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This Week on Broadway: May 25, 2009 – Broadway’s Situation
James Marino, Damian Bazadona, Peter Filichia and Matthew Murray talk about the past week’s news on Broadway.
— KPMG new auditors for the Tony Awards
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=arMh78QcN.OM&refer=muse
— Who should accept the award for best play?
http://blogs.courant.com/curtain/2009/05/stop-the-fauxducers.html
— Ken Davenport’s Fall/Spring theories
— Broadway ticket Taxes: No… Fees: Yes!
— Fela coming in @ $11 million
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05222009/entertainment/theater/the_afrobeat_goes_on_170411.htm
– Is Fela using In The Heights as a model to transfer
– Ave Q and Spring Awakening both came in on good word of mouth, not a lot of sales.
– Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller
— Come to the Theater World Awards on June 2, 2PM at the Friedman Theater (formerly the Biltmore), FREE ADMISSION!
Guest: Damian Bazadona, President and founder, Situation Interactive (www.situationinteractive.com)
Damian Bazadona is the President and founder of Situation Interactive. Situation is a leading full-service interactive agency serving the live entertainment industry with offices in NYC, Las Vegas along with an office in Los Angeles set to open this August. The agency has managed the online marketing strategy for over 200 live event productions and currently represents many well-known theatrical brands across the country. In New York, clients include Disney on Broadway, Wicked, Mamma Mia!, Billy Elliot, Hair, Next to Normal, 9 to 5, New York City Opera and The Roundabout Theatre Company among many others. In Las Vegas, the firm represents Blue Man Group, Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular, The Lion King, Jersey Boys and Peepshow. The new Los Angeles office will oversee their work with The Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, Shorenstein Hayes Nederlander in San Francisco along with work within the film industry.
You can learn more about the company at www.situationinteractive.com.
You can learn more about Situation Cares, the charitable extension of Situation Interactive, at www.situationcares.org.
— What does a full service interactive agency do for a Broadway show?
— How does the award season affect your business?
— Growth: 4 years ago, 3-4 people, now. about 40 people!
— Broadway is catching up on technology
— First Broadway project: working with Ben Mordecai on King Hedley (by August Wilson)
— Hardest job was “Brooklyn: The Musical”
— Damian has worked on over 100 shows
— Sometimes ideas we have don’t work, but have to be tried
— Next to Normal is approaching 100,000 followers on Twitter
— Working in Las Vegas keeps the agency on its toes
— Sometimes user generated content campaigns are tough as most people are lurkers.
— Numbers sometimes tell an incomplete story, millions of page views are not necessarily important.
— Biggest opportunity for Broadway is how data is used to market shows
— When should new shows get Situation involved? ASAP!
— Coming up for Situation next season: The Adams Family and Spiderman among others
— Broadway selling tickets through private gateway to university students; audience development
— Now is the time for optimism and ideas
— Can you make a hit of a show that is not well received? No.
— Critics matter, but consumers voice is ultimately the decision maker.
— Google searches brings up consumer reviews now, how can you overcome this?
— Situation only buys digital and interactive media.
— Situation Cares and the Ian Bennett Memorial Fund.
— Fundraiser for the Ian Bennett Memorial Fund, June 16th.
Music in the podcast:
— How To Succeed/I Believe In You performed by Liz Callaway from the CD “Anywhere I Wander – Music By Frank Loesser”
— 28 Brotherhood of Man from the CD “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying!” (New Broadway Cast Recording)
Participate! What will win on Tony night? What should win? Let us know at 646-349-1031 or on the contact form on BroadwayStars.com
