Should Celebrities Give Great Customer Service?

On my flight to Chicago yesterday, I picked up a People magazine to bide my time on the three and a half hour trip.  I am actually one of those crazy people who reads a magazine cover to cover including the MailBag section.  A letter to the editor caught my eye, so here is the letter in full:

"Thank you for your usual fine coverage of the Oscar celebrations.  This year I had the good fortune 
to be in the red carpet bleachers, and I must report that absolutely the most generous and kind celebrity in terms of fan interactions was George Clooney.  He was clearly having a great time and was the only star I saw who came over to the velvet ropes to sign autographs and allow fans to take photos.  As an expert in customer service, I applaud George Clooney for great service to his customer at the 84th Annual Academy Awards." 

Donna Cutting Asheville, N.C.

Most people might read a letter like that and pass it off as a fan letter to George Clooney, but what struck me was her comment about customer service to his fans.  After going through two Oscar cycles and interviewing more celebrities as a result, it is important for actors to understand that giving great customer service is a part of their job.  Now, I'm not talking about jumping up to greet fans at every meal or while on vacation, but making an effort to walk over to fans at premieres, red carpets, and public press events goes a long way with the people who are essentially paying the stars' salary with each film that is released.  George is a master at this, but the man who wrote the book on fan customer service is Tom Cruise.  Whether you like him or not, he is one of the kindest celebrities who always says "yes" to his fans.  Why?  He "gets" it.  He knows that these are the people that created his career, that bought tickets to Top Gun and stayed with him through his latest Mission Impossible film, and he knows that one small interaction with him will make a great impression.....and keep that fan buying tickets to his movies.  

When I do radio appearance like here or here, I often get asked who my favorite celebrities are to interview.  My favorites celebrities are usually the ones you don't expect because often times the bigger names have a tendency to disappoint me in interviews.  They hate to do press, they don't want to be in the room, and they don't try to hide it.  I totally understand that the questions can be inane and repetitive, but sitting through eight hours of a press junket at a five star hotel is way better than being a coal miner, right?  I have repeated it over and over, but it's a part of their job.  It may not be their favorite part of the job, but it comes with the territory of fame, money, and celebrity.  So, I would love to see some stars embrace this part of their job and enjoy the process because it is the press and the fans who make sure your next ten million dollar paycheck clears.  Sadly, the George Clooneys and Tom Cruises in the industry are pretty rare, but that quality is also what makes them huge A-List stars.  They just "get" it.  

If you want to read more on press and the entertainment industry, see my other articles here and here.  

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Behind the Scenes of Dorm Life

When I say in the cold open of this episode, "Everyone asked me about this show", I wasn't kidding. It was my dog sitter that continually asked me about doing an interview with Dorm Life which led to a friend on Facebook, a web series producer at New Media Vault, and a group of web series stars at a holiday party all asking about Hulu's #1 rated web series. Well, it's here and it was fun! It was actually my friend, Annie Mureau, who put me in touch with Jordan Riggs over at Attention Span Media. It was a long process since they wanted to wait until there was news to deliver. That is always a smart strategy with media and interviews (take note, web series producers), so we waited until the launch of their Season 1 DVD.

Sandra secured our fantastic school book store location over at LA Valley College at the end of their school semester. People were turning in their old text books for cash and we were hitting the books to find out more about the creators of Dorm Life. Chris Smith, Jack De Sena, and Brian Singleton proved to be an entertaining interview. They were funny, engaging, and demonstrated why their show is so popular. Dorm living is a rite of passage here in the U.S., it is that first bit of freedom we get as a young adult. Some of the stories that come out of dorm living may frighten parents, but, man, those were some fun times! That is exactly why Dorm Life is successful....solid writing about an experience we all can relate to.

They started their project while they were at UCLA and it became a great calling card for all of the young writers and stars. Remember, they have up to 14 writers on this show, so it is truly a collaborative process. They have created two successful seasons landing them at the top of Hulu's most watched web series. Will they make it to Season 3? That is still a big question mark for them and I didn't get any definitive answers from them because I truly believe that they don't know. All of the fans will just have to wait or just let them know what you want, let your voice be heard. It is the fans who demanded longer episodes from Dorm Life and they delivered in Season 2, so give the guys a shout out for Season 3.

One of my favorite moments that didn't make the episode is that Brian Singleton's mom has taken it upon her self to be cast as Marshall Adams' mother, the character played by Brian. She will respond on social media sites about her "son" when viewers make comments about Marshall. Not only is she new media savvy, but she's funny. Guess we know where Brian inherited his humor.

Finally, a quick shout out to my friend, Ali North, who saved the wardrobe day with my awesome shirt that she gave me for my birthday. It was our last shoot for 2009 and I had nothing to wear, until she dropped off my present the night before. Thanks, Ali!

If you haven't seen our episode of Dorm Life, check it out here: