Things Get Crazy In Atlanta
Mon, Oct 10, 2014
by Drew McManus
The 10/4/14 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) published an article by Howard Pousner that includes an exclusive interview with Woodruff Arts Center (WAC) Governing Board Chairman Douglas Hertz. The WAC serves as the 501(c)3 under which the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) conducts business; consequently, even though the ASO maintains its own board of directors
Last Call For ArtsHacker Contributors
Fri, Oct 10, 2014
by Drew McManus
We just wrapped up the second round of processing contributions from those interested in becoming an ArtsHacker contributor and the response was just as strong as the first. As such, I’m extending this to one more round, but know this is all we’ll have time for in order to get all of the contributors ready
ASO’s Interim CEO Will Not Be Involved With Negotiations
Thu, Oct 10, 2014
by Drew McManus
Following up on a question from earlier in the week on whether or not Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) interim CEO Terry Neal will be involved with negotiations, evidence has surfaced which confirms he will not be part of the bargaining process. A 9/29/2014 letter from ASO board chair Karole Lloyd made it clear that Neal
Pop Quiz: Contemporary Web Iconography
Wed, Oct 10, 2014
by Drew McManus
Icons are everyone online and although they’ve been an integral part of interacting with computers for decades, the use of icons has exploded within the last few years thanks to an increase in mobile devices that reply on symbols to not only help save space but encourage simple, predictable and user friendly interaction. To that
One Month Into The Lockout And ASO CEO Is Already Out
Tue, Sep 9, 2014
by Drew McManus
On Saturday, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) CEO Stanley Romanstein erroneously announced that the ASO and its locked out musicians had entered federal mediation and by Monday morning, he was no longer the CEO. It is unknown if the mediation gaffe was grounds in and of itself for the shift in executive leadership or if it
The Situation In Atlanta Continues To Degrade
Mon, Sep 9, 2014
by Drew McManus
In what has become one of the more confusing turn of events in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) lockout, the management released a statement on 9/27/14 @ approximately 9:00pm ET announcing that the organization and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) have agreed to federal mediation. The statement was accompanied by a similar notice
ArtsHacker Is Coming
Fri, Sep 9, 2014
by Drew McManus
Last month, I tossed out the idea of a new website designed to function like an arts manager version of lifehacker.com and posted a form to solicit feedback from arts managers out there interested in becoming contributors. The. Response. Was. Amazing. In short, ArtsHacker is so happening and we should have something up and running
Can You Come Up With The Ultimate Orchestra Slogan?
Thu, Sep 9, 2014
by Drew McManus
Orchestra slogans can be a slippery slope, remember the dreadful Philadelphia Orchestra “Unexpect Yourself” campaign/slogan from 2010? But when they work, they can really stick and give a nice force multiplier boost to overall ticket sales, awareness, and good old fashioned buzz. To that end, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera (CSO) recently launched a social
A Perversion Of Perspective
Wed, Sep 9, 2014
by Drew McManus
The public relations campaign in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) labor dispute is unfolding in an entirely expected fashion. The initial one-two combination punch came from the ASO in the form of concert cancellations followed by an infographic designed to reiterate their existing talking points. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both sides of a labor dispute tend to
Negotiations Don’t Cancel Concerts, People Cancel Concerts
Tue, Sep 9, 2014
by Drew McManus
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) has officially cancelled the next 47 days of concert events, through 11/8/2014. The official ASO statement asserts the cancellations are “due to negotiations between ASO management and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) over a new collective bargaining agreement.” Unfortunately, that’s not terribly accurate since the mere act of
