Ask Yourself

When Money Doesn't Talk - Partnerships in Entertainment

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.

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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).

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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.

I Have The Cure!

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

Follow us on twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/THECUREfable

Spread the Holiday Cheer this Holiday Season !

They gave it a name

Hearing about the economy on the news and seeing it effect my friends, family, and even my own life brings my attention to the allocation of the mighty ol’ dollar.

After leaving a midtown meeting the other day, my body told me that it was getting time to eat. I walked into the nearest deli, paused, turned around, got on the subway and headed up to my Inwood neighborhood where I purchased a sandwich from a local store. If I am going to purchase goods, I should at least be purchasing from my own community.

It’s the holidays and many of us will be buying gifts. As members of the entertainment industry wouldn’t it be smart of us to give a gift that supports our own professional community. Broadway shows, tours, even local art houses make fantastic and memorable gifts.

This all being said, go do your gift shopping !

* This blog inspired by this one here. Just doin' my part to spread the Holiday Cheer

It's a Kidz Bop World - Tween Entertainment

Razor and Tie has managed to create a music empire based around the tween market. In 2001 they debuted their series Kidz Bop. Even in this era of slow CD sales they still have managed to sell over 10 million albums. In March they introduced  Kidz Bop 13 which premiered on the billboard charts as #4 for sales.

The CDs contain popular cover songs with kids singing in the background, chorus, and sometimes leads.  Razor and Tie made something remarkable to its demographic and the market rewarded them for doing so.

As their popularity grew, they create an online community (My-space-esq) that is safe for kids and empowers them to use their creativity. (Where else have we seen interactive web-companions for popular tween shows?)

Next comes their re-mount of Kidz Bop Live, an interactive, concert event using the pop music from their albums. It will be affordable for the family to attend and modern enough for a mom and dad to also enjoy.

What is admirable about the Kidz Bop Live property is that they are not trying to be Disney and they are not trying to be Nickelodeon. They are being their own product.

Want to see more? In addition to their website links above, you can check out more video footage on their YouTube site here.

With the introduction of other  productions like High School the Musical, it is clear that the face of children’s entertainment is changing.

Fusion in the Arts: “BIG” The Hip Hop Ballet

Fusion seems to be a word I hear more and more as I walk down the streets. It involves everything from food to clothing to art.

I often hear entrepreneurs and marketing experts comment that “Everything that can be invented has been”. Though I disagree with this statement, I assume this generalization about the world is helping increase our desire to take two mediums and blend them into something new.

Now joining the art-fusion-trend is the Atlanta Ballet. Antwan (Big Boi) Patton from the Grammy winning hip-hop duo OutKast collaborated with the renowned Atlanta Ballet to create BIG a Hip-Hop Ballet.  BIG opened at the Fox Theater in Atlanta on April 10th, 2008 and has already received attention on MTV and the New York Times. This could be the start of a new crossover for Ballet enthusiasts and Hip Hop mavens.

It is interesting to see that a Hop Hop ballet is part of a season that includes Peter Pan, Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, and Cinderella. This is one small steps of many to help bring the next breed of entertainment to our culture.

Lauri Stallings is the choreographer and the music is a collaboration of hip-hop artists including Antwan Patton himself. Congratulations for the out-of-the-ballet thinking of all those involved

What is your favorite fusion ?