“Treat others as you would like to be treated”
We follow this rule growing up, have it taught to our children in schools, and even hear about it in synagogues and churches. I’d even put money on the fact that everyone reading this article has heard of it. (I mean, you should have… I just mentioned it.)
It is an interesting philosophy to apply to entertainers.
Next time you are at an event and there is another entertainer, think about what you would want if you were in their shoes. What would they say?
- If you were a magician showing up at an event, would you want the balloon artist to pass his already gained rapport to you so that you could start your show as a welcomed guest rather than a new stranger?
- If you were a Face Painter, would you want the DJ to play music at a level that would keep the guests happy, but to where you could at least hear the requests of the children?
- If you were a human statue and had children messing with you, would you want the mime to come over and help play security guard for a little bit so that you had some boundaries drawn before your character was compromised?
Help out where you can. If you consider all the questions or concerns of the other entertainers at your event, together you can help to make the event run much more smoothly. Not only that, but you also get to help another entertainer look awesome. That can work wonders for you when they tell the person that hired them just how amazing YOU were.
It’s one thing to get a glowing recommendation from a guest, but when you have other performers talking about how awesome they thought you were… Then the event planner knows they made a fantastic decision in hiring you.
Likewise, make sure you compliment other entertainers whenever you can. Set the example, expect the best, and plan for the worst.
Thanks for the excellent advice, Jonathan. It certainly is true that “what goes around comes around.” Not only is looking out for other performers simply the right thing to do, but it is also very valuable to build relationships within the industry… it has happened lots of times that I haven’t been able to do a gig, so I was thankful to have other friends in the industry that I could pass the business along to. And sometimes the same thing happens with others, and they send gigs my way. And it would never have happened without making that original small effort to reach out and be friendly and helpful to another performer.
Making a balloon dog used to be taboo. Now, knowing that some people want that, I make whatever balloon animal they ask for.