Digital Marketing the Way of the Future in Performing Arts Projects?

A. Quinn Performing Arts is a nonprofit-based center dedicated to teaching the youth of our local community the arts in dance, drama, and music. As a nonprofit, we thrive on the donations of sponsors and donors to help us to successfully provide the adequate training, rehearsal and performance space needed to teach the youth.

In days past, nonprofits relied on traditional marketing techniques to reach sponsors and donors. Traditional marketing strategies used to help raise funds, or receive donations, consisted of solicited donations, fund-raising events, and word of mouth. Although, these traditional practices are still used, and needed, the birth of digital technology has allowed companies the ability to market to their target audience in new ways. One of the most effective tools in marketing has been through social media. Social media allows a company to connect with their audience and build a new audience of followers. For a nonprofit company, social media is a great resource to not only build a new audience but also obtain sponsor and donor support.

Another effective digital marketing tool has been through marketing sites known as ‘crowdfunding’, which allow companies, and individuals, to promote a project or idea and raise funds. Crowd funding is a great resource to utilize in conjunction with traditional marketing strategies. Performing arts companies, and artists, are using crowdfundng to fund various art projects. Most recently, African-American Ballet Soloist dancer Misty Copeland used crowd funding site Kickstarter to promote and raise funds for her documentary film ‘A Ballerina’s Tale’. The project goal was to raise $40,000 and through the use of social media the project exceeded its goal by raising over $54,000. This is the power of digital marketing and technology.

As a nonprofit company starting up, digital marketing tools such as these are essential in not only helping to promote the center, but also raise funds to preserve the arts and inspire a new generation of artists. In order to not be left behind it is important to learn how to adapt and change with the times to remain relevant in the industry. By understanding the resources available, companies like A. Quinn Performing Arts can continue to reach new audiences and new heights within the community.

So, if you haven’t used new digital marketing to help promote your business or project I strongly urge you look into it as you could be missing out on new opportunities to expand your dance/art company.

In the meantime check out this video from Misty Copeland’s kickstarter, which is now closed.

A Ballerina's Tale

Resource:

A Ballerina's Tale. 2013. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/819201034/a-ballerinas-tale

Crowdfunding. http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-in-success/120213-681257-crowdfunding-is-another-business-funding-option.htm

Thanks for reading,

LaKesha, xo

A Writers Community: What Direction Do You Take?

In continuing with the theme of writing and self-publishing this week, I wanted to share more information on additional resources for support and guidance in navigating the writing community. As a writer, support is a key component to success, as it can be a long and arduous road. And in any industry, community is a necessity to survive.

Here are a few links to review:

Playwriting

National Alliance for Musical Theatre

Keep Writing

As well, I have been dabbling with an idea for a potential children’s book geared towards dance. Since researching self-publishing options, I have been sparked with new passion for writing and ready to get my scribbled, or locked up, ideas out into full visualization. However, there can be pros and cons with self-publishing.

Taking the route of self-publishing can prove to be quite costly and you will want to ensure you have an idea the market needs in order to sell. Even if you chose a site to help self-publish and get to keep all revenue, the upfront cost can be quite expansive. Yes, the traditional route of publishing may seem easier cost wise in comparison with self-publishing, but going the traditional route can prove just a tedious. There is a complete process writers and authors go through to get their work published, and can take years before seeing the fruits of their labor. Traditionally, a writer has to research the various literary agents available, and then prepare a query letter to get the agent interested. Once you get an agent interested, it’s about shopping your work to publishing houses through the means of well-prepared book proposal. If a publishing house is interested, then it’s the process of rewrites, edits, rewrites, edits, and so on until all parties involved feel they have a New York Times success ready for print. In the end, as new and unknown writer, you may not even have full control over your creativity and work, because of the different involved in helping bring the book to life wanting their share. Whew! It’s all a process, and which route is best is up to you and your needs.  

Thanks for reading,

LaKesha, xo

Self-Publishing the Arts

Recently, I have been learning about self-publishing and the various resources available to a writer. Now, I know some of you may think what does self-publishing have to do with performing and culture arts? When we think about theater and the roles that come into play to bring a production to stage, it begins with an idea penned to paper. The idea is birthed into a full play production, and the creator is a writer. And though that writer may copyright his/her work, a writer may decide to expand upon script writing and turn ideas into a collection of published work. Self-publishing is a great way for an author to get their work published without the additional red tape.

There are many self-publishing sites available, however diligent research is needed to find the right and legitimate company. Otherwise, you could find yourself in a situation of loss over control of your creativity and work. Here are a list of some of the top sites:

•   CreateSpace
•  Tate Publishing
•  Dog Ear Publishing
•   Lulu
• Trafford Publishing

Depending on your needs, each site provides an array of services to help with building and publishing your work. One of the key factors to keep in mind when selecting a site is control. As an author, control is key to reaping the full benefits of your work.

In doing research on the topic of self-publishing, I thought of how it could be helpful and beneficial to my business. Although, I do intend to write books someday, that is a personal goal not directly related to my business. After much thought and research, I realized that as a nonprofit, ticket sales will make up roughly 30-40% of income and the remainder will come from sponsors and donors of the arts. The question is what other means can be used to generate income? Answer published work. Published work could include a book of photos featuring the dancers of the company, a dance calendar, and original work of scripts and performances. Through the right site, the company maintains control of the work produced and can reach a broader audience to generate new fan base and income.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you believe self-publishing can be beneficial for you and/or your business? Below are some great sites to visit for more information on self-publishing.

Publishing Perspective

Huffington Post

The Cadence Group

Thanks for reading,

LaKesha, xo

Protect Your Legacy

In today’s blog I wanted to discuss the topic of entertainment law. In starting a business it is important to have a basic understanding of the laws associated within your industry to avoid liability issues in the future. During my research, to grasp a better understanding of the laws surrounding the cultural arts industry, I learned how important it is to have a clear understanding of how to protect your business and yourself from future suits. In my research I also came across a few podcasts from industry experts, within the entertainment field, who shared insight and tips on how to avoid issues such as copyright infringement, trademark and liability issues. Although, most business owners may deem it useless to research these topics and may prefer to hire an attorney to handle such matters on their behalf, and they would be correct. It is also important to have a basic understanding of what and how the laws of your industry will impact your business. It could be the saving factor of your future legacy.

When it comes to protecting your brand it is key to have a clear idea of what your brand is, and the brand message you are portraying if you plan to trademark any component of your business. In the podcast ‘When a foot is only 11 inches, and a Batmobile is a character’ by Gordon P. Firemark, he discusses the importance of not having a deceptive description for your business product or service, when looking to trademark. An example he uses is the process Subway has been going through in trying to trademark the ‘footlong sub’ tagline. Subway has not been able to trademark due to other competitors citing the use of description for Subway subs is deceptive according to trademark law, and can be misleading. In order for the company to receive trademark, Subway will need to provide a clearer, distinctive, description of their product in which the company wants to trademark. According to trademark law, in order to serve as a trademark, a mark must be distinctive (Harvard, 2013). The issue with Subway was other competitors argued any sub is a footlong, and any company selling a sub is selling a footlong sub, therefore the tagline ‘footlong sub’ would be confusing as a trademark. The key when it comes to qualifying for trademark is to make sure you have a clear, and distinctive, mark.

The next big issue in entertainment law is copyright infringement. Unfortunately, many companies create material, or works, that become infringed upon by others. By having an understanding of how to copyright your work, you can protect yourself and your work from being misused. However, on the other side it is just as important to know the correct process in order to use copyrighted material. As a performing arts company, our goal is to produce recitals, shows, and events throughout the year. The majority of the work we produce may be previously produced, or copyrighted material, but we will also work to create original work. So, how do you know that when creating new work it is truly original, and not just a re-created version of something else? The Nutcracker has been reproduced by numerous dance schools and most recently has been re-created into “new work” such as the Hot Chocolate Nutcracker produced by Debbie Allen. Is it an infringement of copyright for Ms. Allen to have a play that resembles the original Nutcracker? In another podcasts by Firemark titled ‘No Copyright, Sherlock’, Firemark discusses several cases of copyright infringement of work used that is similar to previous copyrighted work. However, in most of those cases the court ruled no copyright infringement, as the works in question are not similar in scope and content of the original work, due to tiny changes in the material. So, I gather long as Ms. Allen’s play has differing factors that do not confuse the public with the original Nutcracker; there is no copyright issue.

The final topic of entertainment law reviewed in my research is intellectual property. Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind; inventions, literary and artistic work, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce (WIPO, 2013). Intellectual property consists of patents, trademarks, and copyright work that require protecting. In the course of building a business, it is important to identify ‘what’ is your business’ intellectual property that will require protecting. In the podcasts ‘IP Law Concentration’ by Suffolk University Law School, professor Andrew Beckerman-Rodau discusses in detail and length intellectual property, and how to identify intellectual property within your business. The podcast gives good insight as to how each law related to intellectual property will affect your business.

The greatest takeaway during the research on entertainment law and intellectual property is the importance of having a basic, and comprehensive, understanding of the laws that affect your industry. Operating a business is not easy, and building a successful business takes work. Why not know how to protect your work, so that your efforts and legacy don’t die with you, or before you do. These are just my thoughts and hopefully it helps someone else.

Thanks for reading,

LaKesha, xo

Reference

Trademark Law. 2013. http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/metaschool/fisher/domain/tm.htm

Intellectual Property. 2013. http://www.alllaw.com/topics/intellectual_property

Entertainment Law Update. Podcast by Gordon Firemark; Episode 38

No Copyright, Sherlock. Podcast by Gordon Firemark; Episode 43

IP Law Concentration. Podcast by Suffolk University Law School