Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. How do I book a once off session with John and how much does it cost?
Once off telephone sessions with John last 30-45 minutes and cost £40 **or the equivalent in your currency. A limited number of face to face sessions are available each week at John's London office priced at £60 **or-in very exceptional circumstances only-John can travel to wherever you are currently performing. ***Limited time offer: Click here for our booking page with news of current discounts.
Please email or call us in the first instance with details of your requirements and we will advise as to when a session is available and how to book.
or call us on +44 7535 142728
Q. What happens during and after my session with John?
Each session is individual to you and your needs, but we'll always start with a chat and a coffee (unless you drink tea!).
At the end of the session you will take away (or recieve by email) your own personalised career action plan to keep you on track with your goals and the day to day running of your business. You will also be given a private clients only email address to keep in touch, ask follow up questions and get further support in doing your 'homework'.
Payment is made after the session or by invoice for phone sessions.
And yes, we are serious about the 'don't pay unless it was helpful' guarantee.
Q. What do I need to send in advance/bring to my session with John?
John's PA Wendy will talk you through anything we might need to see in advance, and find out your specific goals for our session, though it is usually better for John to meet you with no previous knowledge-after all that's where most people you are marketing yourself to will be coming from.
On the day, please feel free to bring headshots, cvs or anything else you'd like to discuss. We will also have access to the internet, if you have websites etc to show John.
Q. Does anyone ever ask for a refund?
Honest answer so far is very few, but the ones who have done so have been refunded promptly. As with any other relationship, sometimes what John has to say isn't what the performer wanted to hear. And sometimes John doesn't feel he can offer any effective help. In both cases, John would much rather refund or not charge than have someone feel resentful or ripped off. (PS Nor will John ''make sure you never work in the business again'' if you dare to ask for your money back. Even if i had that clout, which I don't-nobody does!-I wouldn't offer the money back guarantee in the first place if I didn't sincerely want you to use it if you are not happy).
Q. Does John offer ongoing coaching?
With the growing number of work commitments generated by The Stage column and related seminars and courses, as well as personal management of a very small number of acts, weekly or monthly coaching is not possible at this time.
HOWEVER, most people find that one session with John provides very useful homework and new motivation, and it is perfectly possible to book catch up sessions later in the year to check on progress and keep you moving forward.
Q. Would John be interested in managing me?
Thanks so much for asking-but sadly for the reasons noted above, John can no longer commit the time to individual artists needed to build an effective artist/manager relationship. However, it may be that a once off session with John will help you identify which managers you should approach, how best to do that and how to manage your own career most effectively in the meantime.
Further Questions:
Most of the questions John and his panel of experts have dealt with for The Stage over the years are still available in the advice section of
www.thestage.co.uk
Which reminds us of one more question we should answer here;
Q.Does hiring John as an advisor mean I will get a mention in The Stage?
A: Sorry, but no. John is very proud to work for the paper, but his independent advice is just that: independent. Occasionally clients' stories may be shared in the paper (with their permission of course) with a view to passing on useful lessons for other readers but this is an exception rather than the rule.
On the other hand, you have our firm commitment that nothing you share confidentially with John will ever be passed on to anyone else, let alone printed in The Stage or anywhere else without your express permission.
This section of our site like all 'FAQs' is always under construction so if the question you are seeking an answer to is not here, please contact us and we will do our best to help
johnbyrnecontact@gmail.com PRIVACY POLICY: Your privacy both online and offline is important to us. All one to one sessions with John whether in person or on the phone are fully confidential and all testimonies on this site are printed with the performer's full consent and permission. Any personal information collected by us via this site will never be passed on to third parties.