2485 - Guide to Finding and Booking Event Talent Without Breaking the Bank with Gigsalad's Mark Steiner

Revolutionizing Event Talent Acquisition: SEO Growth Strategies, Freemium Marketplaces, and Direct Booking Pipelines with GigSalad's Mark Steiner In a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Mark Steiner, Co-Founder and C. E. O. of GigSalad https://www.gigsalad.com?utm_source=gemini, to examine how digital marketplace platforms have disrupted traditional talent booking models across the events and entertainment sectors. Mark, a pioneer in event technology who launched GigSalad long before the mainstream emergence of sharing-economy platforms, details how independent performers, keynote speakers, and event service providers can bypass traditional booking agencies. This conversation provides an essential operational guide for event planners, corporate speakers, and service vendors looking to leverage localized SEO discovery, structure competitive freemium listings, and build direct, low-commission client booking channels. The Event Marketplace Architecture: Democratizing Talent Booking, Localized SEO, and Low-Commission GrowthThe primary friction point historically plaguing both independent event talent and event planners is the high commission structure and restrictive gatekeeping enforced by traditional speaker bureaus and booking agencies. Mark Steiner explains that traditional agencies routinely charge upwards of 20% in booking fees while locking talent into rigid exclusivity contracts that limit market exposure. By pioneering an open, localized marketplace model powered by a sub-10% commission structure and a transparent freemium listing hierarchy, GigSalad democratizes talent acquisition, allowing event planners to connect directly with performers and service providers. This open framework enables emerging speakers, musicians, and event vendors to build independent client pipelines while giving event planners access to verified local talent across hundreds of specialized categories. Sustaining continuous marketplace growth and driving consistent booking volume requires a multi-layered search engine optimization strategy combined with rich, user-generated profile content. Because event planners typically search for talent using geocentric queries, maintaining localized SEO architecture ensures that performers and service vendors appear at the top of organic search results for specific regional events. Talent providers can maximize their booking conversion rates by regularly updating their profile media, embedding high-intent keywords, detailing performance packages, and systematically collecting client reviews. This content-rich profile optimization creates strong organic discoverability, allowing independent vendors to convert high-intent search traffic without relying on expensive, third-party advertising campaigns. Furthermore, sustaining long-term entrepreneurial success requires founders and independent professionals to balance high-growth business execution with intentional personal wellness habits. Navigating the constant operational demands of scaling a multi-category platform requires leadership to establish dedicated cognitive space for strategic reflection, whether through unstructured travel time or passive audio learning. By structuring predictable daily routines and prioritizing mental clarity, executives protect their decision-making capacity and prevent operational burnout. When transparent marketplace pricing, localized search engine optimization, direct client communication tools, and sustainable executive wellness practices are synthesized into a single operational architecture, platforms and independent vendors alike eliminate market friction, elevate client retention, and predictably scale enterprise valuation. About Mark SteinerMark Steiner is the Co-Founder and C. E. O. of GigSalad, a pioneer in event technology, and a veteran marketplace strategist. With over two decades of experience building and scaling one of the premier event talent and service booking platforms in North America, Mark specializes in marketplace dynamics, localized SEO, and talent acquisition systems. He is a recognized entrepreneur focused on empowering independent performers, speakers, and event vendors to grow sustainable businesses through direct digital booking channels. About GigSaladGigSalad https://www.gigsalad.com?utm_source=gemini is an elite event marketplace platform engineered to connect event planners with entertainers, keynote speakers, musical acts, and event service providers across North America. The platform offers a comprehensive booking ecosystem featuring localized search discovery, secure payment processing, transparent client review tools, and over 500 event service categories. Through a low-commission freemium model, GigSalad enables independent talent and event vendors to streamline booking workflows, expand geographic reach, and maximize market equity. Links Mentioned in This EpisodeGigSalad Official Website: gigsalad.com https://www.gigsalad.com?utm_source=geminiMark Steiner on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markandrewsteiner https://www.linkedin.com/in/markandrewsteiner/?utm_source=gemini Key Episode HighlightsEarly Adoption of Marketplace Dynamics: How GigSalad pioneered digital talent booking prior to the rise of major gig-economy platforms. The Freemium Listing and Low-Commission Architecture: Offering sub-10% commission structures to give performers a low-cost, high-value alternative to traditional bureaus. Localized SEO Dominance for Event Professionals: Utilizing geocentric keyword strategies and rich media profiles to capture high-intent regional search traffic. Democratizing the Speaker Bureau Model: Removing agency gatekeeping to give corporate event planners direct access to independent speakers and vendors. Entrepreneurial Reflection and Mindset Practices: Leveraging structured downtime and cognitive reflection habits to sustain long-term executive focus. ConclusionThe conversation with Mark Steiner reinforces that scaling an independent talent career or digital marketplace requires a commitment to transparent pricing, localized search visibility, and direct client connection. By standardizing profile optimization, embracing open booking channels, and maintaining personal wellness routines, entrepreneurs and event professionals can transform unpredictable booking cycles into a highly structured, self-sustaining business asset. More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur🎙️ Want to be featured on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur? 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• 0:03Speaker 00

  Welcome to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. If you're committed to growing your business by serving audiences with generosity and real expertise, you're in the right place. This is a daily 15 minute show featuring leaders who believe real impact comes from generosity, not hype, which means as a listener, you're going to get the good stuff. In fact, we created podverified.com to give thoughtful leaders like you free tools to show up better on podcast stages like this one. That includes your free Pod Verified Score, free Pod Verified Guest Training, a free media kit builder, and so much more. It's the first ecosystem of its kind built by podcasters who genuinely want to help guests

• 0:44Speaker 00

  thrive and grow in podcasting. Visit podverified.com if you'd like to be featured as a future guest. I'm Josh Elledge. Let's get into it.

• 0:56Speaker 00

  With us right now, it's Mark Steiner. Mark, you are the co-founder and CEO of Gig Salad. You're found on the web at gigsalad.com. Gig Salad has been around for a long time in internet years, 23 and a half years. That is something. So first off, congratulations on all that. We're going to talk, we're going to be talking about Gig Salad and kind of the story and also for our friends that are listening, you know, how they might engage with you or get value certainly from, from what you've learned over the decades. But Mark, before we do, I always love hearing from high level leaders, business leaders and founders, what they do for fun. And I understand you've done some road dripping recently.

• 1:42Speaker 01

  I have. I just got back from Colorado. It sounds like we share some how'd it go there with Colorado. It's one of my favorite states, but it's just one of the places that I like to frequent. I'm solidly based in the center of the United States here in Springfield, Mo. And so I have the ability within a day's drive and I can easily knock out 12 hours in a day of drive time. I can get to a lot of neat places and I'm at a stage and age in my life now as an empty nester that I, every, every three or four weeks, I get a little bit of wanderlust

• 2:23Speaker 01

  and I have to just sort of take off. And sometimes I will drop it on my girlfriend and say, hey, are you cool if I drive to Mount Rushmore? This happened two weeks ago on a Friday morning, I said, I think I want to do that trip. And I left Saturday morning and disappeared for five days and went up to the other end of South Dakota. And I just got in last night from Colorado and Saturday morning, I'm going to drive to Toronto and be up there for about eight days.

• 2:53Speaker 00

  The destinations are great, right? And we're very lucky, I think, here in the United States that there are so many great national parks and great places to go and that sort of thing. But you know, what I want to ask you about is the process of the drive itself, you know, because I think of the things that I am trying to do more of in my life. And that is, you know, you know, just where I'm not thinking and processing as hard, that I'm spending maybe more time in reflection and contemplation and, you know, maybe just deep, deeper work and listening to longer form content, you know, because in our day to day life, especially, you know, with a, you know, a business founder that has just so many things going on, there's

• 3:36Speaker 00

  just constantly, you know, there's just all kinds of little activity that stresses us out or that competes for our attention, you know? And so I've been listening to more people that say, you know, listen, go out and intentionally make yourself bored for like 20 minutes. Americans and people in general, just we don't experience boredom like we used to in the 80s. You know, it's like, I'd have to wait for my mom and dad to come pick me up from the mall and I'd be sitting outside, just sitting on a bench for like an hour, waiting for mom and dad because we did, you know, I, you know, they didn't know unless I could call them from a payphone and stuff. So there was just a lot more, I'd say downtime that was unstructured. And driving kind of forces you into that.

• 4:22Speaker 01

  It is precisely why I do it. I got a latent life diagnosis of ADHD.

• 4:28Speaker 00

  Me too.

• 4:29Speaker 01

  Is that three years ago? So I'm, I turned 60 this year and at 57 and a half,

• 4:35Speaker 01

  I got this diagnosis and, and the summary of this is I, there's certain things that can shut it down for me because I'm living in a very busy mind. And precisely what you said, windshield time for me is time and I'll do road trips with others, but there's also a time where I like to do them solo and I do a lot of it. And some of it's, you know, I try to mix and mingle work and pleasure in most of my trips and have been able to accomplish that. But it is one of the few natural things that I can just veg out. And also I can talk,

• 5:20Speaker 01

  talk to people on the phone. I can listen to audible books. I can do podcasts. I can listen to music. I can just sit in silence and travel and look at the lines and just shut it down. And it's becoming increasingly more important to have that time in my life. Just my, my health for my holistic, whole life, whole health. It's really important that I get that time. And I think it's true that we all should.

• 5:51Speaker 00

  Yeah. Mark, thank you so much for taking that little detour. Thank you to our listeners as well for indulging us. And, you know, I actually get so much positive feedback from people talking, you know, this, this first part of the conversation, you know, just like, you know, how much we have in common, you know, and, you know, most business owners as well are very multi-passionate, you know, they just, you know, the passion that led them to start a company is the same one that, you know, allows them to follow their passions outside of work. Mark, we need to talk about Gig Salad. Start with just an overview. What is Gig Salad?

• 6:26Speaker 01

  Gig Salad is an event marketplace. So we, we started conceptualizing this in 03, well before Airbnb, well before Uber and these marketplaces that have become more part of people's understanding of the internet and the, the ability to purchase, find services or products for that matter. But, but as an event marketplace, it is a booking platform for, what it started off was strictly entertainers, performers, speakers, those who do what they do on a stage with a microphone. And then shortly after our launch, we added other event service

• 7:07Speaker 01

  providers because we found event planners need other services too. So they, it's also a place where you can find bartenders and photographers and anything, anything that you need for an event, you can find on Gig Salad. And we're just a conduit between the two parties, event planners and who we, what we call our members are the PKs or the promo kits. And we just bring the two parties together.

• 7:33Speaker 00

  Wow. And then so structurally, how, how does that work? Like, how is it transactionally? How does that work?

• 7:38Speaker 01

  Yeah. So it's, it's a freemium model. So you can have a free listing on the platform and then there's paid membership, similar to like a LinkedIn platform. And then so we have our paid members and then we also get a piece of the bookings that happen on the platform.

• 7:58Speaker 00

  And I just for kicks, I just punched in DJ in my area and boy, there are a lot of DJs in Orlando.

• 8:08Speaker 01

  Is there? Well, did they, and are you on the platform or was that like a Google search?

• 8:13Speaker 00

  No, no, no, no, no. I'm, I'm just on the platform right now. And so this is great. Like as a consumer, it's like, you know, if I'm putting on an event and I'm like, I could DJ, I don't want to DJ. I'd rather bring a pro that this is what they do on a regular basis. And so how convenient that is.

• 8:29Speaker 01

  Yes. Yes. Well, we're, we've, our longevity was solely based on strong SEO. So people doing a Google search or a Bing search, putting in DJs in Orlando or book or hire a DJ in your area, we traditionally came up very high, often number one, but a minimum on that first page. Things have changed slightly between AI and other factors, but our entire, throughout our entire history, it's been strong SEO and word of mouth. It's only been this past year that we actually have leaned into digital marketing and paying for ads for the first time.

• 9:13Speaker 00

  Yeah. Well, I could understand why. Like you've got a great reputation and like you've been the go-to for all things SEO. I think maybe just a little bit more of the contextual, so AI understands that you are not only kind of where everybody does business for this sort of thing, but also that you're the thought leader and, and, you know, you've got content around. Sorry, I don't mean to get too meta.

• 9:34Speaker 01

  No, bring it, bring it.

• 9:35Speaker 00

  Talking about strategy for podcast guessing, but that's what I do for a living. So I know, I know that world. Yes. Just a quick plug for anyone listening. Yes. If you want to rank higher in AI, your media placements and your thought and your content out there on distributed networks and it's just so valuable. Now, Mark, obviously then there's this side, you know, for all of these creators that are out there, you know, I just, you know, mentioned DJing, but, because that was the first thing, you know, I've done some amateur DJing

• 10:15Speaker 00

  in my past. Yeah. Entertainers, speakers. Tell me about the speaker side because I think a lot of folks in, you know, kind of our world are corporate speakers.

• 10:29Speaker 01

  Yes. Well, I, so my background was I worked 10 years in the movie business and then I got into the booking side of talent. I worked for a small boutique agency in New York City for about seven years. And then I started my own agency, booking agency that I was primarily music, but then I delved into speakers and started co-brokering with speakers bureaus. And when I launched my first website for Steiner Talent, that's what has morphed, that was the catalyst for Gig Salad. And so it was only natural to bring, you know, all the talent that I used to work with, introduce them to this platform and speakers happens to be one of the higher.

• 11:10Speaker 01

  Um, level of um, of, of, of, of, of talent. Because speakers, once they, when a speaker can hone in on a particular subject or topic, or they're published, and, or they're in the media, et cetera, et cetera, those who you normally see on a, at a podium, doing a keynote, um, have, you know, media behind them, and so, it, the way that, it's a geocentric platform. When you are searching for talent in your area, up pops all those options in closest proximity. In this, for speakers, what they will often do is select other locations, and choosing

• 11:54Speaker 01

  the bigger markets, or places where there are frequent conferences, and conventions, and trade shows, and places where you would see speakers, and hear speakers. And Orlando happens to be one of them, Josh, I know you know.

• 12:08Speaker 00

  Oh, yeah.

• 12:09Speaker 01

  And so, yes, speakers are, do extremely well, and we have some that make their full-time living solely off of GigSalad bookings. They don't, they're not with a traditional speakers bureau, they're not getting leads from anyplace else, they're, they're, they're making their entire career on GigSalad. And that's not the case for everybody. There's those who supplement their income on GigSalad, there's weekend warriors on GigSalad, they have other careers, but they, they moonlight doing, you know, something else that's related to GigSalad. So, yeah, there's a place for everybody on there. Amateurs, those who are just starting out, you know, it's, uh, there's a place for everybody on there.

• 12:49Speaker 00

  Hmm. Uh, so what is the advantage to using GigSalad rather than working through a speaker bureau? And I want to say rather, because they're not mutually exclusive.

• 12:59Speaker 01

  Right.

• 13:00Speaker 00

  Um, you know, and, and I'm curious, both from a, uh, like, if I need to hire a speaker, um, why is it easier for me? And if I am the speaker, what are the advantages to just doing the bulk, or the lion's share of my gigs through GigSalad?

• 13:18Speaker 01

  Well, um, back to that strong SEO, you know, unless you're a known speaker, somebody who's followed, your reputation precedes you, uh, then you're not likely to be found. If you're just doing a general search and putting in public speakers on, you know, in any search, the, what pops up will be overwhelming. And, and a lot of times, people don't know where to start. They may have an idea of a particular person, and then find out, oh, they're way out of our budget, um, or they're looking for a person who speaks on a particular, a certain topic or subject. Um, that's where the platform like ours comes in. And you're right, it's not exclusive.

• 13:59Speaker 01

  We have, uh, it's not an and/or, it's, or it is an and, you can be, speakers bureaus utilize our platform for their clients, because it's just another opportunity to throw your, your hat into the ring, and at least be a part of the conversation. Uh, because you can't cover all the ground, you know? Um, you can't be everywhere, and we are.

• 14:24Speaker 00

  And I see that, um, so in terms of the platform, um, I, I see you've got some different levels. Starter, it's free, um, and then, uh, you know, goes all the way up to, like, you get featured, and that's, it's still very accessible. That's, I mean, as of when we're recording, it's under $200 for three months, and you get one gig, and you've made that, you know, many times over, particularly as a speaker.

• 14:52Speaker 01

  Yes, yes. Yeah, and the booking fees, what you're, what, what you're paying on, with a booking, is a fraction, you know, standard booking, a commission for speakers in the speakers' world is 20%. And the way that's set up is you're, if you're with a speakers bureau, they're getting 20% if, if you go directly through that speakers bureau. But because there's so often co-brokering, speakers bureaus work with one another, they'll book each other's clients, there was booking agents like myself, which was not, I wasn't exclusive with any talent. I was, I worked with all the talent booking, all the talent agencies, and all the speakers

• 15:33Speaker 01

  bureaus out there, so that when I booked a talent through a certain, we would split that 20%. We're, we're under 10%, and it's well under 10%, and that's split, that's divided between the event planner and you. So it's just a fraction of what you would normally be paying out as a speaker.

• 15:53Speaker 00

  Uh, I have a suggestion for a new category in your events space, and that would be our event services. Uh, I run podcast booths for events, and so, uh, could, could I, yeah, and, uh, oh, boy, and, and it's just bang for the buck, you know, like what you can get, you can sponsor the whole thing, hey, we'll talk off air, we'll talk off air.

• 16:16Speaker 01

  Okay, Josh.

• 16:17Speaker 00

  But I'm gonna get my own GigSalad, uh, you know, for Pod Verified. Yeah, I love it, I love it.

• 16:24Speaker 01

  Love it.

• 16:25Speaker 00

  Mark, uh, the website, GigSalad.com, we've been talking about it all day, the whole, the whole event, or the whole conversation here, uh, but what would you recommend next steps be for either, uh, you know, meeting planners, or folks that are looking like, oh, man, I could use professionals? I mean, there's really a lot of fun categories, everything from balloon twisters, and petting zoos, to bartenders, of course, we're talking about speakers, entertainers, uh, bands are on here, wedding musicians, uh, very, very cool. Um, yeah, for our friend that's listening, what do they do next?

• 16:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, so if you're in, first off, I believe everybody is a potential event planner. I think, I, we welcome everybody to find something to celebrate in life, to have a party, you know, you have guests over for your, to your house for dinner, backyard barbecue, for, for a couple hundred dollars, hire, hire a singer and guitarist, be in the corner, and create some background ambiance music, you know, it's just a...

• 17:22Speaker 00

  Adds so much.

• 17:23Speaker 01

  It adds so much, um, and what a nice surprise to your, to your guests, but everybody's an event planner. We, we say cradle to grave, from the moment that you, you meet somebody and decide you want to propose to the, your wedding, to the first anniversary, to the birth of children, and birthdays, and anniversaries, and corporate events, and funerals, on and on, everybody's an event planner. If you happen to be somebody who is an entertainer, or an event service provider of any sort, uh, GigSalad is a platform for you, as, as was mentioned, you can have a free listing on there, dip your toe in, see that it works, upgrade if you want, uh, but it's, it's, we,

• 18:06Speaker 01

  you know, I'm a dreamer of dreams, I, I've also created this platform, uh, as a place to give people a chance to do what they love, and what they've always dreamt that they've wanted to do. And that's, that's what you'll find on there, there have about 500 categories to choose from, half of them are sort of music-related.

• 18:24Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 18:25Speaker 01

  But there's, you know, again, you don't have to be a full-time professional, if you're just looking for a couple weekend gigs, you can, you can find it here.

• 18:32Speaker 00

  Yeah, well, Mark, I gotta tell you, as the, uh, you know, co-founder and CEO of GigSalad, if you ever throw a party, I'm coming to your place, because I know it's gonna be good.

• 18:41Speaker 01

  Come on, you're invited, absolutely.

• 18:44Speaker 00

  You know a few people.

• 18:45Speaker 01

  I do, I got the best of the best, the creme de la creme.

• 18:49Speaker 00

  I love it. Mark Steiner, co-founder and CEO of GigSalad, found on the web at GigSalad.com. Thank you so much, Mark.

• 18:57Speaker 01

  Thank you, Josh.

• 19:01Speaker 00

  Thanks for listening to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. If your goal is to grow your business, increase revenue, and build authority without gimmicks, this show is designed for you. Each episode gives you practical insight from leaders who have turned trust and credibility into real business results. If you value short, thoughtful conversations that respect your time, make sure you're subscribed. We publish daily 15-minute episodes focused on growth that actually compounds. And if you're interested in being a guest, or you want to turn podcast appearances into measurable business growth, visit Pod Verified.com. You can start for free with your Pod Verified score, along with free podcast guest training, and a free media kit builder.

• 19:44Speaker 00

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