Small-Town Attorney Turned International Talent Agent Stakes Claim in U.S. Talent Industry with Help from China
July 29, 2015 | By PRN NewsWire
GALESBURG, Ill., July 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — With a population of around 32,000 and nestled in West Central Illinois, Galesburg is about the last place that you would expect to find an international talent agency. But that’s exactly where local attorney Grant Gulovsen founded Antipodal Talent International, LLC, which exclusively represents and promotes Chinese models and performing artists to U.S. advertisers and media companies.
Because an international talent agency in the Midwest might seem counterintuitive, Mr. Gulovsen felt that it was important to recruit a qualified team of models and performing artists before promoting his agency. He spent four months initially researching, then gradually reaching out and networking, and finally recruiting prospects which culminated in a trip to Beijing from July 8- 14, 2015, when he met with and signed a total of eleven women hailing from several different provinces in China.
According to Mr. Gulovsen, his agency only handles Chinese talent because “(1) we had to do something to set ourselves apart from the other agencies in the US; (2) we felt that most Americans have no idea what China is really like, so by bringing Chinese talent into American popular culture, we could foster interest here in the U.S. to learn more about China; and (3) most importantly, since China’s middle and upper middle classes are so large and growing, despite market volatility, we saw an opportunity to make money by helping U.S. companies promote their products in China.
And as far as Galesburg is concerned, Mr. Gulovsen said, “With the exception of my trip to Beijing, all of the work I have done researching and setting up the agency, as well as all of the time spent recruiting and interviewing prospective talent and coordinating the trip to Beijing from start to finish, was done in Galesburg. If I can conduct all of my business with China from Galesburg, why should I have to move to conduct business with people in my own country? Of course we will need to travel to where the jobs for our team members will be located, but that is still far cheaper than moving and setting up offices there, at least in the short term. Most of all, I love this community and I hope that the novelty of having an international talent agency in Galesburg might generate some curiosity and excitement both in the U.S. and in China, which in turn might translate into some benefit for Galesburg.”
For information on Antipodal Talent International, LLC, you can visit http://www.antipodaltalent.com, where you can learn more about the agency, a blog documenting the trip to Beijing, and links to its team members’ portfolios on Facebook and Instagram.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/small-town-attorney-turned-international-talent-agent-stakes-claim-in-us-talent-industry-with-help-from-china-300120380.html
Antipodal Talent International, LLC
CONTACT: Media Contact: Grant R. Gulovsen, Esq., General Manager,Antipodal Talent International, LLC, Phone: (309) 468-4056; Fax (309)377-5674; grant@antipodaltalent.com
Web site: http://www.antipodaltalent.com/
