Dealing with agents and publicists
As many of you know, I’m onto working on my new book, Permanence: Tattoo Portraits by Kip Fulbeck.
Chronicle is a great publisher and I’m happy to work with them again. Of course, they did say some celebrity inclusion in the book is preferred. So off I go to the wild world of agents and publicists.
Some are really nice. But what I’ve found is, the bigger the celebrity, the worse their management.
As in Tiger Woods (who I tried to get for the Hapa book). By all accounts a very nice guy, and certainly in touch with his multiraciality — what better guy to get for the book, right?
And if I actually got to him, I think he might have done it.
ME: Hello, I’m a university professor publishing a book on multiracial people. I’d like to send an invitation to Mr. Woods.
AGENT AT IMG: Does he know you?
ME: Excuse me?
AGENT AT IMG: Does he know you?
ME: No.
AGENT AT IMG: Not interested. (hangs up)
And that’s the way it goes with some of these agents. In their eyes, if they’re not going to make some commission, why bother? So they don’t even pass on the requests. The celebrities don’t even see them. And that’s sad, because I know a lot of these celebrities are probably really good people.
In my experience, these are the agents for Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves, and David Spade. I won’t name them here, but it’s all surface all the time … the L.A. stereotype gone bad.
But, as always, there are good people to balance out the rude ones. Even in L.A.!
The agents for Henry Rollins, Mike Ness, and many others were very nice even if their talent did pass on Permanence.
Super shout outs to the agents for Chuck Liddell (Jervis), Jennifer Tilly (Chuck), Joan Jett (Carianne), Jenna Jameson (Jackie) and Ani DiFranco (Tracy) who actually talk to you like a human being who matters.
And especially to my friend Kellie at Seymour Duncan, who has helped me get Slash and Scott Ian to be in the book. Kellie is the best!
So, if anyone has contact to any celebrity with ink, please let me know!
Because sometimes all I want to do is make art and teach. This business stuff is for the birds! 