Years ago while working as an agent, Dan Savage passed on an offer to bring a tour of “The World of Star Trek with Gene Roddenberry” to Minnesota.
It wasn’t the location or the $50,000 offer that turned him off. It was the way the offer was made.
“This promoter showed up in my office with a suitcase full of cash and said he wanted Roddenberry to take the tour to his concert hall,” Savage said. “It was like a scene out of ‘The Sopranos.’ I told him to mail us a proper request and we’d consider it later. Getting a speaker is never a matter of being outbid.”
Savage now works the other side of the fence as managing partner at SR Productions LLC, the Los Angeles events promotion firm that books speakers at the Music Center, the newest of a handful of venues that feed a seemingly unending appetite for the insights of those in the know.
Besides the Music Center, there’s the Distinguished Speaker Series, the University of Judaism’s Continuing Education Public Lecture Series, the L.A. World Affairs Council and Town Hall Los Angeles all looking to land the biggest names.
“How we get the speakers to come is my little secret,” said Adrienne Medawar, president of Town Hall Los Angeles, which has hosted political speakers since 1937. “One edge we have is that we never pay an honorarium. That’s how some other series get their speakers. It allows us to have elected officials while they’re still in office.”
(State and federal employees may not receive payments from private sources for speaking engagements or articles, giving an edge to the World Affairs Council and Town Hall Los Angeles, both 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that bill their events as civic forums.)
Footing the bills
Upcoming local series will draw the likes of former President Bill Clinton, Mexican President Vicente Fox, Bob Woodward, Bill O’Reilly, Vice President Dick Cheney and retired Sen. John Glenn.
“Right now Colin Powell is the most demanded speaker in the world,” Savage said. “He just left government, so he’s going to be available. And there’s just so much broad interest and respect for him.”
The demand for high-profile speakers has also served to quadruple speaker fees in the last few years, said Kathy Winterhalder, founder of Swan Productions LLC, which produces the Distinguished Speaker Series.
The hottest speakers receive thousands of requests every year from universities, business clubs and private events, with the top tier fetching $75,000 to $125,000 for a single engagement, Savage said.
That makes it increasingly expensive to survive in the crowded market. “There will be a point when the market won’t be able to handle it,” Winterhalder said. “And the bar keeps getting raised.”
The Music Center, Distinguished Speaker Series and the University of Judaism events involve ticket sales and negotiating with celebrity agents for whopping honoraria. Big fees mean having to hold events in larger venues, so they must appeal to the widest possible audience.
“It’s difficult getting patrons because it costs $300 for our series, and we’re competing for the audience for this type of high-scale entertainment with Broadway musicals,” Winterhalder said.
The Music Center defrays its costs much as any business would. Clinton, scheduled for two speeches next March, is extremely expensive, while Jordan’s Queen Noor is considerably less. By selling series tickets only, the Music Center can be said to be using the Queen to pay for the former president.
Image is everything
Where speakers choose to appear often has as much to do with the presenter’s reputation as it does the paycheck.
“Visible people are very concerned that their image is protected when they go out publicly,” Savage said. “They want to work with someone that will present a quality program. There’s money available everywhere, especially with private corporations involved. They work with people they’ve known for years, and they talk to each other about how they were treated and how the events went.”
For some organizations, reputation alone can help snag the kind of high-profile talent many are fighting to land. This is true for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, which often features elected officials still in office.
“We offer an opportunity to speak at an established place that’s only second to the National Press Club,” said Mary Morris, the group’s vice president and director of programs. “Heads of state, presidents they have all been here. It’s a good thing to say you spoke at the World’s Affairs Council.”
Unlike other organizations, the non-profit rarely works with agents to get its speakers, instead writing letters of invitation, keeping tabs with consulates on visiting dignitaries, and getting leads from some of its nearly 10,000 members in the greater L.A. area.
Whatever the venue, it’s typically a one-stop proposition.
“It’s generally not the case that speakers can support multiple programs with good audiences,” Morris said. “Usually, if that person has a good audience with another organization, we hold off on booking them until next time because we want a good audience for our events.”
The University of Judaism goes a step further, requiring many speakers sign exclusivity agreements that keep them from speaking at public events in L.A. for about 45 days before and after their appearance.
