Entertainment Agents

Lew represents a variety of actors, musicians and others in the entertainment industry. He is constantly on the run, and needed a way to keep order in his life. The Universal Office gives him everything he wants.

"I use the Universal Office to remind me and my team when there's any important event coming up as well as have Genie forward my calls and faxes to me when I travel." says Lew. "I also use it to keep from going broke."

One thing Lew figured out years ago is that money has a way of growing legs and walking away if you let it. "Performers who can handle an 'axe' like nobody else, can't necessarily handle a checkbook as well as the average two year old," says Lew. "And roadies aren't much better. But I still have to look out for these people, or there'd be no acts to book.

"There are about 6 guys and gals who work with me at any one time, wrangling the various acts (and actors) from place to place. They need gas, and lunches and aspirin and you-name-it. The little things can just drive you nuts. I tried using company credit cards, but it didn't work out. First of all, there are lots of little places you just can't use a credit card - they're cash-and-carry sorts of places. For another, there's the problem of turnover. Roadies have a way of 'moving on' without necessarily telling you first. I found out that I’d financed more than one move from the Bright Lights back to the Heartland before I knew they were going.

"The answer was the Universal Office and the GenieCard. Now I just give each of my people a Universal Office number so there's no problem with staying in touch, AND a GenieCard to go with it. I can fund the card in advance for the expenses I expect, and I can quickly add money to cover unexpected emergencies, like the blown CV joint on that tour bus two weeks ago. But there's no risk over and above what I decide to put on the card. Some homesick hayseed can't just decide to charge the move back to Momma to me."

Lew sums up his experience this way: "Genie is a one-number system that does it all: forwards and screens my calls, accepts voice and fax mail, and gives out info on demand at the touch of a button. It's also a great place to manage my expenses. Genie has become my everyday personal electronic secretary.”