CI to Eye

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.

Afa Dworkin is the President and Artistic Director of the Sphinx Organization, whose mission is to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts. In this episode, Erik and Afa discuss the very real societal structural barriers that limit inclusion, how most American orchestras present works by mostly white men, and why risk averse leaders must make big changes in staffing and programming to align their organizations with changing demographic realities in order to keep classical music relevant and alive in this country.

David Stewart is the Guthrie Theater's Director of Production and an outspoken advocate on issues of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. In this episode, Erik and David talk about the lack of diversity in the arts both onstage and behind the scenes, how the Guthrie has begun to confront these challenges under a new artistic director, and how we all need to recognize our blind spots and the larger societal and organizational structures that inhibit progress.

Jenny Kreizman is a Senior Analyst at Capacity Interactive. She came to CI with no analytics skills and is now a website analytics and optimization pro. Her story of learning these technical skills is inspirational. In this episode, Erik and Jenny talk about flexing one’s curiosity to learn new skills, what it is like to be a woman in a highly technical role, and how arts organizations can better use website analytics and optimization to improve their web experiences.

Karen Girty is the Senior Director of Marketing and Media at New York City Ballet. Under her leadership, the organization has become a media powerhouse, producing some of the most stunning video content in our field. She also helped launch Art Series, New York City Ballet's groundbreaking audience development program. In this episode, Erik and Karen talk about the organization's rebrand, video production efforts, and how Art Series helped transform the makeup of their audience into nearly 50% Gen X and Gen Y-ers.

John Berardi is the co-founder of Precision Nutrition, the largest private nutrition coaching and education company in the world. Erik has been using Precision Nutrition coaching for over a year and it has made a huge impact on him both personally and physiologically. Erik first discovered Precision Nutrition through their stellar digital marketing content- so not only is he a huge fan of their work, but also their marketing- which is almost entirely permission-based. In this episode, Erik and John discuss the philosophies that make Precision Nutrition's coaching so effective, how their company uses content and permission marketing, and how focusing on and prioritizing marketing channels leads to success.

Meghan Keaney Anderson is the VP of Marketing at HubSpot, a company that was built on and exemplifies stellar content creation. Meghan’s team of 20 content strategists get to experiment and test more channels than most arts marketers could ever dream about. In this episode, Erik and Meghan talk about HubSpot's experimentation in Medium, Messenger apps, podcasts and many other outlets, and what arts organizations can learn from these experiments. They also discuss lessons she’s learned from managing a large team and the importance of giving tough feedback. This episode is full of useful marketing tips and strategic takeaways for arts administrators.

In this unique episode of CI to Eye, the tables are turned and Erik Gensler, CI's President, becomes the interviewee. Led by Ashley Dunn Gatterdam, Senior Consultant at Capacity Interactive, Erik and Ashley discuss the origins of CI, lessons in leadership, digital strategy, and the evolutions within the company and field over the years.

For four decades, Paula Scher has been at the forefront of graphic design crafting identities for renowned corporate brands and cultural institutions. From Citibank and Tiffany & Co. to The Public Theater, MOMA, Jazz at Lincoln Center and New York City Ballet, her identities have become case studies for the contemporary identity of American brands. In this episode Erik and Paula talk about why cultural organizations need a cohesive design system, how the move to screens changed branding and identity work, and how institutions can best work with designers.

Adam Huttler is the founder and CEO of Fractured Atlas, an organization that provides artists and cultural groups with business services. Adam is currently working on the "Exponential Creativity Fund," a venture capital fund that makes early investments in entrepreneurs who are using technologies to empower or enhance human creativity. In this episode, Erik and Adam discuss arts entrepreneurship, advances in AI and robotics, and organizational diversity and inclusion.