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As A New Year Begins, DN Turns 2!
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Happy New Year! It was January 3rd last year when I announced formation of my speaker management firm, the D’Amelio Network. It’s been an exciting time since then with so much to do – launching something from scratch is not for the faint of heart, what with the need to create systems and processes for the most basic needs – things that can easily be taken for granted. But that’s all done and the reward now is doing business by our own rules. The chief rule is to not have too many of them – we want to be easy to work with and stay focused on creating a great outcome.
Taking off the agent hat and working as a manager has me doing what comes naturally – acting as advocate for talented people I believe in. It’s a role I played at the start of my career in the music business. It’s something I enjoy – I’d rather work closely with a small group of people to help bring their message to the marketplace. As management we can afford to be very selective about who we manage – the focus is on experts who are nice, easy to work with, give fast answers and have something important to add to the conversation on business, the economy, management, competition, creativity, national and global affairs and more.
As managers we know it’s important to be reachable whenever you need us. We’re committed to that. We provide swift answers on availabilities. We turn around firm invitations quickly. (I know how painful it is to wait for answers when people are pressing you for an answer.) We are committed to giving bureau and production company professionals the tools they need to be successful in bringing our experts to their buyers. We’ve also worked to make the post-event experience more pleasant -- the U.S. fees the clients we manage include air and home city ground so there’s no post-event billing. Simple is good.
I am sure 2013 will bring lessons on how to improve our value to those we serve. Our goal is to add value, stay nimble, do quality work and have fun. If we do that, the rest takes care of itself.
Happy New Year!
About Tony D'Amelio
Tony has spent his career putting talented people and audiences together, first in the music business and later representing the world's leading speakers. After concluding 27 years as Executive Vice President of the Washington Speakers Bureau, Tony launched D'Amelio Network, a boutique firm that manages the speaking activities of a select group of experts on business, management, politics and current events. Clients include: Mike Abrashoff, Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour, Mariana Atencio, Chris Barton, Geoff Colvin, Daryl Davis, Suneel Gupta, Ron Insana, Katty Kay, Polly LaBarre, Nicole Malachowski, Ken Schmidt, Bill Walton, and Bob Woodward.
