live event announcing

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Permalink Reply by Philip Banks on July 10, 2009 at 10:09am

The last time I did it I charged $1600 plus expenses.

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Permalink Reply by John Wehrman on July 10, 2009 at 11:10pm

Thanks, Phillip. Good of you to get back. Just curious--did you work quite a number of hours for that?

John

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Permalink Reply by Philip Banks on July 11, 2009 at 3:31am

Rehearsals at 4pm, finished at 10.30pm. Lots of long breaks while other things were happening.

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Permalink Reply by John Wehrman on July 11, 2009 at 5:52pm

Cool. Hope it was fun. Hard to stay focused sometimes for longer gigs. Don't know how the Tour de France guys do it.

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Permalink Reply by John Taylor on July 13, 2009 at 8:49pm

That's a long gig! Phillip's in the ball park $$$ wise. A lot of corporate events have scaled back because of the economy and watchful eyes from the media covering lavish expenditure while companies are downsizing.
There's a lot of hurry up and wait time. Bring a book.....or laptop. I announce many awards and events around LA. I LOVE IT! For me it's like being on a team. May I offer a few hints? Bring EVERYTHING you might expect them to have. Battery powered book light for your copy. Your own water...power bars or snacks to keep your energy up. I bring my own mic, mic cord, copy stand and chair. I also bring large sized index cards and sharpie marker to write out any last minute announcements. You'd be surprised how often the announcer is last on the agenda. Make sure the event planner or producer is very clear about WHO is to give you directions on the fly. Often people come up to you and ask for specific announcements at an event. Know who is in charge and be ready to refer those "on the fly" requests to the director. You're there to make the evening special.....flawless. For some people it's the most important night of their lives, I take my responsibilities very seriously for that reason. But I always have FUN, because no small detail the producer may have overlooked ever causes me a problem....I have it all covered. Break a lip! Have FUN and be flawless!

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Permalink Reply by Jeff McNeal on July 16, 2009 at 6:22pm

What a great reply post, JT! Filled with lots of valuable, useful information. Excellent. Well done.

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Permalink Reply by John Taylor on July 17, 2009 at 1:52am

aww shucks.....thanks Jeff. It's surprising how many times my overly prepared road kit has come in handy. Bad Mic cord at House of Blues, no problem....no light at the century Plaza, no sweat. Nowhere to sit at the Hollywood Palace....brought my own thanks.

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Permalink Reply by John Wehrman on July 16, 2009 at 9:16pm

John,

Jeff is right. That advice says it all. I was planning on bring my own mic (just in case), and some of the extras you mentioned...now my list is complete. It is my good fortune to be on very good terms with the event coordinator...and word up about from whom one takes direction on the fly. And it will be good. Serious. And fun. Thanks for your thoughtful response!

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Permalink Reply by Peter K. O'Connell audio'connell on July 21, 2009 at 1:48pm

JT, just to reiterate what Jeff mentioned, excellent answer. You're list looks a lot like mine (except some of your stuff is required in writing in my contract).

I also make a point to call the sound folks before the event to talk about mics et al. The providers and the producers really seem to appreciate that extra effort (which to me is just a little insurance for me). Plus, you have the benefit of not meeting the audio team "cold" on the day of the usually chaotic event, there's a familiarity built in by the time you meet in person.

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Permalink Reply by John Taylor on July 22, 2009 at 8:05pm

Great ideas Peter,
i will adopt them.
:-)

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Permalink Reply by John Wehrman on July 28, 2009 at 12:16pm

Philip, Peter, Jeff, John--

Thanks guys for you kind assistance. The gig went well...lotsa props from participants and co-workers. Great rapport with the DJ I worked with (called him prior...good to establish a working relationship...thanks, Peter). One thing I'm really glad I brought was a clipboard. This was an outdoor event, and wind was gusting up to about 28 mph sometimes...yikes.

Been awhile since I did a live event. I forgot how much FUN these can be!

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