate. They can't stay in the same place all the time. Even the great David Brenner and George Wallace who have indefinite engagements at Vegas hotels don't see the same audiences every night.

I have a sense that most Vegas audiences see standup comedy as something to do between bouts of addictive gambling, or sessions at the hotel's tanning salon. That's disgusting. That comedy clubs serve alcohol is not wonderful either. But hey, that's commerce, not art. If selling drinks gives the comedians a venue, it's a compromise that comics are willing to live with.

The truly great comics come around to where we live, and take us with them for a little while. Enjoy the ride. Take a snapshot in your mind. Don't take for granted the effort it took the musician/comedian/poet to get to the club/venue at which you're seeing them. They're doing what they do to help us grow. Thank them for the "ride", and for the opportunity to grow, and wish them well as they move on to help another little piece of the world.

Helpin' you get to the gig.

So...some people "space", and some get to the gig. Different people work best with different tools to help them fulfill their obligations and appointments.

Among the many things that'll keep us on track are:

• Smartphones
• Contact Management Software
• E-mail reminders and text messages
• "Wake up call" services
  

Smartphones
These puppies usually have a rolodex, calendar, "to-do" list, e-mail, and many other handy-dandy features.
The Palm Treo

Palm has been developing handheld devices for over 15 years. They've gotten quite good at it, and have a versatile line of products. The Treo—Palm's Smartphone—probably has the most gadgety feel to it (of all the Palm products). It offers e-mail, web access, a rolodex, a calendar, and a to-do-lis. Many models have a (still and video) camera built in. The Treo has hundreds of optional features (many of them free). You can, if you wish have a Navigation system (for getting walking or driving directions to and from anywhere) for your Treo. You can turn it into a portable music-player, get an online restaurant guide for whatever town you're in, and many other things.

The Treo is far from the only player in the handheld game.

Apple has developed the much-hyped iPhone. The iPhone (pictured to the left, fingers not included) has all the features that most Treos have, and it includes Apple's iPod technology built right in. The iPod is widely considered to be the best portable music (and video) player available. So, those who really want their tunes with their personal organizing tool, might like the iPhone better than the Treo. The screen is quite clear, and there are many built-in features. Since it's new, there aren't quite as many "add-on" products for the iPhone yet. But you can bet they'll be out soon.

For those who care mostly about e-mail, there's Research In Motion's Blackberry.

There are many more handheld devices, but..you get the idea.

The little toys aren't the only answer. Maybe you just want your phone to be a phone. Okay. No problem. For you we have...

Contact Management Software
If you prefer to be at your computer to plan your day, and prefer to carry a list of what you're doing that day, there are many solutions for you. The most popular of these is known as contact management software or Contact Relationship Management software, if you care to use the industry term.

It'll keep track of your "rolodex", calendar, to-do list, and hopefully, a history of every "contact" you've had with clients, prospects, vendors, or your great aunt Tilly, if you wish.

If you wish to take your CRM on the road, most of them synchronize withSmartphones.

There are SO many examples of CRM tools, that we'd do a disservice to any one product by naming only a few here. We have our favorites, and help folks using PCs, Macs, or..nothing in particular to select the one that's best for them.

HERE is a key point, though, with selecting a CRM tool. If you are responsible for getting someone to wherever they have to be, but aren't necessarily in the same office as them, you should make sure you're using the same tool they are. We have been to MANY offices where the boss likes one calendar software, and the personal assistant who's new, uses the one that came with her computer. (Again, we won't name names. Contact me if you have questions.

We'll skip e-mail reminders and text messages for now. Let's explore a low-tech option.

Wake Up Call Services
Maybe you're a low tech person, and have enough devices in your life. Fair enough! Think about using a wake-up call service. They do MORE than 5 AM calls. They can be notified to call you 5 times a day if you need it, and the wake up call times can vary every day if you wish. Some have automated voicemail greetings/reminders, and others have actual humans ring you up.

Not sure how to go about setting it all up? Give us a call, send me a note.

Space—The Final Excuse...

Today I recalled a few of the stories performing artists have told me over the years about "getting to the gig".

My favorite, and the saddest of them is the following: Years ago, I was on a recording session with legendary guitarist Eric Gale. Eric told me one of his "Dude, I Spaced" stories...though in his story, he was a beneficiary of that too-often used sub-excuse.

A well-known jazz composer and bandleader (whom we won't name here), was contracted to play a concert tour in Japan. He was travelling with a rhythm section (that's guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums), and some horns (saxophones, trombones, trumpets, perhaps). When the bandleader arrived in Japan, he hooked up with all but one of the band members. The guitarist he'd originally hired hadn't shown up. The bandleader called the guitarist's home in New York, to find that the guitarist was not only still at home, but was high on cocaine. He had forgotten to go to Japan! Eric was called in at the last minute, went to Japan, and saved the tour.

Imagine you're responsible for hauling all the equipment necessary for your employees to do their time-sensitive job, you take a left on the highway instead of a right, wind up 60 miles off course, and two hours late. Chances are that someone (besides you) will be slightly annoyed at this "turn" of events.

It's safe to assume that most people who have made it to the higher echelons of showbusiness, have earned their status, in part, because they made it to "the gig" a large majority of the time. Whether it was a 6AM call on a movie set, a deadline for a manuscript, or a 4PM bar-mitzvah, the successful people generally do what it takes to ensure they are there to do their thing when their audience expects them to be there.

Woody Allen taught us that "90% of life is just showing up".

Comedian Barry Sobel told us one of the many differences between New York and L.A.. He said that "In New York, when you tell your friend 'I'll meet you at the movie theater at 10 o' clock', you meet them at the theater at 10 o' clock!'...In L.A., they might not show up at all! The next morning, you call them up, and they say 'Dude! I spaced!'...'Dude, I spaced' is an excuse in L.A.!!".

Well, clearly the "Dude, I spaced!" people aren't ones we'd expect to see starring in a Broadway show, or playing concerts at arenas around the world. Typically, those who are successful show up on time, and rarely (if ever) "space".


Most of us are just hard-working people. If we have to go to Japan (or perhaps to downtown Kansas City) for work, we wouldn't be likely to forget that. In this day of so many things competing for our attention—advertisements everywhere, e-mail, podcasts, children, work deadlines, and...just the many distractions of day-to-day life in the "age of technology"—it's conceivable that even we might "space" on some important obligation or other. We might not forget to go to Japan, but..something that's time-sensitive might escape our attention once in a while.

How do we reduce the chances of missing an appointment, then?

There is an abundance of tools available to us today that will do everything from beep and buzz in our hands at a pre-set time, send us e-mail reminders well in advance of our appointments, pop up on our computer screens, and maybe even come to our door, ring our bell, and escort us out to whatever the "gig" of the moment is.

In the next post, we'll explore some of those options. Stay tuned. Write to me if you have questions.

(Introductory Post) I got those "Low tech profession in a high tech world blues"

So..here's another techie blog. Wonderful, right? Well, maybe you'll find something here that'll be useful to you. Whether you're in the arts and entertainment industries or not, you may find something here that you can use in your own work and play. If you do, drop me a note, or please post a comment on the blog.

Dragonfly Technologies is dedicated to serving the arts and entertainment—actors, authors, screenwriters, comedians, musicians of all sorts, dancers, general performers and all those who help the artists "get to the gig". The accountants, attorneys, personal assistants, managers, agents, and occasionally housekeepers of the creators and performers are a central part of making sure that the artist gets to the gig, and has more gigs to get to after the current one's over.

Performance and creative artistry are, at their core, very low tech. A standup comic uses his or her brain, body, and possibly a microphone, to evoke involuntary physical responses from another human being. Hopefully that involuntary physical response is laughter. All the comic really needs (unless that comic is Carrot Top or Gallagher) is their mind and their body to do their job. Richard Pryor did standup comedy from a wheelchair during his last years living with Multiple Sclerosis. Jonathan Katz still does great standup, as well as many other really funny things, and he too has MS. (More on Jonathan later).

Shakespeare wrote Hamlet without the aid of Final Draft. Actors were asking "To be, or not to be?" long before there were blowdryers, house lights, or instant-drying nail polish. Mozart wrote 41 symphonies without Finale. Does that mean we should all be luddites, and use only our raw talent to bring new creative works into the world? Of course not!

Johnny Carson said that the definition of an optimist is "an accordionist with a beeper". Today we might substitute cell-phone or Blackberry for "beeper", but you get the idea. In today's world, comedians have Blackberries. Every so often I receive last-minute instructions / requests for website updates for the headliner comics, or high-profile authors we serve. Those requests are usually along the lines of "It's 12:45. I'm going to be on CNBC at 2PM. Please make sure we put up A, B, C, and my whole January calendar on the site by 1:45.".

Although we have a great staff for that kind of thing, pulling off that kind of last minute update isn't always easy. But the instant communication became possible when the creative folks and his/her team use the right tools to collaborate on getting to the gig, and parlaying the current gig into the next one, the bigger one, the one that'll allow their agent to get a better computer.

We're there to make sure the creative artist has all the best technology tools to aid them in their process; that they use those tools as efficiently as possible; and that they get to the gig, publicize the current and upcoming ones, and can continue unencumbered in creating things that make the world better.

So..bottom line: Creative arts which are low tech can benefit from high tech tools to do low tech things. Those who assist performers, artists or writers should definitely make the best use possible of the tech tools, so that the creative artist can be left alone to do their thing. Lawyers, accountants, agents, managers, personal assistants, website developers and computer techs for the artist, should all be using the best tools possible to collaborate better toward serving the creative professional, and helping them to bring joy to the world.