Barry, Barry, Barry . . . that’s the name that kept coming up as someone I had to meet. Today I’m happy to introduce you, too, to Barry as in Barry Moltz.

Thanks to Barry for buying me lunch at Navy Pier and telling me how he helps small businesses get unstuck. In the course of our conversation, I offered him the opportunity to guest post [hey - I know a good writer when I meet one!] about a variety of topics. Lucky for us, he picked this one.

How to Get on Television 5 Steps by Barry Moltz

Night after night, you sit and watch all the business pundits on network television and you think to yourself, “that should be me!” As you watch the replays on Youtube or Hulu, it starts to make you mad, until you realize there are tens of thousands of people out there just like you. At this point, a sense of hopelessness sets in.

Rarely, does the producer from Oprah just call you up and ask you to be on the show. You need to be proactive in your efforts. Here are five key elements to follow:

1. Be an expert. Write and speak about a niche constantly. Have a book or two published to “prove it”. Get endorsed by other famous people and companies about what an expert you are.

2. Have video of you talking in front of people on your website. Even if you are an expert, producers do not want to take a risk that you are bad in front of the camera. It maybe the chicken and the egg, but you need video to get video opportunities. If you do not have any video of yourself, have a professional produce a few clips for you.

3. Talk about current events. Follow the news. Relate the topic that you are an expert on to what is going on in the news. That is what the media wants to talk to you about.

4. Get referred to producers. Do you know someone that was on a business show that you would like to be on? Ask them to introduce you to the producer and monthly, stay in contact with them to tell them how what you are an expert at and how it relates to what is going on in the business world.

5. Hire a PR person. It is expensive, but it works. Make an investment in a PR person that has a track record of getting clients on the business shows you want to be on. As in any business, it’s who you know, not what you know that will mean success. Their relationships with producers will make a big difference.

What successful strategies have you used to get on television?

Barry MoltzCNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch multiple times. He was thrilled about how good the spray on makeup made him look on television.

Note: This post contains dramatic videos – plan to stay for awhile.

My trip to KÀ began with a brief email exchange . . .

ME: Thanks so much for making this offer. Last year I found out about it a few hours too late. I’ve never seen a show in Vegas, but I love theater, magic, dance and drama. Thanks for letting me know what is open.
JESSICA BERLIN [Cirque Du Soleil]: Thanks for your email. Hmm….if you like theater and drama I think we should put you in to see KA. There is a 7 and 9:30 p.m. show. Which do you prefer? Also, will you be bringing a guest? Let me know and I will arrange the tickets for you.

And, that’s how I got my first theatrical review assignment. [No photography is allowed; image copied from KÀ site.]

Disclosure: Cirque du Soleil provided two free tickets in exchange for a review to BlogWorld New Media Expo attendees like me.

This is my first review of any type. Why did I accept the tickets?

1. Although this was my fourth trip to Las Vegas, I’d never taken the time to see a show.
2. I love theater and have always wanted to write a review.
3. This is the kind of freebie I can’t pass up!
4. I wanted to pass on this promotion strategy to my readers: who can you invite to your event that can cover it for you?

Wondering how Cirque Du Soleil manages social media? [via Lee Odden and Online Marketing Blog]

Thanks to Marcia Hansen from Allstate for taking me up on my offer of a free ticket. We met up at the theater at MGM, got in line and walked into a huge auditorium theater. My first thought? What a HUGE venue! [One source I saw tagged the production's cost at $150 million.]

KÀ Production Facts

~ Every seat in the KÀ theatre has speakers built into the headrest for customized sound effects.
~ The video projections in KÀ are an intricate mix of computer-generated effects and human input that turn the performance space into a cinema screen.
~ Approximately 1,300 hours went into the making of each of the human-sized crab puppets.
~ There are 160 harnesses (of 21 different kinds) worn by the KÀ performers.
~ The Spearmen’s shoes are created to look like they are barefoot, with molded rubber toes affixed to a shoe base.
~ For the beach scene, the sand is created using 350 cubic feet of granular cork from Portugal.

Greeters, dressed like KÀ characters, showed us our seats. One had a bright red wig.
I said: I like your hair.
She said: Thanks! I just put it on tonight!

Settling into our seats, we watched the fireballs bursting from the stage.

Having no idea what to expect – after all, this was my first Cirque du Soliel experience, I interviewed Marcia and a new friend we made, Sharon Miller from Qube Global Software, about what to expect. I asked if I could video their review after the show. They said yes – here it is:

My review?

This is a show that blows your mind. To get ready, I watched KÀ’s trailer, but that didn’t prepare me for the live experience.

For me, the show was imaginative beyond belief.

My favorite elements:
• Costumes – there’s something about costumes that draws me to theater. I love seeing how characters play out in the clothing, shoes, hair and makeup.
• Batons – yes, batons. After going to Purdue and watching the All American Marching Band’s post band-camp show, I thought I’d seen every style of baton twirling, but this was different: elegant, smooth, enchanting [maybe the music had something to do with it.]
• Shadow play – enchanting and childlike, two characters and four hands together put on a play within a play
• Acrobatics – known for seemingly impossible moves, this show boasts aerial, wheel and well, multiple, demonstrations of amazing feats that had me holding my breath until the act was over
• Music – bold, dramatic and showy, the music underscored the story line
• Hydraulic Wall – think about a plane that moves from level to angled with people on it and add in a chase scene with spikes – got it?
• Pit – from fire to smoke coming up to people going down, the pit holds a place as a character all its own
• Staging – columns ring the stage as centers for drumming and more aerobatics, archers poised on railings before they rushed the stage, which gave me a close look at the costumes – the slippers had rubber toes
• Pictures – before the show Aurora took pictures of Marcia and me – very nice, but at $44 not a must-buy

This show is not for people who: scare easily, don’t like loud noises, need a story line with dialogue, like literal drama or musicals and fear indoor fire and fireworks. A friend told me she likes to watch Cirque du Soleil clips; a few minutes is enough for her.

Hint: Take the Get Cirqued Quiz to see which Cirque Du Soleil show you’re in the mood for.

Would I go back? Absolutely and next time I’d take my family with me. KÀ is the pinnacle of a theater experience. I can’t wait to tell our high school theater department about it.

Have you seen KÀ? What did you think? How can you compare your business performance to Cirque Du Soleil?