Podcast Episode #79 - Audience Engagement Platform

In this episode, David talks with Chris Elam from Misnomer Dance Theater about the upcoming launch of the Audience Engagement Platform, an innovative web-based communications network designed to connect artists, and the environments within which they work, with their audiences – patrons, contributors, the media, and potential funders. First announced in 2008, the Audience Engagement Platform has been developing steadily with Elam's leadership.  The platform will provide templates for multiple ways in which artists can create deeper engagement experiences for their audiences.  Artists will also  have the opportunity to see what types of engagement activities their peers are creating.

According to Elam and the AEP team:

Over 40% of all Americans attend performing arts events each year, and there are over 6 million artists working in America. While each interacts with his/her own audience base perhaps once or twice a year, their cumulative reach is enormous. Artists have a huge opportunity to engage their audiences through the web, yet with uncertainty about which tools to use and to what degree, artists often feel stranded, frustrated, and static in their audience outreach. AEP will simplify and streamline the various online vehicles available, and it will create effective and efficient ways of engaging and growing audiences.

Cool Sites of the Episode: AEPlatform - The online space for staying up-to-date on the Audience Engagement Platform

Misnomer Dance Theater - So you've heard about their work with AEP, now check out their amazing work in dance

Podcast Episode #78 - Seven Digital Trends and Their Implications for the Creative Sector

For this end-of-year podcast episode, we take a look at numerous trends in the technology sector and their implications for nonprofit arts and culture organizations. David talks with Brian Newman, author of the essay "Inventing the Future of the Arts: Seven Digital Trends that Present Challenges and Opportunities for Success in the Cultural Sector" from the recently published 20UNDER40: Re-Inventing the Arts and Arts Education for the 21st Century. Their conversation explores ways in which the trends identified in Brian's essay will impact the creative sector as well as how arts organizations can adapt to these shifts in our culture.  Topics include:  downsizing and mergers, with-profit collaborations, disintermediation and the new role for curators, particpatory culture, electracy, and more.

Cool Sites of the Episode

20Under40 - For further information on the project, discussion forums addressing the ideas put forth by these arts leaders, and more. Buy the hardback | Buy the e-book | Discuss Brian's chapter

SpringBoardMedia - Brian Newman's blog on the future of the media arts.  You can also follow Brian on Twitter at @bnewman01.

The Long Tail - Wired editor Chris Anderson's book about the potential power of niche markets.

The Participatory Museum - Nina K. Simon's guide to making cultural institutions more dynamic, relevant and essential.

Podcast Episode #76 - Virtual Lobbies, Facebook Advertising Strategy, and Online Marketing Hits and Misses

In this second podcast episode in a three-part series (1 | 3) featuring interviews from the National Arts Marketing Project conference, we talk with three arts professionals about their marketing successes (and some misfires). We lead off the episode with Amelia Northrup interviewing Sara Billman from the University Musical Society about the UMS Lobby - a virtual space, accessible year-round, where UMS offers multiple streams of engagement activities.

Next up, David Dombrosky talks with Robert Gore from Theatre Development Fund (TDF) about strategic tips for success with Facebook ads.  These tips are simple and easy for any arts organization to implement.

Finally, Amelia wraps up the episode by interviewing the Susannah Greenwood (aka The Princess) of Artsopolis, the Silicon Valley’s ultimate online guide to arts and culture, about the various online marketing strategies that Artsopolis has employed (both successful and not-so-much) as well as ways to engage Gen Y audiences.

Podcast Episode #75 - NAMP 2010 Breakdown with Ron Evans

Ron Evans

In the first in a three-part series of podcast episodes (2 | 3) featuring interviews from the National Arts Marketing Project Conference, David talks with Ron Evans from Group of Minds Arts Marketing and Technology Consultants about the events and phenomena of interest during the conference. The conversation includes:

- Live streaming video during arts conferences - Conference participants using Twitter to communicate with each other and those unable to attend - Notable plenaries and panel sessions - Tips for arts conference planners - The art of conference presentations - Minimalism vs Bullet Crazy - Reasons to lose your NAMP Conference virginity

Cool Sites of the Episode:

Technology in the Arts' Conference Recap Videos on Vimeo - Imagine a cross between The View and an arts conference. 'Nuff said.

NAMP 2010 on Livestream - The NAMP Conference provided live streaming video for two plenaries and one panel session to the general public courtesy of support from Livestream.

Twitter Discussion for NAMP 2010 - The use of Twitter to communicate with each other exploded among attendees at this year's NAMP Conference with over 5,000 tweets during the 3.5 day event.

Backupify - Daily online backup for your social media and software-as-a-service data.

Presentations on Google Docs - Allows you to keep your presentation in a tab within your browser so that you can jump between the presentation and online content.