It’s Friday y’all.  Celebrate with these Friday Finds.

1. Being “Fit” is not just about looking good, it’s about getting ahead.

Two years ago, I made a pretty big lifestyle change and left Coca-cola, McDonald’s and sugary Frappucinos behind.  Add some meditation and other mindfulness practices to that, plus an early morning wake-up call, and I got a crap ton more done.  And I’m not passing out at my desk.

I can’t believe in my search for a more “fit,” lifestyle I hadn’t run across FitForBroadway.com before.  I don’t want you to miss it either.  Check it out here.  And listen to what super smart founder and art-trepreneur, Jane Jourdan, has to say.  She just wants to help you succeed.

2. Who needs cash anyway?

I did it again.  I’m now 10 out of 10.  During my last TEN trips to international destinations, I have refused to exchange any currency.  And I didn’t need it.  I paid with apple pay, credit cards, and apps.  With no problem.  How long before cash disappears?  (It’s why I invested in a  “cashless currency”  stock – that is the only stock in my portfolio that is currently up, amidst this big pullback this week).

3. Torch Song Announces A Quicker Than Expect Closing.

That’s four Broadway shows now . . . including my own Once on this Island that are closing in the next 30 days.  And School of Rock follows, and Kinky Boots in the spring and even long Off-Broadway runner Marvelous Wonderettes.  Yes, shows always close this time of year . . . but something feels different.

And I hear rumors that at least a couple more announcements are coming.

4. Finish your shopping yet?

Need some ideas for the theater lover in your life?  Or do want to send someone a few hints on what to get you?  Click here for some great Broadway gift ideas.  There may be 18 days until Christmas, but you really only have about 14 shopping days left.

5. Simple solutions make millions.

It was cold this week. So I put these on.  And I thought, “Wow, here’s something that I didn’t have when I was a kid.  And then someone saw a problem, and fixed it with a simple solution, and made a fortune.”  Takeaway?  Keep your eyes open for problems that others or YOU are having . . . and hack a solution.  Then sell it.  Then take the millions you make and produce shows.  🙂

Enjoy the weekend. Go see a show!

Here are my five favorite things that caught my eye this week, theater-related or not!

1. Watch out Skype, there’s a new kid in town.

Have you Zoomed, yet?  If you’re tired of Skype updating itself every time you log on or just think it looks a bit like MySpace, check out Zoom.  I just changed all my video conferencing to this platform and I’m never going back.  In fact, I even paid for it. It’s a private company that I expect will get bought out or go public someday soon.  I’d invest, that’s how good of a product it is.

2. I paid $125, for this book.

I went to a marketing conference recently and got such a strong word of mouth recommendation on this book that I bought it for $125.  And that’s not even on Amazon.  On Amazon, it’s going for this much! (Go ahead guess and then click.)  Why was I willing to pay that much?  First, the WOM was that good.  Second, $125 is less than the cost of one ticket.  Certainly, I will learn enough from the book to sell one more ticket.  Too often we don’t like at the potential ROI of something we purchase.  We just think, “It’s too expensive.”  But is something that costs $1,000 too expensive, if it could earn you $100k return?  I’m 10 pages into this book, and I feel it has already helped me sell 100 more tickets.

3. We keep pulling Magicians out of our hat.

Another magician in residence was enough for the city this week.  I count about a half dozen in the last couple of years, not to mention The Illusionists, currently making buckets of money on Broadway (again).  This is no longer a phase, no longer a trend, and it’s not going to “disappear” anytime soon. Is it time for Copperfield to return?  Where is David Blaine when we need him?

4. A lesson in inspiration and entrepreneurship from a Broadway Star.

I instagrammed these little note-card nuggets from Sierra Boggess this week, but they deserve another mention here.  Not only because I find them helpful, but also because I love when artists follow their passion and become entrepreneurs.  Get yours here.

5. You’ve got 44 chances left.

Once on this Island, one of the most unique, exciting and theatrical Broadway shows I’ve ever seen, not only produced, has 44 performances left on Broadway before we close on January 6th.  Go see it.  We won a Tony over two GLORIOUS productions of other classic musicals.  There’s a reason.  Click here to get your tickets now.

Happy holiday shopping!

Here are five things that made me think this week.

1. Broadway’s First Instagram Agency

Influencer marketing is all the rage. Get yourself the right mention by the right Insta Star and your brand could skyrocket. It’s happening in the “real” world of fashion and beauty. Could our Broadway stars lend a post? A new agency known as “The Cast” believes our stars have bankable social media value and have created a company to rep ’em. Watch their feeds to see what pops up.

2. Print is dead, right?

I won’t buy a newspaper or subscribe to one if they paid me! But why is it that I still like a good magazine (see this Insta post to see what mag I was reading recently)? In fact, I advertise in magazines too, but not so much in newspapers. I know their $ are down too, but I’d bet they’d stay in fashion longer than the newspaper. Anyone else agree?

3. An old advertising rule that blows my mind every time.

The 80/20 rule (or Pareto’s Principle) is one of those things that can make your mind explode when you dig into it. And, as Perry Marshall proves in his book 80/20 Sales & Marketing that I’m reading right now, it can also make your bottom line explode. Average marketers know the rule. The best marketers apply it.

4. What to do on a snow day.

It snowed this week on Broadway. And people stayed home. The only upside is that if you’re in the city, or a local or tourist already here, snow days are the best days to get seats to sold-out shows. So the next time it snows, put on your snow boots and get to the box office of Hamilton, Springsteen, etc. and enjoy . . . maybe even for less.

5. Black Friday is one week away.

I’ve never thought Broadway has done a great job in marketing its shows on the biggest shopping day of the year. Except for some stuff from my shows, but I think the industry has to come together. Just like Amazon promotes all of its items in its store, our industry should promote all of our shows in a big ol’ campaign.

Enjoy the weekend!

Here are five things that fancied me this week:

1. The most dramatic event of the year.

Tuesday, November 6th. Election Day. I don’t care what your politics are. But I do care if you vote. Put it in your calendar now. Book it like a doctor’s appt and you’ll show up. And it might even be more important than a doctor’s appt.

2. The title makes me laugh.

Big congrats to our client, Leo Schwarz, on his Off-Broadway opening and being one of our #5000By2025 with his show . . . Book of Merman. (Told you.) And if you think the title is funny . . . wait until you see this mashup.

3. Something is happening in the city.

The stock market has been funky. NYC Real estate is down. Broadway grosses are off. I don’t know what’s going on, but there’s some economic weakness. My thought? See #1. Elections always get people jittery. Let’s see what happens this holiday season.

4. Only 22 Seats Left!

My SuperConference, the only conference of its kind, is dedicated to empowering theatrical art-repreneurs (writers, directors, producers, actors and more) is 8 days away and there’s only a football team’s worth of tickets left. Join me, Itmar Moses, Steven Sater, John Cariani and a whole bunch of movers, shakers and dream makers at this action-oriented weekend. Click here to get one of the last few tickets.

5. It’s a Jukebox musical on film.

This weekend, Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen, opens in movie theaters around the country. Think we’ll see it adapted for the stage? I know I would have liked a bio concept much better than the Queens-ical We Will Rock You.

Enjoy your weekend!