Entertaining is a broad term that encompasses a broad range of activities that either holds an audience’s interest and fascination or gives delight and enjoyment. It can be a project or an idea but generally is more often than not one of those activities or events which has developed over thousands of year specifically for the express purpose of retaining an audience’s interest. Entertainers are now celebrities, well-known people who entertain and inform our society on a daily basis. Entertaining can include many different things and events. In broad terms, entertainment can refer to the following:
* Sporting events and activities: Any event or game in which people take part and which requires the use of various types of bodily actions, noises, and physical motion to bring about its outcome. This includes sports, games, rides, etc. The pull of entertainment in our daily life is extremely high on most of our list of priorities. Entertainment can also be derived from the mental and emotional well-being and happiness of individuals, groups, families, or nations.
* Drama and comedy: These forms of entertainment include plays, motion pictures, music, dance, and visual arts. They are forms of entertainment developed as a means to pass the time and are generally used to pass the emotional stress of everyday life. Emotional stress can be derived from work, family, and other socially demanding situations.
* Children’s entertainment: Children’s entertainment can either be for entertainment purposes or for educational reasons. They include amusement parks, shows, etc. as well as puppet shows, dramatic play acting lessons, singing performances, and so on. It pulls another significant force behind it all; that of education.
* Sports and games: Entertainment derived from sports and games have been popular since time immemorial. Sports such as boxing, gymnastics, tennis, and cricket have become almost as popular today as they were decades ago. They provide an avenue for individuals to live out their fantasy lives. They give the members of a society as a medium through which to express themselves in a safe environment.
* Dramatic and comical presentations: Movies, plays, musicals, and comedy shows are among the varied types of entertainment. They pull another force by bringing people into a more intimate setting. For instance, when a play is being staged, the actors and the audience all participated in the drama. Thus, it becomes a more realistic setting than any other medium. This then becomes a social event as opposed to a simple entertainment.
* Moral and social causes: There are many causes that pull at the moral fiber of individuals and organizations. Entertainment serves as a vehicle for social issues that drive at moral and social causes. For instance, a play about the exploitation of animals or an opera about environmental degradation are works of entertainment that promote social change. The work of an entertainer like Peter Sellers can make animal rights activists angry, while he continues on with his talk about global warming.
* Popularity: The entertainment industry is popular among all age groups and all classes of people. This means that the industry has managed to reach out to a wider audience than most industries. However, this also means that the competition among entertainers has become stiffer. The entertainment industry as a whole thrives on this constant pressure from the audience.
* Money making Potential: The entertainment industry has plenty of potential money making avenues. However, only a few of these have become popular enough to become household names. This usually happens to those entertainers who have something interesting to say about money and making big bucks. Jack Nicholson’s famous quote about how you should always be making movies to make a living says a lot about this. Most people agree with this, especially after seeing him in the movies. The money making potential of entertainment can be seen in almost any kind of entertainment.
* Accentuate the positive: One of the weaknesses of the entertainment industry is its tendency to take itself too seriously. Too much emphasis is placed on the negative aspects of the industry, thus missing out on the fun and humor. Many people in the audience feel that the message being delivered is rather dull and is boring the audience even more. As a result, the entertainment industry often alienates some of its audiences by focusing too much on the seriousness of the matter. It is important to remember that the entertainment industry is for fun and laughter, and not just for serious dramas or movies.
* Improve your work: Successful entertainment industry workers always strive to improve themselves and polish their craft. The best way to do this is to constantly hone your skills and get better at what you do. A lot of people think that once they’ve established themselves in the business that everything will automatically fall into place. While this may happen occasionally, it is more often the case that good work habits breed success – and that means staying in demand as an entertainer.