---

- News -

January 20, 2012

NAPAMA Scholarship for CPAE Program Awarded

NAPAMA has awarded its first CPAE Scholarship to Nina Reynolds, Office Assistant, SRO Artists in Middleton, WI. Scholarships are awarded on an ad hoc basis to NAPAMA members (or persons working for a NAPAMA member organization). Successful applicants are required to complete two modules of the course before they receive their scholarship money. Interested applicants may contact , NAPAMA Secretary, for more information.

January 9, 2012

NAPAMA Board Slate Approved at Membership Meeting in New York

The NAPAMA Board Slate for 2012 was approved at the NAPAMA Membership meeting held in New York City in conjunction with the APAP Conference. Three new Board members were confirmed: David Wannen, General Manager of New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players; Mike Green, of Mike Green & Associates; and Chad Herzog, Director of Performing Arts, Juniata College. Confirmed for a second term were Mark Smith , 1st Mark Artists Management, LLC and Robin Pomerance, Cal Performance, UC Berkeley.

January 9, 2012

NAPAMA Awards Presented at APAP Awards Luncheon

President Robert Baird had the privilege of presenting two NAPAMA Awards at the APAP Awards Luncheon at the APAP Conference in New York. The NAPAMA Award for Excellence as an Agent or Manager in the Performing Arts was presented to Ann Summers Dossena of Ann Summers International in Toronto, Canada. The NAPAMA Award for Excellence in Presenting the Arts was presented to Mike Ross, Director of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

January 9, 2012

Ann Summers Donation for CPAE Program

The NAPAMA Membership meeting was delighted by the surprise donation of $1,500 from Ann Summers in support of the Certified Performing Arts Executive (CPAE) Program. In making the donation, Ann indicated her wish to support a program that is of value to the performing arts industry and that has been long-awaited. Ann's gift will be used to provide scholarships for the program.

December 27, 2011

NAPAMA Membership Meeting at APAP

Monday, January 9, 2012

11 a.m. - 12 noon

New York Hilton, Concourse A

Please note that this is an OPEN meeting and everyone is welcome to attend. The membership will vote on the Nominations Slate, by-law revisions and other business as required.

December 2, 2011

Brian Goldstein named to 2011 "Best Lawyer" List

Washingtonian magazine has named Brian Taylor Goldstein to its 2011 list of Washington's Best Lawyers. Brian was named as one of the "Stars of the Bar" in the area of Performing Arts and Entertainment and was recognized as among the top 10 "dealmakers" who "represent authors, athletes, and other clients in media and the arts."

The Washingtonian's "Best Lawyers" list, which is now available in the December 2011 issue, highlights "the very best in legal talent" within the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

With offices in Fairfax, Virginia and New York City, Brian is a partner in FTM Arts Law, the entertainment division of the law firm of Fettmann, Tolchin and Majors, P.C., and Managing Director of the arts management and consulting firm of FTM International.

November 23, 2011

PA Presenters Releases Conference Survey Results

At the PA Presenters General Meeting on November 15, 2011 at State College, PA, it was decided that the results of a recent member survey regarding attendance at PAE conferences would be disseminated to the field. The report is an indication of what some attendees are thinking in regards to PAE and what drives their decision on attending. Thanks to Chrissie DiAngelus for compiling the results. Please direct any questions or comments to at PA Presenters.

November 18, 2011

Gerri Combs To Retire

Gerri Combs, executive director of South Arts, announced recently that she intends to retire in June 2012. The announcement came last week during a regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Combs became executive director in 2005, coming to South Arts from the Kentucky Arts Council, where she was the agency's executive director since 1996. Read full story

November 16, 2011

Memorial Tribute to Michal Schmidt

The Memorial Tribute to celebrate Michal Schmidt, her wonderful life and the special legacy that she has left to the world of music and to all who knew her, will take place on December 6, 2011 at 5 p.m. at the Liederkranz Foundation, 6 East 87th Street in New York. We hope that many of you will be able to attend.

November 16, 2011

Flynn Center Artistic Director Arnie Malina to Retire

Arnie Malina, artistic director for the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington VT and the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, will retire at the end of January 2012.

Perhaps one of the strongest legacies Malina will leave is an artistic vision spanning popular, experimental and international work. Some of the most memorable performances Malina brought to the Flynn include David Byrne, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Abbey Lincoln, Cirque Eloize, Sonny Rollins, Eiko and Koma, Ornette Coleman, and Broadway National Tours of Sweeney Todd and The Producers; lesser-known but powerful international artists Rokia Traoré and fado singer Mariza; and such international choreographers as Marie Chouinard, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, and Wim Vandekeybus.

Malina will continue to consult with the Flynn through June 2012 to finish programming the Flynn's 2012-13 season. The search for a new artistic director will begin in early 2012.

November 2, 2011

NAPAMA Seeking Nominations for Board

NAPAMA has two openings at this time:

Michael Blachly, Secretary, will be stepping down after two terms of excellent service for which we are all extremely grateful. Eric Bricking, Vice President, was obliged to resign from the board before the end of his first term and was gallantly replaced by David Wannen who is currently serving in Eric's place.

We will therefore call for nominations for someone to replace Michael and someone to serve the remainder of Eric Bricking's unexpired term.

The nominations committee consists of:

Laura Colby, Elsie Management - Past President

Tim Drake, The Roots Agency - Past Board Member

Laura Hartman, LVanHart Artist Productions

Michael Mushalla, Double M Arts and Events

Eleanor Oldham, 2Luck Concepts - Nominations Committee Chair and Immediate Past President

Please send your nominations for these two vacancies to Eleanor Oldham at , as soon as possible. In addition to the name of your nominee, please send your own contact information and your reasons for the nomination. Please be sure to speak to the person you are nominating before nominating them to ensure that they are interested, willing, and available to serve on NAPAMA's board.

November 2, 2011

New NAPAMA Website Launched

The new NAPAMA website is now active! I urge all members to take it for a test drive - we would love to have your reaction, comments, constructive suggestions, etc. Canada Web Design did an amazing job from designing the new logo, to working diligently to ensure that the new website would be attractive and useful. Please let me know if there are ways to improve it from the user viewpoint.

The new website also offers an opportunity to promote your artists and your company through our Photo Gallery which appears on each page of the website. Please feel free to send me some pics of your main artists and your company logo (at least 72dpi - the bigger the better) and we will include them in the NAPAMA Photo Gallery. Send to: .

What's the best feature of the new website? Online membership renewal has become even easier to accomplish. I encourage all lapsed members to renew their membership on the new website as soon as possible. Don't know if your membership has lapsed? Login to your account to check your membership status.

October 22, 2011

Death of Michal Schmidt of Schmidt Artists

Schmidt Artists International announced the passing of their founder, Michal Schmidt, on Saturday, October 22nd due to complications from a fall in Munich last year. No one thought that her life might actually be threatened until very recently. Schmidt Artists was the great joy of Michal's life. The company will continue under the leadership of her associate, Patricia Handy. A memorial service will be held to celebrate Michal's life later this fall in New York City.

October 6, 2011

GEM Booth Situation Resolved through NAPAMA/APAP Cooperation

An innovation for the 2012 APAP Conference was the re-allocating of exhibit spaces in terms of size and numbering and the placement of additional GEM booths in one of the America's Halls. This was apparently done because of the popularity of the booths last year. The GEM Booths are more expensive and were placed without consultation with NAPAMA or exhibitors. Laura Colby and John Castonia organized a petition which clearly demonstrated that the GEM Booths were NOT popular and that the lack of consultation and advance notice has created hardships for exhibitors. Thanks to consultation and cooperation between NAPAMA and APAP the GEM Booth situation was resolved: the GEM Booths were removed and refunds were given.

September 24, 2011

Jerry Ross Chairs NAPAMA Meeting at PAE

Jerry Ross, NAPAMA Board Member, chaired a very productive NAPAMA membership meeting at PAE in Baton Rouge, LA. The meeting was attended by Geri Combs and Leland McKeithan. The membership discussed future PAE locations and the fact that PAE seems not to be convening in the northeast. A resolution was passed asking NAPAMA to seek information from Southarts as to their intentions for future conference locations and how NAPAMA and PAE might cooperate to serve the presenter constituency along the eastern seaboard and in the northeastern United States. This will be followed up by NAPAMA President, Robert Baird.

September 23, 2011

NAPAMA Assists Exhibitors at PAE

In cooperation with Leland McKeithan, the new PAE Director, NAPAMA was able to rectify some exhibitor problems at PAE. Because of the hall configuration, several exhibitors were placed in an unfortunate location, and NAPAMA was able to negotiate alternate locations for these exhibitors. We were also able to work with another unhappy exhibitor who was tormented by the air conditioning in the hall and she was given a financial break for next year by PAE. NAPAMA at work!

September 20, 2011

NAPAMA to Broker AV Fees at APAP Showcases

As in past years, NAPAMA will broker an agreement with PSAV at the Hilton in New York to facilitate the AV requirements for showcasing. Last year, in cooperation with the Hilton and APAP, NAPAMA was able to work closely with PSAV at the Hilton to provide AV equipment and services for the many showcases at the Hilton.

September 13, 2011

Passing of Bruce Beers

Bruce Beers died from a massive heart attack on September 13. He was most recently with Temecula Presents in Temecula, CA. He will be remembered for being "an adventurous and ardent supporter of dance in a place once difficult to present dance. He made big things happen in a small community. He was also a wonderful human being, humorous, and concerned about educating his community about dance" (Rachel Cohen) and the arts. He had a great sense of humor.

September 8, 2011

Certified Performing Arts Executive (CPAE) Program Launched

The Certified Performing Arts Executive Program (CPAE) was officially launched at Arts Midwest in Minneapolis. The CPAE Program is a joint venture of NAPAMA, Arts Northwest and the University of New Orleans. Harmon Greenblatt, from UNO, attended the conference and in conjunction with Karen Hanan of Arts Northwest, and Robert Baird of NAPAMA, presented information on the program to interested presenters and agents. The first course will be rolled out in January of 2012. Check the NAPAMA website for more information.

---

Member Showcase

---