240 stories by "Adam Thurman"
At a core level here is the question we all struggle with: How do you get an idea to spread? Ideas are ultimately stronger then things. Artistic performances come and go. It's the idea, the …
Time is one of the most vital, but unappreciated, marketing factors. Great ideas fall apart because they were not given the time they needed to full develop. So, once you have set your goals…
So you've decided what your strategic marketing goals should be. Now let's talk about the money. First, please revisit this post on setting financial objectives. It talks about some of the e…
It never fails. I've get my little series on arts marketing tactics all laid out and then BAM another conversation about dynamic pricing kicks off. So I'll do this one brief detour and talk …
Alright, time to switch things up a bit. For the next several weeks posts will come Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For this first series of post, I'm going to dive into the fundamentals of ma…
I was watching a mixed martial arts fight on TV. The announcer said that one of the fighters was "the right type of crazy" to make it in that particular world. I think we can all acknowledge…
The reason no one lets you take big risks is probably because you haven't shown the ability to consistently plan, execute and manage small risks. Big risks are overrated. It's easy to imagin…
It's important to remember what things actually cost, even if you're not paying some (or all) of those costs. During my early days I would keep two budgets for artistic events. One that refl…
Arts marketers are easy and juicy targets for blame and ridicule so I could relate to the frustrations of folks like Alli. I used to get bothered when I would hear people talk about how much…
I'm sure the CEO of Southwest Air would love it if he didn't have to deal with the fact that airlines are so expensive, or that they need to be constantly repaired, or that fuel costs change…
A quick reminder about audience "engagement." Social media doesn't create engagement. It is simply a tool to leverage the engagement created by the artistic event. It can be helpful to under…
Ferran Adria is one of the most acclaimed chefs in the world. By any reasonable definition, he's an artist. His advice to his fellow chefs/artists is interesting. Here's his response to the …
When I have difficulty managing a life in the arts it tends to have a common cause: Things changed and I didn't know it. Life in this world can be so insular. The same artists hanging around…
One of the toughest lessons in leadership for me to learn was this one: People are watching you. I don't mean that in a paranoid way. I mean that people are taking their cues from your words…
I call this little thing of mine "Mission Paradox" because I believe that you need to embrace conflicting thoughts. Here's two of them: 1. To thrive in the world of art and commerce you need…
