Winner of The South of England Award Corporate Entertainment Agency is a huge award, especially when there is only two people sitting on the board of directors. The Founder of Mike Russ Entertainments (MRE) Group Ltd is Ross Sykes, who has been interested in working in Showbusiness since a little boy and against his very strict Victorian father, who always said that child children sitting at the dinner table should be seen and not heard!! So I had no support from them and in fact, I went behind their backs.
The name Mike Russ came from Godson, whose mother was my very best pal sister “Michael Russell”, so when I started out all those years ago I thought the name was too long so I shortened it to “Mike Russ”. Unlike the majority of entertainment agents, who don’t have any experience at all as an entertainer, I started out my career onboard the world’s most luxurious cruise line “Queen Elizabeth II” or famously known as “The QE2” as a singer after becoming second on a singing competition of Crew versus Passengers and came second against a seventy-eight-year-old lady who had the voice of an angel, pitch-perfect and I remember that I wanted this lady to win, she reminded me of my Nana.
I can always remember my Grandfather Tom Sykes saying be the best you can, and you won’t go wrong and that was a very wise man. That’s what I have done being the best I can be. Our recruitment is unlike the majority of agents who hold audition nights and anybody can perform a brilliant audition but when it comes to the real performance in front of a live audience they fall apart.
Our audition is unique and was the first agency to do this, when we have entertainers, performers, speciality acts come forward and wanting to be on our books we always ask them for three public dates they are performing on and we go undercover me and one of my agents we judge them on three area’s 1. Singing, how are they performing the song, are they telling a story and importantly are they singing pitch-perfect or near to pitch-perfect. 2. Audience Participation; are they talking to the audience, are they involving the audience in their show, are they walking in between the tables and not stuck to the stage! 3. The Stage; are they just stuck to one position, are they working around the mic stand, are they managing the stage, walking about kneeling to the audience, are they fully using the stage and we point score from 1 – 5 . If the performer or entertainer gas more or less hit 5’s and a few 4’s then we will show ourselves to the performer and introduced ourselves. Have a drink with them and sit down and have a brief chat and inform them we would love to have them on our roster and arrange a private meeting with them. If they have had a couple of 4’s and a couple of 5’s we will go and see them on their second public show, it might be they have had a bad night and we all have them or it might be because there are nervous knowing that we are in the audience, by the second date we know if they are good enough or not to be on the same roster as some of the West Ends top performers are!
This was similar to entering the Prestige of South England’s Top Corporate Entertainment Agency. We had to make sure that our website was fully up to date and that there was no issues, no faults with the website, that the website was quick when you typed the domain name in the browser. The person on the telephone acknowledges the company name in full and always finished with “how can I help you”. We are constantly looking for the very best Talented Entertainers, Singers etc so that when we supply to your event or wedding then you are supplied nothing but the very best. Ross Sykes was the first director and agent to have longer opening hours and open six days a week and therefore future bookers who have been let down by the act not showing up and for Mike Russ Entertainments to provide excellent entertainments for the booker.
The founder of Mike Russ Entertainments (MRE) Group Ltd has worked in the entertainments industry, performing arts and music industry for 40 years on the 7th December 2021 and his passion that the entertainment booked surpasses the expectations of the booker and all we see by their guests, clients and colleagues is smiles and laughter and that the dance floor is full with people of all ages dancing and having a fantastic night. Our Corporate Events, Weddings, Private Parties, Corporate Events have the very best in entertainment they have ever had and to receive their client’s feeds back on the entertainment we have supplied proves that as a London Booking Agency, we are the very best when it comes to providing entertainment. We strive to provide the best customer service making you feel very important and try to match your list of preferred entertainers you would like to see at your event, but rest assured as entertainment experts and working in showbiz for forty years and our founder being a retired international solo artist performing for Royalty around the worlds proves your dealing with on of London’s very best Talent Booking Agency. Unlike the majority of agencies where you deal with several agents with “Mike Russ”, whoever took your call, your enquiry is the Agent you will have from start to the following day of your event catching up with you and listening to your feedback. So if you have an enquiry for us to supply the best entertainment then please fill out our online enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
Fergusson House