M One Studios

Our clients tend to prefer acts with professional-quality promotional materials; often times a small investment in a videographer or video crew for your video can be a deal breaker. Keep in mind that our clients receive hundreds of submissions and inquiries each week – they are likely to give their fullest attention to the videos and other promotional materials which look the most sleek and polished. This is not to say that your performance isn’t also valuable to them, however. It definitely must stand out above the rest. Some of these gigs are very competitive, with many performers submitting promo kits – your best bet is to emphasize your unique personality and strong points (musically and visually), while still fitting within the parameters of the job description. Also remember that you are being hired to put on a show, so clearly demonstrate your ability to do just that. The key to landing a gig for a One-Man Band applicant is to show your versatility and flexibility. You may be assigned to performances all around your ship at all different times, and in your video, you have to show the cruise line that you’ll be able to please everybody. Be sure that you show a combination of exciting and busy playing (if you have a good crowd and are putting on a show), as well as some more laid-back and reserved playing for when you’re just playing background music. If there are certain styles in which you excel, be sure those are featured more than others in your video. Anything that will show the cruise lines that you’re a great entertainer and that your audiences love you. And while the music must sound good, your visual appearance is equally of value to our clients – be sure to appear engaging, charismatic, and captivating for an audience to watch. Usually, our clients choose musicians that have a clean-cut and classy, yet fun appearance - so be sure to dress like you are performing for a wedding reception or other high-end function as opposed to a bar or club in your video. Basically, stay away from untrimmed facial hair, tattoos, multiple piercings, and outlandish hair styles and you should be OK. They should have music specifically meant for dancing and music specifically meant for listening/watching. Of course, do not take the advice in this section too literally. Before you do anything else, it’s most important to identify and develop your “shtick”, then sell it, sell it, and sell it some more.