Jane Chu is the eleventh Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She has a background in arts administration, philanthropy, and is an accomplished artist and musician. During her tenure to date, Jane has awarded more than $400 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and artists, issued new research reports on arts participation and the impact of the arts and cultural industries on the nation's GDP, and has visited all 50 states. Before coming to the NEA, she served as the president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. In this episode, Erik and Jane discuss the history and mission of the NEA and dig into how the independent federal agency distributes funds to arts organizations and artists. They also talk about how participating in the arts helped Jane through a challenging time in her life, and propelled her to her to eventually become the head of the NEA.

Gina Gibney is the head of the newly renamed Gibney, an artist-founded and women-led organization that provides space for dance, physically and metaphorically in New York City. With 23 studios and multiple performance spaces, the company is a performing arts and social justice powerhouse. Dance Magazine named her as “One of the Most Influential People in Dance Today,” and The New York Observer called her the “Power Broker of Contemporary Dance." In this episode, Erik and Gina discuss her secret to fundraising success, how to work with a board of directors, her role as a female leader, and “The Upward Spiral,” which is her organization’s code word for incremental growth.

Bonnie Siegler is the founder of the design studio Eight and a Half. She’s worked with clients including HBO, the Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Times, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. She has an immense amount to teach us about building successful relationships with creatives. She is the author of the beautiful and insightful booked called “Dear Client....This Book Will Teach You How To Get What You Want From Creative People. Sincerely, Bonnie Siegler.” As arts administrators, part of our jobs involve working with creatives and consultants and those relationships can sometimes be fraught. Lucky for us, her book is a toolkit for this very challenge. In this episode, Erik and Bonnie discuss how arts administrators can better work with creative people to get the output they want for their organizations.

Johnna Fellows Gluth, a Senior Consultant at Capacity Interactive, worked alongside CI's study partners at WolfBrown, to create the Performing Arts Ticket Buyer Media Usage Study. Johnna oversaw the research and analysis of a survey of nearly 27,000 recent ticket buyers to help the field understand media habits of likely arts attendees. The survey provided tangible takeaways for arts administrators. In this episode, Erik and Johnna discuss the survey methodology, review key takeaways from the data, and explore how arts organizations can use this information to guide strategic thinking.

Zannie Voss is the Director at Southern Methodist University’s National Center for Arts Research. She oversees the creation of evidence-based research to help arts and cultural leaders increase impact. In a world of declining audience participation and increasingly challenging financial scenarios, her studies are critical reading for anyone working in the arts today. In this episode, Erik and Zannie talk about a number of studies Zannie oversaw including their recent "Bottom Line Report," which examines troubling data about the financial health of arts organization in the U.S. They also discuss a study highlighting how distance from an arts organization impacts participation, and compelling data about how arts and culture aren't an elitist extravagance, but critical to the American economy.

Aubrey Bergauer is the Executive Director of the California Symphony. When Aubrey took over at the California Symphony, it was in rough operational and financial shape. Under her leadership, the company has implemented changes that led to an increase in subscription revenue by over 70%, an increase in audience size by over 70%, and an increase in contributed revenue by over 40%. Using data coupled with a clear strategy and support from the board of directors, she was able to swiftly implement discipline and rigor to how the organization markets, fundraises and communicates with patrons. In this episode, Erik and Aubrey talk about the California Symphony's "Orchestra X" project to better understand user experience purchasing and attending a concert, and the website changes they made based on their findings. They also discuss the California Symphony's disciplined approach to patron communication, as well as their recent Public Organizational Commitment to Diversity across programming, staffing, and the board.

Colleen Dilenschneider is the publisher of Know Your Own Bone, the powerhouse website that provides data-driven insights about marketing, fundraising, engagement and more for arts administrators. It's required reading for anyone working in the arts and culture today. Colleen is also the Chief Market Engagement Officer at IMPACTS Research & Development, a data and technology company. She has keynoted several state, national, and international conferences including Digital Marketing Boot Camp for the Arts last year! She is full of enthusiasm and data to help solve some of the most pressing challenges in our industry. In this episode, Erik and Colleen discuss the importance of an organization's reputation in driving attendance, why people donate or don't donate to institutions, and how cutting marketing budgets when times get tough is the absolute wrong move.

Andrew McIntyre is a co-founder of Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, a cultural research agency based in the UK. Andrew is one of the UK’s leading authorities on cultural audience motivations and behavior. His firm works on what they call “Culture Segments,” a segmentation system based on people’s cultural values and their beliefs about the role that culture plays in their lives. In this episode, Erik and Andrew talk about how arts organizations often segment based on past behavior and how that is not always the most effective, how understanding cultural segments can increase attendance and participation, and why dumbing-down marketing copy to appeal to the masses is the wrong move. They also discuss why it's essential to build a deep connection with your audience rather than just selling them tickets.

Allison Fippinger is an independent certified project manager and change agent who works with non-profit arts organizations on large-scale strategic projects including website redesigns and CRM implementations. In this episode, Erik and Allison discuss how organizations can be more successful when it comes to conducting large- scale projects that require cross-organizational participation and major change. Not surprising, success often comes down to culture. Erik and Allison also discuss the pros and cons of bringing in an outside project manager, why most of us underestimate the time projects like this will take, and the magic CRM and ticketing platform that will solve every organization's challenges.

Mark Ciglar knows how to use video to sell theatrical performances. Formerly an actor and a commercial director, Mark is now the President of Cinevative, an LA-based video production company that uses visual effects technology to create promotional videos for arts organizations. In this episode, Erik and Mark talk about the appropriate length for promos, how to not let a lack of assets limit your creativity, and why it's more important that videos communicate a feeling, rather than show exactly what's on stage.