Selling yourself
The second “Showbiz Workshop” took place recently in the heart of Windhoek at the Warehouse Theatre with the aim of assisting artists to adhere to business principals to become self sustainable.
The workshop, made possible by Bank Windhoek, the Warehouse Theatre and Lize Ehlers of HEC Productions CC, touched on topics such as communication, artist etiquette and taboos in the events industry, and was hosted by event organiser Carin de Klerk of Sindana Events, Robert Mertens from Mammoth Events and Gordon Jay who represented Mindscape Events.
Event organisers in Namibia hold a lot of influence over which artists can and should be hired for their well-paid events, based on past experiences and word-of-mouth. Jay touched on the importance of communication between artists and event organisers. “It should be noted that in each set of activities, in one way or the other, artists have a greater role or involvement owing to the success of each. Involvement includes MC work, entertainment in form of DJ or music performances, drama and theatre. For example, the road safety council uses drama and theatre to aid safe road use and the ministry of healthy uses music to spread message about HIV/Aids prevention. The relationship between artists and event organisers solely depends on proper communication channels and applications,” he said.
The hosts shared obstacles they experienced in the past with performers. Performers and technicians can make life so much easier for them if they stick to the guidelines on what is required from them before, during and after an event. This will ensure that the relationship between them and the client run smoothly. De Klerk of Sindana events emphasised taking brands online and cautioned artists to update their information on a regular basis. “Use professional photos for your online accounts. Add a brief bio of who you are and links to your other pages,” she said.
The workshop was meant for singers, dancers, models, actors, poets and MCs on their stages and it was poorly attended. Lizer Ehlers encouraged more artists to participate in the upcoming workshops.
June Shimuoshili
The workshop, made possible by Bank Windhoek, the Warehouse Theatre and Lize Ehlers of HEC Productions CC, touched on topics such as communication, artist etiquette and taboos in the events industry, and was hosted by event organiser Carin de Klerk of Sindana Events, Robert Mertens from Mammoth Events and Gordon Jay who represented Mindscape Events.
Event organisers in Namibia hold a lot of influence over which artists can and should be hired for their well-paid events, based on past experiences and word-of-mouth. Jay touched on the importance of communication between artists and event organisers. “It should be noted that in each set of activities, in one way or the other, artists have a greater role or involvement owing to the success of each. Involvement includes MC work, entertainment in form of DJ or music performances, drama and theatre. For example, the road safety council uses drama and theatre to aid safe road use and the ministry of healthy uses music to spread message about HIV/Aids prevention. The relationship between artists and event organisers solely depends on proper communication channels and applications,” he said.
The hosts shared obstacles they experienced in the past with performers. Performers and technicians can make life so much easier for them if they stick to the guidelines on what is required from them before, during and after an event. This will ensure that the relationship between them and the client run smoothly. De Klerk of Sindana events emphasised taking brands online and cautioned artists to update their information on a regular basis. “Use professional photos for your online accounts. Add a brief bio of who you are and links to your other pages,” she said.
The workshop was meant for singers, dancers, models, actors, poets and MCs on their stages and it was poorly attended. Lizer Ehlers encouraged more artists to participate in the upcoming workshops.
June Shimuoshili
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