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Reddit mentions of The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help

Sentiment score: 1
Reddit mentions: 3

We found 3 Reddit mentions of The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help. Here are the top ones.

The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
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    Features:
  • Grand Central Pub
Specs:
Height7.95 Inches
Length5.3 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateOctober 2015
Weight0.6 Pounds
Width1.35 Inches

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Found 3 comments on The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help:

u/_apunyhuman_ · 2 pointsr/Theatre

Hey there,

In addition to acting, I work with theatrical ad and marketing agencies. My first big advice to you is to find the hook to the piece and build your marketing around that. you should do this whether you have a $10K campaign or a $0 campaign - know how to sell your show.

Two examples:

Good: Stomp is a series of vignettes of people creating rhythm & music from found objects. The hook is, "What will they use to make a song with Next!" Their ad campaign is people using trashcan lids as cymbals, but (in the beginning) there was a lot of demonstration stuff too - TV spots, Guest appearances, etc. (Stomp on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, Space Ghost Coast to Coast). They don't do that much stuff anymore because they imprinted their brand pretty well. (Another good example is Blue Man Group - you know the hook - 3 blue guys do some stuff, maybe with the audience - but you have to go to find out exactly what)

Bad: The Encounter on Broadway. Look, I'm not going to debate the merits of the show (I loved it) but the advertising campaign sucked. The banner ads were black screens imploring you to listen to it with your headphones on.... and if you did, you got Simon McBurney talking to you for 20 seconds about how he can make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end all while pull quotes appeared on the banner. We have no idea what the story is about - and the other elements can't pull on their own. Complicite is not Steppenwolf, Simon McBurney is not Hugh Jackman. For the average theater goer, what was there to get me interested?

So once you know the angle of the ad campaign how do you get it out? Here is my recommendation - if you have a $200 budget for advertising, then pay your actors $200 more rather than buy 20,000 banner impressions on Time Out Los Angeles. Yes, it's cool to get the screenshots - but nobody is going to see your banner, let alone click on it. In fact, if you have less than $5000 you aren't going to see much of a return from a traditional multi platform media spend. I would say, if you need to buy something, go for social media targeted ad campaigns like facebook ads - because they are cheap and at least they will go to the right people. But ask yourself, when is the last time you clicked on a Facebook ad?

For small shows, nothing works better than word-of-mouth. Get people in those seats, even if it is friends and family to begin with. But make them your brand advocates. Have a $5 friends and family night at the top of the run and make a direct plea at the top of curtain to get them to help you out. Amanda Palmer wrote a book about this - don't be afraid to ask for help, be specific, "Hi, we need your help. Please, after the the show, go home and post on social media about this show, score us on Show-score and invite your friends. If you come back and bring two friends we'll comp your ticket."

You aren't connected to the theater community in Los Angeles and you just moved there so you have no friends and family near by? Here is a chance to get to know people. You have a show? Invite people to see it: critics, reporters, artistic directors of other theaters, etc. For example, Playbill now has a dedicated reporter in LA, covering LA theater - contact that guy (Patrick Pizzolarusso)! FOR GOD'S SAKE, LEARN HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PRESS RELEASE.

If you know no one, and you have some money, look for theatrical PR people. I would argue that - for a fledgling theater company - a good PR person with a decent rolodex is worth more than any advertising can get.

Lastly, if your show has a issue based theme, e.g., it's a show about a former soldiers and how they are dealing with PTSD, then do some outreach to non-profit groups who work with those that issue. They are often in the same boat, i.e., underfunded and looking for ways to raise awareness. You can help each other, you have a show dealing with their issue and they have lists of qualified, interested theater goers. What's more, there might be ways for the theater company itself to get involved on a personal level doing classes and workshops, etc.

That's all I got. But congratulations for making a show. You did it. You have art. Apply to festivals and find a way to bring that shit around the world. Who cares if 4 people see it in LA, take it to Adelaide, to South Africa, to Prague. If nothing else, you see the world.

TL;DR unless you are independently wealthy, or have a slew of producers

i don't know if show-score is in LA yet, but if they are...

u/Cellophane_Girl · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Reading Rainbow

The art of asking by Amanda Palmer On my reading materials list.