If you are one of those artists who believe they never should pay for interviews, you should reconsider. When a publication interviews you for free, you answer questions that serve the interests of their target market. You do not control the content. I agree that free publicity and fresh internet real estate are all good things. However, there are many advantages to paying a professional to produce a featured interview or post, because you can control the questions, answers and many aspects of promotion. Get Asked the Right Interview Questions First, decide why you want to be interviewed. There are many reasons why artists want to be interviewed and tell their stories. Do you want to be interviewed because you just released a new song or film or book? Are you going on tour? Are you launching a crowdsourcing campaign? Are you looking for management or to beef up your electronic press kit (EPK)? Answering the why not only influences what questions you want to be asked, but also what order you want the interviewer to ask them. People have short attention spans, so make sure the interviewer asks you the most important questions first. Next, decide who you want to target. How you choose to answer your interview questions can vary widely, depending on your target audience. For example, you may want to provide short answers if you are talking to new fans, but go more in-depth if you are talking to die-hard fans. You may want to use different language and behave more professionally if you are answering questions to for potential managers. Because you know the questions you’ll be asked in advance, you can prepare your answers, rehearse for your interview and give your audience a fabulous performance. Take Charge of Interview Promotion...

No one can talk with Ms. Nikki Rich, CEO and host of the Nikki Rich Show, and not be inspired to rush out and start achieving their dreams. I know that every time I talk with her, I feel better about myself and my Amused Now project.  When I’m with Nikki, I don’t just think I can, I know I can! Her positive personality, beauty, brains and work ethic combine to launch the Nikki Rich Show to the top of the internet radio charts. Ms. Nikki’s motto is “Put God first.” Well, we at Amused Now feel blessed, because she granted us a Featured Artist video interview. Nikki Rich has been a radio and TV personality for over 20 years. When I commented that the entertainment business must be in her blood, she smiled, because both her parents are radio and TV personalities too. Growing up, Nikki sang Gospel with her brothers. She didn’t realize that early experience was training for the Nikki Rich Show. When she was growing up, she wanted to be a lawyer. Nikki is a huge proponent of education. She studied Criminal Justice in college and later studied Education. She was a teacher for 7 ½ years until she was laid off. At the time, she had already started working on her PHD in Business Administration after receiving her MBA. To set goals for herself while laid off, she decided to go to hair and cosmetology school. Nikki continued to research career options. Then one day, while on lunch break from school, she announced to her girlfriend, “I’m going to try this Blog Talk Radio” and the Nikki Rich Show was born! From Day 1, the show had celebrity guests. Today, the Nikki Rich Show has over 330,000 listeners. How does...

Everyone who knows me has heard me say, “Twitter has changed my life.” Well, my life expanded again this week. I cannot tell you how exciting it’s been since @Amused_Now met @MatthewModine. We discovered that both of us are working to create opportunities, so everyone can make a living pursuing what they love. Amused Now works through its blog and upcoming e-commerce site; Matthew Modine works through his short films, available now as a collection on iTunes. Matthew graciously agreed to a written interview with Amused Now about his films. We’re thrilled to share that interview with you: Cynthia: Matthew, you’ve starred in so many motion pictures, what prompted you into making your own short films? Matthew: Actors are storytellers. We do our best to embody the characters we play, bring them to life and tell their stories. For some actors, there comes a time when playing a role isn’t completely satisfying and they want to become orchestrators of the stories they tell. There are great examples of actors who have worked in front and behind the camera, from Charlie Chaplin to Woody Allen to Clint Eastwood to Ron Howard. Making short films is an exercise I do to try and master cinematic storytelling. Cynthia: How long have you been interested in filmmaking? Matthew: More than twenty years. I have also directed theatrical productions. Cynthia: Who are your influencers? Matthew: I’ve learned from all of the directors I have worked with. I’ve learned valuable lessons not only from the best of them, but also the least. It’s important to learn why something doesn’t work as much as why something works effectively. Every director wants to create something amazing and memorable. Something lasting. It’s rare when they do. And that is why we celebrate great...

Imagine household products sporting your artistic inspirations. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could walk into a department store and see your designs on clothing, towels, table cloths, glasses, dishes and garden flags? Tara Reed, art licensing specialist and Amused Now featured artist, knows just how cool it is! Her licensed artwork can be found on many common household items. You may even have some of her designs in your home. How does she do it? Well, lucky for Amused Now, Tara is willing to share her insights into the art licensing business. Tara explains that art licensing is creating art for commercial purposes that you license through a contract, so manufacturers can put your art on products. To put it simply, “it’s art for stuff that you buy in stores.” If you’re interested in starting a career in art licensing, she suggests you first learn about the business. You should not only look at people who are successful in the industry, like Mary Engelbreit and Thomas Kinkade, but also learn about the day-to-day job. You must be able to work quickly, design collections and wait up to 2 years to get paid. Tara explains about this and more on her website TaraReedDesigns.com and her blog ArtLicensingBlog.com. You should also get a feel for the type of art that works well with licensing. “Art that works for licensing is art that appeals to the masses.” Gallery artists only need to find one person to buy each piece, but licensed art has to be purchased by hundreds and thousands of people. That’s why you see very common themes, like wine art, coffee art, flowers, snowmen, snow flakes and Santa. The art must make people feel good, so they want to buy it. About half the artists in the industry...