Kurt Deutsch is an actor, director, record producer, and film producer. He is the Senior Vice President for Theatrical & Catalog Development for Warner/Chappell Music, and President of Sh-K-Boom Records, a division of Warner Arts Music.

The past 20 years have wreaked havoc on the music industry, and cast albums have become an endangered species as a result. Luckily, one guy saw this change coming. And back in the early part of the millennium, Kurt struck out on his own, and with Broadway actress Sherie Rene Scott he founded the independent label Sh-K-Boom Records. Its mission? Save Broadway music, one cast album at a time.

Since then, Sh-K-Boom and its upstart sister label Ghostlight Records have grabbed the lion’s share of the cast album biz away from the big “studio” companies, recording big hits like The Book of Mormon, In the Heights, Next to Normal and many more.

And Kurt sat down with me for this week’s episode to talk about . . .

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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John Raymond Barker is an actor, singer, writer, and voice over artist living in NYC where he recently made his network television debut guest starring on Law & Order: SVU. New York theatre credits include several new works (including Lee Feldman’s Greene) and appearances throughout the cabaret and nightlife scene, including many at the historic Stonewall Inn. He co-wrote the devised work, Gold Coast, with Stages on the Sound for Metropolitan Playhouse’s Gilded Stage Festival under the guidance of Tectonic Theater Project’s Scott Barrow.  In January 2019, John made his network television debut guest starring as Karl Patton on Law & Order: SVU on NBC.

Broadway is a community of hundreds and hundreds of employees who all help make its crazy wheel go round, eight times a week. And of all of the jobs, ushers talk to more of our ticket buyers than anyone. I reached out to my friends over at Jujamcyn Theaters and asked for their help in picking one of their experienced vets to help me understand what was happening on the front lines.

And they introduced me to John, an actor whose “night job” is ushering at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Listen in to this podcast to hear John’s first hand knowledge and insight on things like . . .

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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Victoria Bailey is executive director of Theatre Development Fund (TDF), the only not-for profit organization dedicated to serving the entire spectrum of the performing arts with programs that touch the lives of millions of New Yorkers and visitors each year. Its TKTS booths and its membership, education, subsidy, access and dance programs all further its core mission. Ms. Bailey was also instrumental in the execution of a comprehensive study of the lives of American playwrights and the production of new American Plays.

Listen in as Tory, one of the most powerful people in the biz, thanks to the millions of dollars TDF generates for Broadway and Off Broadway shows, talks about all things TDF and more like:

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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Stuart Oken is a producer. He leads Elephany Eye Theatrical, whose projects have included An American in Paris, The Addams Family, Saved and Venice. As Executive VP at Disney, Theatrical, he produced The Lion King, Aida and Der Glockner Von Notre Dame. Mr. Oken founded Chicago's Appollo Theater Center and produced the motion pictures About Last Night, Impromptu and Queens Logic. He served as president of Witt-Thomas Films at Warner Brothers and founded and served as artistic director of the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University.

Stuart is another fantastic example of how everyone’s path to producing on Broadway is unique. I’ll leave the “tell-all” part to Stuart, but he went from small independent producer to movie producer to corporate theater producer all the way back to big time independent producer. And he has had success at every stop along the way.

What’s his secret? It’s all in the podcast. Listen in to hear Stuart talk about:

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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Ben Brantley, Chief Drama Critic of the New York Times, has been a staff critic since 1996, filing reviews regularly from London as well as New York. Subjects of his profiles include the underground Belarus Free Theater in Minsk, and Barbra Streisand in Malibu.

Thanks to his willingness to jump on my podcast, you’re going to get a chance to know the guy behind the “Ben.” In this enlightening podcast with the Chief Drama Critic of the New York Times, you’ll hear . . .

There’s a lot to learn on this podcast, including how to get the attention of a NY Times critic and how best to write a review . . . but the most important thing to learn is that is everyone in this business, including the people you disagree with, got into it in the first place because they love it.

Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway

www.theproducersperspective.com

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