“Your request for tickets has been denied.”
One of the few phrases I would much rather hear in a form letter. I arrived in Calgary over the weekend, and I had a brief meeting with the High Performance Rodeo publicist to discuss my coverage of the festival. I had requested tickets for five performances that I thought would give me a broad understanding of this 24-year-old international festival that I was attending for the first time.
My interest was two-fold: covering the festival for my Ottawa readers, many of whom have told me that they have never been to this festival, and I don’t believe there has been much Ottawa coverage of the event over the past decade; and doing research for my thesis project on festivals.
At this meeting I was told that there had been numerous requests from bloggers (totaling in over 100) and that since I was not writing for a notable publication (such as The National Post) it was difficult for them to rationalize giving me complimentary tickets to the shows.
I understand. I really do. When you have to pick and choose, you’re going to pick and choose those with the best reputation, the biggest names, and the highest readership. And this is not a complete tragedy in my case: I have the financial means to pay my own way and enjoy the festival, regardless. Though it would have been nice to have planned for this situation before arriving in the city.
I wonder, though: what is the value of bloggers? I would not presume to say that bloggers are more valuable than mainstream journalists — nothing beats a nice large photo on the front cover of a national newspaper — but does our guerrilla press contribute its own something to the arts scene? I would argue that while newspapers are a great forum for basic coverage, blog sites are an opportunity to start discussion with fellow enthusiasts, to encourage patrons to have a say in what they think. If I post a review of One Yellow Rabbit’s Kawasaki Exit, for example, there will not only be my review, but also, potentially, the reviews of dozens of others who saw the same show. At least, that’s what I hope will happen.
The blogging community is expanding. And I do believe that what happens on the fringe influences what happens in the middle. Just like the avant-garde influences the mainstream. Just as festival programming can influence what regional theatres choose to program in their subscription seasons.
—
A few more notes:
– On my first night in Calgary, I attended a getting-to-know-you party hosted by local mover-and-shaker Mark Hopkins, who works for the High Performance Rodeo. We all wore name tags and chatted with people from all walks of life. It was a wonderful introduction to Calgary social life; and Mark was sweet enough to give me a book on the history of One Yellow Rabbit for my research.
– I walk everywhere and really enjoy it. In Edmonton, I walked half an hour to get to Catalyst Theatre each morning. My backpack was heavy, and occasionally the wind was cold: but it was such a peaceful part of my day. I’ve been walking around downtown Calgary, too: lots of tall buildings! I’m not sure why that surprised me.
– Yesterday, as I was walking through the city, the first person who spoke to me was this guy who worked in a corner store. I bought some orange juice, and he asked me why I was so happy. Then we had a ten minute chat.
– In addition to seeing shows at the High Performance Rodeo, I’m going to be attending rehearsals with the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, as they work on their next installment on Don Juan. I’m looking forward to it!
– People in Calgary really embrace their redneck reputation, albeit mostly ironically.
– My allergies to dogs may be diminishing: I stayed in a house with a dog in Edmonton, and survived; here, in Calgary, I’ve been associating with a very friendly puppy who licks my hand obsessively. This is probably the best news ever.
– Finally: this afternoon I’m going to see the dress rehearsal for Kawasaki Exit, and then possibly another show this evening. I’ll let you know how it goes!
As a blogger and an arts marketing professional, I absolutely 100% believe in the power of the internet conversation. It’s the new wave, frankly, with everyone cutting back their arts coverage. It’s also the quickest way to get your message out there.
I definitely agree. When I work as a publicist, I always make the effort to invite local bloggers because I find they are passionate about their work, and often put in the extra effort to write a detailed piece. Still, I have never worked for a large international festival, so maybe the priorities are a little different.
I think it’s only a matter of time before theatre blogging catches up with fashion blogging. The top style bloggers are now sitting in the front row seats of runway shows, because the marketers realise that these people have a grassroots influence that a newspaper reporter or a glossy ad can’t touch.
Of course, it’s up to theatre and arts bloggers to build the kind of networks and readership that makes them equally indispensable.
Interesting perspective, Katharine. I still need to work on building my readership: until recently my blog posting was only sporadic, so hopefully these more regular updates will help with that.
It’s true! I remember when Go Fug Yourself.com was just a side project by those women from Television Without Pity. Now they’re the media it-girls at NY fashion week.
I agree that arts blogs serve a different purpose than mainstream media. As Nancy points out, it’s a cost effective, time-effective marketing medium.
But what really I love is the interactivity. This a perfect meta-example. If you’d written this same piece for print media, there’d be no follow up discussion. An article/review in the paper might be good publicity, but it doesn’t let me get to know my audience. Blogging does.
In regards to your penultimate point, I’m terribly excited that your dog allergies may not be so severe. I want you at my house as much as possible!
I’m just thrilled that you used the word “penultimate” in a sentence. Nadine gets major brownie points.
I’m all for bloggers receiving tickets to events. And other myths. In all seriousness, a good blogger can be somewhat more relaxed and nuanced than certain columnists, who don’t always have the freedom. Those wishing to publicize an event shouldn’t look at it in such black-and-white terms. Someday…
Bloggers certainly have the luxury of not having to adhere to limited word counts. It’s difficult fitting all your thoughts into 500 words of less. Having that freedom does lead to a more relaxed (and potentially more enjoyable) writing style… though it can also lead to overwriting and ranting.
Hey there,
Great point about inviting the blogging community into the arena of arts coverage and commentary. Jessica, Nadine and Nancy you all know that we’re open to bloggers attending NAC shows and in fact seek bloggers out frequently for the precise reasons you mention: building community and conversation in the places that they really work. That being said I can understand not having enough media passes to go around and the officials having to make tough calls on who gets them. But I’m all for it! Bring on the bloggers!
Jen
Jen, you have been awesome about reaching out to the community. And, I must say, you have great taste in bloggers!
The issue before bloggers isn’t their worth, it’s their sheer numbers. Anybody can start a blog with no expense and no effort. Festivals – be they for theatre, music, in Alberta or Ottawa – get hundreds of requests for free tickets from people who declare themselves as “bloggers,” and the festivals can’t possibly accommodate them all – and why would they?
I’d wager that 99.99 per cent of bloggers online today have no readers outside their immediate circle, and PR people at festivals have no ready means to determine which bloggers have enough readers to make it worth a few free tix, and which are just freeloaders with delusions of blogging grandeur.
Unless a PR person has heard of the blog, or at least heard of the platform that is hosting the blog (be it a newspaper or a solely online news source) – they really have no choice but to say no. Their seats would soon be filled with self-proclaimed bloggers, who may mean well but are of no real value to whoever is trying to sell tix.
Frankly, this is as it should be, as it puts a hurdle before bloggers that otherwise doesn’t exist. It’s a hurdle that requires bloggers to prove their worth first, and then be accepted as a credible source.
Though I agree with everything you’ve said, I do think a greater effort should be made on behalf of PR to reach out to the online community, as older models of media coverage are currently creaking under the “sheer number” of people you’re referring to. Even a cursory scan of applicants would reveal their status as someone who updates a blog once in a blue moon, makes incessant spelling mistakes, has no communal following or lacks a knack for online presentation. It certainly wouldn’t involve granting access to a hundred people.
Gee, Peter, that’s a really high percentage! But I do get what you’re saying: bloggers do have to prove themselves because, like any self-created business, you have to build your own reputation before anyone can take you seriously.
I agree with you, Joel, when you say the PR people must reach out to online, where it’s in their interests to do so. There are valuable voices online, just as there are in print, TV, radio, etc. I’m not sure it’s so easy to determine how many people are reading a blog – the online numbers are not necessarily as accurate as bloggers wish to believe – but a well-written, well-maintained blog is certainly a good sign to anybody trying to decide who gets free tix.
Jessica, maybe my 99.99 is a slight exaggeration, but the ease of starting a blog – no cost, no effort, no experience or skill of any sort required – makes it inevitable that the vast majority are going to be, well, not worth reading. That just makes it more impressive when the good ones actually do struggle to the top.
(As Jessica knows) I am the Managing Producer for Catalyst Theatre. My job is to create opportunities for the company, provide the best possible work conditions for the artists and crews, build audiences, markets and relationships and figure out how to pay for every cent we spend.
Peter Simpson’s post is closest to my opinion. But I would add the following considerations:
A producer/publicist might ask him/herself “how much do I NEED the coverage?” This depends on your tickets sales and level of audience development. (I used to work at Harbourfront in Toronto and it was amazing how members of the media who consistently ignored us when we needed to push a show were all over our publicists for tickets when we presented glamourous known quantities and automatic sell-outs like Lepage. They reaped what they sowed because a relationship has to go two ways). To be brutally frank there are circumstance when I need the box office revenue from sold seats in the short term way more than I need coverage that adds to an intangible, long term general awareness.
And, how do I distinguish the credible, informed, provocative blogger from the blogger who simply likes to see their opinion in print? I’d also need to assess things like “is this person an interesting and clearly emerging analytic/critical voice?” how much reach do they really provide?” But to make a qualitative decision takes time and research. How do I quantify the value of the blogger?
Also, I have certainly seen reviews on the websites of established publications that have elicited an interesting on-line debate. So debate is not limited to blogs, at least not in my experience.
Anyway – I now want to ask the publicist we usually engage (who I am not hiring for the upcoming Nevermore run in Edmonton because I can sell it out with no media coverage and this season I really need the money I’ll save by not doing any publicity or paid marketing!) what she thinks about this. And, by the way , I really enjoy reading this blog, and I do agree that evolving forms of communication require that we rethink our approaches accordingly. Thank you all for being passionate enough about theatre to engage in discussion! Enjoy the Rodeo Jessica!
Eva — Thank you so much for contributing to this discussion.
I agree that all media relations have to work both ways: sometimes the publicists will be chasing the journalists, and vice versa. Either way, they have to form a give-and-take relationship that will be beneficial for both the company and the publication.
It is difficult to determine whether or not forming a relationship with a blogger is worthwhile. Can this be assessed in a quantitative manner (i.e. how many people read the blog), or should it be determined qualitatively (i.e. the quality of the writing, which is more subjective).
If blogging is anything like theatre (and forgive the comparison), then box office numbers do not always reflect of the quality of a production. Tricky.
Thanks again for hosting me at Catalyst. I can’t wait to see the show again in Vancouver!
As an artist and independent producer I agree with Peter and Eva. It’s impossible to give out tickets to everyone who fancies themselves a credible writer/reviewer/blogger.
Additionally, I think it’s important to note that there are staff of the high performance rodeo who are having to miss out on shows because people who are going to pay take top priority.
Lastly, there are a good chunk of “theatre people” who would be pretty envious of the fact that you got to have access to an oyr rehearsal on opening night at all… Just like I’m a little envious of your time at catalyst!
Oh my goodness — I am aware of what a treat that was. I loved watching the One Yellow Rabbit rehearsal (to be discussed in my next post), and I felt very welcomed by the members of the group.
further to my previous comment…
i blog. obsessively sometimes and sporadically at other times and tend to keep my involvement in theatre pretty top secret. (it’s not the focus of my blog) i would be hard pressed to convince someone to give me tickets to a show promising to blog about it. i agree with eva on that point too: at what point does it become impossible to research the credibility of every single blogger on the internet who requests tickets. is the measure quantity of related posts? skill as a writer? i think it’s an impossible task and it is easier to create a blanket policy (with room for exceptions) when it comes to comps.
and it’s hard for a festival, there are a million comp requests that go through the office every single day: media, bloggers, friends, family, members of the community, VIPs…and the list goes on-at some point it becomes impossible to accommodate every single request and still meet targets required to do the festival again another year. comp policies are hard for theatre companies in general.
for me the interesting topic that arises is whether or not artists should be reviewers. i always wonder whether or not it’s a conflict of interest. i have read reviews written by playwrights and directors and it was very obvious that their review was slanted in a way that would highlight them in a favourable light when they submitted their play or resume for considering the following season. i’m not saying artist’s shouldn’t be reviewers-peer criticism and review is an incredibly valuable means of opening dialogue about work… i just wonder if it’s ever possible to remove yourself from your community and your friends in order to be as objective as possible and to write for people who aren’t necessarily theatre people. i think i would feel happier writing reviews in theatre specific publications where a deep discourse with the work was possible.
thanks for being around yesterday afternoon and last night. it’s always nice to have an audience-even a small one!
1. Festival Comps
mk., once again, thank you for an insider’s perspective. I think I was unfamiliar with the demands on festivals: many of these shows have a very short run, and of course the priority is filling the seats with paying customers. I think I am accustomed to working as a publicist for companies that generally have an opening night in which pretty much all the seats are comp’d. It’s an opportunity to get local artists, media, and friends all in the same place; and then that inspires a wave of word-of-mouth that should – potentially, hopefully – fill up seats for the rest of the run.
On a somewhat separate note, I would like to apologize for any negative feelings that arose from this blog post. That was certainly not my intention. There were some misunderstandings between myself and the publicity team, and it was unclear to me whom I should have contacted in the first place, and under what guise. In my preliminary emails, I labeled myself as both an arts writer and as an academic; perhaps not contradictory, but certainly not alike positions.
I would like to make it absolutely clear that, once we sat down to chat, the publicist was very helpful and arranged for me to attend the One Yellow Rabbit dress rehearsal yesterday afternoon. Later on, I was invited to their opening night party.
I have met some wonderful, intelligent, welcoming people at the festival, and I am so glad to be here.
2. Reviewers are never entirely objective. In fact, I wrote an entire piece on that over a year ago. Enjoy! https://jessicaruano.wordpress.com/2008/06/15/appreciating-arts-criticism/
I should also say that this discussion we’re having is exactly the sort of thing that a blog can do so well. It’s a thoughtful question asked in the right forum.
The key to a successful indie blog is the drive of the blogger. Most indie bloggers could never maintain Jessica’s relentless determination to access the arts in Ottawa (and beyond), and that’s why they eventually fade to black, while blogs like Jessica’s have a chance of growing and prospering. She’s not blogging with the goal of getting free tix, but she is the type of blogger to whom I would give free tix, were I a PR person (in Ottawa, at least).
Wow, Peter. That’s a really nice thing to say. Thank you.
This Vancouver-based artist was also invited to review shows at the PuSh Festival this month. For those of you following this discussion, you might be interested in some of the comments that follow her post:
http://twentysomethingtheatre.blogspot.com/2009/12/interesting-invitation.html
Hi Jessica –
Thanks for posting this link to my blog and yes, it appears, we seem to be have the same conversation on opposite ends of the country.
This is the great thing about blogs and social media. It brings all of us together to discuss topics which are becoming more and more important as new media takes on a bigger piece of the publicity and promotions pie.
Even your post on “reviewers” vs “criticism” is similar to a post I wrote (http://twentysomethingtheatre.blogspot.com/2009/12/choose-your-words.html) that was a direct response to the overwhelming dialogue that was started on my blog by asking a rather (or so I thought) innocent question.
I’m fairly new to the blogosphere and I am constantly surprised and grateful for the all the discussion that has been created.
I look forward to reading more on your blog and your posts/reviews/thoughts on the PuSh Festival.
It seems there are no innocent questions! Anything can lead to discussion if phrased properly and given the right context.
Glad I became acquainted with your blog, and hopefully we’ll cross paths at the PuSh Festival.
This might article i just found (from 2006) might shed some light on why festivals might be hesitant to provide free tickets for any and all people with a “blog”…
http://www.thehammer.ca/content/view.php?news=2006-01-10-blogs-humans-earth
Kinda crazy isn’t it!
Ben.
Pshaw. I only have three blogs on the go. Clearly I’m not as crazy as those satirical-figurative-totally-made-up sources.
This post was listed in “Best of This Week’s Theatre Blogs” on a London/UK theatre site. Gotta love Google Alerts.
http://www.whatsonstage.com/features/theatre/london/E8831264380725/Best+of+This+Week%27s+Theatre+Blogs+-+22+Jan+2010.html
Jessica thanks for hosting a great discussion.
All things being equal, I am happy to say (good) bloggers are more valuable than (comparably good) mass media journalists.
Why?
There are too many different ways to justify this claim so I will use your example of a splashy front page photo.
Smart marketers don’t waste their time trying to get their message to everyone. They want to get their message to people who will notice it, act on it, talk about it, and organize others to act on it and talk about it.
Imagine an Alberta-based theatre company gets a splashy front page photo on one of the national dailies. How many people actually see it? How many people who see it even notice it? How many people who see and notice it care about theatre? How many people who see it, notice it, and care about theatre will also act on it — or even be in a position to act on it.
A front page photo on a daily may impress your theatre friends in TO (if they even notice), but it ain’t likely to put bums in seats down Edmonton / Calgary-way.
In contrast, a good local blogger who writes about arts or theatre on a regular basis will have a following that not only wants the message but is more likely to act on it and talk about it.
Exhibit A: they already seek out arts information on the net rather than passively waiting for it to arrive to them on their doorstep!
What’s more!? What is the likelihood of that front page photo? Next to zilch. What’s the likelihood that a blogger will communicate your message to a group of highly engaged and dedicate readers. Very high.
Exhibit B: this blog post (and your blogging, more generally).
Good arts marketers aren’t worried about today. They are thinking five, ten, twenty years down the line.
Dinosaurs may still walk the earth but we mammals will inherit it. Whose side do you want to be on? I choo-chooose mammals.
Sh-zam! Thank you, Sterling! I knew that once you wrote something here it would be something good.
So here’s something I meant to say about readership and numbers.
Let’s say I have a readership of 1000 (and for the record, I have 1000 newsletter subscribers; I’m not really sure how many people read this blog on a regular basis), and a major newspaper has a readership of 10 000.
I write a strictly arts related blog, therefore my readers will necessarily be arts patrons, or at least people interested in becoming arts patrons, or at least people interested in the arts.
How many people actually read the arts section of a major newspaper, beyond the movie section? How many of them are actually interested in theatre and searching for their next theatrical fix?
My readers are hungry for information about the theatre. Most people who discover my blog were searching for reviews online and stumble across something I wrote months or even years ago; and those people have written to me and expressed interest in a continuing relationship with me and my blog.
If people want to find out about a theatre festival or a company, they are going to visit sites online. They will want to find out what a fellow theatre lover is doing. And if they like the writing, they will keep reading and contributing and joining the discussion.
Those are the people you want coming to your theatre, because they will stay involved and they will keep coming back.
postscript: from what I have seen, the PuSh Festival in Vancouver has made efforts to connect with the blogging community, and I think this will prove very beneficial for them in the near future. My next blog entry will be about this festival. Stay tuned!
Yes. This is exactly right. Your email list is a tremendous asset and most direct marketers would salivate over it.
Every theatre and arts organization should have their own email list and use it to communicate directly, personally, and meaningfully with their supporters.
If an organization only uses an email list to spam people with canned prefabricated messages, they are not just wasting everyone’s time but they are destroying an asset.
Supporters of theatre want us to talk to them and they want us to talk to them directly. We don’t need newspapers to facilitate the conversation anymore. To be honest, I’m not sure we ever did but that is — as they say — another story.
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