One Producer in the City

Want to have a good conversation? Share more.

The other day I sat down with someone and we had a really great conversation about good and bad conversations. As we were digging into this topic, I realized what is so important to me in terms of a solid meeting with someone and it is something that harkens back to my childhood:

Sharing. 

Anyone who has had a brother, sister, or best friend has had to deal with the concept of sharing as a child. You get a box of crackers and there's only one left, you are asked to share that box with the other person. This means less food, but it also means that you get to enjoy the food together. The main lesson that you learn as a child is that if you take everything for yourself you'll probably end up with an angry friend and a stomach ache. The same principals can be applied to a good conversation. 

When you sit down with someone, imagine you have a single box of crackers in front of you. That box is like time. Your 30 minutes to 1 hour is the time that you have and there are two ways that you can go about spending it:

You can hog the box of crackers (talk about yourself, pitch your services, try to sell someone and ignore everything they have to say) and end up with a stomach ache (the person doesn't ever call back).

OR

You can share the box of crackers (ask the other person what they do and what they are passionate about, engage and ask questions to better understand how you can help, and provide just enough of your story for them to reciprocate) and end up with both of you feeling full (wanting to see each other again and work together).

So the next time that you are out at a meeting, take a second to check in with yourself about how you are spending that time. Are you sharing?

Or do you have a face full of crackers?

Excelsior! 

Guest Blog #92: Don't forget to listen

This week's guest blog comes from film and theatre director Liam Billingham. As you'll see below, Liam was having some challenges while blocking a show and learned a valuable lesson that he'll share with all of you. Take it away Liam! 

Excelsior!

There is nothing like the first day of blocking a play. It’s the day you say to yourself ‘wow, we’re really doing this.’ Gone are the days of sitting around a table and talking. Gone are the nice breaks from table work in which everyone acts silly and enjoys getting to know one another. Now, we have a performance to make.

Last Saturday, I had my first blocking rehearsal for Lawrence Dial’s Carroll Gardens Aborning, a new play about two couples, one reeling from a tragic loss and the other making decisions about their lives together. It’s a wonderful, natural piece of drama, and one I was thrilled to be offered.

The piece is being produced by The LabRats, an NYC Theatre company. The Rats do lots of shows, and have worked together for years. Two of the Aborning company members are playing major roles, and our design team is composed of a crew of professionals who have worked with the company frequently. It’s a bit of a family affair.

As the actors warmed up and our stage manager set the stage, I found myself slightly anxious. I haven’t had to fully stage a play in years, most of my theatre work lately being on a one-woman show called Human Fruit Bowl, and everything else being film. This was slightly nerve wracking, especially because we had elected to start with the play’s most complex scene, blocking-wise.

The actors began doing their thing, and I began offering suggestions and ideas, but something wasn’t clicking. We couldn’t make headway, and things were happening in fits and starts. The chemistry demonstrated in our first read-through had disappeared. This kind of thing is quite common in a first staging rehearsal, but it felt somehow worse. Something was getting in our way.

After ruminating about it for a few minutes, I realized what it was: me. I was the problem. I was anxious about doing a ‘good’ job, and so was playing the role of an overly busy director. I wasn’t letting the play happen.

I took a step back and a deep breath, and let the actors go to work. Suddenly, things began to click. The actors were hitting the moments nicely, and their strong understanding of the play brought an easy clarity and confidence to each moment. I said very little, only commenting when an impulse told me to push someone towards or away from a choice. Very quickly, the scene took shape. Was it perfect? No, but it was a step in the right direction, which is exactly where you want to be at the end of a first blocking rehearsal.

This is certainly not the first time I have learned this lesson, as I think it is one that reverberates in all fields: Let the people around tell you what it should be. Listen first, and make decisions. Don’t let your need to be right get in the way of figuring out what works. The ability to step back and learn through experience is humbling and rewarding.

Liam Billingham is a film and theatre director based in NYC. Check out his work at liambillingham.com

 

This week's A.P.T.- George E. Stephanopoulos and Swing Away

This week's A.P.T.- is George E. Stephanopoulos who is producing the movie Swing Away, which you'll read all about below. I recently had the chance to sit down with George and hear about the stellar cast he is assembling, the amazing perks he's providing on his Rockethub campaign, and the awesome location he is planning for the film. Have a look below and if you love Greece, Golf, or Georges feel free to contribute! 

Excelsior! 

 

Description

WHO’S WHO?

George has assembled a dynamic creative team – Steven Kampmann (Back to School,Stealing Home), who is also the director, and Paul Lingas (Wide Awake in Nothing) – to write the script, produce and distribute the film and help him realize his dream, which is to bring newfound respect, as well as business opportunities, to the country he adores.

Also on board is John O'Hurley (best known internationally for two very different roles - J. Peterman in the comedy series Seinfeld and King Neptune in SpongeBob SquarePants) for the role of Heinrich, the smarmy, antagonistic entrepreneur in the film.  John's recent YouTube hit, a hilarious golf parody, crossed 1.3 Million views: Rangé Golf Balls with John O'Hurley

Swing Away will be co-produced in association with 57th & Irving Productions (the production company behind the award-winning documentary American Teen and feature films Auguststarring Josh Hartnett and Cake Eaters starring Kristen Stewart) and distributed in North America by Picturehouse – this means Bob Berney and the successful distribution team previously behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding. 


GET INSPIRED AND CHASE YOUR DREAMS

A maverick streak has always defined lawyer and independent film producer George Stephanopoulos. So he imagined his golf comedy set not in Pebble Beach, but in a remote village in Crete.

"A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free."  -  Nikos Kazantzakis

Not only is this tale a moving, audience-friendly small town story like Local Hero, Waking Ned Devine or Bend it Like Beckham, it’s also a classic underdog drama pitting charming locals against rapacious developers. Using the backdrop of contemporary Greece, George found the perfect dynamic to tell an entertaining story that touches upon these and many other themes that will be incredibly relevant to a broad audience.

Our journey to make Swing Away has been its own Greek odyssey, and we now need supporters like you – supporters who want to get inspired to chase their own dreams. 


LET’S START WITH THE BASICS

Swing Away is an engaging romantic comedy and a unique coming of age story filled with laugh out loud authentic characters.  Set in a small, sun-drenched Greek village nestled between majestic mountains and the blue azure sea on the island of Crete, Greece, this film will bring joy, laughter and wonder to any audience.

With present day Greece and golf as the backdrop, Swing Away uses humor to tackle a variety of stereotypes while at the same time addressing other universal themes relevant in Greece and the world at large -- such as competition for land, resources and respect. In other words, the movie will create a new narrative that counters the current, often far too negative public image of Greece and the Greek people – and to show you that there are things worth fighting for!

We all know what it’s like to have dreams; dreams that challenge us at various points in our lives to think big and rise to the occasion against the greatest of odds. This is part of Greek heritage: from Thermopylae to Alexander’s outnumbered troops to the partisan fighters in WW II, the nature of the Greek spirit is to overcome insurmountable odds. The creation of this film, as well as its plotline, also reflect this simple, timeless, and very powerful idea.


FEELING IT TO YOUR CORE (isn’t that what movies are all about?)

Swing Away has the spirit of Zorba the Greek, the warmhearted comedy of Tin Cup and a dose of the whacky (yet in our case family friendly) comedy found in Caddyshack. It invites an audience to escape mundane, everyday reality for an hilarious romp in the magical Greek isles.  It’s a story of underdogs – of a village held in the corporate grip of a greedy entrepreneur, of a Greek boy hoping to follow his golfing dream against incredible odds, and of a humiliated Greek-American pro golfer rediscovering her love for the game, her family, her very self. It’s a tale of friendships, values, and golf gods. It’s an endearing, lighthearted love story between a woman and a boy, between a game and a village, between a granddaughter and her grandparents, between and man and a woman.  Yes, Swing Away may feel like an easy-breezy comedy, but is also tugs at the heart and pleases the imagination like a delightful dream.


PERKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

RocketHub will help us raise awareness and rally the global Greek community and general public.  Moreover, RocketHub not only allows us to build community, but also empowers supporters like you who believe in the project and want to participate in its creation.



So how do you get involved? How do you help bring this vision of a resilient Greece to life? Well, you can do it right here on RocketHub, of course. And true to the Greek spirit of generosity and welcoming all, we’ll even offer some cool perks for those who donate to the project.

Like these unique opportunities to directly participate in the making of the film. For various donations, you can actually have an input in the movie’s creative process. For instance, you can:

• play the part of a background extra.

• play a limited speaking part.

• name the town, golf course, or church where the story takes place. Or even the mythical Greek golf god that will resemble the Minotaur, the wild beast of Crete.

• receive associate producer credits for hosting a screening of the film prior to its release but this is limited to only 20 cities in the U.S.

The map below will be updated with the name of each host city that commits to a promotional screening of the film in 2014 – Congratulations to Boston Greeks as the 1st host city thanks to the generous contribution of Drake Behrakis.



The first 100 to donate at The Golf Cart funding level will receive as a bonus an ebook of the best-selling novel "Golf in the Kingdom" by Michael Murphy (link to more info at http://openroadmedia.com/golf-in-the-kingdom) or an ebook of "Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes" by Stephen Goodwin (link to more info at http://www.algonquinbooksblog.com/dream-golf/).   "Golf in the Kingdom" - the movie -- was Executive Produced by George Stephanopoulos and filmed on location at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon.   
 
All backers will receive casting and production news first including regular updates throughout the production process.


PROGRESS TO PRODUCTION 

We will shoot Swing Away on location at the Crete Golf Club and surrounding villages in Hersonissos, Crete.  The course is a championship golf course – the only 18-hole golf course on the island of Crete and one of the most impressive golf courses of the Mediterranean.   The course has a mountain-style layout with panoramic views of both of the mountains of Crete and the Aegean Sea.   

We intend to start production this fall with a shooting schedule of approximately 20-25 days, if we raise sufficient funds. Here is where RocketHub and you can help.  Our aim is to exceed our goal of $200,000 so that we can deliver a finished film of the highest quality and marketability that will show the world that the Greek character is stronger and more resilient than ever.   

We expect the film to receive an MPAA rating of PG-13 or PG like Bend It Like Beckham and My Big Fat Geek Wedding.  These films have been huge successes, and so can we... especially with our carefully orchestrated combination of writing, casting, directing, editing, marketing, etc. and supporters like you.




THE STORY   

When a Greek-American golf pro named Nikki is suspended from the LPGA tour, she escapes to the village of her Greek grandparents on the island of Crete, hoping to get away from what has become a disastrous career and hopefully get herself back on track.  What, and who, greets her when she arrives, however, are a young boy who already hits the ball better than she ever has, his protective (and handsome!) father, feisty, well meaning grandparents and a village bent on doing everything it can to ignore the beautiful golf course that lies nearby.   

Once Nikki arrives in the village she is confronted with two distinct yet equally baffling facts: her grandparents, while happy to see her, seem bent on lecturing her back to health and a young boy who she sees whacking golf balls all over creation with the purest, smoothest, most effortless swing she’s ever seen.  It’s the perfect combination to get her mind off her own playing and putting troubles.  Or not.   Nikki soon befriends the boy, Spiro, more at his prodding and urging than anything else, and they soon form a bond of old-washed-up-has-been and never-going-to-make-it-off-the-island-wunderkind.   Nikki also befriends the manager and groundskeeper of the local course and shortly after she is convinced to be the resident golf pro.  

Nikki, now with a mission in life that doesn’t have to do with making the cut, qualifying for major tournaments, and dealing with the daily grind of the pro tour, sets out to convince the entire town, who up until now have looked at the golf course with a mixture of bemusement, hatred and utter apathy, to begin playing golf and bring some local life and flavor to a course that seems bent on only catering to wealthy foreigners.  Her initial efforts are met with mixed results to say the least, and she soon discovers that the course itself is under threat from outside influences.    

Determined to save the golf course, and with it the town, Nikki pulls out all the stops to enlist the help of men, women, young and old, to embrace this inherently Greek game of golf, take renewed pride in everything Cretan, Greek, and anything else she can think of, in order to save the town from becoming just one more boring, corporately run, homogenized European vacation spot.   It won’t be easy though.  She has to navigate not only the townspeople, but the local course manager, Spiro’s growing talent, his handsome and wonderful single father, the loving yet often meddling ways of her grandparents, the impending threat of a foreign takeover and her own mess of a life.  What's a girl to do?  

What we get is a thoughtful, heartfelt, sometimes irreverent, always family friendly, hilarious adventure of Greek people, Greek golf gods and modern Greek heroes that will change the lives of Nikki, the villagers and everyone who sees Swing Away forever. 

MAIN CHARACTERS

NIKKI BAGOTZIS is a veteran LPGA pro suspended from the tour for fighting with a heckler. Her game suffers from a lack of confidence expressed by the curse of the putting “yips.” She is a strong woman and a fierce competitor who possesses both a sizeable temper and great sense of humor. She is a voracious reader but only for material that inspires or teaches her something. She feels like an alien in the modern culture and seems incapable of making lasting friendships, especially given her chosen profession, one that keeps her mostly on the road living the antiseptic life of motels and restaurant franchises. She loves to trash talk jerks of any sex, size, or color and usually wins. When she returns to her ancestral Greek village, she has lost her purpose in life as well as her love of the game of golf. But all that is about to change. 
SPIRO KAPANEUS, 10, is a self taught, self-confident Greek golf prodigy who dreams of becoming a professional golfer, despite his father’s disapproval.  He loves to trash talk and has found in Nikki both his match and his mentor.

MARCOS KAPANEUS is Spiro’s father, a widower and English teacher at the local school. He’s a good man but a man whose life has taught him to be skeptical of dreams – especially his son’s golfing dreams that he fears will be crushed by the harsh realities of Greek life.

Marcos - Manos Gavras is a Greek actor and film Producer who was born and raised in Heraklion, Crete.  His acting credits include "The Back-up Plan" (2010) with Jennifer Lopez, "Kings of Mykonos" (2010) from the producers of the Oscar winning film "The King's Speech", the Swedish box office hit "Sune i Grekland" and numerous successful Greek films such as "I-4 Loufa & Apallagi"(2008), "First Time Godfather" (2007) and others.  In 2011 he was a co-producer in the action thriller "Stranger in Paradise" shot entirely in Thailand staring Colin Egglesfield and Oscar nominated actress Catalina Sandino Moreno.  Manos along with Adonis Hadjiantonas, his business partner at On Global Productions , are executive producers on the upcoming film "The Butler" directed by the Oscar nominated director Lee Daniels, starring Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Melissa Leo, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, John Cusack, Lenny Kravitz and others. Manos is  based in Los Angeles.


PANAYIOTIS, known as Pano, is the manager of the local golf course. He sweats like a banshee, hyperventilates, and constantly crosses himself, beseeching the deities for help; maybe he’s in such a state because he is hated by the locals for working for the “foreigner” Hans Heinrich and at the same time is horribly abused by Heinrich for his failure to find a suitable pro who can attract more customers.  Thinking he is making a brilliant move, Pano hires Nikki to be his pro, only to discover she gives lessons to the locals and wants to open the course for the villagers - an act for which Heinrich would fire Pano on the spot; if he knew about it.  Thus, poor Pano sweats even more, hyperventilates more often, and seems to cross himself every other minute. 

Pano - Renos Haralambidis is an award-winning Greek actor, director, screenwriter and producer who was born in Athens.   He wrote, directed and starred in No Budget Story (1997), Cheap Smokes (2000), The Heart of the Beast (2005) and Four Black Suits (2010) and has appeared as an actor in numerous other film, TV and theater productions.   Renos is based in Athens.

HANS HEINRICH is the German “foreigner” who owns the golf course. He loves profit margins and his low golf handicap but hates people and any sentence that doesn’t begin with the letter “I.”  Needless to say, he’s our villain.

Heinrich - John O'Hurley is an American actor, voice actor, author and television personality.  He is known for the role of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and was a host of the game show Family Feud from 2006 to 2010.  John is also renowned for his excellent voice work, having voiced dozens of characters in animated TV shows and movies, including for the hit show Family Guy.
 
KETI, Nikki’s grandmother, doesn’t suffer fools and is on record as being the oldest Greek yiayia willing to take up golf. 
 
HARALAMBOS is Nikki’s papou and one of the fools Keti won’t suffer. 
 
THOMAS is the English club “handyman” who appears to have a long-term relationship with alcohol and sarcasm. He has a deep-seated aversion to work and to any kind of sentiment or emotion for, or from, other people. He’s cut off from his feelings and is damn proud of it.   
 
FATHER ISAIAH is the local priest and golf enthusiast with the lowest handicap of any priest or monk this side of Mt. Olympus. 
 
ANASTASI AND VASSILI are two old trash talking village friends and novice golfers who view a golf club more as a weapon to use against enemies than a place where a sport is played. 


CREATIVE TEAM

Steven Kampmann, Writer-Director

The picture was taken on the set of Second City's "BuzzKill" with lead actor Daniel Raymont ("Ray Wyatt") who is in the upcoming film "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" starring Robin Williams and Mila Kunis.

Steven began his career as a comedic actor/writer at the legendary Second City Theaterappearing both in Chicago and Toronto. He wrote on and produced the hit television seriesWKRP in Cincinnati before co-starring on the successful Newhart show two years later in the role of Kirk Devane. He has appeared as an actor in eight movies including a featured role inClub Paradise with Robin Williams and Analyze That with Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. He co-wrote the hit comedy Back To School with Rodney Dangerfield and co-wrote and co-directed the film Stealing Home starring Jodie Foster and Mark Harmon. Other film credits include The Couch Trip with Dan Aykroyd and the cult classic Clifford starring Martin Short.  His latest project was Second City's BUZZKILL, the first feature film from The Second City in over 40 years, starring Daniel Raymont (The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, The Good Heart) and Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B ---- in Apartment 123, She's Out of My League), which was released on Valentine’s Day, 2013 

Paul Lingas, Writer

A native of Portland, Oregon, Paul received a double BA in English Literature and Spanish at the University of Oregon before earning his MFA at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television.  His award winning film Wide Awake in Nothing has screened at numerous festivals worldwide and on the Independent Film Channel.  He has produced, written and directed a number of other award winning films, many episodes of a web based sit-com, as well as a commercial for a New York based social media company.  His screenwriting work includes original screenplays, as well as working as a freelance screenwriter, script doctor and editor.  Paul has been commissioned to write and/or rewrite feature screenplays for a variety of production companies in Los Angeles, New York, London and Athens.

Paul continues to develop a number of feature film writing and directing projects and is currently co-developing an internationally financed TV drama to be shot this coming fall and winter as part of his work as a co-founder of Crosswalk Pictures.  He is currently in preproduction as writer-director of the romantic comedy The Politics of Dating to be shot this summer, as well as in development for a drama to be shot in early 2014.

Paul recently directed and shot a documentary about Byzantine Choral music and chant in London, England; Regensburg, Germany and Athens and Patras, Greece.  In addition, Paul is a Professor of Critical Film Theory and History at the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy. 

57th & Irving Productions

57th & Irving Productions, founded in 2005, has produced five films, all of which have been distributed to audiences around the world. Partnering in 2010 with the 7th Floor Productions to form 7-57 Releasing, the company has also distributed two films, La Soga and their own The Cake Eaters, theatrically and worldwide via DVD and Video on Demand. The company is currently producing its first short film. 

57th & Irving Production's first film, The Cake Eaters, marked the directorial debut of award-winning actress, Mary Stuart Masterson, and an unforgettable performance by Kristen Stewart. The company then produced festival favorite documentaries, Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love and the Sundance 2008 winner for Best Director of a Documentary, American Teen.American Teen was purchased by Paramount Vantage at Sundance that same year. 57th & Irving Production's third film, August, starring Josh Hartnett was also a Sundance 2008 favorite and secured a theatrical and DVD distribution deal shortly thereafter.

The company again partnered with the 7th Floor Productions to produce its first horror film,Choose starring Kevin Pollak and Katherine Winnick. The film is thrilling and sending chills down the spine on DVD and Video on Demand now.

Picturehouse

Based in New York, Picturehouse is a full-service independent film marketing and distribution company started in 2005 with founder Bob Berney at the helm. Picturehouse's new release will be Metallica Through the Never, a feature film starring members of the iconic rock band and Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Amazing Spider-Man 2). DeHaan plays a young band crew member who is sent out on an urgent mission while the band is playing a rousing live set in front of a sold-out crowd and unexpectedly finds his world turned completely upside down. The film, written and directed by Nimrod Antal (Kontroll, Predators), is due in theaters August 9. One of the bestselling rock acts of all time, Metallica has sold over 105 million albums worldwide. Picturehouse will acquire, market and theatrically distribute independent films from the U.S. and around the world. The company expects to release two or three films this year, increasing its output to four or five in 2014 and six or seven in subsequent years. The company recently signed an exclusive, multi-year output deal with Netflix, the world's leading Internet television network. Picturehouse films will come to Netflix exclusively in the United States shortly after theatrical release.  In addition, Picturehouse has secured a first look relationship with Warner Bros. Pictures International for films to which it has international distribution rights. Mr. Berney headed the company when it was originally formed in April 2005 as a joint venture between HBO and New Line Cinema. Under his leadership, Picturehouse acquired and released such acclaimed features as Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth(winner of three Academy Awards); Olivier Dahan's La Vie en Rose (winner of two Academy Awards, including best actress for Marion Cotillard) and Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion. Mr. Berney, who has founded and operated some of the most successful independent film distribution and marketing companies of the last decade, has overseen the U.S. theatrical releases of blockbusters such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, as well as critically hailed films including Christopher Nolan's Memento, Alfonso Cuaron's Y Tu Mama Tambien and Niki Caro's Whale Rider. Most recently, Mr. Berney co-founded and served as President, Theatrical Distribution of FilmDistrict, a multi-faceted acquisition, distribution, production and financing company, and also served as President and Partner at Newmarket Films, releasing numerous features including Mel Gibson's $370 million-grossing The Passion of the Christ and Monster, for which Charlize Theron won the Best Actress Academy Award.   Before that, Berney ran IFC Films, where he acquired and oversaw the release of films including the $240-million surprise hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Y Tu Mama Tambien. 


WHO ELSE IS ON BOARD?

EURIPIDES "RIP" KASTARIS is a creative director who has designed the graphics for the project.   You can also look forward to seeing his designs on the wearables on offer in the “Goods” section.



Euripides “Rip” Kastaris is an internationally recognized four-time Olympic artist and an adjunct professor of Greek History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Born in Greece, the son of an Orthodox priest, he came to the US as part of  his father’s mission. He received his BFA at Washington University in St. Louis and the valedictorian of the School of Fine Arts at graduation. He is masterful in the use of ancient and modern art techniques from fresco to Photoshop. He has done work for the rock star "Sting," painted monumental murals like a four story Steamboat Landing on the Great River Road along the Mississippi  in Alton Illinois and KYKLOS-Circle of Glory, an epic Olympic panorama permanently installed at Athens Olympic Stadium. He has been sought out  create images for a host of Fortune 500 corporations like Anhueser Bush, Ralston Purina, 3M, Monsanto and NBC Television.

Kastaris was  featured on the PBS documentary, “The Greek Americans” and European satellite television such as ERT, Mega and Antenna networks broadcast out of Athens. He has been recognized with numerous awards including the Artist of the Year award from the Elios Society of San Francisco in 2003. In 2007 he won the National Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press. 

In addition to his creations, Kastaris teaches any workshops in Byzantine Iconography and a university course using the art of antiquity to guide students through Greek History.  His curriculum presents lessons for an authentic life he challenges them to pursue.  He understands the power of images and how they can be used in modeling the contemplative life of character and virtue.  Through image making he believes people find focus and transformation. 
____________________

Swing Away TM & COPYRIGHT 2013 Ancient Game Productions, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.   Photo of Kastelli, Crete courtesy of Mary Polemarhakis.

 

A new Give Away

Last week we had a contest where I gave away a pair of Hamlet tickets. This week, I have another set of tickets to the show Unbroken Circle. Info is below and if you don't win, there is also a discount code for you. 

So what are the steps?

Step 1. Choose what you consider is the worst marketing message you have received.

Step 2. Tweet to me @michaelroderick quote the marketing message and use the #Badmarketing

Step 3. Wait with baited breath. 

I will choose the best tweet and send them the tickets. 

Good luck!

Seth Rudetsky & Mary J. Davis Presents

 

  

 

WIN TWO TICKETS TO UNBROKEN CIRCLE!

 

UNBROKEN CIRCLE, written by James Wesley, is at turns hilarious and disturbing as it explores how family secrets affect every person in each generation differently. Set in 1970's Galveston, Texas, a family is brought together for the first time in years on the day of its patriarch's funeral. As the day turns into night, the impact of the man on his family unfolds in surprising ways leaving each member grappling with the truth.

 

 The cast includes Stacey Bone-Gleason and Broadway vets Anika Larsen (Xanadu, Avenue Q),  Suzanna Hay (Dance of Death with Ian McKellan and David Strathaim), Lori Hammel (Mamma Mia!), and also stars Eve Plumb (“The Brady Bunch”, Love Loss...) in a highly comedic yet ultimately moving performance as the born-again Christian, Aunt June. Inspired by events from his extended Texas family, playwright James Wesley stars as the troubled Bobby alongside his real-life daughter Juli Wesley. 

 

St. Luke’s Theatre

308 West 46^th Street

UnbrokenCircleThePlay.com

CONTEST RESTRICTIONS: Winner will receive a ticket voucher redeemable for two tickets to a performance of his/her choice through July 31, 2013.  Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply.

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

UNBROKEN CIRCLE - SPECIAL OFFER 

If you don’t win tickets, you can still see the show at a great deal!

 

OFFER: $39.50 tickets

 

TO REDEEM:

ONLINE: Visit BroadwayOffers.com and enter code UCRED

PHONE: Call 212.947.8844 and mention code UCRED

 

RESTRICTIONS: Regularly $59.50.  Subject to availability. Not valid on prior purchase. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts of promotions; blackout dates and restrictions may apply. No refunds or exchanges. Offer may be revoked at any time. Standard service fees apply to all phone and internet orders.

 

 

Why permission matters more than ever

As Seth Godin recently pointed out, people are still not doing good work when it comes to marketing their services. 

What is the issue?

Permission. 

It's really a simple premise. If you want to sell something to me, it's best to get my permission first. That means that I have indicated in some way that I am willing to be sold to. 

So how is it possible that people are still doing things like randomly messaging me on LinkedIn showing that there are 50 other people in the "To:" line in the email?

Because they are playing a numbers game. And for many people the numbers game works for them. They contact 50 people and maybe one says yes, so they make at least one sale. They're being taught this and they probably have not been taught any other way. 

Here's a thought. 

Spend more time on fewer people who want your service and want to pay good money for it, rather than less time on more people who really don't want to be bothered. 

Permission is an incredibly powerful tool and not enough people are using it in their marketing. Ask me what I want and take the time to get to know me. Then you can sell to me and you'll probably get me to spend three times what someone else will pay. 

So to all of those who are selling services. It may be a good idea to go out there and get permission,

Or get a new job. 

Excelsior! 

 

Guest Blog #91: Lessons Learned

This week's guest blog comes from Katie Santos, a new manager who learned some valuable lessons about producing that she has kindly offered to share. Take it away Katie!

Excelsior!

It was Opening Night. My fiancé, and co-producer of the show, was in the audience - a potential investor to his right and another texting, wanting to attend tomorrow nights show. 

 

I was backstage, calming actors, finding costume pieces they misplaced directly in front of themselves and just generally breathing a sigh of relief that tonight,  the culmination of all our hard work would be realized. 

At the end of the night, we all breathed and toasted to a collective sense of exuberance:

"We did it!"

Of course, we looked forward to tomorrow ("and tomorrow and tomorrow...") We were on a fast track and Broadway Bound. And this was no unfounded pipe dream; we had done our due diligence: collected a great team of experienced, award winning professionals; gotten a solid script and intense marketing in the form of a well known famous author with a huge following; and had a production value so high that we'd Sold Out our first sixteen shows A Full Month in Advance.

 

Failure  at this point, could only be attributed to something Completely Beyond Our Realm Of Control:

Like Mercury Retrograde;

Or The Apocalypse;

Or the Fickle Workings of the New York Audience Hive Mind.   

If this show was not a smashing success there was nothing we could say that we had failed to do. 

...Right? 

Yeah. That's what we thought, too.

Here's how we made that mistake and how to make sure you Don't!

1- Our Relationship With Our Most Important Partner:

Of all our amazing, professional, talented partners in this show, the one we may have failed in relating with was our venue and box office Owner. It's easy to forget the importance of this individual, given that they are rarely involved in the rehearsal process or attend production meetings. And in this case there were plenty of excuses why our particular situation was "difficult". However, this is the partner who, more than the General Manager or the top-line investors, can be the safety net of the show - before, during AND after. 

Your positive relationship with Every Individual, even the more "difficult" ones, is absolutely necessary in holding on to your inevitable success. 

2- Our "Fully Grown From the Head of Zeus" Marketing plan:

Like Athena fully birthed from her dad's head, our Marketing Plan came to us Ready Made. Created on the backbone of a famous author, with a loyal and huge following in the real world as well as online, it seemed Goof Proof. Our script, adapted from his books, appealed to not only current fans but "theater geeks" as well.  As we rehearsed and built the show, he blogged and tweeted, promised his fans they would meet him if they came and even offered to buy each audience member a drink! When the first week sold out, crashing our online ticket service in the process, we were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that we had a huge success on our hands. 

At a few production meetings the show website was discussed ("When would we have one...?") and the idea of hashtags was bandied about ("It would be great to have them publicized...") But the urgency to follow these thoughts thru was overshadowed by the Awesome press we were getting on sites like Jezabel and Cosmo and on the authors own blog. That's all we needed, right?

Your marketing plan is not a static entity. It, like the show, should grow and evolve; and as it does, so will your success. 

3- Positive Thinking. 

As the ball of success started to roll, gathering speed and social media laurels, we started to tell ourselves that the greatness thrust upon us was inevitable. "This is going to Broadway," we said, before we'd even opened. And it didn't seem crazy! If anything, our Positivity was backed by practical plans and spreadsheets. We were so positive, that we didn't see the alternative ending. Couldn't see it - and I believe that we couldn't for many reasons. One main one might be one we all struggle with sometimes:  fear that if we let negativity in - the "what ifs" and the doubts-  our success will disappear. 

*Be  Positive about your continued success by taking an honest look at the possibility of failure.  

The final bonus point:

*Always Remain Conscious of the Success You HAVE Achieved! We did not make our end goal of Broadway - this time, or in this way - BUT: We DID put on 16 Amazing , fun, memorable, successful shows. We DID make lifelong friends and connections that can only benefit us in the future. And we did learn so much - even more than what I've shared here . 

We're excited to share these lessons with our peers: one-on-one and at regular group workshops with fellow producers, directors and managers - so that we can all continue to achieve every bit of the success we deserve! 

Thanks for sharing Katie! 

 

This week's A.P.T.- HAMLET

Not the prince of Denmark. A new production of it. 

I do have some free tickets. Below is info about a new production of Hamlet and I'm going to give away a pair of tickets. If you don't win, you can check directly below the copy for a discount on the tickets. 

How do you win? 

Step 1. We all know how difficult it can be to market Shakespeare. Think of the best one-liner you can tweet that would get people to come and see a Shakespeare play. Bonus points if you can come up with something clever that relates to Hamlet. 

Step 2: Tweet to me (@michaelroderick) your best line with the #sharketing- which is show and marketing put together. Good stuff right? And it also capitalizes on this craze. 

Step 3. Wait with baited breath. 

I will announce the winner tomorrow! Good luck and tell your friends! 

"To tweet or not to Tweet"....

Ok. I'm done now. 

Excelsior! 

This new production of William Shakespeare's epic masterpiece updates the setting and strips the play down to its most basic elements, featuring Kyle Knauf in the title role (NYIT Award winning production of Charles Mee'sFetes De La Nuit, the Flea Theater's Obie Award winning production ofBenten Kozo), a set design by Jiin Choi, costumes designed by IlanaBreitman, and a lighting design by the team of Timothy Parrish and Lauren Stetson.

With a supporting cast including Justin R.G. Holcomb, Kathryn Neville Browne, Kim Sullivan, Ian Gould, Britannie Bond, Daniel Levitt, and Angus Hepburn--under the direction of John William Schiffbauer (Classic Stage Company, The Pearl Theatre Company, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Nebraska Shakespeare Festival)--this is a New York City summer Shakespeare experience not to be missed!

Hudson Guild Theatre
441 W. 26th Street
hamletoffbroadway.com

CONTEST RESTRICTIONS: Winner will receive a ticket voucher redeemable for two tickets to a performance of his/her choice through July 28, 2013.  Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply.

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

HAMLET - SPECIAL OFFER 

If you don’t win tickets, you can still see the show at a great deal!

 

SPECIAL OFFER:$15 tickets

 

TO REDEEM:

ONLINE: Visit brownpapertickets.com and enter code RED

 

 

RESTRICTIONS:  Regularly $18. Offer may be revoked at any time and is subject to availability.  Not valid on prior purchase. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions; blackout dates and restrictions may apply.  Maximum of 10 tickets total with offer. 

 

 

 

Retro Wednesday: Give us the trailer, not the whole movie

This week's Retro Wednesday post covers the fact that when you talk with people about your work, it actually makes more sense to say less. Check it out.

Excelsior! 

April 21, 2010

Give us the trailer, not the whole movie

 

By now I'm sure many of you have seen this hilarious video, but it also makes commentary on an all too familiar issue in the world of networking:

Telling us everything.

You probably have a great idea, a great story, or a great business proposal but when you are in a room with hundreds of people, it's not the best of choices to tell those people EVERYTHING about it.  If you do it that way, you may only get to tell that whole story to two people when you could reach 30 or more.

The best way is to consider each project conversation as a movie trailer. A well executed trailer provides the audience with a teaser and some cool images that make us want to go and see the movie. When discussing your latest project, you want to do the same. Mention the cool things, but don't give too much away and engender the type of curiosity that makes people want to follow up.

Remember, all that you really want to do during the conversation is present something of interest and get a chance to talk about it in more detail later. 

If you spend your whole evening telling the other person everything about your project, there's no real need for them to follow up.

So get out there and start showing some trailers and who knows you may find a partner who lands you a box office smashing weekend.

Excelsior!

The strategy straight jacket

When you have something that you want to accomplish, having a strategy is very important. No one is going to argue with that. (I hope) 

Sometimes though, you experience what I like to refer to as the strategy straight jacket. 

The strategy straight jacket goes into effect when you decide that you are going to stick to a strategy no matter what. This means, ignoring your instincts and placing all of your faith in a system that someone else has told you will work. 

Everyone who bought an ab roller knows exactly what I mean. 

Just because a system has worked for someone else, does not necessarily mean that it will work for you. It's really important to take the bits and pieces of strategy that people offer and create your own unique system. 

Many times I hear people say things like:

What are the things I need to do to raise money? 

What is the best way to network?

How do I get someone important to talk to me?

To each of these points I can offer suggestions, but results will always vary depending on the person who is executing.

Nobody has all the answers in regards to solving our problems, but plenty of people have tools that we can use to help us solve them.

So the next time you are looking for a strategy, take a second to trust your instincts, ask big questions, and be open to the fact that sometimes the answers aren't easy. 

No go out there and make something happen. 

Excelsior! 

So you think you can Network?

The other day I sat down with someone who told me in the first five minutes of our meeting that he was a good "networker". He actually said, "I'm a really good networker" 

He then went on to explain to me that he makes tons of introductions for people all of the time. He also expressed his frustration about not getting enough clients or referrals for all of his "efforts" 

When I offered to connect him to some people in the same profession, he didn't want to be connected because he "couldn't possibly refer someone who does something like what his company does"

I politely came up with a way to leave the meeting. 

So here are a few things we can learn from this interaction:

1. The best "networkers" I've met never refer to themselves as networkers. 

2. The best ways to get people to want to work with you is to be focused on their success, not yours.

3. If you make an introduction, it is a gift. If you expect something in return it ceases to be a gift.

4. Just because someone does what you do, doesn't mean you can't work with them. Open minds, lead to open networks. 

5. If you are great at connecting people, then people will talk. You don't need to tell anyone about your skills. We will all just know. 

This experience reminded me that there is still a lot of miseducation out there. The main thing to remember in any of these scenarios is that in every meeting, we want to learn about and help the other person. There is no competition, only specialization. So take the time today to think about this when you are going to your meetings. I'm sure then you won't have a problem with your networking NOT working. 

Excelsior!