SOR 59: Bob Harbin On Casting Your Production Team and Picking Up the Phone To Find an Audience

Guest:
Bob Harbin (@bobdirex)

Who is he?
Successful producer who knows sometimes the best marketing is to surround yourself with good people and be willing to do the things no one else wants to (like pick up the phone).

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In just a handful of years Bob has earned a reputation for consistently putting on quality productions, and the crowds that his shows draw are a testament to that. I wanted to bring him on and pick his brain about how he approaches finding the audience for each show.

In this episode:

• casting more than your cast – just as you look for how the actors in a show are going to work together, you also need to look at how the members of your production team (including marketing) are going to work together
• power of the cold call – having success with cold calls is not complicated, but no one does it
• how to start in a new city – jumping right in and putting on a production before you’ve learned the environment is not the most effective way to find an audience
• what a reviewer’s job is – it’s not just to make your show sound appealing
• most of us have been to more than one restaurant – if your audience goes to another theatre, it doesn’t mean they will never come back to yours again (and vice versa)
• finding what’s familiar – even an original show has elements that are familiar, and you can reassure people that they’ll enjoy themselves when you emphasize those elements in the marketing

Items mentioned:

• Bobdirex – Bob’s aptly named production company
• Sold Out Run resources – some of the best and most useful tools that I’ve shared through the blog and podcast are curated here

Let Bob know if you liked this session

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Big thank you to Bob for sharing his insights. A big thanks to you as well for downloading and listening.