When considering the various types of talent agencies the categories are almost endless. Anyone that is involved with entertainment or sports in any way has an agent. Animals are no different when it comes to needing representation for finding work or having someone manage their career. This month has been spent learning about planning events for artists and finding ways to guide someone’s career in the right direction. A recent news clip got me to thinking that there could be other ways for me to tap into the entertainment pool that doesn’t involve humans.
While getting ready in the morning this past week I overheard on a local news channel that Philadelphia’s 1st Annual Barkapalooza was set to take place May 21, 2011 from noon to 5 pm at the Philadelphia Pet Hotel and Villas. Like many other Americans I have a dog and thought Barkapalooza seemed like a great event for dogs and dog owners to enjoy one another’s company. This event offers vendors, scavenger hunt, music, games, raffles and much more. There is also a first place prize of a $500 gift certificate for the Stupid Dog Trick Contest. The clip was nice but the most interesting part came towards the end of the 2-minute news clip when Pawsitively Famous Animal Actors owner Dawn Wolfe talked about her talent agency. Yes folks an animal talent agency!
Dawn Wolfe has been running Pawsitively Famous Animal Actors for many years. Her love for dogs started with the movie Benji. Dawn was so smitten by Benji that she soon found herself putting on animal acts for the neighborhood. Several years later Dawn found herself working for retired U.S. Army Major Fred Fink as an apprentice. At the end of that year she earned her “Certified Dog Behaviorist and Master Trainer” certificate.
After years of working for others Dawn was able to establish herself with her unique approach and techniques that include teaching dogs how to pose for the camera. Dawn’s talent agency Pawsitively Famous Animal Actors offers dog training but her biggest claim to fame is her Animal Talent Management firm. In the news clip Dawn spoke about her passion for animals and the enjoyment she gets from representing all kinds of unique animals from birds to dogs to cats to reptiles. She is willing to manage any animal that has something unique about them to be used for film, commercials and print. A number of her clients have been placed in movies like Motherhood and television shows like Dogs 101.
Though I don’t have the training or skills to manage animals on this scale I envy her ideas of incorporating something she was already doing, working with animals, into a national talent firm. Besides the usual athletes, musicians or (human) actors there are many other avenues for managers to explore such as painters or even competitive eaters. Anyone human or otherwise whom possesses a unique marketable talent needs a manager. How a manager chooses to go about scouting and managing talent is solely left up to them? This article has definitely tuned me into new ways of looking at talent. We can all manage musicians or we can carve our own niche in the same way Dawn turned her passion for animals into a nationwide talent agency.
http://pawsitivelyfamousanimalactors.com/
http://www.phillypethotel.com/sites/default/files/Barkapalooza%20brouchure_0.pdf
http://www.prlog.org/11489686-barkapalooza-may-21-2011.html
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