All stories by Ken Davenport on BroadwayStars

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Sharing helps sell . . . with stats to back it up. by Ken Davenport

A great new study was released on Tuesday from ShareThis that “provides insights into the relationship between online sharing of movie related content and movie ticket purchases.”…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Sometimes you have to shut the eff up. by Ken Davenport

I enrolled in a mini-golf school over the weekend, which consisted of several Tiger-wannabes like me and an old touring pro who could have taught Tiger a thing or two himself. All of us wann…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The mission of music in a musical is . . . by Ken Davenport

I went to see a show the other night and found myself sitting right next to an old fuddy-duddy (I do realize that by using the term “fuddy-duddy,” I am probably now one myself). …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, August 12, 2013

A sad press release about one of the best Press Agents. by Ken Davenport

Shirley Herz, one of the “founders” of theatrical press, passed away on Sunday. What do I mean by “founders?”  Well, although the theater is thousands of years old, …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Friday, August 9, 2013

Fun on a Friday: Pre-Pubescent Teens Break Bad . . . and Sing About It. by Ken Davenport

There’s some VHS footage of me out there somewhere performing in my middle school musical.  I’ve been trying to track it down and destroy it for years.  It involves me wearing …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Thursday, August 8, 2013

An extraordinary ingredient for every story. by Ken Davenport

In yesterday’s blog, I hinted that I was going to reveal one of my “rules” of writing today, so here goes. You’ve probably heard descriptions of basic plot structure …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013

10 Shows that Stand Out at the Fringe – 2013 by Ken Davenport

It’s August in NYC, which means stanky subway platforms, throngs of tourists, and the New York International Theater Festival! And if you’re an obsessive, compulsive theatergoer …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, August 6, 2013

This Movie Studio thing on Broadway could go two ways. by Ken Davenport

Anyone else read the NY Times article this past Sunday about the influx of Movie Studios on Broadway?   You know, the one that said Wicked would be Universal’s most successful proper…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, August 5, 2013

How cool would this be for Cabaret. by Ken Davenport

On Saturday, I hinted at an idea I had for the Cabaret sub-culture of New York City.  You ready for it? Now that I’ve built it up like an Edsel, I’m certain to disappoint (remem…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Friday, August 2, 2013

Don’t @#&% your locals. by Ken Davenport

I walked into an unfamiliar Times Square deli last week on one of those cook-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk days and ordered up my usual can of Coke.  The deli-keep said, “That’s $1.75.…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Thursday, August 1, 2013

Another lesson about competition from car salesmen. by Ken Davenport

One month ago, I wrote about the lesson I learned from a car salesman on how to solicit Broadway investments.  Well, yesterday I found myself car shopping once again, right here on the isle…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM

The most popular posts of the month: July by Ken Davenport

Time for that monthly summary of what got your attention last month here at The Producer’s Perspective The most read post of the month: 5 Shows that Stand Out at the NYMF – 2013 The…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 10:45AM
Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The future of entertainment includes a second screen. Will we get a first? by Ken Davenport

Check out this fascinating article on psfk.com about how our entertainment ADD is not only being addressed by content creators, it is being celebrated. Here’s the jist: Admit it.  Whe…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, July 30, 2013

How a country song reminded me to touch my audience. by Ken Davenport

First, yes, I’ll admit, the title of this blog sounds a little creepy. But it’ll make sense.  I hope. If you love Broadway show tunes, then I bet you have a soft spot in your he…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, July 29, 2013

There’s no “wait” in negotiate. by Ken Davenport

Negotiations in the theater shouldn’t take very long.  Jobs aren’t as common, so most Artists want to find a way to take the gig.  And most Artists have such specific talents t…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Friday, July 26, 2013

What’s in a name? How about best seller status. by Ken Davenport

JK Rowling has been casting some magic spells again.  And this one was called “Pseudonymicus Invisiblistus!” Here’s the cliff notes version of what happened: JK wrote a bo…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Thursday, July 25, 2013

Broadway hasn’t changed as much as you think. by Ken Davenport

A great article appeared in The Journal last week written by its critic (and one of last year’s TEDx Broadway speakers), Terry Teachout. As we all know, it’s easy for us (includi…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Where to start if you want to study the performing arts. by Ken Davenport

Some of the coolest cold emails I get are from high school students all over the country, asking me for advice on where to go and what to study in college if they want to work on Broadway so…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Why you should focus on getting people to NOT see your show. by Ken Davenport

There are no absolutes in marketing. Except this one: No show is for “everyone”. One of the most common mistakes that new Producers/Writers make is thinking that their show appea…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, July 22, 2013

3 Things to Learn from Netflix. by Ken Davenport

As I blogged about on Friday, Netflix dealt the mainstream media companies a major punch-in-the-face last week when their original series, House of Cards, was nominated for a Best Drama Ser…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Friday, July 19, 2013

Netflix breaks a boundary. Is it our turn? by Ken Davenport

Entertainment industry history was made yesterday when Netflix, the service I formerly referred to as Blockbuster-online, was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards for its original programming. It wa…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Thursday, July 18, 2013

Future generations will know the theater we give them. by Ken Davenport

In my Broadway Investing Seminar, I always take a moment to answer the question “why do people invest in Broadway shows?” There are a bunch of reasons, from going to the opening …

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The entertainment industry is not all glee and games. by Ken Davenport

I get breaking news from CNN pushed to my iPhone, as I’m sure a lot of you do as well.  And I’ve read some pretty sad things over the years. But for some reason, the death of Co…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, July 16, 2013

If you’re not busy, you’re in trouble. by Ken Davenport

I walked into a restaurant over the weekend (ok, ok, there may have been buffalo wings on the menu), and it was emptier than a Saturday matinee of Dude. The hostess was reading US Weekly, an…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, July 15, 2013

What does Tony Kushner think about the Off Broadway musical? by Ken Davenport

I don’t know about you, but I think this Tony Kushner guy has a future.  The dude can write. Case in point . . . Remember that giveaway that I announced yesterday for Encores! Off-Ce…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Friday, July 12, 2013

The secret to stifling scalpers . . . raise prices? by Ken Davenport

Think Broadway tickets (and concert tickets and sports tickets) are too expensive? Well, here comes an article from the NY Times which details the new strategy on the concert circuit . . . r…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Thursday, July 11, 2013

Invest in a Broadway show and get your green card. by Ken Davenport

Here’s a little known secret out there for all you Producers looking to raise money internationally, and for all you wealthy foreign nationals looking to obtain green card status in ou…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Wednesday, July 10, 2013

How to design your office – Broadway style! by Ken Davenport

You know what I love about David Rockwell? He’s the King of the Crossover, designing everything from hotels like the fabu Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and restaurants like Nobu to airpor…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Tuesday, July 9, 2013

The TKTS Fast Pass seems sweet in the short term. But what about the long? by Ken Davenport

I love me an amusement park.  At least one day every summer, you can find me at Six Flags eating a funnel cake (although we simply called ‘em fried dough back in Mass), and riding the…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Monday, July 8, 2013

5 Shows that Stand Out at the NYMF – 2013 by Ken Davenport

The 10th Anniversary of the New York Theatre Musical Festival is upon us!  Boy, it seems like just yesterday I was attending an orientation meeting for Season #1 when Altar Boyz made itR…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM
Friday, July 5, 2013

What I learned about raising money from a car salesman. by Ken Davenport

I helped a friend by a car yesterday. Thanks to the world-wide-interwebs, buying a vehicle ain’t like what it used to be.  Thanks to websites like Truecar.com, buyers can walk into de…

SOURCE: The Producer's Perspective at 11:00AM