Cruise Industry Lingo May 9, 2011

Are you new to cruising or about to work on your first ship?

NCL offers a guide to cruising lingo here.

Cover Band? Looking to Make an Effective Promo Package? April 27, 2011

Our latest tips on creating an effective promo package are live on Ezine! 

SEG Recruitment Manager, Ben Dransfield, offers his advice on making your promo stand out above the rest, and get hired for a cruise ship gig.

How to Get a Musician Cruise Ship Gig April 27, 2011

Check out our latest article on Ezine- How to Get a Musician Cruise Ship gig.

Celebrity Cruises Musician Requirements January 26, 2011

Learn more Celebrity Musician requirements and policies here:

Celebrity Crusies Dress Code Guidelines August 2010

Celebrity Party Band Requirements 11

Interested in working on Princess? January 26, 2011

Check out the updated Princess Cruises Musician Manual REVISED Jan. 2011to learn about employment on Princess.

Promo mistakes learned from The Apprentice November 4, 2010

Last week’s episode of The Apprentice featured two teams competing to create the best “Backer’s Audition” for a new Broadway musical.  A good Backer’s Audition should get investors interested in funding a new show.

The women’s team had a good audition.  So why did they lose?  Promo.

The team made two critical errors with their promo materials:

1)  They forgot to include contact information on their promo (no investor knew how to contact them); and

2) The promo didn’t reflect their show well- it was not complete and wasn’t a good pitch for what they could do

The same mistakes apply to musician and entertainer promo.  Check out our suggestions on good promo.  Watch The Apprentice episode here.

Promo: Tips for Success October 23, 2009

General Promo Dos and Don’ts:

Spelling and Grammar count. Double, triple check all promo material before you send anywhere.

All promo needs to be labeled with complete contact information. This is especially important should the DVD become separately from its case.

Make sure promo shows a diversity of commercial musical styles.

Recording and/or video quality- Major record label recording quality is not necessary, but the audio and/or video does need to be clear and not distracting.

Utilize Youtube or Myspace video channels. Upload promo into shorter clips (maximum 4 minutes each). If you have clips each showing a different style, we can better email links to entertainment buyers.

Nightclub band promo:

Showcase a variety of musical styles- pop, rock, country, reggae.

Best promo is shot in front of a live audience. If shot in a studio, band needs to show stage presence ability- music needs to be memorized and not performed playing into music stands. Lead singer needs to be able to interact with a crowd.

Guest Entertainer Promo:

Avoid long, biographical introductions or long titles. The attention of the viewer needs to be grabbed in the first 30 seconds-1 minute. Biographical information can go on the packaging or in a “one sheet” promo PDF.

Avoid distracting backgrounds. Best guest entertainer promo videos are shot in front of a live audience.

Strongest material needs to be first in the video. Put an uptempo selection first, then go into ballads later in the video.

Have promo videos of various lengths available- clips, medleys, a 10 minute or less promo, and the 45-50 minute show.

Divide up promo into smaller clips or medleys. Have clips available for viewing on YouTube or Myspace channel and well-labeled. A long promo video may not be viewed all the way through by a buyer.

Do have a full length video of your 45-50 minute show available that can be viewed once a buyer has expressed interest.

Do have an up-to-date website that is easy to navigate and does not take long for the pages to load. Keep performance calendar on the website current.

Ship Musician Positions & Requirements May 20, 2009

SEG currently recruits for the following positions in the cruise industry:

piano bar performers

solo guitar/vocalists

nightclub trios & quartets

cabaret headlines

orchestra musicians:  piano, bass, drums, guitar, trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, trombone

ALL orchestra musicians must be strong sightreaders and well-versed in commercial/jazz styles.

Sax players should be proficient at doubling on flute and clarinet.

Requirements:

• All contracts require a valid passport.
• Some may require visas, which will be discussed at the time a contract is offered to you.
• Most ship gigs will require the ability to pass a medical exam, including drug test, and a criminal background check.

Tips for submitting your promo package May 20, 2009

To be considered for cruise industry employment, submit:

• Resume
• Recent photograph
• CD/DVD (DVD preferred)
  

Send to:  Suman Entertainment Group
Attn: Recruiting
12426 West Dixie Highway, Unit A
North Miami, FL 33161

Tips:

• Make sure resume, recent photograph, and recording are all labeled with your contact information.  Verify your recordings are in North American formats before sending in.

• Recordings should highlight short examples of your work in a variety of styles, particularly commercial and jazz.

• Let us know how you were referred to us.

• If you are looking for summer work, apply no later than the Fall prior.  Emergency openings can come up, but we prefer to schedule 6-12 months in advance.

• Please allow a few weeks for review of your submission before contacting us.  We receive many promo packages a day.

• All promo packages submitted become property of SEG.  We are unable to return promo materials.

• Apply/renew your passport at the time you submit your promo.  You’ll be ready to work when we have an opening!