Lessons From Las Vegas: Kindness, Humility, Respect, Introspection, and Perseverance
This Enterprise Engagement Alliance YouTube show covers decades of lessons from Las Vegas from two local "institutions."Living Las Vegas From a Desert Strip to Entertainment Capital
More Background on the Guests
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What are some of the biggest lessons from an entertainer and talent agent living day in and day out among the stars? The answer might sound ironic to some: Be kind, humble, respectful, introspective, enjoy life each day, and don’t give up on your aspirations.
This is some of the wisdom shared on EEA Meaningful Meetings YouTube show now streaming on YouTube. It features the lessons learned by Clint Holmes—known as an institution in Las Vegas as a musician, entertainer, corporate speaker, and more, and Jaki Baskow, another institution, know as a long-standing talent agent for Baskow Talent and the Las Vegas Speakers Bureau.
Click here to watch and/or listen to the show.
Here are just a few highlights of what they share.
- “If not now, when?” asks Holmes. Do not hesitate to pursue your dreams and persevere.
- Focus on finding approval from yourself rather than looking for approval from others.
- Make it a point to mentor those whom you can help. Pay it forward.
- Stay humble and be kind even when one has achieved success.
- When interrupted by fans, celebrities should remember that without fans they wouldn’t be celebrities; on the other hand, fans should recognize that celebrities are human too and enjoy dining out in peace like the rest of us.
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Starting his life in Las Vegas as a resident artist in Las Vegas in 1999, Holmes emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities, which enabled his career to evolve from being an opening act to a headliner. He says he has watched the transformation of Las Vegas from a place where old entertainers went to retire to a vibrant city hosting some of the most talented and famous performers today. His career parallels the growth of entertainment venues from smaller rooms to large arenas hosting superstars like Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.
Holmes describes a time when the business executives in Las Vegas took a direct hand in selecting the acts, naming the performances, and building relationships. He recalls with fondness the famous casino executive Steve Wynn, who effectively discovered him and helped get his career off the ground, along the way showing a very personal kindness toward his family. Today, he and Baskow agree, that personal touch is largely gone. Las Vegas has become more corporate.
Whatever the size of the venue, both Holmes and Baskow stress the importance in entertainment of authenticity and personal connection with the audience. The greatest performances in Las Vegas, they observe, are those in which the audience feels as if they’ve been invited into the entertainer’s home. This means that different audiences may experience the different moods of the entertainers, because they are people too. That only makes the performance more intimate, they agree.
In his corporate speaking, Holmes combines songs to strike emotional chords in ways speaking cannot along with his personal experiences to address a favorite theme: “If not now, when?” This came to him during what turned out to be a successful bout with cancer that nonetheless forced him to confront mortality. He talks about the importance of finding one’s true self, learning to draw satisfaction from within rather than seeking it through praise or acquaintanceships with others. From a management perspective, he shares what it takes to bring together a band of diverse musicians every day and the importance of understanding and being respectful of their individual situations if one hopes to get the best out of them for the day’s performance.
Jaki Baskow shares her story of moving to Las Vegas with just $300 and starting a talent agency in a business dominated by men. Demonstrating the perseverance she credits for her success she broke a talent agency monopoly in the entertainment industry despite facing threats and other challenges. Like Holmes, Baskow emphasizes the importance in entertainment of not just talent but the ability to create magical and memorable experiences for the audience. This has become more difficult as the size of the venues has grown as well as the sheer competition every night that makes it increasingly difficult to sell out, they point out.
Both Holmes and Baskow agree that the culture of Las Vegas has changed over the years, with a shift from personal and hands-on involvement to a more business-like approach.
Their advice is to focus on the personal touch. The importance of being kind, humble, and respectful, mentoring new talent, and appreciating every moment.
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From topping the charts with "Playground in My Mind" to receiving a GRAMMY® nomination for his 2017 album "Rendezvous," Holmes’ stage presence and powerful voice has been part of Las Vegas for over 40 years. Raised in a musical household by an African-American jazz musician and a classically-trained British opera singer, he says he has straddled the best of both worlds, earning himself institution status, where he headlined his own theater at Harrah's for seven years and received numerous accolades, including "Casino Entertainer of the Year”, and “Best Singer“ three times—and with a career that extends internationally to Monte Carlo’s Sporting Club, New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Cafe Carlyle, and 54 Below. He earned Broadway World Awards for his Nat King Cole tribute at Birdland and had a role as Joan Rivers’s sidekick on” The Late Show,” later hosting his own Emmy award-winning talk show “New York At Night.”
Today, in addition to corporate speaking, he runs an “interactive workshop in an intimate group setting, where attendees learn techniques that will help you connect with your employees and consumers on an emotional and professional level. In this hands-on workshop, participants will grow their confidence in presentations in front of an audience, learn effective communication skills, and gain insight that will help take your professional and personal life to the next level.”
Baskow has booked countless keynote speakers for her clients in all areas of business. They include celebrities and leaders in entertainment, health, fitness, sports, motivation, and business. She has cast thousands of movies, music videos and television shows, as well as national and international commercials and direct-response infomercials, including the one for the Miracle Ear campaign with Patrick Duffy.
She also has cast the voiceovers for the Kardashian skin care line and conceived the idea and put together the players for Suzanne Somers pajama line. She has booked everyone from Kevin Costner to Andy Garcia, Jennifer Lopez and others for Italian television shows.
Quite an accomplishment for a young woman who left New Jersey in 1976 and came to Las Vegas with big dreams and a lot of determination. She built a multi-million-dollar company and now works with many Fortune 500 companies such as Nike, Caterpillar, American Express, AT&T, Canon USA, IBM Golden Circle, Longines Swiss Watchmakers, Caesars Palace, Wynn Hotel, Miller Brewing Company, and Texas Instruments.
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