I'm turning over a new leaf.
A week after I submit my photos, I get a call from the entertainment company who said they were told the client was no longer going with Marilyn and that they would keep me in mind for the future.
I asked if she thought it was because of the photos I provided, and she said no, I submitted them quickly and they looked great, so she didn't think that was it, but there's no real way to know. Then she told me they were very nervous asking for the extra $200 I requested, and that this was the first job they'd ever lost, and that even though they told me the other entertainment company agreed to the $100 extra, the client only asked for photos after I asked for more money, and that they've never asked for more before and that's not how they operate in all the years they've been in business and that these corporate gigs already pay so much and that I walked away from $1000 and that was a lot of money. She said they would not be negotiating for me in the future and that I would just need to take whatever pay is offered. She said something about not being able to tell me the whole backstory (whatever that means) and made me feel ashamed for asking for more money.
And that was when I decided to go solo. I was never under contract with them, and I appreciated the gigs they sent my way, but I'm going to call it irreconcilable differences and part ways. If I am going to be represented by somebody, I want it to be by someone who knows my value and shares my vision for becoming the top Marilyn Monroe impersonator in the world. Even if that means I represent myself, because no one believes in myself more than me, so after the convention, I'm going to amp up my self-promotion efforts and really make headway into my career. Now that my day job is so flexible, I have a lot of freedom in my schedule so I'm free to book myself as I see fit!
I'm sure a lot of professional celebrity impersonators promote themselves primarily and I'm excited to learn from them. Thinking of doing this on my own is thrilling and my creative juices are flowing. I'm beholden to no one and my career is my own. My friend urged me to still take jobs from them, but I'd rather not. If I do, I'm in direct competition with myself. I feel like this is the next step in my career and that they were holding me back. I'm not mad. I want to put my efforts into building my brand and I'm glad everything turned out like it did. I have a new fire under my butt to get fit due to the possible rejection based on my photos and I have a strong desire to become my own manager and promote my own business, and perhaps find someone who believes in my vision and is comfortable negotiating on my behalf.
Marilyn was woefully underpaid in her career as an actress, and she made history by thwarting the studio star system and founding Marilyn Monroe Productions. Obviously this is nowhere near the same grand scale, but I bet she felt exhilarated by the thought of making her own decisions and reveled in the idea of attaining complete creative control over her image and career.
I hope somehow Marilyn can feel my love for my family and my deep gratitude to her for inspiring me to fulfill my dreams, and I hope that in some way I'm helping to fulfill hers. <3