Marilyn.

"She was aware of her insecurities

as she took the stage,

She was convinced if she got up

there that she'd be discovered someday."

Wanting to be famous has its pluses, but it also has its drawbacks. For many of us, standing up in front of friends and family, yet alone thousands, if not millions of fans, can be very daunting. I wouldn’t know, it’s just something I suspect.

In one of my previous jobs, not one of my favorites, I had the opportunity to put my big toe into the pond of celebrity marketing. Whereas it was exciting to hear about how much a client would pay to work with a celebrity, there was also the dark side. You knew, or had a pretty good idea, that for many of those who we were working with, or approaching on behalf of our clients, were in it for one reason. They wanted the money because they had the power to get it.

Some of it bordered on the ridiculous, but then again if you have someone who wants you to work with them bad enough, they will pay very large amounts to have you as “part of their team.” While I was working there, we saw the fall of Tiger Woods. Did I really have to say his last name? Many clients were asking about the situation and what if it happened to them? This is what is called appropriately, a “kill clause" in the contract. 

Probably one of the most ridiculous negotiations I knew of was for one of the Disney stars. She was popular and she “resonated” well with the end consumer who would be purchasing the candy she was going to be working for---she was going to have her face on the package. Of course she had the most appropriate manager one could have, she let her Dad do her negotiating. To say this is a bad move is best demonstrated by Moms and Dads who have taken on this responsibility in the past---Brooke Shields, LeAnn Rhymes and other child stars who had their parents as managers. It proves to be a very bad move.

This one performer, and I hope you are sitting down, was going to be at a photo shoot for one and a half days; her cost for 36 hours of work, $750,000. The first contract was accepted at $600,000 but her Dad changed his mind and demanded another $150,000 on top of this already crazy figure. The unfortunate part…the “kill happened” as she entered rehab and the shoot never occurred. Welcome to the big time.

The photo above is from a new exhibit in downtown Chicago. Yes I have had another picture of Marilyn Monroe recently, but this attraction has become very controversial; there are people who feel that even though this is a pose that is considered one of the most iconic in film history, Marilyn Monroe lived the life of a celebrity yet had so many insecurities.

Thanks for stopping by.