Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business (Paperback)

~ Thembisa S. Mshaka (Author), Vanessa Williams (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

There is a great mystique about the entertainment industry and a fervent desire in many to be part of it. But what many women don't realize is that most entertainment career guides are written from the point of view of the male executive, or are filled with industry and legal jargon-making them difficult to read and understand.


Now, in PUT YOUR DREAMS FIRST, Thembisa Mshaka uses her 15 years of experience in the music industry to expose the hidden truths that women need to know as they aspire toward entertainment careers, such as how to avoid compromising one's self-respect and the little-known fact that women run a large part of the business. This highly informative guide is for every woman wanting to know how to navigate the entertainment superhighway and find that job of a lifetime.

About the Author

A cornerstone of integrity and stability in a highly competitive business, Thembisa has worked for over 17 years in service to the entertainment industry, spanning the areas of touring and management, magazine publishing, recorded music and technology, advertising, music supervision for film, voice over and most recently, television in her role as the Telly Award-winning Copy Director for BET Networks. The former GAVIN rap editor has also written for Honey, essence.com, LAUNCH, and served as contributing editor for The Hotness.com and BLAZE. A native of Los Angeles, Thembisa is an alumna of Mills College in Oakland, California. She now resides in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn with her husband and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Business Plus (April 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446409464
• ISBN-13: 978-0446409469
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #181,937 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is A MUST READ. Review on TheGritsnCheeseDish.blogspot.com, April 27, 2009

By	Monica M. Peters - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

by Monica Peters

Industry veteran Thembisa S. Mshaka's new book Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business is a MUST READ for anyone in the entertainment business, especially women. Mshaka gives sound, concrete and specific advice on how to handle your business whether you are a publicist, in the music business, celebrity stylist, producer, or in the radio and film industries. Her tone in the book is straightforward and leaves no stone unturned. What makes this book a gem is that women working in all segments of the business reveal their triumphs, setbacks, horror stories and how they survived after being laid off. Some of the women are everyday Janes who broke into the industry in unconventional ways--none of which included exploiting themselves. Many of the women in HYEB are those that some of us in the business may already know personally. HYEB is very much an eye opener for women going into the entertainment business looking through rose colored glasses or even worse thinking that sleeping their way to the top is the key to their success. The author even delves into pay inequities for women. After reading this book you will definitely be able to make a true assessment as to if the entertainment field is for you and learn the importance of reinventing yourself.

*Even if you are not in the entertainment business, this book is a must read. The sound valuable advice in this book extends way beyond the entertainment world. Pick it up today.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help for the everyday professional minded sista my cloud of witnesses, April 23, 2009

By	D. S. BELL "hollis" (portland oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those of you sisters that have a desire to make in the industry, 9 to 5, and are not sure if it is better to sex in or work hard this is the journal for you.

I just got the book wed 04-22-09 and I have not been able to put it down. What I love is the truth that each lady conveyed, and how each one never gave up on their dream.

Growing up in a time when woman were less than 20 percent of the work force, it is good to read from someone that knows how to share a truth on getting on with your life. What to expect and not to expect.
When I spoke to I told here reading her book was like being at a dinner party with friends and the conversation moves like a well crafted who is who play.

Before reading this I was concerned with many things, but every question I had and some that I never thoughht of is covered.
So far my favorite is the Jaane of all trades, which is where I am at. Just from reading up to page 129, which I am on (had to come review it) I have already wrote notes and drafted my own study guide.

Getting this will not only add value to any library, but it gives your valuable information into the inside workings of the entertainment industry.

Women that have paved the way for those of us who what to get in but not sure, this is your book.

what you should do
1. buy this book
2. follow the tips and think outside of your present box
3. tell someone else about the dinner party journal
4. come back and review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Undaground Milli Review of Put Your Dreams First, May 8, 2009

By	Gerard Spinks (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hi y'all. I am a writer myself and publisher and I must say that I ordered Thembisa S. Mshaka's book awhile ago and was very excited to get it. This book changed my life and provided so much in depth insight to the music hustle and encourages women and men alike! Being a father of a daughter, I could definitely relate and knowing Mrs. Mshaka personally for over 10 years, I thought I knew what she had experienced. NOT. I found out so much from the book that was amazing. Few people have the courage to stand and hustle hard in the entertainment world especially music and urban music.

Thembisa stood her ground and her book and her success is a testament to hard work, faith, courage, being a great mother, friend, sister, daughter, and wife. This book is highly recommended for any person who is aspiring to be in the music or entertainment business and especially for ladies who need to know HOW you get in and stay in the right way. Praise Allah for Thembisa S. Mshaka!