I hope these are some great tips and ideas for any creative industry or profession. I know in burlesque - especially when you are starting out - that it can seem really daunting and scary to start booking shows.

But here’s the thing.

It’s only performing that makes you grow and develop as a performer.

“But there aren’t enough shows and opportunities” , I hear you cry!

Sure, approaching a producer or promoter is just one way of boosting your business and artistic opportunities.

It might be part of a wider strategy that you have on developing your business growth. But regardless of where you live, there ARE opportunities there - either existing or ones you can make yourself.

But like a wise gym teacher said to me - you miss 100% of the punches you don’t take.

If you don’t start approaching people you can never really extend your bookings. So give it a go - get prepared and take some handy tips and tricks for making that approach as professional as possible.

Prepare your marketing

Before you draft up an e-mail and hit send, it’s really worth putting in the leg work. If you are looking to be involved in a particularly event or just want to pitch yourself as a performer of interest, make sure you have done some work:

Have a brief outline of your CV/key highlights that can go into a few dot points. You could prep a proper CV attachment but people are busy - try to get it condensed.
Have some video footage prepared of your acts. If you don’t have footage of yourself you are probably wasting your time on anything other than absolute newcomer events. If you have an act that hasn’t been filmed get a good practice video done - get a studio space, hire someone to video you and perform it 110%. You could even bring a crowd in for a free show!
Professional photos - have a headshot, a full body shot and a performance image prepared.
Links to a functional website or social media site

Do your homework

Research the event or the producer you are approaching. Make sure you know about their style, the kind of acts they book, where they work and how long they have been working for. I’m amazed about the e-mails I get with artists from interstate or overseas that treat me like I’m a newcomer - when a simple click on my website will tell you that I’ve performed and produced for a long time now.

But doing the research is also important so that you know you are hitting a market that might be interested in you. If you are a fetish performer, it’s possibly less likely a commercial, ‘classic’ burlesque producer is going to be keen on you. Or you might need to customise your approach to acknowledge your different style.

Knowing what the event is, who the producer is and how they operate

Make a personal approach

If you can I’d always recommend making sure you can find the right contact. You can try to include a reference to a show you have seen and why it resonated with you.

My cautionary tale:

I would be remiss if I also didn’t say to be careful about where and how you want to work. Sure, you can start to pitch yourself into shows outside your hometown. But remember that this costs money and time - make sure that if you are doing some travel that the opportunity will lend itself to professional or personal development. Or that you can actually at least break even - don’t go broke trying to perform!

Are you a producer? What tips would you give an applicant?

How to approach a producer