Once upon a time, an actor sent homemade brownies to our office, lovingly hand-wrapped in tin foil.
But this was not long after Sept. 11. Casting companies were on edge with anthrax scares on the news and crates of mail arriving daily.
We didn’t suspect anthrax, but since we didn’t really know this actor—and hadn’t done anything to warrant a gift from her—we weren’t sure what to think.
Should we eat brownies made by a stranger who hadn’t even delivered them in person? How long ago had they been baked, and under what conditions? Was the name on the package even real? Did we have some unknown enemy? What did it mean?
We were indisputably paranoid, but in the end, no one was brave enough to dig in, and the batch was tossed. We felt bad that the actor had spent time and money needlessly, and wished we could have told her not to bother. A postcard with a photo and a few words of introduction would have been a better investment.
When does it make sense to give a gift to an industry contact? What types of gifts are appropriate? Here are the guidelines we use with our own clients.
1. Cards and emails usually suffice. Most of the time, a note of thanks is more than sufficient for a
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