Followers of this blog understand The Speaker Experts are big fans of the NHL great, Wayne Gretzky’s concept of focusing on where the puck will be, instead of focusing on where it has been. With Gretzky’s lessons from the rink in mind, we believe that the differentiating factor between a good lecture agent and a great lecture agent is when the agent can not only effectively communicate which speakers are prevalent at the time, but can also forecast which speakers will subsequently become in demand in the future. Of course, if stockbrokers, professional gamblers, and lecture agents alike could consistently predict the future, then we would all be settled into retirement. Peering into a crystal ball and seeing the future is not an easy thing to do!
Nevertheless, every so often opportunities arise and the possibility to capture lightening in a bottle seems achievable. The Speaker Experts have studied speaker demand curves for years and recognize the catalyst moments in a speaker’s professional speaking career where their demand, visibility, and fee exponentially increase. The Speaker Experts often look to Hollywood for clues in this space and we believe to have found a bellwether event in Lionsgate’s August 11th release of, The Glass Castle, based on Jeannette Walls’ New York Times bestselling memoir.
The Glass Castle recounts Jeannette’s unconventional, nomadic, and poverty-stricken childhood at the hands of her deeply dysfunctional parents. Released in 2005, the memoir landed on the New York Times bestseller list for a total of 261 weeks! Fast-forward to 2017, 5 million copies have been sold and the book has been translated into 30 languages. Jeannette’s story is a timeless classic and the Speaker Experts project the film to be a major release. Oscar winner, Brie Larson will portray Jeannette Walls while Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts will portray her alcoholic father and eccentric mother.
The relationship between the success of one’s speaking career and their benchmark successes is historically positive as mentioned in The Speaker Expert’s Top Ten Films that Influence the Speaker Circuit. The Speaker Experts understand that a major motion film is only a small piece of the pie when it comes to spiked speaking demand rates. However, Jeanette Walls is a veteran motivational speaker with years of experience in front of corporate and association audiences. “The Glass Castle: Demon Hunting and other Life Lessons,” is one of the most genuine and thought provoking presentations that we have ever seen.
If your organization is in search of a high impact speaker in the late summer or early Fall, take advantage of the publicity, social, and digital media that will likely be generated by Lionsgate Entertainment as they promote this major movie release. As always, the best way to determine if Ms. Walls is a good fit for your audience is to consult with your trusted speaker bureau partner.
-Gary McManis & Jay Conklin
The Speaker Experts 