The Business of Show Business

Jamie Body
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Performing Arts
  • Weekly

A podcast to help unpack the skills, stories, and side hustles behind the entertainment and creative industries. So if you're ready to thrive, not just survive, in the showbiz and arts & culture sectors, you're in the right place. A series of solo shows and interviews to help creatives with the business of show business. Learn how to market yourself as a creative and how to boss your social media and online presence. Great for actors, dancers, singers, producers, writers and those in the creative industries.

  1. 1d ago

    You Are the Business: Building a Career Behind the Scenes with Steve Caswell

    Is reliability worth more than talent? Steve Caswell thinks so – and he's spent over 20 years hiring, managing and building entertainment businesses. Steve began as a presenter at Haven, where he learned that if an audience doesn't like what you're doing, they simply leave. Nine years and 11 holiday parks later, he moved to TAG Live, rising from Operations Director to COO and Board Director, delivering entertainment for theme parks, cruise lines and resorts. Today he runs Next Phase Entertainment, a consultancy built on three pillars: consultancy, collaboration and creating. Jamie and Steve discuss: – Why holiday parks and cruise ships are brilliant training grounds for performers – Making the shift from performing to management – What venues and resorts get wrong when commissioning entertainment – Pitching, decks and getting yourself in the room – Networking by finding common ground – Cash flow and commercial thinking in a creative industry – Email etiquette, and why some clients want the cost on slide one – Quickfire questions, including the most unusual brief and the best advice he's ever had Connect with Steve: nextphaseentertainment.co.uk Follow Jamie on Instagram: @bodyjamie Find out more: jamiebody.com The Business of Show Business – the entertainment industry through a business and career lens.

  2. Oct 12

    Canada to the West End at 31: Breaking Into a Gatekept Industry | Laura June Ness | The Business of Show Business

    Canadian performer Laura June Ness moved to London the day after her 31st birthday with no UK training, no connections and one goal: the West End. Less than a year later, she debuted in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.In this episode, Jamie Body and Laura cover why the UK industry is more gatekept than New York, how she secured the Global Talent Visa as an ensemble dancer, why cruise ships and theme parks should never be looked down on, and how she pitched herself into a social media captain role inside her own show.Plus: the “staircase method” for goal setting, how to write emails that sell your skills, and why it’s not always the most talented performer who works, but the most discoverable.🎧 Listen on all podcast platforms📲 Follow Laura: @laura.june.ness📲 Follow Jamie: @bodyjamie#TheBusinessOfShowBusiness #WestEnd #MusicalTheatre #DancerLife #GlobalTalentVisa #HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild

  3. Oct 12

    How Pride Went From Sold-Out National Run to the West End | Stephen Beresford & Samuel Barnet

    After sold-out runs in Cardiff and at the National Theatre, Pride is transferring to the Bridge Theatre this November. In this special mini episode, Jamie Body sits down with BAFTA-winning writer Stephen Beresford and Tony-nominated actor Samuel Barnett to talk about bringing the true story of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners to the stage. Stephen explains what a musical can do that the film couldn’t, including how a song about the Sexual Offences Act conveys information in a way a scene on screen never could. He also talks about having Pride and his new film Elsinore, which is opening at the BFI London Film Festival, both landing at the same time. Samuel shares how a three-week workshop turned into what felt like a long audition, why he wasn’t ready to let go of playing Jonathan, and what he’s learned from shows that transfer, from The History Boys to Pride. They finish with advice for drama students and early-career writers and actors trying to get a foot on the ladder in a changing industry. 🎟 Pride the Musical runs at the Bridge Theatre in London from 12 November. 🎧 Listen to the full podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major platforms 📱 Follow Jamie: @bodyjamie 🌐 jamiebody.com #PrideMusical #BridgeTheatre #StephenBeresford #SamuelBarnett #WestEnd #MusicalTheatre #TheBusinessOfShowBusiness #LGSM #TheatrePodcast

  4. Oct 1

    What Take That's Choreographer Looks For in an Audition | Adrian Gas

    In 2009, Adrian Gas danced on Take That's record-breaking Circus Tour. Seventeen years later, he came back to choreograph it. Adrian is a dancer, choreographer, movement director and creative director. He has performed with Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Kylie and Rihanna, and worked on The Voice and Strictly Come Dancing. In this episode, Jamie Body sits down with him to talk about moving from the stage to the other side of the panel, and what really decides who gets booked. Adrian grew up in his mum's dance school in Ibiza, the son of a pianist and the grandson and son of Tiller Girls. He shares how winning a choreographic competition at Performers College planted the first seed, and why years of assisting taught him more than anything else. He also explains why the dance steps are often the easy part of a choreographer's job. He is refreshingly honest about casting. He talks about the height, hair colour, passport and budget decisions you will never hear about, and why worrying about them gets you nowhere. He also covers what makes a good email to a choreographer, why you should never go past two minutes on a showreel, and why lateness is the quickest way off his next job. In this episode: From Ibiza to Performers College, and falling in love with commercial danceAssistant to choreographer: the skills that led him thereReimagining Take That's Circus 17 years on, and reinventing Relight My FireWorking with Kim Gavin, a creative who won't take no for an answerWhy networking is really just being a good humanEmails, follow-ups and research: what gets you rememberedShowreels: front-load your best workWhat happens behind the audition panelDoes your follower count matter?How to practise your way out of audition nervesQuick-fire round: Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake and a bottle that wasn't water Connect with Adrian: adriangas.com Connect with Jamie: Website: jamiebody.com Instagram: @bodyjamie The Business of Show Business is the podcast about the entertainment industry through a business and career lens, for performers and creatives who want a career, not just a job. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate and review. It really helps the show reach more people.

  5. Sep 17

    Talent Isn't Enough: What Producers Actually Rebook | James Rowell & Natalie Dawson | The Business of Show Business

    James Rowell and Natalie Dawson both started as performers, and now they have built a creative studio producing shows for Hampton Court Palace, London Zoo, Camden Market and cruise lines worldwide. In this episode James and Natalie of JR Creative Group pull back the curtain on what actually gets a performer hired, rehired and remembered — and why the most talented person in the audition room often isn't the one they book. In this episode, we get into how you actually make the move from stage to studio: pitching, budgeting, scope creep, and the unglamorous business skills nobody teaches at drama school. They also open up the casting inbox — 300 emails per call-out, and exactly what makes one stand out. We cover: - Why personality and reliability get you rebooked more often than technique - Always asking for a budget, even a ballpark, before you go blue-sky - Scope creep and the cost of being a pleaser - The full Hampton Court Palace Christmas timeline: pitch to opening night - Casting email etiquette, headshots and CVs that actually work - Why resorts, cruise ships and holiday camps are the best training you'll get - Pricing your day rate to cover overheads, savings and a pension - Networking alone, and why relationships come years before contracts - Making the transition from performer to creative director Follow the show wherever you listen, and find more at jamiebody.com.

  6. Sep 3

    "The Industry Doesn't Owe You Anything" | Les Mis Star Turned Producer Scott Garnham

    Scott Garnham has lived the full arc of show business — West End leads in Les Mis and Billy Elliot, a Netflix film, and now co-founder of the Barricade Boys and Sisco Entertainment Group, producing shows across cruise ships, US tours and the West End. Jamie Body sits down with Scott to talk life on and after the stage: why the industry is unfair and owes you nothing, the transferable skills performers underestimate, how to pitch and pack a show, what actually stands out in auditions, and why every performer needs to think of themselves as a business. Perfect for performers, producers and creatives — on stage or behind the scenes — who want the real, unfiltered business side of the industry they love. Follow Sisco Entertainment and The Business of Show Business for more.

  7. Aug 21

    The Real Cost of the Edinburgh Fringe | PR, Marketing, Strategy and Finance

    Over 3,000 shows perform at the Edinburgh Fringe every August. So how do you get a show there — and how do you make it stand out? Jamie Body spends the festival on the ground with the people making it happen: PR Chloé Nelkin of Chloé Nelkin Consulting, Alex Harvey of circus company Ockham's Razor (Collaborator), co-writers Alex Moneypenny and Adam Tuffre (The Shocking Truth About Flat Earth), Emily Weitzman (Furniture Boys), Corey Muizelaar (Behind Closed Doors), Alex Urwin of Kick It Anywhere (The Jolly Fisherman), and Rachel Twigg (Your Choice, Amanda Royce). They talk honestly about money, PR, flyering, venue strategy, star ratings and what happens after August — including the writers who are £18,000 in the red, and the producer who will sell out his entire run and still make a loss. In this episode: - Why PR is about profile, not a guaranteed sell-out - When Fringe planning actually starts (earlier than you think) - Why three stars is a good review - Choosing a venue you can fill over one that looks impressive - The true cost of accommodation, travel, previews and pints - Marketing that comes from the show rather than bolted onto it - How to build a second life for your show once the festival ends The Business of Show Business covers the entertainment industry through a business and career lens, for performers, makers and everyone building a career in the arts.

  8. Aug 5

    "Everyone on the Panel Is Rooting For You" | Auditioning, Producing & High School Musical | TBOSB S7

    How do you go from waiting tables between auditions to co-directing a Disney musical with Jason Donovan and Harry Judd? And once you're the one running the room, what do you actually want to see when a performer walks in to audition? Joseph Houston and William Whelton turned a former Manchester mill, first advertised as a storage space on Gumtree, into Hope Mill Theatre, one of the most talked-about producing houses in the UK. Ten years on, they're producing and co-directing a brand-new production of High School Musical, opening at The Lowry this summer before transferring to the Troubadour Wembley Park. Jamie sits down with them to talk auditioning, producing, and swapping the performer hat for a business hat. "Everyone on that panel is rooting for you to succeed." In this episode: - Why "50% naivety, 50% ambition" built a theatre, and why that's a superpower, not a weakness- The false sense of security that helps performers pivot: people only see what you show them - What producers really think when you walk into the audition room (and the red flags that stand out) - Why an audition is a job interview, and how to make safe, strong choices instead of risky untested ones - The permission slip most performers need: bring your sides in your hand, and just ask - How to wear the producer and director hats at once, and why "there's always a budget" makes the work better, not worse - Why regional theatre matters, and how shows now reach Manchester before London - The business skills nobody teaches performers: take every opportunity, even as a runner - Why your performing career was never a failure, just part of the journey Got a topic you want covered on the show? Send Jamie a DM. And if you're near Manchester or London this year, go and see High School Musical live. Subscribe for honest conversations about the business behind the performing arts, made for performers, creatives and anyone building a sustainable career in this industry. And find out more about High School Musical here - https://highschoolmusicalonstage.com/

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A podcast to help unpack the skills, stories, and side hustles behind the entertainment and creative industries. So if you're ready to thrive, not just survive, in the showbiz and arts & culture sectors, you're in the right place. A series of solo shows and interviews to help creatives with the business of show business. Learn how to market yourself as a creative and how to boss your social media and online presence. Great for actors, dancers, singers, producers, writers and those in the creative industries.

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