Artists: find a manager, create a partner... its worth it
As many know, Breathe Productions sits here in Almonte, Ontario amongst some of the World's top artists... from fine arts, to childrens entertainers to musicians. For the past 3 years I have been diving deeper and deeper into their private worlds, enjoying casual beers and dinners with them, spending time at their homes and with their families. I learned a valuable secret: They are NOT what they appear to be on stage or in their galleries!
The truth is, the confidence they exude on stage or with their work often dissappears in private. Many their perceived confidences quickly slip away and the, almost traditional, aura of the 'struggling artist' rears its head. Fact of the matter is, artists love their art. It is their source of energy and represents the full spectrum of business they are interested in... it is their adminstration, production, marketing and sales all wrapped up in a single piece of work, song or performance... once done, they often find it hard to get to the real admin, production, marketing and sales. Unfortunately here lies their traditional downfall.
Breathe recently entered into a relationship with a local artist. One whom spent 150% energy on her product, the administration of her shows, the marketing of her energy and the sale of her stories... after which, all her traditional admin, production, sales and marketing slid. She both had no time and the wrong enthusiasm towards it. As with ANY type of company, her business began to fail... or at least, it struggled.
We moved in and took over the admin. Immediately there was no need for her to worry about scheduling, billing, dealing with suppliers and customers. We took over production. Her dreams of a tv show, film, CD and DVD products are now moving continually forward. Her financing applications are being done on time for these productions. We have taken charge of the web site. It no longer looks like the pieced together site she used to have on an artist's budget. It is impressing and her marketing looks professional and well managed. People are phoning. We are booking for her now. Following up on all sales calls, developing templated pitches for her multitude of potential clients, ensuring quality in presentation is high. We are billing and handling all financial arrangements.
Oh. Our struggling artist... well... she is performing more than ever, she just wrote her umpteenth new story, is rehersing with a new group of musicians, has found an amazing sound engineer for her next CD and is working with a local puppeteer on a new character. She's happy and her artistic product is going to new levels.
The moral of the story is an age-old reality. People thrive at the role they are destined to work. That role HAS to be a role they enjoy. Artists enjoy art. Administrators and producers like Breathe Productions, enjoy just that... administration, production, marketing and sales. An equal partnership bringing the creative together with management is key to the success of any artist. If you think you cannot afford this! Think again. If the art/product is good and the market is there... companies like Breathe will simply invest the time into an equal partnership... In other words, you get someone who increases your sales by a TON and you simply split the profits.
If you are worried about giving too much of the pot away, think about this famous theory: "50% of something good is far less than 100% of nothing.
The truth is, the confidence they exude on stage or with their work often dissappears in private. Many their perceived confidences quickly slip away and the, almost traditional, aura of the 'struggling artist' rears its head. Fact of the matter is, artists love their art. It is their source of energy and represents the full spectrum of business they are interested in... it is their adminstration, production, marketing and sales all wrapped up in a single piece of work, song or performance... once done, they often find it hard to get to the real admin, production, marketing and sales. Unfortunately here lies their traditional downfall.
Breathe recently entered into a relationship with a local artist. One whom spent 150% energy on her product, the administration of her shows, the marketing of her energy and the sale of her stories... after which, all her traditional admin, production, sales and marketing slid. She both had no time and the wrong enthusiasm towards it. As with ANY type of company, her business began to fail... or at least, it struggled.
We moved in and took over the admin. Immediately there was no need for her to worry about scheduling, billing, dealing with suppliers and customers. We took over production. Her dreams of a tv show, film, CD and DVD products are now moving continually forward. Her financing applications are being done on time for these productions. We have taken charge of the web site. It no longer looks like the pieced together site she used to have on an artist's budget. It is impressing and her marketing looks professional and well managed. People are phoning. We are booking for her now. Following up on all sales calls, developing templated pitches for her multitude of potential clients, ensuring quality in presentation is high. We are billing and handling all financial arrangements.
Oh. Our struggling artist... well... she is performing more than ever, she just wrote her umpteenth new story, is rehersing with a new group of musicians, has found an amazing sound engineer for her next CD and is working with a local puppeteer on a new character. She's happy and her artistic product is going to new levels.
The moral of the story is an age-old reality. People thrive at the role they are destined to work. That role HAS to be a role they enjoy. Artists enjoy art. Administrators and producers like Breathe Productions, enjoy just that... administration, production, marketing and sales. An equal partnership bringing the creative together with management is key to the success of any artist. If you think you cannot afford this! Think again. If the art/product is good and the market is there... companies like Breathe will simply invest the time into an equal partnership... In other words, you get someone who increases your sales by a TON and you simply split the profits.
If you are worried about giving too much of the pot away, think about this famous theory: "50% of something good is far less than 100% of nothing.
posted by James McBeath at 9:23 AM
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