Well Connected: Steiner Talent Inc.

Steiner can walk out one door of his office and be standing in the Ozarks countryside, or he can take a couple steps out the other door and be in his kitchen greeting his children as they get home from school.

Steiner operates from a three-car-garage-turned office in his home.

Steiner Talent is a booking and management agency and speaker’s bureau with two other companies under its umbrella: Steiner People Source and Gig Salad. Steiner Talent works with musicians; Steiner People Source deals with comedians, actors and a complete speaker’s bureau; and Gig Salad offers an online database of talent.

Finding his calling

Once a struggling actor, Steiner now books speakers, musicians, comedians and other performers in venues across the country.

Steiner grew up in New Jersey and after high school headed to New York City to live the dream of becoming an actor. Steiner quickly realized that although he was passionate about the craft, he didn’t have the dedication to be successful.

“I realized I just wanted to be rich and famous, and I didn’t want to work hard to get there,” Steiner says.

Steiner began working in craft services, providing catering on the sets of movies and television shows. From 1984 to 1994 Steiner worked on dozens of film and television sets including “Godfather III,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “Single White Female.”

In 1994, Steiner took a job as a booking agent for a New York City talent agency. The agency was owned and operated by the same men who own and operate the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and Steiner made countless contacts booking bands during his six-year tenure.

After a short stint as an office manager, Steiner realized his calling was in booking talent for big and small events. He started Steiner Talent in 2001 and after a couple years of making hundreds of cold calls a day, he had established a loyal client base of venues around the nation.

“It became a game of how many names and numbers I could find in one single day,” Steiner recalls.

Move to the Midwest

In July 2004, Steiner and his family moved to Springfield, his wife’s hometown. Allison Steiner is a violinist represented by her husband’s company.

“My clientele could care less where I’m operating,” Steiner says.

There are several ways that he does business. A venue may call wanting to book a specific date, they may have a specific act or just a genre in mind, or they might just have a budget and are unsure of what they can book.

Venues across the United States call Steiner to book events. Steiner’s roster of talent is long, but recent bookings include Ann Coulter in Denver and Olivia Newton John at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Moving to the Midwest has allowed Steiner to expand his regional presence. Steiner represents four local bands exclusively: Allie Catz, b.i.g., M-Dock and Nixa City Limits.

Don Tillman, development director for Dickerson Park Zoo, works with Steiner to book talent for annual zoo events including Ball of the Wild and ZooLaLa.

“We use Mark, No. 1, because he’s local, and No. 2, because he is a pro in this business. He knows exactly what he’s doing and has contacts all over the country,” Tillman says. “The type of talent we typically get for Ball of the Wild is out-of-town talent, so it’s not just a matter of picking up the phone and calling a local band.”

For ZooLaLa – an invitation-only holiday event – Steiner helped zoo officials book Springfield native-turned Broadway singer Kim Crosby, who will perform Broadway pieces and Christmas carols.

“He never fails to provide quality entertainment, and he never fails to follow up on how it went,” adds Jim Adkins, general manager at Twin Oaks Country Club, who has worked with Steiner on numerous large and small events at the club.

Steiner declined to disclose specific figures but said revenues have increased each year since the company’s inception.

Online outlet

Because he has experienced the rejection in the business and knows that it’s a shot in the dark for most people to land an agent, Steiner developed an idea that gives performers the opportunity to have a national presence so they can expose their talents to venues and agents.

About two years ago, Steiner added Gig Salad, www.gigsalad.com, an Internet database for upcoming talent. The site connects performers from a variety of genres with buyers shopping for talent – a clown in Denver, a gospel singer in St. Louis, a comedian in Chicago, just name it.

There are currently more than 1,000 listings on the site. The performers pay a fee to be listed with contact information, photos, mp3s and more.

“It’s really a brilliant idea,” says Allie Hutsell, who’s listed on Gig Salad individually and with her band, Allie Catz. “It is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to try to really get their name out there, not just locally but internationally.”

Steiner Talent Inc.

Owner: Mark Steiner

Founded: 2001

Mailing address: 2733 E. Battlefield Street, Ste. 105, Springfield, MO 65804

Phone: (417) 889-9909

Web sites: www.steinertalent.com, www.steinerpeople.com, www.gigsalad.com

Services: Talent booking and management; speaker’s bureau

Employees: 1 full time, 2 part time [[In-content Ad]]