Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Faith Meets Fashion on the Runway

The buzz surrounding the first ever Christian Fashion Week in Tampa, Florida is getting louder and gaining more momentum.  Christian Fashion Week recently announced the event’s official sponsor last month.  Since the announcement, ears within the Christian entertainment industry have been tuning in, and they are not breaking loose.  The official sponsor for Christian Fashion Week is Zondervan Publishing.  Zondervan has published the works of more than 1,500 distinguished pastors and influential leaders.

Christian Fashion Week is a platform for sacred and secular designers to rise to the challenge of creating modest fashion for the Christian community without sacrificing modern-day style and fashionable authenticity.  Among the roster of innovative designers is international fashion phenomenon, Franco Montoro.  Montoro is known for his exquisite formal collection. Evelyn Lambert, Julia Chew, and Sandra Hagen top Christian Fashion Week’s roster of top-notch fashion innovation.

One of the absolute most intriguing things about Christian Fashion Week is the hushed controversy that still exists around the event’s swimwear segment.  The Swimwear Fashion Show is for the viewing eyes of ladies, only.  (Don’t worry, gents.  The Christian Fashion Week Crew promises to make fellowship and food available to you during this segment.)  In her blog, Mercury on Design, Elizabeth Mollo showed no mercy about her initial opinion of models in bikinis.  Mollo later admitted, though (a very wise choice so), that the concept of Christian Fashion Week promises to serve a mainstream market craving for relevant fashion entertainment.  

Throughout its marketing efforts, Christian Fashion Week has done a rock-solid job of brand management.  Its daring voyage to merge a secular-based presentation (the swimwear segment) with the sacredly-influenced event theme will prove to be timeless.  Contrary to popular belief, the Christian community is craving to know how to do fashion and how to do it right!  Like WIP the Runway, the Christian fashion show tour, Christian Fashion Week is serving as a trailblazing fashion teacher.

WIP the Runway and Christian Fashion Week are similar in purpose.  Both have a heart for lost souls and both use mainstream fashion and entertainment to capture the attention of the world.  Both dare to challenge the world while sharing Jesus on the runway.  The boldest evangelism move yet.  Look out world.  Once these two (WIP the Runway and Christian Fashion Week) join forces, the fashion and entertainment industries will be changed forever. 
Christian Fashion Week will take place in Tampa, Florida February 8-9, 2013 at the LSA Hall (4810 N. Howard Ave. Tampa, FL 33603).  Additional detail may be found on the event’s homepage.  The WIP the Runway Christian Fashion Show Tour is the place where faith meets fashion on the runway. It is a one-of-a-kind Christian fashion show featuring legit Christian clothing collections and its shows are full of live entertainment. 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Pro Sports is Entertainment, Too!



Football players are entertainers, too!!  And like the Beyonces and Justin Biebers of the entertainment industry, ball players need individual management representation, too.  Contrary to popular belief, managing the career of a professional athlete stretches far beyond the arenas and stadiums.  Like entertainers, life goes on after a one-hit-wonder.  A professional sports business manager is retained to look at and manage, with a bird’s eye view, the athlete’s big picture.  They represent, promote, negotiate and mind the matters of professional athletes.

As influential as an individual player is to a professional athletic team, they are still just a number on a jam-packed roster.  Lots of things can get overlooked.  Denise White, CEO and Founder of Entertainers & Athletes Group (EAG) recognized the athlete-to-career gap over one decade ago.  Agents turn gigs.  This is great.  It can mean endorsements for athletes and a short-lived financial gratification while the athlete is on the rise.  White’s answer to the ever-growing problem has been “tailored career assistance and development.”

The only thing that separates an entertainment manager from a sports manager is the scope in which they represent the entertainment industry. (Yes.  Professional athletes are entertainers, too.)  A professional sports manager manages endorsement deals, public relations, business management, career development, and brand management for their client.  A sports manager tackles the really, really important stuff off of the fields and courts.
Berdon LLP, a group of CPA’s and advisors for professional athletes, have identified the number one reason professional athletes go broke within two years of retirement.  The athletes managed the game while no one managed their books.  Someone has to take control over appearances, endorsements, cash flow, retirement, and taxation while the athlete’s head is in the game.  That’s where a pro sports managers comes in.

Much of managing a professional athlete is about developing the athlete’s brand for life after the hard hits.  Let’s face it, (against all of our wishes), injuries are likely to happen and joints and speeds will likely diminish.  That’s just how it works.  The question then becomes, “What now?”  Pro Athlete Business Group describes this management strategy as, “empowering athletes to create successful business opportunities after their pro career.”

Professional sports managers stay ahead of the eight ball of the athlete’s career.  Football happens.  Basketball happened.  Hockey happens.  But careers in each of these areas are planned.  In addition to bragging about the athletic talent and creating money-generating exposure off the fields and courts, professional sports business managers prepare the athlete for the “what next”.