One of the best parts of recording episodes in the evening is guests (and host) can actually imbibe. No, this doesn’t mean we’re having and Drunk episodes, but there’s no denying it helps contribute to a discussion sounding more like a group of professionals talking shop.
This ended becoming a fairly broad topic, which I think is best outlined by some of the more memorable quotes:
We all solve problems differently and I don’t know if we’re always right.
Going into the pandemic, we said that with all these creative minds on staff, if we can’t figure this out, nobody can.
At the end of the day, relevance and innovation have to be focal to us.
We have a slew of funders who want to be traditional and don’t want to find a new way of doing things so we’re beholden to them…and as long as we’re shackled to these notions, the industry can’t evolve.
VIDEO
Guests
Jeff is the Executive Director of the Spokane Symphony & Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, a position he has held since 2016. He is credited with infusing the organization with renewed verve, and has increased revenues from $4MM to over $6MM, an increase of over 50% in three years. He has also spearheaded efforts to broaden the reach of the Symphony and Fox, expanding the range of concerts and events, and establishing a program for children to attend symphony performances for free.
About Drew McManus "I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.
View all posts by Drew McManus | Website
Zak is the President & CEO of the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts, which consists of the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet. Prior to his work in the arts, he was a marketing consultant, primarily for Fortune 100 firms.
About Drew McManus "I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.
View all posts by Drew McManus | Website
About Shop Talk
The official podcast of Adaptistration.com, Shop Talk invites captivating guests to talk about engaging topics connected to the orchestra business.
Shop Talk Archives | Shop Talk; Last Call Archives
Publication Schedule (subject to change #obvs)
E01 : Reaching Diverse Audiences Through The Marcom Lens , Ann Marie Sorrell and Ceci Dadisman 08/18/2020E02 : Art Has Always Been Political , Weston Sprott and Jason Haaheim 09/01/2020E03 : Deconstructing Silos , Anwar Nasir and Scott Harrison 09/15/2020E04 : Fostering BIPOC And Women Composers , Anne M. Guzzo, Daniel Hege, and Holly Mulcahy 09/29/2020E05 : What Orchestras Administrators Really Need , Zak Vassar and Jeff Vom Saal 10/13/2020E06 : The Need For Expertise , Mark Almond and Jason Haaheim 10/27/2020E07 : Changing Your Narrative , Mark Larson and Scott Silberstein 11/10/2020E08 : Centering Equity , Ruby Lopez Harper and Brea M. Heidelberg 11/17/2020E09 : How to Create High-Quality Video Content , Bruce Kiesling and Niccolo Go 12/08/2020E10 : Walking Back Artistic Elitism , Kenji Bunch and Jenny Bilfield 12/22/2020E11 : Being A Content Creator Before It Was Cool , Jeff Curnow 01/05/2021E12 : The Commercial Life , Ceci Dadisman and Marc van Bree 01/19/2021E13 : Composers In Academia , David MacDonald and Sam Merciers 2/2/2021E14 : Musician Injuries Could Soar After COVID: Artistic Decision Makers Perspective , Jennifer Arnold and Tito Muñoz 3/9/2021E15 : Musician Injuries Could Soar After COVID: Musician Perspective , Jon Bowen, Catherine Chen, and Yumi Hwang-Williams 3/23/2021E16 : Academia/Pro Divide : Eric Esparza and Michael Lewanski
About Drew McManus "I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.
View all posts by Drew McManus | Website
About Drew McManus "I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.
View all posts by Drew McManus | Website
Related Posts
Surprise! Today marks the inaugural episode of a new video podcast series where I sit down with movers and shakers in the field and…
Only 16 months after the first (and only) episode, the Shop Talk video podcast series is finally coming back. Compared to the time between…
You may have received a data breach notice from an arts organization that uses Blackbaud products. Long story short, Blackbaud was the target of…
