Troy Burgess, entrepreneur, CEO, singer, actor, dancer, producer and seasoned industry veteran has graced stages and cameras from LA, to Broadway, to Vegas and around the world. Pop Dance Life sat down with him recently to learn about his latest venture, a newly launched platform for entertainers and talent on both sides of the table: iDdb.pro. It’s built to be used by performers, artists, producers, choreographers, teachers, crew…you name it. He’s aiming to change the way performers present themselves artistically in a business world.
PDL: Tell us about yourself and how your background in entertainment as both a performer and a producer influenced your decision to start this project?
TB: A unique set of life experiences led to this. As a performer, I’ve worked on music videos, commercials, tours, Broadway, television, and later many years in Japan as a corporate executive, creating online/offline branded presentations in multiple countries for international corporations. So, I’ve been on both sides of the table and have a unique view into the challenges that performers face continually trying to reposition themselves and better represent who they are to potential employers. As a producer, I know the frustrations of trying to hire someone specific and simply trying to get what I need from them in the way of material and assets. Technology has made it easier than ever to deliver promo materials, but they are so fragmented and scattered across so many platforms. iDdb.pro allows you to centralize everything, neatly, in a clean environment completely void of any distracting content or ads.
PDL: What was the catalyst for the launch of iDdb.pro?
TB: I grew up dancing alongside my sister Julie, and at her 40th birthday party an old friend of ours who had owned a studio for 20 years came up to me and asked, “Hey, how can I find people like you to come teach at my studio?” My immediate response was, “How do you not know?”. She had taken master classes from everyone, from everywhere. Then I realized…there really wasn’t a specific place. In fact, if they weren’t all my friends…I wouldn’t know either. That was the moment for me. The moment I realized I could do something special with my unique set of influences and create something valuable for us all. And it only took me 9 years! Ha!
PDL: Why do you think this is better than just giving your website, business card or email out to someone when you meet them?
TB: For starters, I’ll never knock business cards. They’re great to have, and you should always have them handy. It’s a little old school, but still a very respected, set-yourself-apart, way of presenting yourself as a professional person. It’s what is ON that business card that can make a huge difference, like a professional email address: YourName@iDance.pro, and a custom direct link to your full profile: http://iDance.pro/yourname Everyone must have a Professional Online Presence today. A place where you can be found and easily manage your promotional assets (credits, pics, bio, video links, social links, etc). Personal sites are costly, not easy to change or update, rarely will anyone find you there, and they are simply not what a casting director, or producer wants to take the time to go through. They want it clean, simple, organized, everything right in front of their eyes at once without any distractions. If they know it’s a fast, easy way to check you out…they will. If not, they probably won’t. All that said, the more our community embraces this simple and clean platform, the more everyone benefits. It’s direct contact, meets direct promotion in the easiest, most cost efficient way imaginable.
PDL: That’s cool but if there’s already LA Casting, why would we need this?
TB: First and foremost because it is a “global” platform created specifically for us, by us, so we can have a place that is our own, where we can manage and organize absolutely everything. Beyond that, unless you’re connected in the industry, you may not even know that LA Casting is a thing. Or unless you’re hiring for a commercial, tour or music video you wouldn’t know which agencies to call. This platform allows someone to do a preliminary search for talent and find who they might like to hire. If they have an agent listed, they can reach out to the agents who can also be displayed on the person’s profile, logo and all.
PDL: How would someone get a profile if they wanted?
TB: It’s as easy as can be. Go to: www.iDdb.pro, click Register at the top right of the page and choose a profile package that best suits your needs. To help, you might want to read the FAQ, and/or click the ABOUT link at the bottom of the page for a little more in-depth understanding of the value of being a .pro subscriber. It is an annual commitment, which can be paid monthly, or annually at a lower rate. There are no contracts. If at any time you would like to end your subscription, just cancel before the end of your subscription period and your username will go back into the hopper.
PDL: Sounds like something that would definitely help put a professional face on the artist’s need to showcase their digital assets. Cool! Thanks for talking with us Troy and best of luck with iDdb.pro!