Open Seat Direct Podcast

Open Seat Direct's CEO Michael Collazo had the pleasure of speaking with Donna Walker-Kuhne, the CEO of Walker International Communications Group.In her career spanning decades, Walker-Kuhne has consulted countless performing arts organizations regarding audience engagement, marketing and communications. Collazo and Walker-Kuhne had a candid discussion on the state of today's performing arts industry, what marketing, group sales and publicity has worked from her perspective, and what could be done to expand performing arts audiences. Open Seat Direct helps event organizers sell #tickets easily, get paid fast and eliminate junk fees. To learn more, go to openseatdirect.com. Here are some highlights: (1:40) Walker-Kuhne is born and raised in Chicago. Parents were part of the great migration from the south to the north. She grew up in a small black community. (2:30) Walker-Kuhne wanted to be a ballerina and started taking African dance classes. By the age of 13 years old… she was performing regularly. (3:30) Graduated from Loyola University. Started at Howard Law School and still took dance classes while pursuing a higher education. (3:55) How do I build a career with Dance and Law together??(4:15) She was prosecuting for a Juvenile court/ family court. (4:55) During her lunch breaks, she started to organize files at the dance studio across the street from the family court. (5:30) She ultimately wrote a proposal for to be the manager at Thelma hill. (6:50) What are you doing to get in the black community? (7:56) “Where are the black people?” (10:30) Worked on Hairspray, my Rainey’s Black Bottom, the Apollo theatre and on Harlem song.(14:18) The murder of George Floyd changed the commercial industry,. People demanded equity and advocacy in the space. Direct result: 7 plays by black playwrights.(18:00) What are incentives to help groups bring more people through the doors?(21:00) Once your staff understands the value of diversity, they want to engage with the community. “I will always say it has never been the price of a gift that prohibit someone from the outside entertainment experience. It's a question of value.”(22:47) The arts have an elitist value. How do we engage?(25:00) Group sales strategy: then and now? Theme nights!  (35:45) You can’t market every event the same way. New voices need new ways to be invested and promoted. 

We had the pleasure of speaking with nightlife marketing legend Wagner Mateo, AKA DJ Frikkiao.In this career spanning decades, Frikkiao continues to succeed in live event marketing in today's tech-savvy world and as the Latino population grows and draws more mainstream attention. In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, he shared tips on how event organizers can grow their audience, create memories and stay true to yourself. Open Seat Direct helps event organizers sell #tickets easily, get paid fast and eliminate junk fees. To learn more, go to openseatdirect.com Here are some of the highlights: (1:25) - Wagner Mateo, AKA DJ Frikkiao, talks about his migration to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic and how his passion for music drew him to starting as a DJ. (5:00) - Frikkiao spoke about what music was hot when he was first DJing and the long hours he was putting in. He also met legendary artists and music executives during this time when they all first began in the industry. (15:10) - Frikkiao talks about how he was marketing before social media and how he started using today's digital tools. He shares how having a strong data collection and marketing strategy helped him work with artists like Daddy Yankee, major music labels and eventually branching out into travel marketing. (24:40) Frikkiao remembers how he was DJing and leading nightclub promotions at the same time and shares his reasons for focusing on just the nightlife marketing. He also talked about juggling marketing budgets, liquor and beer sponsors and attracting top live acts. (36:00) He talks about how nightlife content transitioned from live artist-based promotions to DJ-driven star power and theme nights - and how it may be heading back to live music. (40:00) Frikkiao shares tips on basic traits and skills he thinks has led to his success throughout all the changing music and technology trends. (49:00) Collazo and Frikkiao talk about how ticket sales have changed from the the late 1990s and early 2000s to today. (52:40) Frikkiao gives some tips on how to develop relationships with the artists and tour managers needed to attract a famous act for your live show. (56:03) Collazo and Frikkiao talk about their views on NFT tickets. (60:35) - Frikkiao shares fun stories about his touches with artist legends. And, yes, Frikkiao did get a shoutout on the song "Noche de Sexo."

It's Super Bowl Week! Ahead of the Chiefs-Eagles showdown in Arizona, broadcaster Clemson Smith Muñiz joins us for episode #9 to discuss his long career in sports journalism spanning four decades, including his memories from broadcasting multiple Super Bowls. Muñiz is MLB Network's Spanish-language PxP broadcaster since 2009. He's covered numerous Super Bowls, too. Come for the insights on the big event, stay for the Magic Johnson casino stories.Open Seat Direct empowers event organizers to sell tickets easily, get paid instantly, and engage customers directly. To learn more, go to openseatdirect.comTIMESTAMPS:(0:49) Clemson’s roots in Puerto Rico and his time at the University of Pennsylvania(5:23) Clemson’s time as a sportswriter covering the Big East, the Yankees, and Larry Bird’s Celtics(20:13) Memories of 49ers-Broncos in 1990(26:53) Super Bowl memories: Giants-Bills(32:25) Prince’s Super Bowl halftime show in 2007(41:57) On security, technology, and ticketing(43:13) Super Bowl vs. Olympics, and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona(49:37) Dream Team stories with MJ and Magic

Taylor Swift fans - or as they call them, Swifties - had a really tough time buying tickets for her latest tour. Sadness, rage and frustration were expressed all over the internet and towards ticketmaster since so few people got tickets and so many were priced out. Live Nation, the largest concert promoter in the world, owns ticketmaster as well as many venues across the U.S. and the world. Is it time for the government to #BreakupTicketmaster?Morgan Harper of the American Economic Liberties Project thinks so. Episode #8 explores the origins of the world's largest primary ticketing platform and how its too-big-to-fail place in the market contributes to buying experiences like the one Swifties had in November.Open Seat Direct empowers event organizers to sell tickets easily, get paid instantly and engage customers directly. To learn more, go to openseatdirect.com.

Planetary, co-founder of the hip hop duo Outerspace, talks about when he started rhyming, how he met Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks and his experiences performing and tour managing at live shows all over North America and Europe.Learn more about how we help event organizers sell tickets easily, get paid instantly and engage customers directly: www.openseatdirect.com

It was a pleasure to talk about ticket pricing with Dave Wakeman of Wakeman Consulting Group. He wrote a great column on top rules to focus on when pricing for your live event and spoke with us about his nightclub days, live event marketing and do's and don'ts on ticket pricing. Learn more about how we help event organizers sell tickets easily, get paid instantly and engage customers directly: www.openseatdirect.com

Open Seat Direct CEO Michael Collazo interviews Danny Wu, founder of Wu Management. In this interview Danny Wu talks about: How Danny Wu fell in love with dancing. Balancing a 9-5 with his passion for dancing. Working his finance job during the day and at night he would change into his tracksuit to go dance. Lack of organization in the breaking events so he decided to take on the role and started managing the dance events. His first event of 600 people at Club Evolution, NYC! Going to international competitions where he would compete along with producing other events on the side which was an all-day commitment! Worked in production at the Box (a very exclusive venue - the hardest to get in). Working his way up to the business development to running whole events. How Danny Wu became more involved in House Dance communities. Joining dance teams and learning more about the history of clubs and venues. Difference between the club dynamic from the 80s, 90s, and now. Why controlling the vibe at these events is important. Tips on how to start!Learn more about how we help event organizers sell tickets easily, get paid instantly and engage customers directly: www.openseatdirect.com

If you are an event organizer/creator wanting to learn from a tour marketing and management pro, this is the conversation for you. Get tips on how to budget, schedule, market and product manage your live events and touring with Tanya Vialva-Duke.Learn more about how we help event organizers sell tickets easily, get paid instantly and engage customers directly: www.openseatdirect.com

Open Seat Direct's Michael Collazo chats with Kitab Rollins of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), who will share tips on what to expect when renting venue space.Learn more about how we help event organizers sell tickets easily, get paid instantly and engage customers directly: www.openseatdirect.com

Open Seat Direct CEO Michael Collazo interviews with B.J. and Kev Cannady, co-founders of Vine of the Rhyme. In this interview, you will learn: Yes, music and wine go together. There are studies that prove it.How B.J. and Kev conceived, started and improved on this unique live event concept How they cleared up a sticky situation about rumors Jill Scott was attending their promotion What kinds of wine pair nicely with music by artists like the late Biggie Smalls, Maxwell and Jill Scott What the Vine of the Rhyme guys are working for 2022 As high school buddies and Philadelphia natives, we also talked a little Eagles football!For information on Vine of the Rhyme visit: https://www.instagram.com/vineoftherhyme/Learn more about how we help event organizers sell tickets easily, get paid instantly and engage customers directly: www.openseatdirect.com

Open Seat Direct CEO Michael Collazo interviews with Warren Sims, Managing Partner, Sims Security Group. In this interview, you will learn: Tips for event safety for small groupsThings to consider when picking a venue for your eventWhen it is necessary to hire professional security. What technology to use for your eventsWarren Sims also goes into lessons learned from the Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy, and ways to avoid overcrowding and chaos at larger scale events. For information on the Sims Security group visit: http://simssecurityservice.com/Learn more about how we help event organizers sell tickets easily, get paid instantly and engage customers directly: www.openseatdirect.com