Anybody use About Faces?

Its free up until you book, then they take a percentage to pay themselves with. It seems reasonable to me, but I wanted to check with some people I trust first. I found a few other face painters with it and thought about advertising with them. Ill take any free or boot kicking websites I can and if I link it to my website Im liabel to rise in pages..

Here they are: http://www.aboutfacesentertainers.com/

what do you think?

You get YOUR full fee, they add on theirs on top. So if you tell them your rate is $100/hour they book you out at $150.

And you can link to their site, the listings with them does NOT link to yours - they are an agency so linking back to you is counter productive. And you only use first name and last initial!

I listed with them as I had lots of excellent recommendations from other artists that are with them also.

This is my listing with them http://www.aboutfacesentertainers.com/face_painters/face_painters/shannon_fe.html

Ah! I understand it now! Thanks alot! Its great to know someone has done it before, I tried to scope out some members but was having no luck. =0)
I will sign up then. Thanks!!

Thank you for the info on them! I'd received a response email from them and they asked for a TON of info including having my insurance company fax a certificate to them. They never mentioned anything about collecting agency listing fees.

Sparklyone wrote: They never mentioned anything about collecting agency listing fees.

They don't. They add their fee on top of your rate to bill the customer, then pay you your full rate.

Shannon Fennell wrote:

Sparklyone wrote: They never mentioned anything about collecting agency listing fees.

They don't. They add their fee on top of your rate to bill the customer, then pay you your full rate.

Sorry, I didn't communicate very clearly. I understand their fee process, but feel a little leery that they didn't mention anything about it when offering a listing and before I submitted quite a lengthy application. I don't really want my clients paying an extra fifty bucks or whatever even if they are going through an agency....probably silly but it doesn't feel right on some level, to my customer. I don't know how to explain it....

The way he explained it was $100 on top...if you book for $50 or $500 it would be $100 each event. I told them that I wouldn't want a client to book through them and then find out on my website that I only charge $50 per hour so it wasn't a good fit for me. If you were doing bigger bookings it might work.

D.

Well, as long as you are getting YOUR fee why worry? Customers are customers... if they use an agency rather than shop around why worry that they are paying extra for that? It was THEIR choice.

I haven't done any jobs for them but people I respect have and were very happy with them. And agents always add on their percentage on top of the artists' fees, that is how they make money.

Locally people find me, but if a large corporate body is looking to book artist for locations across the country this type of listing/agency is where they would look. So, while I don't have my link or contact info there, if they booked me I still get my full rate. So it is all good IMO.

The problem a lot of artists have with agents is that the agents want a "deal" price and then still mark it up!

I am listed with them and they have called 5-6 times so far, but I'm always either booked or too far away to take the job so I haven't actually worked for them. I know other great artists who do work for them regularly and are pleased with them.

People who use a big agency like this do pay extra for the convenience of having everything done for them. If they want to hire a face painter, a juggler, a magician and an Elvis impersonator, they can just give About Faces their info and have it all handled for them without having to book each act individually. It's not for price-shoppers who have a strict budget. It's for busy people who want an agent to handle the details.

Exactly Angie, that is it completely.