5 Takeaways from the Online Get Your Show Off The Ground Seminar!

You thought I forgot about these, didn’t ya?

Usually after one of my “Get Your Show Off The Ground” seminars, I post five takeaways that I think may appeal to all of you (click here to read some of the others).

A few weeks ago I held my first ever online GYSOTG seminar, and boy oh boy was it fun.  We had five presenters, and a whole ton of auditors listening as those presenters pitched their project to me, and then asked me for advice on how to, well, get their show off the ground.

Honestly, like I am whenever I try something new, I was nervous (nerves are how you know you’re human, btw . . . if you’re not nervous then you haven’t risked enough).  I was nervous that the online seminar wouldn’t be as effective as in person, but oh was I wrong.  We all had a blast, and I also got great feedback like . . .

“I think Ken made excellent use of our the time given the information presented by the group; thoughtful, concise and clear. Exactly what I hoped it would be.”

 

“It has all been reverberating in my mind during the past week and our show has already made good use of some of the suggestions.”

 

“I feel that the very personal SPECIFIC advice for each person was excellent. Ken also had a way of making the information apply to others.”

And the auditors and presenters came from all over the world, from South Africa, to Australia, to the UK!  I just love that there are that many people, from so many different places, dedicated to the theater.

Ok, so what about those takeaways?  Here goes . . . and I hope they help with whatever show you’re working on.

  1. Don’t obsess about finding “the one” collaborator to spend your career with.  Writing musicals shouldn’t be like marriage.  Date around.  Play the field.  Write with lots of people.
  2. When designing your website, the first thing you have to ask yourself is, “What is the one thing I want my visitor to do?”  (e.g. buy tickets, sign up for a mailing list, listen to a song, etc.)
  3. Agents have lots of clients.  You have only one.  Don’t rely on anyone but yourself.
  4. When trying to sell your show to ticket buyers, or theaters, or wherever, think of it like a product, not a piece of art.  Why would someone buy it?  And it being “good” doesn’t count, because they probably haven’t seen it yet!
  5. Writing a musical or a play is like creating a sculpture.  Your first draft is probably just a rough mound of clay.  It might not even look like anything.  But then you’ll shape it, trim it, mold it.  And it will start to look like something.  And then you’ll do it again, and again, and again, until you get something beautiful.

The last takeaway I got was from the people that took the seminar themselves.  It was a simple one.  They said, “Ken!  Do this again!”

So we are.

By pop demand, we’re holding another Online Get Your Show Off The Ground on July 15th at 7pm EST.

If you’d like to be one of the presenters who pitch their project and their problem to me, click here.  A reminder, there are only FIVE presenting slots and these sold out super duper fast last time, so don’t wait.  Get yours today (the online presenting slots are $150, compared to the $350 live version).

But audit slots are only $25.  And for that $25, you not only get to tune in to the seminar, but if you don’t want to tune in live, you’ll get the audio files emailed to you the next day.  Oh, and yeah, so I was wrong when I first pitched this seminar.  I don’t have an unlimited number of audit spots available.  Our technology limits auditors as well, and yeah, we sold out of these, too.  So grab yours now, so you don’t have to worry about missing out later.

I’m thrilled that you all enjoyed this, and I look forward to being online with you again soon.  Oh, and get this . . . on this version, you’re going to be able to see me, as we’re incorporating a live video feed!

I hope you’ll join me.

Get your Presenter spot here. Get your Audit spot here.

 

(Got a comment? I love ‘em, so comment below! Email Subscribers, click here then scroll down to say what’s on your mind!)

– – – – –

– Enter my Tony Pool and you could win an Apple Watch!  Click here.

– Listen to Podcast Episode 19 with Oscar, Tony, and Grammy Award-winning lyricist Tim Rice!  Click here.

– Win two tickets to The Spoils at The New Group written by and starring Jesse Eisenberg! Click here.

Related Posts

Podcasting

Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.

LEARN MORE