Recently, I had the opportunity to interview a very accomplish industry professional, Darren Darnborough, from True Blood about an amazing opportunity for models, actors and other talent. He is one of the founders of an amazing business all entertainers should know about.
Tell me about yourself and your role in the company.
"I was born in London, UK, and now live in LA USA, and have always had a passion for both the film industry and entrepreneurialism. When I started out as an actor, I did promotional work to earn additional income between acting jobs, and it was through this I met my partners Charlie and Emma. After Charlie and I realized that agencies were often left short on staff at last minute, and staff wanted to fill more time with work but lacked the resource or contacts to do so, we created StuckForStaff.com to revolutionize the way this very niche industry was staffed. I co-founded the company 10 years ago and after moving to LA 5 years ago, we worked on setting up the business for the USA market, and now happy to say it is looking like a great success here too."
What qualities, skills or requirements do you look for in promotional specialists?
StuckForStaff.com has a profile form which allow you to list many relevant skills, from modeling to event management, to mystery shopping and specialties like face painting and make up. I think the key qualities of a promotional brand ambassador are presentability and a vibrant personality, but also to be a chameleon - to adapt to the unique attributes of the job and brand you are working for, and take on the form of the brand to represent it correctly - in everything from your manner and language to the way you respond to the landscape and customers around you. The brand image and personality of a company like Bud Light for instance is very different to a company like Chanel, and a good brand ambassador should be able to reflect that. But that said, many different agencies use StuckForStaff.com and each have their own criteria that is very diverse and so many skills and qualities are useful."
What types of companies are promotional specialists hired to work for?
"We only allow registered Agencies on to our system to hire staff, so each agency is validated before getting access to staff members' details. These agencies are all promotional, field marketing, brand experience and event staffing agencies, but the type of companies that hire them to build promotional teams and campaigns are as diverse as business out there that want to create some noise about their product. This will often be consumer goods companies."
What is the average pay range, or how is pay determined?
"The pay range again depends on which agency employs the staff and for what job, as each agency offers the rate of pay directly to the staff member. But typically, rates advertised rage from $15 - 35 an hour in the US and £8 - £25 an hour in the UK."
Alright, models! Check out www.StuckForStaff.com and tell us what you think!
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