What to Consider When Choosing a Keynote Speaker Through Gotham Artists

Gotham Artists is a speaker booking agency that lists keynote and motivational speakers across many categories and lets you compare speaking fees and availability before you commit. Use it when you need a professional speaker for a corporate event, conference, school, or faith-based gathering and want to filter by topic, background, and budget rather than browse blindly. The decision comes down to five things: your event goal, the speaker's fit with your audience, the fee, the date, and how much help you want from the agency's team.

Start With the Event Goal, Not the Speaker

The site organizes speakers by topic, which is the fastest way to narrow the field. Before you search, decide what the talk needs to accomplish.

• Motivate or energize — motivational speakers, including business, sales, and youth motivational categories.
• Teach a skill or shift thinking — leadership, sales, technology, futurist, and innovation speakers.
• Bring a lived-experience perspective — military and Navy SEAL speakers, mental health and healthcare speakers, wellness speakers.
• Match your audience's identity or values — African American speakers, Black motivational and Black female speakers, female motivational speakers, Christian speakers (youth, women, motivational).
• Draw a crowd — celebrity and sports speakers.

If your audience is mixed or the goal is vague, a broad motivational or business speaker usually fits better than a narrow niche.

Compare Speakers on the Same Dimensions

Once you have a shortlist, evaluate each speaker against identical criteria so the comparison is fair.

Gotham Artists publishes a Speaker Fee Guide and a Motivational Speakers Guide for planners, which are the right starting points for understanding typical ranges before you contact anyone.

Use the Search and Matching Tools

The site provides a Speaker Search function and a Get Matched – Contact Us option.

1. Enter your topic or speaker type in the search field.
2. Review the results, including trending keynote and motivational speakers and popular speaking topics.
3. Note fees and availability for the names that fit.
4. Contact the team to confirm details, check dates, and get a recommendation if you are undecided.

The agency's stated advantage is that its team helps match you with speakers, so treat the search results as a starting point and the consultation as the step that confirms fit, fee, and date.

Decide How Much You Want the Agency Involved

You can approach this two ways:

• Self-directed — search by topic, read the guides, build your own shortlist, then contact the agency only to book. Best if you already know the type of speaker you want.
• Guided — describe your event and let the team recommend speakers. Best if you are unsure about topic, budget, or which speaker suits your audience.

Either way, the agency handles the booking; you still own the decision about fit.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Choosing a name before a goal. A famous speaker who does not match your theme wastes the budget.
• Ignoring availability until late. Popular speakers book out; check dates early.
• Forgetting travel. A speaker's location affects total cost and scheduling.
• Skipping the fee guide. Knowing typical ranges stops you from anchoring on one price.
• Not briefing the speaker. Share your audience and objective so the talk is tailored.

Contact and Next Steps

Gotham Artists is based at 33 Nassau Avenue, Suite 24, Brooklyn, NY 11222, reachable at [email protected] or (646) 798-9651. To move forward: define your goal, shortlist by topic, compare fee and availability on the same dimensions, then contact the team to confirm and book.