Why 'Word Of Mouth' Isn't A Hiring Strategy

Jul 21, 2025

I get it. Our industry runs on trust. You want to work with people you know, or people your crew swears by. That’s how most gigs get filled: a text, a name drop, a quick call to a friend.

But let’s be real. “Word of mouth” isn’t a hiring strategy. It’s a habit.
And like most habits, it’s comfortable. Familiar. Easy to default to, especially when you’re moving fast and don’t have time to vet someone new.

Here’s the problem. Habits like that can quietly hold us back.
They lead to the same names on every call sheet.
The same crews cycling from tour to tour.
The same people getting all the opportunities, while a whole group of skilled, hungry, and fully qualified professionals wait on the sidelines.

And then we wonder why the industry lacks diversity. Why it’s so hard to break in. Why burnout is so high.

The truth is, if we want a stronger, more inclusive industry, we have to be willing to pause and ask:
Is this the best person for the job, or just the easiest to reach?

At Giggs, we’re not trying to replace the trust you’ve built.
We’re making space for new trust to grow.
We’re building better systems, better visibility, and better hiring so the future of live events isn’t just recycled names, but real opportunity for real talent.

So I’ll leave you with this:
Has “word of mouth” helped or hurt the way we hire?
And what would it look like to expand the circle without breaking the trust?