Ask Yourself

The Best Advice I Ever Heard...How Crude!

2009-11-19T10:08:35-05:00

As I was drinking my Hot Toddy, my colleague and friend Michael Roderick from Small Pond Entertainment shared some advice with me he heard earlier that evening.

Out of all the blogs I read, seminars I have been to, and conversations I had with industry professionals, this was the most sound-logic-advice I ever heard.

Very simple...

He shares his story in his blog, HERE.

(Warning: If your easily offended, stay away from the advice and click, HERE, instead)

How Dirty is Free?

2009-11-17T10:30:00-05:00

Fast and Free seem to be the new sheik business model :

Google = Fast and free

YouSendIt.com = Fast and Free

FreeConferanceCall.com = Fast and Free

Zoho = Fast and Free

Pandora = Fast and Free

SethGodin.com = Fast and Free

Facebook = Fast and Free

The list goes on…

Check out this great list of fast and free services provided by Inc Magazine. Now-a-days even the free services are fighting for attention! In the 80’s I don’t think many businesses would have agreed with this “free” philosophy. Remember when you could buy the Encyclopedia in grocery stores? They tried to lure you into buying the whole set by selling you the volume of “A” for 99 cents. I bet Britannica would have never thought their competition was going to a free service.

* * *

I am in the process of develop several new projects, all of which will have free services attached to them. So…I posed the question: If the future model of business is “Free”, how will it work economically for businesses?

In my studies to understand why free is so popular for businesses right now I found the following fantabulous analogy and here it is:

The Bikini Concept Introduced by marketing writer Sean D'Souza.

By giving away 90%, the user is willing to “pay” to see the last 10%.

I know…I hear you saying “How chauvinistic Mr. Sudarski!”, (That was my family name before we got off the boat).

It is the last 10% that is of monetary worth to the consumer. How far are you willing to give your audience, customer, or client? What last 10% can be unrevealed that has so much value that “they” will do anything to get the last part? Isn’t that what the Broadway performances at the the Tony’s and the Thanksgiving Day parade are all about on a small level? BroadwaySpace.com has started to offer their audience base free access to the stars. Will live entertainment continue to have a free models like this in the future?

Have you done anything FREE and gained business from doing so? Will you do it again?

Do Choregoraphers Have Software?

2009-11-16T11:00:00-05:00

Playwrights have software to make their life easier.

Lighting designers have software make their life easier.

Set Designers have software make their life easier.

General Managers have software to make their life easier.

Almost every creative and administrative department in live entertainment has some sort of computer software supplement to enhance their productivity and abilities. What about choreographers?

* * *

Check out this 30 second video explaining the new ChoreoPro software for Choreographers and Stage Managers:

The product is not released yet, but I have been told it will come out shortly. In the meantime you can request a trial version ChoreoPro through their web site.

I enjoy when someone takes something that already exists (In this case dance) and figures out how to make it better through technology.

Who can this help?

Dance Competition World = Some studio directors have to create anywhere from 25-50 group dances a season. With this tool, the directors can start imputing information as they are inspired and not have to rely on chicken scratch note pads to translate their thoughts.

Pre-Broadway = In the course of a Broadway show’s development phase dancers are made, cut, changed, and re-configured to work with scenery or a change in story line. With a software like this the Assistant Choreographer, Dance Captain, or Stage Manager will be able to update the module so no one has to ask, “What did we do yesterday?”.

After Opening = Have a long running show that has a casting change, or one of your ensemble dancers ate too much sushi? Your Dance Captain, Stage manager, and dancers can use this tool to cut rehearsal time down and improve accuracy.

Event Planners = If you are a production company that caters to the high-end event market, you will have to show your client in advance what the sets, lighting, and costumes will look like. You even have to go as far as showing your client what the napkins, table settings, and mints in the bathroom will be like. In the past you were unable to show them what the movement on the stage was going to be like. Now you can.

* * *

Do you think this product will have merit in the marketplace, do you think something like this exists? Do you think this will make like on the stage easier or more complex?

Leave your comments here!

A Video that Inspired Me (Thanks To My HS Guidence Councilor)

2009-11-09T11:30:00-05:00

Ken Robinson says Schools Kill Creativity…

This “creativity expert” says “We are educating people out of creativity”. I wish everyone in education, the arts, and entertainment watched this video.

Take 19 minutes and 21 seconds of your day to enjoy this seminar brought to you by TED:

* * *

When I was a senior in high school, my guidance counselor in High School, Mr. W., pulled me into his office and attempted to “talk me out of” going into the entertainment industry. Thank gorsh the thick-headed teenager in me remained committed to my passions.

It disturbs me greatly that many educational systems are not promoting younger generations to explore their creativity and use their creativity in every day life. Please don’t think that I feel every child should be an actor, or a singer, or a musician (That would be scary). Creativity to me does not mean that you dedicate your life to the arts, it means you dedicate to make your life into a piece of art.

I feel obligated as a member of society to cultivate experiences that inspire others to take risks with their passions. It is my wish that as a member of the entertainment world that I can create safe, and entertaining environments that move audiences to grow.

Here are the ways I am currently doing this:

1) Through StarQuest – in 2009 we had over 21,000 performers under the age of 18 perform at our events. Many of our dancers do not attend our events with the goal to win top score, they come to be their best, to dance, to create, and to be part of a passionate community. As the Associate Producer for the upcoming season, it is my goal to ensure that young dancers have an environment to create, showcase, and grow.

2) Through This Blog – I hope that readers of this blog gain something out of it. Be it a gram of inspiration, an ounce of inspiration, or a bucket of inspiration, I enjoy sharing my journey with others in hope there is some form of connectivity that sparks motivation. I feel fortunate that every day I learn new things – Why wouldn’t I want share these lessons with you!?

3) Developing New Projects Intended to Serve Others – Over the next 12 months you will see a few new projects pop up all of which have the goal to support entrepreneurs and artists. Stay tuned to see.

* * *

What are you doing to foster inspiration or creativity in others?

Share your stories in the comment section of this blog.

When Money Doesn't Talk - Partnerships in Entertainment

2009-11-06T10:16:46-05:00

When I was a mobile DJ I had the honor of providing the sound reinforcement and music for a new bicycle race in NJ. Target, the mega-store, was the main sponsor of the event. The big red bulls eye logo was at the center of all the promotional materials. I thought I was the hottest thing in town being the DJ of a Target sponsored event.

Being a geeky 19 year old entrepreneur, I wanted to know how much mooo-la did the big red have to shell out to be a top billing sponsor. I excitedly went to the guy who hired me, and asked him. Anticipating to hear about a huge sum of money revealed to me I was disappointed to hear the truth. I was told, “….We didn’t get paid anything….They gave us permission…It makes us look bigger and more reliable…”

I was heart broken at the time, I was hoping to learn about a get-rich-quick plan., Quickly I got over my heart break as I started to work on more of my own projects.

* * *

Partnerships are a valuable way of building a brand. It is hard to put a price tag on the value driven by an association with a reputable organization. There are many win/win possibilities out there. In trade, in eblast swaps, in awareness opportunities, in product placements…You get it.

I am proud to announce my most recently won partnership. This partnership is a one hand washes the other payment system. We promote them, they promote us, we have their clients eyes, they have my industries heart.

Ladies and Gentlemen, today at 1:30 PM Eastern Time, StarQuest International will be formally announcing our alliance with the Broadway show Burn The Floor.

Look at (the bottom) of their Partners page…Ok…Ok... We have a small square in the bottom of the window, but hey.. This is one of many big steps to align our dance competition with other large entertainment and arts based organizations. And look at the other organizations we are paired up with as a partner!

We have been able to foster several opportunities with Burn The Floor, and I am excited to see what else we can do with them (While they are on Broadway, and once they start touring).

* * *

Look at your projects, ask yourself…”Self…What organizations can I build a partnership with?”. Now-a-days not many organizations are willing to write a check to you, but they are looking to build their brands to new markets.

What non-cash partnerships have you built? Have they brought you success, grief, nothing? Comment below or email me.

Do You Want a Job or a Life? Represent!

2009-11-05T00:07:45-05:00

We are in the process of staffing the weekend warriors for the upcoming dance competition season. In total 30 positions need to be filled for the 5 month tour. This includes Stage Managers, Merch Managers, Judges Managers, Tour Managers, and Awards Managers…Lots of people who need to…Manage.

Often I get questions through email, phone calls, and faxes (Yes… I get asked questions through fax from time to time….I didn’t even know my efax number was still active…). Here are a sampling of some of the questions I get:

- Should I send my theatrical resume or my business resume?

- Do you need a cover letter?

- Is there a limit to how many words I should keep my cover letter to?

- Would you like a photo? (Hu?)

- What should I wear to the interview?

Here is my answer to all of the above questions: “Apply in a way you would like to represent yourself for this particular position”.

I respect the fact that candidates want to make a home run for potential employers. Interviewing and applying for gigs can sometimes be an art into itself. I welcome questions from people who apply. It is important to me that you feel welcome in any company I am associated with, regardless to if you are going to be brought on board or not.

There is no magic way to apply for a position. There is no special outfit to wear. Follow the instructions the company has requested in the ad, beyond that do what you feel is right. Represent yourself in the light you would like to been seen.

If someone hiring does not like you because your cover letter has 25 too many words, or because you wore your hair up instead of down, you probably don’t want to work for that individual anyway.

Also, notice that I don’t use the word “job” in this message. Call me quixotic, but I want to work for people who love what they do and consequently get paid for it. That’s not a job, that’s a juicy life.

Go Juice Life….

(This posting dedicated to Randolph Pierson from AMDA, who painfully taught me the lesson above when I asked in class if I should get a headshot with or without my glasses on – which I ended up getting both – No wonder why I’m no longer an actor.)

Not Mr. Wizard! - Marketing to the Youth of America

2009-11-03T19:37:55-05:00

In gearing up for the 2010 Dance Competition at StarQuest International, I have plans to start utilizing social networking more. In my research to better understand what is the most appropriate, law-abiding, ethical way of marketing to the teen/tween market I ran into some interesting facts about advertising on television.

During children’s television programming the FCC has placed safeguards on advertisements to protect the youthful observers who has not yet necessarily figured out that advertisers are out to manipulate you.

I found the following FCC guidelines extraordinary:

1) There must be a transition between the program and the advertisements. The purpose of this is to separate the show’s influence from the product itself. This is why you hear “After these messages…” & “Now a brief word from our sponsor..” (I never knew why they said those things. It has become such a part of my childhood that I never questioned it).

2) Host selling during children’s programming is not allowed. Meaning you won’t see Mr. Wizard selling you a science kit in a commercial during his own show. (Wait.. Is that show even on the air still? I always wanted to be one of the kids on that show! If the show ever has a comeback I want on it!)

3) Products being sold in the advertisement cannot be part of the program content. Meaning, You won’t see Golden Grahams as part of the storyline in SpongeBob if they are an advertiser. (I don’t think the Sponge would like the cereal anyway…To soggy)

4) There must be a “Tombstone Shot” – The product must be in a shot all by itself with out the extra toys and accoutrement that can be purchased separately.

These fantastic facts brought are from the Future of Children Web Site. Want more about marketing to children. Read the entire document Children and Electronic Media.

This all being said, there is not a whole heck of a lot of regulation that can be put on advertisers since speaking to the public is part of the first amendment. Which brings us full circle to online content. How can online content be monitored and regulated? How can you regulate a website if it is set up in another country? Ahhh.. The future will bring many new policies I’m sure.

More on that as I journey down this road.

I Have The Cure!

2009-07-08T08:55:48-04:00

BECAUSE IT IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT

I am proud to announce that I have joined as part of the producing/management team for the NYMF production of THE CURE - A ROCK AND ROLL FABLE

What made me want to be part of this tribe?:

1)    The music is fantastic
2)    The book has great themes
3)    Vampires are super Hot right now
4)    The composer/writer Mark Weiser has a Passion for this! Get out of his way !
5)    One of the other producers was from my CTI class who I trust impeccably.
6)    This is intended to be a non-traditional theater experience.
7)    This is going to be hot!

Listen to some samples of the music right now!:

New Religion (Demo: Gregg Goodbrod, Jeremy Kushnier)

Rage On (Demo: Jeremy Kushnier)

Who I Am (Demo: Tim Carosi, Andrew Grant)

Walk in the Sun (Demo: Donna Sonkin, Tom Schultheis)

*Songs are mix of excerpts recorded live at Le Bar Bat reading* and studio demo recordings**. Excerpts from the reading contain some spoken dialog and narration.

THE FUNDRAISER & SOCIAL CURE

Please join me and my fellow creative producers at the Fundraising Social tomorrow (Thursday , July 9th, 2009).

Details below

DETAILS OF FUNDRAISER

RSVP HERE

Host:	Mark Weiser, Erica Ruff, Samantha Saltzman, and the rest of THE CURE!!!
Type:	Party - Benefit

Date:	Thursday, July 9, 2009
Time:	8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:	Brand New SWEET CAROLINES
Street:	322 West 45th Street (between 8th and 9th)
City/Town:	New York, NY

Come party at the BRAND NEW Sweet Caroline's, and help support our new rock musical - THE CURE, premiering this October in NYC!

Good drinks, good people and great tunes (provided by Mark Weiser, of SWEET CAROLINES)

SWEET CAROLINES KITCHEN WILL ALSO HAVE APPETIZERS AVAILABLE FOR ORDER.

Some of our rock n roll raffle items include:

TWO tickets to the Broadway smash hit ROCK OF AGES
6 month membership to EQUINOX FITNESS CLUB
passes to singles events with MEET MARKET ADVENTURES
and MORE...!!!

Tickets to the evening are $20, and come with a free raffle ticket, and a FREE DRINK! Every guest will receive a $5 gift certificate from Meet Market Adventures, for ANY of their upcoming singles events!! AND, the first 50 people in the door get a complimentary pass to Equinox Fitness Club!

For donations of $50 or more, you ALSO receive a ticket to the production of THE CURE this October, as well as 3 additional raffle tickets.

For donations of $100 or more, you ALSO receive (in addition to everything listed above) a second ticket for THE CURE (both for OPENING NIGHT!), another SIX raffle tickets (for a total of TEN!), and a special mention in the festival program!

YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN A RAFFLE ITEM...

ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE iF YOU PAY BY CHECK. If you cannot make the event but still want to contribute please e-mail Mark Weiser for more details: asongulove@aol.com

Visit www.thecuremusical.com to read about the show, which will be directed by Elizabeth Lucas and musically directed by Mark Hartman.

Become a fan of the show at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-CURE-a-rock-and-roll-fable/117957314883

National Endowment for the Arts = Hope

2009-05-13T12:05:48-04:00

My good friend Charlie sent me an article that sent happy-chills down my spine.

See it here

Rocco Landesman recently spoke at the Commercial Theater Institutes 14 Week Producer Intensive that I took part in. After hearing him speak for the hour, I am convinced he will be perfect for this role in the US.

Congradulations Mr. Landesman on your position as Chairman in the NEA.

Perhaps there is hope after all.

Smash Shack - Always a new way to Entertain!

2009-05-01T21:25:28-04:00

The wikipedia definition of entertainment is: "... an activity designed to give people pleasure or relaxation. An audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games."

As someone who is into the development of entertainment I always keep my radar tuned into innovative and new ideas. Some of my colleagues are interested in producing only plays, others only musicals. Me? I like anything that brings a burst of inspiration into someones day. Especially if it is through the medium of entertainment.

When I was in San Diego last week (Now one of my favorite US cities), I was eating at a diner that had one of those card racks in the lobby. You know, the type that has details on all the local attractions like zoos, shows, go carts, etc. Buried in the heaps of "to do" I found a neat little place that I wanted to share with readers of TrendErtainment. Here it is:

Sarah's Smash Shack

They even have a mobile unit. Imagine a Bar-Mitzvah with a bunch of 13 year old girls breaking glass. I tried to go myself but they were closed by the time I had some play time.

Any other interested forms of "Entertainment" you have come across lately?