Getting Known.

Dragology for Beginners

Chapter 7

Getting known.

Welcome back brothers! If you are having trouble getting bookings then this chapter is just for you! This chapter is alllll about different and easy ways to get your name out there to clubs and other entertainers in the business.

So first of all we are going to start with the best way to start getting you name out there BEFORE you ever hit the stage. NETWORKING. The most basic and easiest way to do this is by creating a Facebook page or a profile on your favorite  social networking site. (Myspace, Twitter, ect.) If you know of any King or Queen, go and add them, add their friends. Most nightclubs even have their own pages, so go add them. Introduce yourself. Build relationships before you ever even have your first performance. That way when you get there to the venue you will know the people working around you and it will make you more at ease and more comfortable. This business is all about networking. If people don’t know who you are, they aren’t going to book you.

Another kind of networking is face to face. Go to your local bars and clubs that you would be interested in performing at and meet the people! Go up to the entertainers, introduce yourself, tell them you are thinking of doing drag and they will be more than willing to talk with you. It is always a good thing to be friendly and willing to meet new people. This can be a difficult thing to do if you are a shy person, so start off small, don’t try and push yourself into doing something you aren’t comfortable, but the more outgoing and talkative you are the easier it is to get people to notice you and remember you the next time you come around. This is a great way to get your foot in the door, but it doesn’t stop there. It doesn’t matter how many times you go or perform someplace, there will always be new people, so before and after every performance you should be walking around and meeting new people!!  You never know who may be watching. You have to be a very down to Earth kind of person and you can’t let fame get to your head no matter how hard it is! You have fans out there! You should know them, and talk with them because your fans are the people who are keeping you on that stage and keeping you paid!

Now those are just some ways to get people to know you before you ever perform, THIS is the best way to guarantee shows. Amateur nights! Most clubs that have drag shows will have a monthly Amateur or talent night where everyone is welcome. Go out to your local bars and nightclubs and ask about their Amateur nights. Sign up and bam! You are in a show. It’s pretty easy and the best thing is normally you will get paid if you win! However if you don’t win your first time or second or third then don’t sweat, it can take some time to win a contest, even one for Amateurs. You might get sick of doing Amateur nights, but trust me you need the practice! You shouldn’t just stick to one club though, you need to travel. Some performers go hours away, even out of state to get shows, because unless you are a cast member (which takes a title or years of experience to accomplish) you aren’t going to get enough shows from one place to make good money. However, you need to check the rules for each club because most places won’t let you compete at other clubs in the same city if you win their Amateur nights. So be careful because you don’t want to do anything to get disqualified.

After you spend your time perfecting yourself as a performer and your performance in general and building up your rep. you should be winning those Amateur nights with no problem! With winning talent shows comes benefits like going on to compete in(and hopefully win) Entertainer of the Year pageants, getting more shows outside of Amateur nights, and all around the experience and growing fan base you will need to make it BIG time!

Now once you get you name built up locally, that is when you can start going NATIONAL! There are hundreds of M.I. and Drag King pageants all over the country that you can easily enter, compete and possibly win. These pageants are where the big titles come into play so be ready for a hard competition. You won’t be competing against amateurs anymore, this is the big leagues and you will be competing against some of the best and well known Kings in the country! Some of which helped write this blog. J

Well that is the end of yet another chapter boys! I hope this helped and gave some insight for what is expected of you as an entertainer, because you ARE a public figure and people do look up to for guidance and all around a good time. Remember! It doesn’t matter how many people know your name, never let yourself get lost in the clouds and as always please leave any comments or questions. Peace out brothers!