Vaudeville Managers Protective Organization - Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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The General Publicity Service What it does and how it does it a HIS corporation was organized under the laws of the state of Illinois for the pur- pose of handling the press matter and advertising of theatres, acts, actors or actresses, Fairs, Parks, Clubs, Bands and also anything in the commercial line. It is a press bureau, nation wide in scope and unlimited in its ability to secure and place press matter where it will do the most Ofoodg V 6 The prime reason of its organization was the need of someone in the vaudeville- field particularly, who knew and could write under- standingly about vaudeville matter, who could present to the reading public not only the news of the vaudeville world but of those who are prominent in it and who were to becomeiprominent in certain localities. A. H. McKechnie . Never has there been in the past an organized effort to secure all the available data concerning vaudeville, its growth, its methods, and its principals. Never has there been established, here-to-fore, anywhere, a place where those interested, could learn exactly what any act or person in the vaudeville field did, who could write understandingly concerning each act and who could on short notice furnish complete and at the same time accurate press material for any theatre. , This is the purpose of the General Publicity Service in its vaudeville department. This is why the Service of this corporation is of immense value not only to the managers of the theatres but also to the artist who appears in them. With the vast system which it has access to, it is in a posi- tion at almost a moments' notice, to describe any act and tell exactly what it does and how it does it. lt has the accurate pro- gram copy and billing of acts and is ready at all times to co- 49

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operate either with the manager or the per- former for the furtherance of their publicity. In the old days almost anything which was the press agent game, the public would perhaps take it with a grain of salt, but the good natured newspaper men would publish it out of kindness for a fellow craftsman., But this condition has changed. VVith the com- mercialism of the theatre, the public have ad- vanced as well. They no longer believe stuff about the greatest act in the world, they no longer take heed of the Hashy notices versed, and decorated with all the adjectives in the dictionary. What they want is facts, brief pithy sentences which convey the truth and tell the story. The newspapers no longer publish the flam- boyant notices of former days, even regarding vaudeville at- tractions, what they also want is facts, written in a breezy, inter- esting way, so as to brighten their columns instead of holding the publisher and staff up to ridicule. i That is what the General Publicity Service strivesito do. Be it about a theatre, a production, an act, a fair, a club, a park or in fact any client who desires publicity, it ,gives them in the right way, in the way that will sink in and will be newsy enough for the average editor to print in his co-lumns, not be- cause it is a press agent yarn but because it is a matter 'of news interest which he thinks his readers desire to read. It is upon this foundation that the Service is founded and will have its growth. Maud Daniel For the manager it is an invaluable aid, for no matter if there is a local press agent in your city for your theatre, he only knows what he is told, he has no means of obtaining data con- cerning coming performers other than what they send him, which they often-times neglect to do and if he be the most capable man in the world he cannot write on facts he does not know. For that reason the Service is of value without estimate for the manager. To the performer its value is even greater. 'VVhileit sad to relate, it is nevertheless true that the average vaudevillian 51 a