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We would like to thank Jonathan Reuning for his engaging and thought provoking posts this last week.
Next week's guest blogger is Johnny Blaze Leavitt.
Johnny Blaze Leavitt is the Executive Director and one of the founding members of Point of You Productions. While focusing much of his time ensuring the artists (both ensemble members and guests) are provided with every opportunity to explore their craft, Johnny is also diligent in his own areas of interest: performing and playwrighting. He has recently been performing stand-up comedy around NYC (including Caroline’s on Broadway).
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Showing posts with label Jonathan Reuning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jonathan Reuning. Show all posts
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Title: Crash Test Smarties
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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Jonathan Reuning.
My brother-in-law has a degree in economics so Ian and I consulted him when we started United Stages. He said the first and most important thing to do was to write a business plan – a crash test, so to speak – A way to imagine your company’s journey and anticipate potential potholes along the road.
Does your company have a crash test? How do you envision your company doing two years from today? Three years? A decade from today? Grab a pencil with a non-dried out eraser and a stack of scrap paper. It isn’t real unless it’s written down. Who is your current audience? No, really, be specific. What things are you doing to make your audience grow? If you had to, who could you share resources with? (Who are your natural allies?) Don’t know? Luckily you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There is an amazing amount of crash test advise to be found right here on this site.
This is my final guest blogger post and I just wanted to say thanks to the IT Foundation for the opportunity to enter the conversation. I’m obliged also to the NYC producers and artists who each day chime-in, remain curious, make connections with one another, respect their audiences, and grow and thrive in the business and art of theater.
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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Jonathan Reuning.
My brother-in-law has a degree in economics so Ian and I consulted him when we started United Stages. He said the first and most important thing to do was to write a business plan – a crash test, so to speak – A way to imagine your company’s journey and anticipate potential potholes along the road.
Does your company have a crash test? How do you envision your company doing two years from today? Three years? A decade from today? Grab a pencil with a non-dried out eraser and a stack of scrap paper. It isn’t real unless it’s written down. Who is your current audience? No, really, be specific. What things are you doing to make your audience grow? If you had to, who could you share resources with? (Who are your natural allies?) Don’t know? Luckily you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There is an amazing amount of crash test advise to be found right here on this site.
This is my final guest blogger post and I just wanted to say thanks to the IT Foundation for the opportunity to enter the conversation. I’m obliged also to the NYC producers and artists who each day chime-in, remain curious, make connections with one another, respect their audiences, and grow and thrive in the business and art of theater.
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Thursday, April 29, 2010
Mercedes’ Rule
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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Jonathan Reuning.
I was walking my small white dog the other morning and noticed a guy getting out of a Smart Car with his 90 pound Pit Bull and I had to ask him how the ride was in such a tiny car. The first thing out of his mouth was, “well, you know, Mercedes makes these.” Enough said, I thought, but then he added that he observed that the suspension handled the pot holes sometimes better than the larger cars he’s owned.
Wow, so, Mercedes Benz builds the Smart Car - those half sized city cars that fit two to a parking space – and now not only do I think they are more aptly named than ever but I’m left contemplating how reputation transcends size and how this ties into the topic of OOB and the Recession, which, if you’re just tuning in, is my guest topic.
In Tim Errikson’s previous blog, Size, level, and the meaning of life, he made a great point (among many) about fruitless attempts to pigeon-hole Indie/OOB companies with characteristics like “modest’ or “young” or ‘developing” or , let’s face it, “less than”. His point (sorry for the paraphrase, Tim) was that the only true thing one can generalize about us is we work in smaller venues. Colors and models may vary.
You can see this exemplified in the responses to my previous post, Ford Tough.
Daniel said he built his company and artistic goals to work in harmony with his space (The backroom at Jimmy’s No. 43) – even engineered original plays specifically for the site - allowing Rising Phoenix Rep to be, here it comes… a Smart Car.
On the other hand, Heather’s vision for Retro Productions is more traditional requiring period design, sets and costumes (and you know why she is a visionary when you see one of her shows, the design elements make you remember how much you appreciate theater as a collaborative art. See her previous blogs, Doing the Research and Gifts from the Prop Gods) HOWEVER, this Mercedes E350 sedan is bigger. It requires more a expensive parking space that costs a ridiculous amount of her budget (60%!). Should she switch to a crossover vehicle, a hybrid, or stay true to the vehicle she loves?
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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Jonathan Reuning.
I was walking my small white dog the other morning and noticed a guy getting out of a Smart Car with his 90 pound Pit Bull and I had to ask him how the ride was in such a tiny car. The first thing out of his mouth was, “well, you know, Mercedes makes these.” Enough said, I thought, but then he added that he observed that the suspension handled the pot holes sometimes better than the larger cars he’s owned.
Wow, so, Mercedes Benz builds the Smart Car - those half sized city cars that fit two to a parking space – and now not only do I think they are more aptly named than ever but I’m left contemplating how reputation transcends size and how this ties into the topic of OOB and the Recession, which, if you’re just tuning in, is my guest topic.
In Tim Errikson’s previous blog, Size, level, and the meaning of life, he made a great point (among many) about fruitless attempts to pigeon-hole Indie/OOB companies with characteristics like “modest’ or “young” or ‘developing” or , let’s face it, “less than”. His point (sorry for the paraphrase, Tim) was that the only true thing one can generalize about us is we work in smaller venues. Colors and models may vary.
You can see this exemplified in the responses to my previous post, Ford Tough.
Daniel said he built his company and artistic goals to work in harmony with his space (The backroom at Jimmy’s No. 43) – even engineered original plays specifically for the site - allowing Rising Phoenix Rep to be, here it comes… a Smart Car.
On the other hand, Heather’s vision for Retro Productions is more traditional requiring period design, sets and costumes (and you know why she is a visionary when you see one of her shows, the design elements make you remember how much you appreciate theater as a collaborative art. See her previous blogs, Doing the Research and Gifts from the Prop Gods) HOWEVER, this Mercedes E350 sedan is bigger. It requires more a expensive parking space that costs a ridiculous amount of her budget (60%!). Should she switch to a crossover vehicle, a hybrid, or stay true to the vehicle she loves?
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Monday, April 26, 2010
Ford Tough
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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Jonathan Reuning.
Last year, because the mortgage market collapsed and it seemed our country was facing the next Great Depression, many theater companies stopped producing shows and started producing fundraisers. Some trimmed their expenses by showcasing work in festival venues that offered brief but less expensive performance opportunities. Some abbreviated their regular seasons while others suspended operation entirely to wait out the recession. Some took a gamble and charged up their MasterCard and took advantage of industry discounts. A year later these combination of strategies allowed ailing OOB a chance to rebound.
I recently read how Ford Motor Company’s reputation for fiscal conservatism was popularly ridiculed for being out of touch with the day’s risk rewarding financial strategies. Of course we now know that Ford was the only US automaker able to decline government bailout money. Their reluctance to outsmart their own balance sheets rewarded them with a huge advantage over their crippled competition. What’s more, instead of being complacent at the top of a shifting heap Ford heavily promoted the value of their products. Some experts believe that Ford’s momentum will keep them dominant for decades.
“OOB and the recession” is my guest blogger topic which sounds pretty ominous but I’m excited to explore it. I think there are probably some lessons to take away from our experiences. It is hard to imagine any small venue theater professional unaware of the negative impact the economy has had on small (and large) theater companies, but you know….It might surprise some to learn that during these most challenging 12 months there were some companies that did more than survive. They flourished. I can’t talk about specific US clients but I’ll say it again, many companies brought in record audiences. They maintained or increased their financial stability during our worst economic year in memory.
How were they able to stay in the game? Did OOB companies that also operated as fiscally conservative businesses take leaps forward? How much luck is involved vs. strategic planning? Aren’t Indie companies supposed to be art smart but maybe a little business-stupid? Possibly, but I’ve never seen it. Would love to hear how you are outsmarting the recession. Also, what you would have done differently if you’d had a year or two with advanced knowledge of the economic downturn.
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Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Jonathan Reuning.
Last year, because the mortgage market collapsed and it seemed our country was facing the next Great Depression, many theater companies stopped producing shows and started producing fundraisers. Some trimmed their expenses by showcasing work in festival venues that offered brief but less expensive performance opportunities. Some abbreviated their regular seasons while others suspended operation entirely to wait out the recession. Some took a gamble and charged up their MasterCard and took advantage of industry discounts. A year later these combination of strategies allowed ailing OOB a chance to rebound.
I recently read how Ford Motor Company’s reputation for fiscal conservatism was popularly ridiculed for being out of touch with the day’s risk rewarding financial strategies. Of course we now know that Ford was the only US automaker able to decline government bailout money. Their reluctance to outsmart their own balance sheets rewarded them with a huge advantage over their crippled competition. What’s more, instead of being complacent at the top of a shifting heap Ford heavily promoted the value of their products. Some experts believe that Ford’s momentum will keep them dominant for decades.
“OOB and the recession” is my guest blogger topic which sounds pretty ominous but I’m excited to explore it. I think there are probably some lessons to take away from our experiences. It is hard to imagine any small venue theater professional unaware of the negative impact the economy has had on small (and large) theater companies, but you know….It might surprise some to learn that during these most challenging 12 months there were some companies that did more than survive. They flourished. I can’t talk about specific US clients but I’ll say it again, many companies brought in record audiences. They maintained or increased their financial stability during our worst economic year in memory.
How were they able to stay in the game? Did OOB companies that also operated as fiscally conservative businesses take leaps forward? How much luck is involved vs. strategic planning? Aren’t Indie companies supposed to be art smart but maybe a little business-stupid? Possibly, but I’ve never seen it. Would love to hear how you are outsmarting the recession. Also, what you would have done differently if you’d had a year or two with advanced knowledge of the economic downturn.
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Guest Blogger next week: Jonathan Reuning
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We would like to thank Tim Errickson for his humorous and oh so accurate blogs from last week.
We are so happy to announce that next week's guest blogger is Jonathan Reuning.
Jonathan Reuning was born in California but spent most of his life in NYC. As a child he was sort of an actor and singer. As a young man he studied acting and playwrighting at Syracuse U, NYU and Playwrights Horizons. His first play was self-produced in a downtown space right next to an active firehouse. His second play was produced by Emerging Artists Theater Company (EAT) in a building that doubled as a Masonic Temple. From that he lucked into running the EAT playwrights unit for a few years and also got experience as a company manager. He had more work produced at EAT and in other venues including PSNBC and Lincoln Center Director’s Lab at HERE space. He had the opportunity to do most all of the typical New York survival jobs including short order cook/bouncer and his favorite, elevator operator. Jump a little bit ahead in time, he currently is co-founder of United Stages which is a six year old playbill company mainly for NY producers (OB/OOB/Indie) looking to present small venue as a unified professional industry. He met his business partner Ian Marshall because their moms knew each other and Ian ended up directing one of Jonathan's plays and then moving into his apartment building with his bride to be, Loribeth, who graciously allowed herself to be roped into doing huge amounts of work to help get their business rolling. Today Jonathan spends most of his time promoting theater companies through marketing and publishing. He's also published some really good playwrights which he says is an amazing privilege. Finally, he is currently trying to get back into the swing of writing plays again, an ambition he had shelved for half a decade to concentrate on the playbill. He says he's a little nervous because "I’m not entirely sure I remember the drill."
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We would like to thank Tim Errickson for his humorous and oh so accurate blogs from last week.
We are so happy to announce that next week's guest blogger is Jonathan Reuning.
Jonathan Reuning was born in California but spent most of his life in NYC. As a child he was sort of an actor and singer. As a young man he studied acting and playwrighting at Syracuse U, NYU and Playwrights Horizons. His first play was self-produced in a downtown space right next to an active firehouse. His second play was produced by Emerging Artists Theater Company (EAT) in a building that doubled as a Masonic Temple. From that he lucked into running the EAT playwrights unit for a few years and also got experience as a company manager. He had more work produced at EAT and in other venues including PSNBC and Lincoln Center Director’s Lab at HERE space. He had the opportunity to do most all of the typical New York survival jobs including short order cook/bouncer and his favorite, elevator operator. Jump a little bit ahead in time, he currently is co-founder of United Stages which is a six year old playbill company mainly for NY producers (OB/OOB/Indie) looking to present small venue as a unified professional industry. He met his business partner Ian Marshall because their moms knew each other and Ian ended up directing one of Jonathan's plays and then moving into his apartment building with his bride to be, Loribeth, who graciously allowed herself to be roped into doing huge amounts of work to help get their business rolling. Today Jonathan spends most of his time promoting theater companies through marketing and publishing. He's also published some really good playwrights which he says is an amazing privilege. Finally, he is currently trying to get back into the swing of writing plays again, an ambition he had shelved for half a decade to concentrate on the playbill. He says he's a little nervous because "I’m not entirely sure I remember the drill."
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