All stories by Adam Thurman on BroadwayStars

Monday, September 16, 2013

The ceiling versus the floor by Adam Thurman

I believe the first job of any arts marketer is avoiding disaster. Marketing can't make art a "hit". Only the art can do that. But I've learned from experience that what effective marketing …

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 08:33AM
Wednesday, September 11, 2013

My tools of the trade - Pro/Con List by Adam Thurman

I can say, conservatively, that I've played a part in selling about six million dollars worth of tickets to arts events. I've done most of that without a written marketing plan. I've helped …

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Monday, September 9, 2013

Journalism versus Storytelling by Adam Thurman

If you follow this blog, or follow me on Twitter (@missionparadox) you've heard me talk about the Four Pillars of modern arts marketing. One of those is journalism. Here's a question I get o…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:12AM
Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Practicing What I Preach by Adam Thurman

One of the useful parts of my life is that marketing is a thing I have to talk about AND do. I have to do it because I'm the Director of Marketing here. So in the spirit of practicing what...

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 08:54AM
Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Unchanging "P" by Adam Thurman

On his show "The Profit", Marcus Lemonis talks about the three keys to building a strong business. People Process Product In my own life as a freelance marketing consultant I have worked wit…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:26AM
Monday, August 19, 2013

Intentional branding by Adam Thurman

Branding is automatic. Everyone has a brand. If a brand is a set of promises and expectations that you offer to the world, and it is, then you should understand that you (and your art) are a…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Have To by Adam Thurman

Time after time I have encountered artists or leaders of arts organizations who tell me what they "have" to do with their marketing. They have to be on social media. They have to charge a lo…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AM
Thursday, August 8, 2013

Living in the Future by Adam Thurman

In my role as marketing director of a midsized theatre, I get a daily report with updates on subscription sales, single ticket sales, etc. I'll admit that "checking the numbers" isn't my fav…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Friday, August 2, 2013

Four Principles and a Hammer by Adam Thurman

In my last post I suggested four principles of modern art marketing, being authentic, gifting, journalism and being useful. And then there is the hammer, the thing most people use when they …

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AM
Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Marketing that is useful by Adam Thurman

If you've been following the blog for a while you'll notice that I spend a lot of time trying to get you to rethink what your marketing is and can be. Thus you get marketing being authentic …

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AM
Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Hollywood Approach to Arts Marketing by Adam Thurman

It's easy to laugh at Hollywood, especially lately. They have had a string of high profile flops and there has been a lot of conversation about the crumbling economics of the industry. So it…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:34AM
Thursday, July 18, 2013

Clear Communication by Adam Thurman

One of the byproducts of being swamped in information is an increased need for clarity. You've got to be able to explain to people exactly what direction you want to take the art/fundraising…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Friday, July 12, 2013

What the future holds by Adam Thurman

Part of the reason that I've been light on the blogging lately is because I've been out on the road (Lisbon, Porto, Dallas) or finishing up some consulting projects. The interesting part abo…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Monday, July 8, 2013

Excitement Inc. by Adam Thurman

"Why is this live?" That's the question that Jordan Roth asked during the first TedxBroadway and I swear the question has haunted me every since. For those of us that work in the live entert…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:32AM
Thursday, June 20, 2013

Best of the Paradox Blog - Summer 2013 by Adam Thurman

As you may have noticed, blogging has been light lately. Biggest reason is that I've been on the road (Lisbon, Porto, Dallas, etc.) and finishing up some client projects. I'll blog more regu…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Thursday, June 13, 2013

Asking the real questions by Adam Thurman

One more note from the TCG Conference. I want to share my opening remarks from the session. You can read them here. You should also check out the entire TCG Circle Blog, which has a ton of g…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Adam’s Opening Remarks for Financial Adaptation by Adam Thurman

(Adam Thurman gave the following remarks at the opening Homeroom of the Financial Adaptation arc at the 2013 TCG National Conference: Learn Do Teach in Dallas.) Before I got into marketing…

SOURCE: Theatre Communications Group at 03:54PM
Monday, June 10, 2013

When Truth Appears by Adam Thurman

Last week I was Dallas as part of the TCG Conference. One of my duties was to be a part of the Financial Adaptation Arc that happened during the event. It was a particularly interesting arc …

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:57AM
Friday, June 7, 2013

When Truth Appears by Adam Thurman

(This post is a part of the Financial Adaptation blog salon curated by Adam Thurman for the 2013 TCG National Conference: Learn Do Teach in Dallas). There are many potholes on the road t…

SOURCE: Theatre Communications Group at 05:20PM
Friday, May 31, 2013

Internal marketing by Adam Thurman

There has been a lot of digital ink on external marketing, i.e. marketing your art to the outside world. There needs to be an equal amount of conversation about and consideration of internal…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Marketing to robots by Adam Thurman

Marketing art to a robot would be simple. All you would need to do is rationally explain how your art is 1% different or better then a competitior and their rigid, logical hearts would be yo…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:30AM
Thursday, May 23, 2013

Adapting to the new world by Adam Thurman

Over the past few weeks I've been curating an online salon on financial adaptation. Check out new posts from myself and others at this link. The posts focus on the theatre world, but the les…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:18AM
Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Adaptation, Assumptions and A Conference by Adam Thurman

(This post is a part of the Financial Adaptation blog salon curated by Adam Thurman for the 2013 TCG National Conference: Learn Do Teach in Dallas). Adapt or Die. I hate that phrase. Don…

SOURCE: Theatre Communications Group at 04:05PM
Monday, May 20, 2013

Tell me what you like by Adam Thurman

When I begin working with people I often ask this question: Give me an example of marketing that you really like or love. The ones that end up struggling the most with their marketing don't …

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:41AM
Monday, May 13, 2013

The hard part by Adam Thurman

On the bumper of my car is a sticker for the summer camp my step son attended last year. Someone comes by, notices the sticker and asks me about it. I raved about the place. Could recommend …

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AM
Monday, April 29, 2013

What Crowd Funding Does - And Doesn't - Prove by Adam Thurman

1. If you already have the fans, it is easier then ever to get revenue from them. 2. If you have a product that people want, or good want, it's easier then ever to essentially presale your a…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:00AM
Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Acknowledge or Address by Adam Thurman

When it comes to having an artistic experience there are always fears: Is this play too long? Will I understand this art exhibition? Will I be able to find a place to park or eat? All of the…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 08:56AM
Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Viewing the Bones by Adam Thurman

(This post is the first post of the Financial Adaptation arc #TCG13 blog salon–learn more here). Let’s start the conversation about the Financial Adaptation arc at the TCG Conference…

SOURCE: Theatre Communications Group at 05:14PM
Monday, April 15, 2013

The Imperfect Version - And one last pitch by Adam Thurman

Krista Tippet hosts a public radio show called On Being. If you go to her site and click on a particular program you'll get a chance to choose between two options, the "perfect" version that…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 08:53AM
Friday, April 12, 2013

The Art of Rebranding by Adam Thurman

Want to learn one more arts marketing lesson from the WWE? Then let's explore the idea of rebranding. Let's start by defining our terms. A brand is a promise. There are obviously a lot of wa…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:28AM
Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Universal Problems by Adam Thurman

If all goes as planned, four weeks from now I'll be flying to Portugal to do two marketing workshops with artists in Lisbon and Porto. When I first got the invite, I did the natural thing: I…

SOURCE: Mission Paradox at 09:46AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards