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What should we do with the whys and the why nots for attending the arts?

Posted On January 12, 2015 By Shoshana

I came across this infographic this morning.  I have seen similar statistics in other reports.  So, what are we going to do with this data? It is 2015, and having the New Year’s resolution of finally coming to terms with these issues and creating solutions to build audiences using this data would be amazing to… 

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Audience building with Gen X

Posted On January 7, 2015 By Shoshana

Every once in a while, I attempt to speak out about the forgotten generation.  I believe that this generation gap is causing a great deal of challenges to building our arts audiences. You see, if you skip a generation, there is a big hole in terms of bridging the generations together. Generation X,  approximately (depending… 

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Happy New Year!

Posted On December 31, 2014 By Shoshana

I wanted to take a moment to wish you, dear reader, a very Happy 2015!  2014 has been a very creative year, and I am looking forward to a new year with new opportunities! Cheers to happy and loyal audiences, Shoshana

Berating a young cougher is not good audience development

Posted On December 4, 2014 By Shoshana

Oh boy!  I can’t believe (or maybe I can), the headline today of a professional violinist berating a child for coughing during her performance. We in the arts have enough challenges to become more inviting to the younger generations.  Embarrassing, chastising, and being condescending are not the best ways to create the bridge to the… 

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Receiving feedback

Posted On December 2, 2014 By Shoshana

I have a quick thought for today.  How do you respond when you receive feedback?  Do you thank someone for taking the time to email you a comment?  Do you simply roll your eyes and forget to comment back?  Do you email back with a defense such as “we do it this way because…”  Or,… 

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Arts for free?

Posted On November 24, 2014 By Shoshana

I am seeing a common theme this month. There was an article about the minimum wage – should artists be considered into this equation?  This morning: The Whole Arts World Is Totally F*#!ed. And Everyone’s Talking About Arts Criticism? This op-ed type piece goes into detail about artists not being paid what is due to… 

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What I am working on for audience building

Posted On November 19, 2014 By Shoshana

I rarely do ADS updates, but I wanted to share what I am working on.  I am in the midst of several research projects.  I could use your help on a few of these if you have a moment. The first project is researching about #artsmyths (the Twitter hashtag).  I am seeking to find the… 

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Favorite on Twitter – the good and the bad for audience building

Posted On November 14, 2014 By Shoshana

During being a fly on twitter for an industry conference, I noticed that the way we are using Twitter has changed significantly, and I attribute it mainly to the Favorite feature.  I did a little research, and there are many reasons why we use this feature: To “like” a comment and show our agreement or… 

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#NAMPC 2014 from the Tweet Seats

Posted On November 11, 2014 By Shoshana

  I wasn’t able to attend the National Arts Marketing Project Conference this year, yet I did “attend” via Twitter (with a cat in my lap).  Twitter hashtags are an easy way to keep in the loop as much as possible.  Of course, it would have been more constructive if I could have attended the… 

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2014 YouTube Kinda Mood: Halloween!

Posted On October 31, 2014 By Shoshana

Happy Halloween everyone!  Here are your 2014 Halloween YouTubes.  Click if you dare!   Howls to yappy and boiled audiences, Shoshana Shoshana Fanizza Chief Audience Screamer

ADS Founder — Shoshana Fanizza

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“Shoshana led our board in a terrific two-hour workshop on the value of Audience Development. The presentation was tremendously helpful to us in defining our audience and has been a major influence in how we relate to our patrons. I’m convinced that our evolving work in Audience Development will lead to stronger relationships with our patrons.” —Harold Gray, Artistic Director

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