THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 1, 1995 TAG: 9510310087
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Linda McNatt
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
A big-time talent agency right here in Isle of Wight County?
Shrug your shoulders now, and say you'll believe anything.
OK, try this: The agency represents - Soupy Sales!
That's right. If you're old enough, you remember. He was the goofiest of them all. Red Skelton with dark hair. Pinky Lee without the pink. Red Buttons - unbuttoned. His own, prime-time television show.
And he's still around.
He's 69, and he's still funny, still shooting the one-liners faster than most people can think, says Lorain Winkler, one half of the agents who make up the new agency, Big Dog Entertainment.
The Big Dog kind of started with Sales.
Winkler (who some might remember as Cosgrave) heard Soupy was at it again, making the comedy club circuit. She wanted him for her own club, Cozzy's in Newport News.
``I weaseled around, and I got his telephone number. I found out he was willing to work with my budget.''
So Winkler brought Sales to the Peninsula. When he got here, she had interviews and personal appearances lined up.
``People went nuts everywhere we went,'' she says. ``He's a legend.''
And he was just as much of a hit at Winkler's club. But as impressed as Winkler was with Sales, Sales was impressed with Winkler's way of doing things.
``He lives in New York,'' she says. ``He does his own bookings. He asked me if we would like to find him work.''
And that's kind of where the idea started. ``We'' represents the other half of the agents, Judy Hare, formerly of Smithfield Station.
The two have been friends for years. Both are bubbly and full of energy. They firmly believe they can make it with a talent agency in Smithfield. What does one need but a telephone and a lot of nerve?
``We are going to carve a niche for ourselves in this business,'' Winkler says. ``Others are doing it, but there is room. You just need a little imagination. We hope to make a living at it.''
They have a good start. In addition to Sales, the two entrepreneurs have managed to capture other known names.
Remember Jay Jay on ``Good Times''? That's right. Jimmy Walker is another client, Winkler says. She also lists Michael Winslow, the human sound-effects man from ``Police Academy,'' and Thea Vidale, a female comedian who also has some prime-time TV exposure.
For now, Winkler and Hare will focus on comedy clubs up and down the East Coast. But they also are looking to ``small-scale'' entertainment needs.
They say they have plenty of entertainers, from singing groups to stand-ups to balloon artists, to fit the budget of almost any party. Home parties, corporate parties, military parties, local festivals.
And they say they can offer more affordable prices than other agents.
``Some agencies, like Cellar Door, for example, do the large venue only,'' Hare says. ``We think we can provide affordable entertainment for private parties, corporate parties.''
In fact, Winkler says there's a trend to bringing comedians into corporations to boost employee morale. One local comedian, their client, actually directs his comedy that way.
``Great Scott is a corporate comedian,'' she says. ``He's very, very clean and very, very funny. He's done I don't know how many of the Fortune 500 companies. Corporations really are hiring entertainment groups to come in and get employees out of the doldrums.''
And how about the name, Big Dog?
That came while the friends and business partners were sitting around one afternoon, just talking.
``I think it came from, you know, like top dog - Big Dog,'' Hare says. ``It refers to the movers and the shakers. It's got kind of a fun appeal.'' MEMO: For more information about Big Dog Entertainment, call 365-4969.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LINDA McNATT
Lorain Winkler, left, and Judy Hare are the agents who make up Big
Dog Entertainment.
by CNB