NBC Transmitter (Jan-Dec 1938)

16 NBC TRANSMITTER KNOW YOUR COMPANY No. 14 Artists Service Department — Part II In movie plots, they'd have you believe that a newly discovered star is made famous overnight and it is only a matter of weeks before she begins riding around in a white limousine, tossing tiger orchids to her adoring public. Up in NBC Artists Service, they’ll give you another picture — one that is notably different from the Hollywood version. They’ll tell you that stardom is no overnight proposition. It is a carefully-timed, step-by-step climb that takes anywhere from one to four years — if achieved at all. If a talented newcomer is deemed worthy of management by NBC Artists Service, he or she is immediately placed in the hands of a well-chosen expert who acts as his or her personal representative. Artists Service employ fifteen such experts. They work closely with Daniel S. Tuthill. assistant managing director of the department. They take care of everything the starlet does, from advising her what clothes to wear to what fee to take for an engagement. It is also their duty to see that the artists under their wing are sold — to the right people. For example, an artist who hadn't been on a commercial program for some time was advised to turn down an offer of $450 a week. There naturally followed some misgivings on the artist’s part, but the NBC representative won out. and the following week, the artist got a job at $700. The artist had failed to consider that taking the first offer would remove him from his sustaining show and out of the public eye. an advantage not to be sacrificed for anything less than $700 a week. However, before an artist can be sold, he must he publicized and advertised. NBC Artists Service has two distinct promotion divisions for this job. One, headed by Edward de Salisbury, is devoted to promoting talent sales in radio, stage, screen and night club entertainers. The other, supervised by Helen Mobert. tackles the job of publicizing concert artists. With a combined staff of eight people, they turn out more than a thousand pieces of publicity, promotion and advertising a year. Some of their booklets, sales presentations and folders have won international awards and commendations in art director’s shows here and abroad. Many of the news hems on stars which you see in newspapers and fan publications are the publicity brainchildren of Artist Service’s Promotion Di vision. Through the medium of the printed word, no stone is left unturned in an effort to build up a performer’s name, thus enhancing his commercial value. In the case of the French singer Jean Sablon, for instance, they are currently capitalizing on his romantic appeal. Countless “ladies’ man” stories and advertising pieces have been distributed. “Jean Sablon Fan Clubs” have been organized in girls schools throughout the country. Photographs of Sablon with Marlene Dietrich and other acknowledged charmers have been taken and sent to feminine publications. The result is that today Sablon IS a ladies’ man. Whenever he appears on a broadcast, scores of girls clamor outside the studio fighting for a chance to get his autograph or a peek at their new idol. Amanda Snow. “The Hometown Girl.” is a case in the opposite extreme. If this 283-pound singer of hymns and old fashioned songs has ever visited a night club, her adoring public has never heard of it. nor is she allowed to take part in frivolous publicity stunts. Every article that is written, every picture that is taken emphasizes her small-town background. While this build-up process is going on. the artist’s personal representative is busy tracking down jobs for him to fill. In exchange for these jobs, the artist pays a commission. In this way. Artists Service makes a revenue large enough each year to enable it to build its stars and show a profit. No longer do talent salesmen poke their heads into a client’s office and shout, "I ve got the most colossal act in the world! The talent business today has developed along more subtle salesmanship lines. Artists Service salesmen study the needs of a client or prospective talent buyer, and then build and offer an artist to fit this need. Sometimes it isn’t always easy to discover what a radio sponsor wants. There is a classic example in the case of a client who wanted a tenor for his radio program. Artists Service auditioned seven different singers. but the client did not like any of them. That evening as the client was going home, he turned on his auto radio and heard a beautiful tenor voice that completely enthralled him. He couldn’t wait to get home, so he dashed into a drug store, phoned Artists Service and demanded. “Who is that fellow singing on the air right now? I want him for my show. He’s terrific!” Artists Service tuned in on the program and happily discovered that the tenor was under NBC management. In fact, he was one of the seven tenors the client had rejected that afternoon! In addition to finding radio jobs for its artists. Artists Service is constantly on the lookout for engagements for them in other fields. The department is in direct contact with more than 5.500 talent buyers in the United States. They book their entertainers into hotels, night clubs, resorts, private parties, recording jobs, theatres and concerts. They are also on the alert to find motion picture talent among their managed radio artists. Alice Faye got her start in pictures through them. In the past few years, they have sold to the screen such NBC Artists Service names as Kirsten Flagstad. Dorothy Lamour. Gladys Swarthout. Warren Hull. Fibber McGee and Molly. Walter Cassel. Doris Weston, the Vass Family, the Kidoodlers and scores of others. They are now at work — believe it or not — on building up television stars. —John H. Baxter, Artists Service i i i Send your vacation pictures with complete captions to the NBC Transmitter Photo Contest. Prizes for best pictures. Edward de Salisbury (center) goes over plans for an Artists Service promotional piece with his two assistants. Edytlie de Takacs and John Holt Baxter. Dan S. Tuthill