#154 The Perfect Pitch: Hollywood Insider Tips on How to Network with the A-List & Land Your Dream Guests with Christopher McDonald (Part 1)

May 4, 2021

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I am very excited about this week’s and next week’s episodes because this is an incredibly valuable and actionable two-parter with a guest who is world-class at what he does and these are skill sets you’re going to need no matter what you do in life.

As I’ve been growing this show and looking to take Beyond Influential to the next level, I’ve been thinking a lot about the people I know in my network who are master networkers—they build long-lasting relationships with people at all levels in a way that is not purely transactional, and they do it in a way that feels very real and authentic.

I met this week’s guest, Christopher McDonald, when I was working with Tom Bilyeu as my client at VaynerTalent; he’s been an integral part of Tom’s brand and the launch and strategy of both Inside Quest and Impact Theory, which we get into in this Part 1.

Christopher is a Talent Booker with almost two decades of experience and an extensive network of connections and relationships. He has worked with everyone from high profile billionaires to celebrities and has booked an array of top talent from the world of entertainment, sports, business, science, tech, and politics.

And for what Christopher does as a talent booker, you need to have very strong relationships but also a very strong creative and strategic eye.

Christopher has booked, produced, and written for an array of programming including late-night television, cable news, web series, and comedy sketch shows. Christopher helped launch The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC), Tavis Smiley (PBS), the second coming of The Arsenio Hall Show (CBS/Tribune), It’s Not You, It’s Men with Tyrese & Rev Run (OWN), Post Malone's Worldwide Celebrity Pong League (Facebook Watch), and Demi Lovato’s project (Quibi), and he has been with Tom Bilyeu’s Impact Theory from the very beginning.

Normally no one likes a name-dropper, but I specifically told Christopher to please namedrop in this conversation because he’s worked with people like Prince, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Angelina Jolie, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Dave Matthews, Joni Mitchell, Alicia Keys, John Legend... you get the picture.

I love to introduce you to the people you should know on Beyond Influential, because while the public usually pays attention to the “face” of the brand, there are always talented people behind these people that make it all possible.

On Part 1 of this conversation, we cover a lot of juicy topics:

Christopher’s career evolution: From journalism to music booking to launching Impact Theory
Working in Hollywood: Expectations vs. reality
How he booked the biggest talent in Hollywood: What he loved, his approach, and the not-so-glamorous moments
All things networking: Tips, insights, and the biggest mistake people make
The launch of Impact Theory & its current growth strategies
How to book your show & strategies for landing dreams guests
Why you want “lightning in a jar” moments in your interviews, how to take your show to the next level, & more!

And you are not going to want to miss Part 2 next week which is all about the ins and outs of pitching, advice he received from Oprah herself about booking, and more! These are both bookmark episodes for sure!

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