A Happy Family

Some Effective Tips to Approach a Reputed Talent Agency

>> Feb 12, 2013

Today, there are hundreds of talent agencies across the country. Such agencies represent performers like models, actors, anchors and media personalities. They source jobs to the aspiring performers and negotiate wages on behalf of them. By signing a deal with a reputed talent agency, you will surely increase your chance of making a living in the entertainment industry. Prepare yourself in the best possible way so that you can draw the attention of the agent at a glance while you will approach. Unless you’re well-groomed and enough confident about the competence of your resume and head shot, don’t approach an agency. You must read online talent reviews to find the best agency that works the best for you.

Here are some good tips which would help you learn how to approach a renowned talent agency and get success over time.

Take your head shots – Take some head shots as these are the preliminary items that the talent agents ask for. Have the head shots by a professional photographer who can efficiently represent your look and personality through the head shots. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to be stereotypically beautiful. If you want to enter into the modeling industry, then have some head shots without make-up, as the modeling agencies want the upcoming models to see in bone structure and original complexion. Besides, choose some portrait head shots and profile shots. If you want to enter into the acting industry, then you need to pick at least 5 to 6 head shots demonstrating your personality and range.
Create show reel – Now create a show reel. Set a movie camera and capture yourself performing. You may follow the style of a current TV anchor whom you like the most.
Create a website – Create a website so that you can direct people related to your field to a place where they can find all information they require regarding you. After you create your site, add a blogging platform to it so that you can update your site with latest information, images and good links to video hosting websites.
Send inquiry emails to different agencies – After gathering necessary materials which could support your application, you can approach an agency. Some talent agencies limit the contact info they make available to decrease the number of speculative phone calls. They don’t even provide any slot on the online contact form for direct mail address or phone number. So keep your message to-the-point; just include your contact number, email id and website URL. Usually, talent agencies take time to reply. So don’t expect prompt reply from them.
Make a follow-up call – Now make a follow-up call. Some talent agencies have their offices across the world. Choose an office close to your home. For example, if you stay in Detroit, you may choose One Source Talent Detroit. However, before you choose the company, make sure you read talent reviews to get an idea about how the company works. After choosing a company and submitting your resume, make a follow-up call after some days. Politely ask them to put you through the individual who deals with the applications. Once you’re directed to him, tell your name and explain the purpose of calling.

These are the basics of approaching a reputed talent agency in your locality.

Author’s Bio – Peter Smith is known for writing useful fashion and modeling industry blogs and articles. He has written a number of talent reviews for several talent agencies.

More Accident Prone, or More Compensation-Minded?

There has certainly been an increase in compensation claims involving accidents at work over recent years, but is this due to an increase in accident numbers, or is there just more awareness of legal rights?

Once, there was little or no information given about what your rights were if you sustained an injury at work. Serious injuries were generally compensated, but other injuries that may have been considered minor or just unfortunate were left uncompensated. There was very much an attitude of 'accepting your fate' or just getting on with things without complaint. This attitude is often referred to as being part of a 'golden age', where risk was just accepted as part of every day life.

Health and Safety.

However, time moved on and the work place was targeted in order to make it a safer environment for workers. This was deemed to be a good thing, but with increased worker right also came increased employer obligations. There were more procedures required of them and failure to adhere to health and safety rules and regulations gave injured workers a reason to seek accident at work compensation. This led to more claims coming before the court.

No win no fee.

Another development in compensation rights came with the introduction of no win no fee claims. This opened up the area of personal injury law to everyone, not just those who either had their claims funded for them (often through a workers' Union scheme) or could afford to fund their claim themselves. The prior system left whole swathes of people without recourse when they were injured due to the careless or negligent behaviour of another. But no win no fee meant that everyone who had suffered an accident at work could claim, no matter what their financial means.

The last factor that seemed to give the claims industry a boost was the increase in advertising from solicitors and claims companies dealing with no win no fee claims. The advertising led to an increased awareness amongst workers about what they were entitled to and gave them information on how to start a claim. Claiming was not now seen as a long and difficult process that would involve a lot of unnecessary stress, but as an easily accessible means of securing justice for a wrong. Many cases are just simple matters of procedure, with claims being settled outside of court in a matter of weeks, although there are still those long and hard-fought battles that involve huge amounts of money.

No matter what the reason, there has definitely been an increase in the number of compensation claims, but it doesn't seem likely that this can be attributed to a single cause. It is far more likely that the combination of increased worker rights, more information about claiming and easier access to justice have all had an effect not the number of claims brought before the court. Courts don't tend to look favourably on frivolous claims, so we haven't yet reached the record high litigation rate seen in the United States, but some still urge that it's a slippery slope there we're on and we need to put a rein on our tendency to sue.

AUTHOR BIO

Anna Mathews is a personal injury law expert with a specialism in accident at work claims. She has worked both in the UK and in the United States, where she was on occasion quite shocked at the litigious nature of the everyday American

Random Blues

>> Feb 11, 2013

Happy Monday to all! Last weekend was a lazy one. We go nowhere; just watched television and chatted.

I have some random blues for Blue Monday


A man -with Javanese traditional costume- riding an old bike.

Eating ice cream with joy!

A security officer in relaxed pose

All shots were captured candidly.

The Best Big Cities in America to Raise a Family

>> Feb 10, 2013

Starting a family doesn't have to mean moving to the suburbs and abandoning your life in the big city. In our current economy, many people simply don't have the flexibility to do that, even if it's something they'd like to do. Highly specialized jobs in the technology and media industry, for example, can be nearly impossible to find outside of the nation's biggest cities. One big worry about raising a family in a big city is crime. However, crime numbers in some of the biggest U.S. cities are slowly declining, according to recent reports.

Here are our picks for the best big cities to raise a family:

Austin

The capital of Texas has become a hotspot for families and young professionals alike, as many technology companies have opened outposts in Austin. Computer company Dell is headquartered here and Apple, Samsung and General Motors also plan to expand their operations to Austin, according to the Daily Texan. If you love live music, Austin is known for having a hotbed of local talent; the city also attracts numerous international artists with annual music festivals such as South by Southwest and Austin City Limits. The city may not have any professional sports teams, but the University of Texas Longhorns football team attracts more than 100,000 local fans of all ages to games, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. The publication also notes that Austin has 25 museums and 35 libraries, providing exceptional cultural opportunities for kids young and old.

Los Angeles

With plenty of sun, a mild climate and many available cultural activities, the second largest city in the U.S. tops the list as a fantastic big city to raise a family. While some still relate Los Angeles with the high incidences of crime and gang violence in the 1990s, it's important to note that crime has been steadily declining in LA for more than a decade, namely due to an increase in Los Angeles security and local crime-fighting initiatives. According to the New York Daily News, crime figures for 2012 show that LA's overall crime rate fell 1.4 percent. Aside from being the capital of the entertainment industry, LA is also attracting many companies in the technology industry, such as Google and Demand Media, as well as numerous small startups. Young families can enjoy quality time outdoors enjoying the city's iconic beaches or picturesque parks. You can always savor the culinary scene in Los Angeles, which, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, boasts more than 8,305 restaurants.

New York City

A breakdown of the nation's best big cities would not be complete without mentioning New York City. As the most populous and international city in the U.S., New York has all of the culture that any parent could ever hope to expose their children to. As recently stated in Bloomberg Businessweek, "New York blows all other cities out of the water with its more than 1,200 bars, 22,000 restaurants, 350 museums, and almost as many libraries." Aside from being the international mecca of both finance and theater, New York is also the world capital for the fashion and advertising industries. Like Los Angeles, New York has a reputation for having a crime problem. However, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is firmly committed to making NYC the safest big city in America. And it seems his efforts are paying off. According to CNN, New York had record low homicides in 2012, although the Wall Street Journal notes that overall crime in the city rose by three percent in 2012.

Where Seniors Can Meet New Friend and Soul Mate

>> Feb 9, 2013

I believe that love may come at any age and love doesn’t belong to young people only. When my late mother passed away in 1999, my father was sixty four years old. Actually, as her daughter, I allowed if my father wanted to meet a new female friend at any place where seniors meet other seniors is facilitated. I would give my agreement if he found a right woman and planned to get married again. But my father told me that he didn’t want to replace my mother with any woman else; he still kept my mother in his mind and heart.

Since my father was already in retirement, he spent most of his time at home. My husband and I decided to accompany him by living together at the same house. Fortunately, he knew how to fight boredom and loneliness. I’ve never heard his complaint of feeling bored. He loved to read different books and look after some plants. During weekends we often did things together like fishing and eating out at restaurants; he also met some of his old work colleagues while taking his pension fund regularly. When my father left us forever last year, he’s a widower for more than thirteen years.

Not every senior citizen can face their single times with joy like my late father; there are many other senior people who suffer severe loneliness. Meeting other senior people who has the same interests would be a great pleasure. For elderly people, pursuing happiness is becoming priority; as career and child care aren’t their most concerns anymore. The specially created online community such as www.50plus-club.ca can be a great place for seniors to build relationship with other seniors; it can be done without leaving their homes. If you’re including senior single citizen, it’s not impossible if you meet someone special there and love comes to you again.