Q. Where do we find LGBT speakers or entertainers?

A. BOOKING THAT GLBT EVENT FOR YOUR CAMPUS:

Money is scarce on many college campuses and entertainment can be costly. Keep in mind that as with most things in life, you can get the best deals by shopping around and doing your research. If you have certain budget limits, remember that your money can go further by planning ahead, thinking creatively, and calling to different agencies/speakers. Listed below are a few suggestions and a listing of entertainment resources to get you started.

1. Check out local resources. You may be able to find local speakers or entertainers who will come to your campus for free or for a very reasonable fee. Sometimes the best programs are lower cost,"homemade" programs that build community or bring diverse groups together.

2. Know the basics about agencies. Realize that some LGBT speakers are represented exclusively by an agency while others may be represented by more than one agency. Some lower cost speakers may not even be represented by an agency and prefer to work direct with schools to keep costs down. As an industry standard, agencies get a commission off of the artist's booking at your school. By shopping around, you may save a few dollars. Remember, this is a money making business.

3. Ask for referrals from other campuses. We know it's not an "original" idea, but call other college and university GLBT groups/centers and ask what speakers/entertainers they have brought to campus in the recent past. This way you can hear what worked on other college campuses and maybe learn about a few speakers that you did not know were on the circuit. You can also get good ideas by asking questions at your Regional LGBT College Conference.

4. Share the cost with other campuses. Another way to get good deals on entertainment is to work with other college/university GLBT groups in your area. Find out what they are bringing to campus. If you are interested in the same entertainment, you can usually get a better honoraria price for both of you by block booking with the speaker/agency. Block booking means he/she goes to one school on one night and the other school maybe within the next two nights. You can also save money on travel this way.

5. Be careful. Don't work with "fly by night" agents or promoters... if it sounds too good... ask questions! How long has your agency been around? What colleges/universities have you worked with before? If you utilize the National Association of Campus Activities Associate Member links (listed below), these agencies are ones that have proven track records and are evaluated by NACA schools on a yearly basis.

6. Know the procedures for contracts on your campus. Don't ask for a contract unless you are ready to make the deal... before you ask for your contract, go over the terms of the deal specifically over the phone and take notes... Read your contract to make sure everything is listed or negotiated from honoraria, travel, lodging, etc. Some schools require a paid university official to ask for a contract, others do not. Many schools also require a designated university official to sign the contract (i.e. Director of Student Activities). The person who signs the contract is legally bound to the terms of the contract, so ask questions before signing.

Keeping those suggestions in mind, check out the list of resources provided below. These resources represent links to other associations and agents that provide speakers/entertainers on GLBT issues. (Note: The Consortium is listing these resources as a public service and does not endorse or guarantee their services or business practices, nor represent this as a complete list of all available vendors.)

	National Association for Campus Activities This takes you to the Associate Member links
	Association of College Unions International The resources page includes a list of film distributors should you want to bring LGBT films to your campus.

GLBT & MULTICULTURAL SPEAKERS/
AGENCY RESOURCES

	OUTmedia 285 5th Ave. Suite 446 Brooklyn, NY 11215 718.789.1776 FAX: 718.789.8007 http://www.outmedia.org/ email: info@OUTmedia.org OUTmedia seeks to increase the positive visibility of LGBT people through the arts by promoting of diversity within mainstream and queer culture. They feature out L/G/B/T and queer-affirmative artists (musicians, comics and theatrical performers) and speakers, many rooted in African-American, Latino, Jewish and women's traditions. When last checked, their website was being renovated and not available.
	OutRIGHT Speakers & Talent Bureau Contact: Craig Dean 676C West Flintlake Ct Myrtle Beach, SC 29579 OutrightSpeakers@aol.com phone: (843) 903-5055 fax: (843) 903-5054 OutRIGHT's roster offers comedy, lecture, multicultural programs, theater/Broadway, as well as training/development experts.
	Fraternity & Sorority Speakers on GLBT Issues LAMBDA 10: http://www.lambda10.org/speakers_lectures.asp Lambda 10 provides a list of names & email addresses for individuals to consider bringing to your campus for lectures and educational presentations on the topic of sexual orientation issues within the college Greek community. (Note: You have to register with the site to access the other informationn they provide -- it's free).
	Damon Brooks Associates phone: 323-465-3400 email:info@damonbrooks.com http://www.DamonBrooks.com/ DBA specializes in disability issues but has a Gender Studies roster as well.
	Speak Out P.O. Box 99096 Emeryville, CA 94662 Phone: (510) 601-0182 Fax: (510) 601-0183 email: info@speakoutnow.org http://www.speakoutnow.org A project of the Institute for Democratic Education and Culture, this is the United State's only national not-for-profit speakers & artists agency. They are committed to political, economic, cultural and social justice. At last look, they represented two dozen speakers/artists under the LGBT category.
	CAMPUSPEAK 2629 S. Parker Road, Suite 355 Aurora, CO 80014 Phone: (303) 745-5545 Fax: (303) 745-5569 email: info@campuspeak.com http://www.campuspeak.com/ CAMPUSPEAK is not a GLBT agency, but they offer several speakers on homophobia and GLBT issues (including religion, hate,heterosexual privilege, and gay awareness), as well as HIV/AIDS and safer sex.
	The Contemporary Issues Agency 1210 Coit Ct Waunakee, WI 53597-1504 Phone: 800-843-2179 Fax: 608-849-6311 Email: ciaspeakers@mail.tds.net http://www.CIAspeakers.com While not a GLBT agency, this Midwest firm books several speakers that deal with LGBT issues (including Warren Blumenfeld) and other speakers that offer diversity presentations.
	OUTMusic http://outmusic.com/ OUTMusic is a network of LGBT performers, composers and producers who support LGBT music and the artists who create it. Outmusic is committed to creating opportunities for artists, raising awareness and offering a collective response. They have a directory of out musicians on their site. This is not a booking agency. You will need to contact artists directly.
	Lesbian & Gay Country Music Association While not a booking agency, this organization can help you identify lesbian/gay country/att-country, county-folk artists. LGCMA P.O. Box 190565 San Francisco, CA 94119 Phone: 415-773-9482 Fax: 775-261-2512 http://www.lgcma.com/lgcma-singers.htm
	Best Bookings Agency This is also not an LGBT-specific agency, but does include some LGB and HIV/AIDS presenters on their roster of speakers. PO Box 567 Brookfield CT 06804 phone: 888-885-3332 (toll free) email: bestbookng@aol.com http://www.bestbookings.com

If you have suggestions of other agencies to list here, please contact our webmaster (webmaster@lgbtcampus.org). We regret we are unable to provide listings or contact information for individual artists at this time due to time limitations of our volunteer staff.

(Note: Some artists can apparently be booked through more than one agency. The Consortium is listing these agencies as a public service and does not endorse or guarantee their services or business practices)

Submitted by David Barnett and Shane L. Windmeyer. David may be reached at davidcbarnett@earthlink.net. You can write to Shane at shane@lambda10.org. Please send corrections/updates to webmaster@lgbtcampus.org.

 

 

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