Week in Review - 24 January 2015

Me @ National Venus Awards

The highlight of the week was being able to sponsor the entertainment and perform at the National Venus Awards on Friday! What an inspirational event and it was a real honour to be in the room with so many amazing women in business.

This was my third Venus Awards event, having performed at the Portsmouth Awards ceremony where I was also a finalist in the New Business Category and GME solo performer, Marlene Hill performed at the Oxford ceremony. It was great working directly with the founder of this great organization, Tara Howard, on song selection for the National event kicking off the festivities with 'Simply The Best.' Tara also outlined her vision to take the Venus Awards Global promoting women in business around the world! Her talk made me want to dream bigger for GME.

It was also a real pleasure connecting with Jenni Steele, the National Ambassador for Domestic Violence UK. Jenni presented an award as well as delivered an excellent talk about her experience with domestic violence as a young person and encouraged us all to be the 'lioness' within our respective 'prides!' I had a chat with Jenni a couple days before the event and we arranged for me to sing 'I'm Every Woman' before her talk!

Jenni Steele

The other two keynote speakers of the event were Dr. Lynda Shaw, a registered chartered psychologist who talked about the differences between the male and female brain; and Julia Hands, Chairman & Chief Executive of Hand Picked Hotels, who's lovely Audleys Wood was where the event was held. She spoke about being brave enough to change careers from being a Solicitor to Hotelier and about saying yes to an opportunity when it presents itself, even if you don't feel like you can do it, which is exactly what she did in 2001 when she took over management of Hand Picked Hotels. They now have 21 country house hotels across the UK and Channel Islands.

Niqi Brown

The rest of the week was quite routine with meetings and of course looking for performance opportunities for my Acts. On Thursday, I started a 12-week in-depth Social Media Course taught by David Vane of Workzmarter! The course is run by Opportunities Workshop!

Also, I signed a fabulous new Tribute Act to the website ... Niqi Brown as Tina Turner. Please consider this dynamic act for your next event. To book Niqi or any of the other star-quality GME acts, please call me today at 02392 894902 or you can follow this link to request-a-quote.

Lastly, I'd like to officially introduce you to the brand new Midnight Soul Sisters (MSS), a group of incredibly talented soul singers who pay tribute to all your favourite soul & R&B divas!

Within this group are several Tribute Acts, including Tina Turner, Diana Ross, & Beyonce as well as a Three Degrees & Supremes Show. 

Midnight Soul Sisters

I am thrilled to be a part of this amazing group of ladies (that's me on the left looking quite young if I say so myself) and there is huge demand for the various shows we offer. Interested in booking MSS for your next event? Call me today! 02392 894902 for more information!

That's it for this edition! Have a fabulous week.

Weeks in Review - 3 October & 10 October 2014

New Business Finalists

I've got so much to tell you so let's dive in ... As you may know, this year I was nominated for a Venus Award in the categories of Customer Service and New Business and went on to be named a finalist in the latter category. The awards debuted this year in the Portsmouth area, and founder Tara Howard and her staff put on quite the awards ceremony at the Portsmouth Marriott on the 1st of October. The hotel was buzzing with excited hopefuls including myself as we walked the red carpet, posed for photos, and I had the privilege of performing during the ceremony! 'Simply The Best' went over a storm with this room full of powerful business women (and a few men) and added to the sizzling tone set by the showgirls of Manic Stage Productions who opened the show.

I didn't win in my category, however, I have benefited in a huge way simply by association with such a prestigious award, including being contacted by The News in Portsmouth regarding their various awards. On the 9th of October I met with Rosie Morgan from The News and we discussed a few awards that are coming up and explored areas that GME can partner with them for sponsorship and entertainment. Watch this space for updates on which events I'll be involved with.

Manic Stage Productions Showgirls

I also want to send a shout out to Francis Davis at The Cathedral Innovation Centre (CIC) for supporting me and the other Venus Awards nominees who run their businesses from CIC. They purchased a table for the ceremony and I heard them before I actually saw them as they cheered me on when I took the stage to perform. I so appreciate their support and thank them for providing me and so many other small businesses with affordable office space.

On Saturday the 4th I performed Simply, Tina Turner at the Carisbrooke Arms in Gosport for the second time ever! I was a bundle of nerves as I waited backstage for my intro, but as soon as I heard the music and felt the support of the audience, it was like I was possessed by Tina! It was amazing from my perspective because it completely felt like an out-of-body experience. I've been performing Diana Ross for over a year and absolutely love it, but what I experienced performing Tina was magical. Usually, it's the second set of a gig that get's everybody up and dancing, but right out of the gate with Tina the atmosphere was charged with energy, the dance floor was packed and the crowd was singing along to every song, many of them knowing the lyrics better than me ... LOL! The first time I performed the show back in July, I was like a deer in the headlights and barely remember it. The second time even though I was scared, I was more prepared and felt more confident that I could get the job done. I guess the fact that I'm already re-booked to do Tina again at the Carisbrooke next year is a good sign! Watch this space for upcoming show dates.

Nick Boles, Me, Flick Drummond

On Monday the 6th of October I was invited to attend a reception at the Cathedral Innovation Centre with Nick Boles MP, the Minister of State jointly for Department for Business Innovation and Skill and the Department of Education who was showing his support for the work that CIC is doing with apprenticeships as well as with small businesses. Click here to read the article The News Portsmouth ran the day after the event.

I will be resuming my radio show, Glo's Music for the Soul, in October and on Friday the 10th I had a lovely chat with the managers of One World Radio about future radio shows as well as performance opportunities in Cypress. I'm recording the show this week to be aired on Halloween so I'm looking for music to fit the theme. Any suggestions?

On Saturday I performed to a fabulous crowd at The Jolly Sailor with my covers band, Move On Up and ventured into London on Sunday for a private solo gig to help celebrity bodyguard Michael Hosking celebrate his 50th birthday! It was a small gathering of about 25 people, but we had a fabulous time singing, dancing and celebrating at The Grange, which is a lovely venue in Ealing.

I'm off on Holiday for a few weeks so my updates will be on hiatus until I return on the 3rd of November. 

I'll be back in touch early November ... until then have a lovely rest of October!

Week In Review - 20 September 2014

The highlight of this week was attending Ladies Day at The Southampton Boat Show hosted by Sherry Claridge of UK Women Magazine on Thursday. The luncheon was held at Kuti's Royal Thai Pier and the food and company of 70 amazing women from across Hampshire were amazing! There was lots of networking, laughter and raffle prizes throughout the afternoon and I was delighted to be invited to make a 2-minute presentation about GME. The event was presented by Tara Howard of The Venus Awards, whose energy and enthusiasm are infectious. I was joined by my good friend and colleague, Janey Howl and we enjoyed a lovely late afternoon stroll around the Boat Show trying to work off the 3-course meal and dreaming a bit about the good life while touring a few of the amazing yachts on display. I left that boat show thinking that I definitely need to dream bigger ... LOL!

On Friday, I was at The Jolly Sailor judging the second semi-final of Southsea's Got Talent, and the seven contestants were outstanding. I wanted to put everybody through to the final, but sadly we could only put four through. The standout performance came from Harriet Standen, the teeny tiny singer with the huge voice! She wowed us with her version of 'And I Am Telling You' and earned first place in the semi-final. I can't wait to hear her at the final on the 3rd of October.

Tonight (Saturday) I am back at The Jolly Sailor with my originals band Mayfield hosting a charity event for Rowans Hospice. The night will be kicked off by Martin Jackson of SoulTime DJs spinning some great N-Soul, Soul & Motown. Mayfield will hit the stage around 9:15pm with two sets of funky soul originals and a few covers done the Mayfield way. We will also be debuting our brand new song, Ready Set Go, which we are currently working on in the studio. I'll give you a sneak preview once the track is finished. Watch this space.

Finally, on Sunday I will be joining my covers band, Move On Up to rehearse for our show at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho on 28 September. We will be performing original songs from my solo release, Let Go, as well as some Jazz & Blues covers. Tickets are still available for this show and your support would be greatly appreciated. Click here to purchase your tickets!

That's it for this week ... have an amazing weekend!

Weeks in Review - 11 July & 18 July 2014

First I want to wish my big brother, Arthur Miller, a very happy birthday! I wish I could be with him and his family in Milwaukee to help him celebrate, but since I can't I wanted to give him a honorable mention in GME Weekly! 

Due to technical difficulties with the newsletter program last week, I was unable to get the 11 July edition out to you, so I'm combining two weeks of happenings so let's get started ...

All of last week was putting the finishing touches on Foodies Festival Bristol. What a way to spend my first visit to Bristol ... the location for the Festival was absolutely fabulous and where the stage was set up couldn't have been better. There are a few pictures below in the 'Photos' section ... do check them out. The event was 11-13 of July and the Friday went so smoothly with everyone turning up on time if not early, and more important, each act sounded amazing. We had quite the good crowd for a Friday and by early evening, the place was heaving. 

The Funkinsteins

Then Saturday rolled around and everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong, from bands being stuck in traffic, to performers not turning up with all their gear to me having to do an emergency set to cover for a cancellation. Even with the issues, the day turned out to be fabulous and ended with an absolute bang with Brighton's Half Crown completely electrifying the place and local Bristol band The Funkinsteins who sizzled with their brand of Rock-laced Funk! By the end of the day I was dancing with the rest of the crowd and had completely forgotten about my earlier troubles! The beauty of good music ... 

The perfect end to the three days was on Sunday when we went back to operating like a well oiled machine, with everyone arriving on time and giving amazing performances. Supremely, Diana Ross made an appearance mid-afternoon and got everyone up dancing. And then the deliciously Bluesy Cherry White closed the festival with some great original and cover tunes, and even some classic Rock & Roll to get the crowd moving. Bristol was amamamamazing!! The next Foodies event is at Battersea Park in London on 15-17 August.

This week Monday, I took a much needed day off and hung out with the hubs doing normal stuff. On Tuesday, it was back to work finalizing a few bookings including confirming Mayfield to perform at The Southsea Show on Sunday, 3rd August. Also booked on this weekend event is Supremely, Diana Ross on Friday, 1st August and Move On Up on Saturday, 2nd August. Geoff Priestley, one of the organizers suggested I camp out for the three days ... if only I could ... LOL!

On Wednesday, I attended a workshop on Business & Personal Development that was hosted by the Portsmouth Venus Awards, which was immediately followed by the VA Finalist Announcement Tea where I was named a Finalist in the New Business Category! When I was driving to the Langstone Hotel that morning, I didn't really think I was that bothered about being a finalist. However, once I was in the room and they started naming names, the fact that my heart was literally pounding out of my chest was a little giveaway that I really wanted my name to be called. When it was, in good ole American style, I let out a yelp before I could stop myself *giggle*! I feel very proud of this accomplishment and look forward to attending the awards ceremony in October. Click here to see the full list of finalists!

Thursday, I met with a new client in Gosport and will be announcing some great shows at this new venue in the coming weeks. And finally, tonight I'm performing solo at Shepherd's Crook in Portsmouth and on Saturday night I will be with Move On Up at The Jolly Sailor in Southsea. Both shows are Supremely, Diana Ross followed by a party set. Can't wait ...

That's it for this edition, have a fantastic weekend!

Week In Review - 20 June 2014

Chillin' in Spain w/the Hubs!

I had a much needed 4-day mini break to Spain from Monday through Thursday, topping up my tan and the scale a bit too! The getaway was the perfect combination on sunshine, sangria & paella!  

On Friday, I performed a dep gig with 'Beau' at the grand re-opening of The Westleigh in Havant. The venue and the crowd were both fantastic, and I really enjoyed working with the fantastic musicians that comprise Beau. Dep gigs keep you on your toes because usually you don't get a chance to rehearse, you just show up and hope for the best :). Thankfully, I've dep'd for them before, so we were good to go.

Beau

Gloria Miller Duo

Note to self ... never schedule three gigs for the same date which is exactly what I did on Saturday, the longest day of the year in every way! I put in a 12-hour day gigging at The Spring in Havant with my duo in the afternoon, a private party in Hedge End in the early evening, and finishing up at The Mermaid in Portsmouth performing Supremely, Diana Ross. I was one tired soul at the end of the night and the drive home was a bit of a blur. When I arrived home, my very lovely husband had lit relaxing candles all over the house to create a calming atmosphere for me to come home to! After murdering a veggie stir-fry I hit the sack only to wake up on Sunday feeling quite out of it. This was my excuse to sit on the sofa and watch movies on LoveFilm, which I did! 

One of my acts, the incredible Marlene Hill, will be performing in 'Swinging at the Cotton Club' at the King's Theatre in Southsea on the 26th of October. I've seen this show a couple times now and it is spectacular and features The Jiving Lindy Hoppers & Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra!  Take a step back into 1920's New York City and through the doors of Harlem's hottest nightclub, 'The Cotton Club'!  Swinging at The Cotton Club is an action-packed show celebrating music, dance, and song! Buy your ticket today!

I am excited to announce that I am starting to book original duo and band gigs as my CD, Let Go, is experiencing a bit of a revival over here in the UK. I released this CD in America just before moving to the UK five years ago and it seems the album got a little bit lost somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ... LOL! At the first of my three gigs on this past Saturday, I dried off and performed five songs from the album which received a really positive response from the audience, and I sold a few CDs too!  

I just confirmed today that The Gloria Miller Duo will be performing originals & covers as part of The Guildhall Summer Sessions on the 24th of July at the outside cafe! We're performing two 45-minute sets, starting at 5:30pm.  And, Move On Up will be backing me on a gig at The Pizza Express in Soho on Sunday the 28th of September ... doors at 12:00 and we start at 13:30. We are supporting a fantastic up and coming band, Alter Ego, and will be performing songs from my CD as well as a few covers. This is going to be a great show with two great bands performing original Jazz, Soul, Blues & Funk!  Click here for more information.

Venus Awards Nominee Networking Event

Lastly, it was just announced that I have been nominated for a 2nd Venus Award in the New Business category. I was completely surprised to get the 1st nomination in the Customer Service category, and I am terribly humbled to be recognized again for starting GME. Check out their blog and learn more about the other nominees and the businesses they represent.

I think that's enough for now ... I'll be with you again on Friday with the next edition!

Until then, have a fab week!

Week in Review - 30 May 2014

Last week I received the news that I've been nominated for a Venus Award for Customer Service and have made it through to the quarter final. I am just under two years being in business and it is quite an honor to have been nominated. My customer service approach is basically the golden rule ... treat others the way I want to be treated, and to be recognized for this feels amazing.  The Venus Awards is a national organization that have just launched a Portsmouth chapter. I am so pleased to be working with this organization and for being nominated in the Portsmouth area premiere year. 

This week's focus in the office has been on sorting out the final details on the next Foodies Festival event being held 6-8 June at Clapham Common in London, as well as finalizing the entertainment lineup for the forthcoming Bristol event 11-13 July. The Clapham lineup is excellent with some new performers to the list as well as a few favourites from the Brighton festival. I'm still filling slots for Bristol, but that lineup is shaping up quite nicely too! If you are in the Clapham Common or Bristol areas during the festival dates, why not join us for what is always a fantastic event, especially if the weather is with us! You can purchase tickets in advance through the Foodies website or on-site at the event. I hope to see you there, and bring the sunshine with you!!

My band Mayfield are in the process of building a recording studio, and the band leader Dominic Elton and I had a fantastic meeting with Gareth Henderson, the founder of River Studios in Totton, Southampton. We toured this amazing facility and discussed consulting with them on fitting out the studio with latest equipment, as well as River Studios providing technical support to help us get up and running. As we are waiting for our studio to be finished, we will be using River Studios to demo some of the new songs we're working on for our second album that will be released sometime in 2015. 

With Tara Howard
Founder of the Venus Awards

Lastly, tonight I will be returning to The Piranha Bar to perform a Motown/Soul Night and to sort out some future bookings for several of my acts. This lovely restaurant was one of my first clients in the early days of GME and have been working with the agency and me for almost two years. The last time I spoke with the owner there, she said how proud she was of me for the growth of GME and she remembered when I only had about five acts that I was booking for. I've got a few more acts and clients now, and possibly this is due to good customer service :)! Do you see how I tied that in to my Venus Award nomination? So sorry, I couldn't help myself. And now I'm gonna be quite cliched in saying ... I don't care if I win, it's just nice to be nominated! LOL!

Okay, I'm done ...

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Week in Review - 28 March 2014

It's weeks like this one that make me so happy I've started my own business. It's been an incredibly exhausting and rewarding week so let's get into it!!

On Tuesday I had a lovely meeting with Steve & Chrissie of One World Radio to put the finishing touches on my next radio show, and I'm happy to announce that Glo's Music for the Soul Vol. 2 will be airing on Saturday, 5th of April at 7pm! I'm quite excited about this show and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts once it airs. In the mean time, click here to listen to my debut show that aired on Valentine's Day. You will be able to use this same link to listen to Vol. 2. Please let me know what you think about the shows. I would appreciate your feedback, suggestions and tips on how to make the show better.

Visit Their Website

Wednesday I went to a fantastic joint networking event held by the Hampshire & Dorset Chambers at Careys Manor & Hotel which is a delightful hotel and spa in the New Forest. Wow, what an impressive establishment run masterfully by their staff! We were given 5-star treatment starting with lovely, tropical pre-lunch drinks, followed by a delicious 3-course lunch! Careys provided a great atmosphere for networking and I connected with some fantastic people including Claire Oldham, a manager at Careys who gave us a delightful tour of the spa facilities. I was ready to book a spa day then and there!  I also met Carolyn Freeman of Revelation Marketing who spoke so passionately about marketing to people who are 50+. It was quite the 'revelation' speaking with her and I look forward to meeting up to discuss reaching this virtually untapped demographic.  It was also fantastic meeting Wendy Savage of Marie Curie. She was such fun and sat next to me during lunch. I am looking to partner with her on community fundraising events for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. 

Visit Their Website

I'm always surprised by the generosity of people at these networking events and how eager they are to help you connect with other people.  Carolyn made sure I met Jo Legg of Global Radio who run several radio stations. And then Jo made sure I met Kim Clayton, with Dorset Chamber. The more I run GME, I'm realizing that doing business is all about developing relationships with the people first and then through those relationships finding mutual ways to benefit each other in business.

With Tara Howard

My Wednesday didn't end there, later that night I went to the launch event of the Portsmouth Venus Awards. The Venus Awards acknowledges the achievement of women in business, and I had the pleasure of meeting the very enthusiastic founder, Tara Howard. It's so great to be a part of something when it's first starting, and you could sense the excitement in the room as several of the sponsors of this event spoke about why they were bringing the awards to the Portsmouth area. I am happy to announce that GME will be sponsoring the entertainment for the Portsmouth Venus Awards Ceremony being held at the Portsmouth Marriott on the 1st October, 2014.

If you know a woman in business who you feel deserves a bit of recognition, please do nominate her. Click here to find out more about the Portsmouth Venus Awards and place your nomination!

Thursday morning I attended a 'Coaching Skills Taster' at the Langstone Hotel on Hayling Island being run by Jane Child of JCA Learning. I am thinking about doing some coaching for people in or who want to be in the music business, and attending this taster gave me a great opportunity to see if coaching would be something I would indeed pursue. I absolutely loved the taster. I even got to do a 'mock' coaching session ... I was a bit rubbish, but also invigorated by the whole process. I am definitely going to pursue getting my qualification to coach, so watch this space!!

Because I am just a performer at heart, the highlight of the week was performing 'Supremely, Diana Ross' at the 'Spring Into Action' event put on by the very talented Nathalie Gunn and held at the Wedgewood Rooms on Thursday night. The evening was a true Variety Show with singing, dancing, magic, burlesque and a contortionist! Just fabulous!! The event was in honor of Nathalie's good friend, the late Kerry Harvey who bravely battled Pancreatic Cancer and the proceeds of this event will benefit those who are still battling this disease. The venue was absolutely packed with people, each thrilled to do their part to support this cause. I'm so glad I could be there too!

Supremely, Diana Ross

What a week! Today I'm recovering a bit before I sit in on vocals with the fantastic band, 'Beau' at the Woodpecker in Waterlooville on Saturday night. My friend, the lovely Chloe Dixon is their regular singer, but due to a bout with laryngitis, she has asked me to cover. I will not do justice to the songs like Chloe can, but I will give it my best shot :)!

I think that's enough for this week ... have a fantastic weekend!