Fanfare, Inc

Fanfare, Inc. was born out of a germ of an idea. An idea that came to me in my travels with the actors I work with. In talking with many of them I realized that an element of support was needed that isn’t easy to describe. An element that would help the actors to manage their fan bases, help them to market themselves, and to offer them aid in a professional capacity. Now if you know anything about the Soap opera fan community there are tons of people some fans; some fanatics out there doing this for free…what makes Fanfare Inc, so different? Why hire this company? Why hire me? The heart behind this business is what makes it different. I am a huge fan of the soap opera genre but I also have seen (in my travels) how so many actors so desperately want to reach out to their fans and do something different. These days I often hear actors talking about “giving back”; and ”making their fame count for something”. More on that aspect of the business in my blog. So, back to the point. It has been my experience as a 30+ year fan, that actors of color fall by the wayside because they have so few fans supporting them as their Caucasian counterparts. It’s a vicious cycle. Actors of color don’t get supported as much as others in all media. Fans don’t support actors of color because they know so little about them and the cycle begins. If you take a look at the magazines, the shows themselves, and the events held you will see very few actors of color highlighted. Now before you make all kinds of assumptions about where I am going with this…let me finish. You see it has been my experience that Caucasian fans and actors know something people of color don’t…somewhere along the line they figured out that they needed to write, call, form and join fan clubs, and generally make their favorite actors known to the world and to take it a step further make their favorite storylines and couples well known to The Powers That Be (TPTB). Great idea, over the years the fan community has been so instrumental in this business that they have even been responsible for bringing characters (or their favorite actors) back from the dead!  Now, I have been involved in the fan community for many many years. I had gone to actor events; my first big one was to Surf’s Soap Alive. It was a baseball game that was held every year sponsored by Surf Washing powder (that’s what we called laundry detergent back then). I can’t describe my excitement as my favorites Jackson Montgomery, Donna Beck, and super couple Greg and Jenny were all standing before me. This was huge at the time because back then when there was a fan event rarely did it ever include an ABC actor and that was all I watched. It was also my experience that the magazines always overlooked ABC and I was bitter. I even stopped buying the industry mags for a while because they rarely covered anything or anyone I wanted to know about. ABC actors rarely won awards, they rarely were sent on the road, and they were rarely recognized by the press. This was very many years ago, before the “Luke& Laura” years, but after soap operas became the guilty pleasure for all the older women around me I could see the tide change. I heard them, and watched them, and learned from them that soaps were just plain entertainment. Then came the “super couple” and sopa operas were earning massive amounts of  commercial notariety and cash. ABC daytime was still ignored. Instead of continuing my bitter ways I began to write to the magazines. It was time for action!   When Disney purchased ABC; I knew we were in for a change. Yes, my prayers were answered. Disney knows how to market like no other and having worked for Disney for a short time I knew what this would mean for ABC Daytime. Just a little over a year later in 1996; Disney held its first Super Soap weekend.  I knew we had arrived. Soap fans would finally get to see their ABC favorites in mass and in Disney style. I was thrilled. I soaked it all in. I still do until today. I’ve been to every single SSW and while it gets crazier and I get older; I see what the magic of Disney marketing can do. I am a student of societal change and in this realm I knew (even then)all my favorite shows and the actors in them.

Again being a student of culture and change who is always aware of my surroundings I realized there were very few fans of color who were present and very few actors of color for me to see. Don’t get me wrong I love actors of all colors but I’m just saying it hit me even back then that we were under represented. That still holds true today. Actors of color on all three networks are under represented on screen, in the industry media, and by their fans. So; what do I mean by actors of color? Look around, the soap community has actors of all colors on their shows. 85 % of them are in supporting or minor roles. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians etc. are all under represented as actors and as fans. It’s 1997 and it’s time for a change!Fanfare Inc, is hoping to change that by bringing fans of color to support any actors of color who get the concept. Now If you’re not an actor of color does that mean I won’t work with you? Of course not, business is business. Actors with minor roles and veteran actors get the same lack of recognition in the Soap community, you are who I am interested in working with regardless of your color. I’m happy to help.