“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”- Charlie Chaplin.
Comedy In Motion is a one man comedy variety show starring Bob Cates that is a little different than a stand up comedian, but will still guarantee a good laugh. When Bob’s off stage, he relies on Daylite to help keep his next acts organized and make sure he doesn’t miss out on an opportunity to make more people laugh.
Marketcircle: What kind of entertainment do you provide your audience?
Bob Cates: I’m a comedy variety show suitable for after dinner entertainment for corporate events and family events. I’m a little different than a stand up comedian in that I use props. I was the Canadian juggling champion and have a whole bunch of unique skills such as juggling, unicycling, Chinese yoyo (known as the diabolo), and I’m the only guy in Canada that does authentic plate spinning. I actually own the equipment used by the original from the Ed Sulivan Show. I do a bit of magic and memory tricks and some stuff with lasers that’s pretty cool.
Here’s a clip showcasing Bob’s variety of talents:
Marketcircle: Who is your typical audience?
Bob: Our business plot is between three different markets: 1. corporate (after dinner) 2. cruise ships and 3. church events or youth organization events. It has become a family business as my wife and I work together. She quit her job about six years ago to get involved in the business handling the sound, lighting and staging and our four year old son, Hudson comes to the non-corporate events as well and I do some tricks with him like juggling him.
Marketcircle: What makes you passionate about being a comedian and an entertainer?
Bob: It’s finding entertainment that is a) funny and b) actually entertaining and amazing. I’ve been in full time comedy for eighteen years but I’m personally a hard person to make laugh. I love it when I see a show that I find funny or entertaining but it’s not easy to find. Similarly, I know people trying to find entertainment for their event have a daunting task ahead of them. It has to be good, professional, funny and clean. I like to think people can’t go wrong with our shows. We’re a double threat. People tell us all the time that we’re funnier than a stand up comedian and we have amazing tricks that we do on top of it. Almost every show we get a standing ovation. I like making people’s job easier for people having to find entertainment for events.
Marketcircle: What’s one of your most memorable moments in the business?
Bob: Several years ago I got the call to perform on the Queen Mary 2: a very prestigious cruise ship. However, a great deal of my luggage and props were lost in transit. I was very nervous, having to perform to one of the largest audiences at sea (1100 people) without all my props, including my killer closing routine: the Ed Sullivan style plate spinning routine. However, by the time I was done, the audience still loved the show and I got a standing ovation! What a relief and a good feeling!
Marketcircle: What’s challenging about your job?
Bob: One of the most difficult and time consuming parts of show business is the side of things. It’s not “show show” it’s “show business”. I deal with booking flights, rental cars, paperwork details etc. I usually handle all the details myself instead of through an agent so there’s a lot of admin work to be done. On top of that there’s the website, the advertising, the videos, promos and marketing. Like any small business, you’re always busy working and e-mails are never ending. Fortunately I’m a fairly organized person and Daylite helps me a great deal.
Marketcircle: How does Daylite help you juggle your schedule?
Bob: There are two major features that I really love. The first is Daylite Mail Assistant so I can click on any client and see all the e-mails in one place. It’s immensely helpful. I deal with hundreds of clients that I can’t remember so this way I can review the last few e-mails and refresh my mind before talking to a client. The second is opportunities with activity sets which I started implementing over the last few months. I can set up steps for a follow-up for a new opportunity. Step 1. Follow up one week after first contact. Step 2. follow up two weeks after contact. I like that I can adjust this as well…I think I’ll change it to three and five week follow up calls. I’m also going to start applying an activity set for before the show as reminders for preparation before the show.
Marketcircle: How does Daylite fit into your workflow?
Bob: When I get an e-mail from a new client I use DMA to create a new contact from the e-mail and populate a new entry or person using that information. Usually I create an opportunity from that e-mail. After the person and opportunity is created I apply an activity set to the opportunity.
Marketcircle: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not entertaining?
Bob: I like going snowboarding in the winter. I try to keep pretty active and work out. Another hobby I enjoy is playing video games. I have a race car simulator so I like playing with that to blow off steam. I like watching movies and I’m more of a home theatre time of guy.
You can follow Bob on Twitter or check out his Facebook page.
