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. I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my 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. In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu. For fun, I write a daily 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.

A Good Reminder That You Don’t Always Pick Engagement Channels

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Adaptistration People 052

While yesterday’s article examined the highlights from the 2019 reader survey, there was one particular item that warranted a separate post: RSS feeds. Among the new questions in the 2019 survey was one asking readers their primary point of contact with articles. For those indicating a daily or weekly email subscription, the survey included a conditional question asking if they preferred using their email client or visited the browser version from …

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2019 Readership Segmentation Survey Results

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Adaptistration People 177

The Readership Segmentation Surveys routinely produce intriguing insight and this year was no exception. Having said that, it’s been a few years since our last examination and the added time gap produced some eye-opening perspectives. Demographics & Occupation Direct reader responses confirmed something Google Analytics has been indicating in that the division of readers across age groups is beginning to flatten out from when Millennials dominated. For 2019, the bulk of …

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If You’re Looking For Greener Pastures, Now Is A Good Week

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Adaptistration People 160

For whatever reason, there was a flood of job listings at ArtsAdminJobs.com this week. 14 so far and only four of those were internships. Two were Featured Listings and the rest cover everything for orchestra gigs to Choral, Academic, Festival, Theater, Dance, PAC, and Opera sectors. You’ll find opportunities in San Antonio, Palm Beach, San Diego, Seattle, LA,  St. Louis, Sarasota, Hudson, Salt Lake City, and New york City. Here are …

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AFM-EPF Drops the Hammer

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Adaptistration People 173

While it comes as no surprise, the recent announcement from the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF) heralding massive cuts to member benefits is sure to bring more than its fair share of angst among AFM members who are part of the plan. While the plan has to be approved by the US Treasury Department before it goes into effect, the 1/7/2020 edition of The New York Times …

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What Good Is Cultural Diplomacy If We’re Willing To Target Culture?

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Adaptistration Guy Trump Bird

There’s an excellent commentary article by Philip Kennicott in the 1/6/2020 edition of the Washington Post that examines the unrest following statements from President Trump about his intent to order the US Armed Forces to attack cultural sites inside Iran should tensions continue to escalate. While there are no shortage of commentary decrying the position, Kennicott does an excellent job providing broader historic context and trends inside the US military and …

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