by Allison Pitts

            On Sunday the 11th we attended a workshop led by Scottish producer Frodo McDaniel. After he briefly joked with the crowd about having the name “Frodo,” he began the session. Frodo is currently producing five shows at the Fringe and is also here looking for shows to produce in the future. Specifically, Frodo looks for circus and cabaret, but he gave us helpful tips for all types of artists to use when finding a producers.

            Frodo stressed that the most important thing for an artist to have ready is the pitch for their show. It is important to explain what your show is about in two lines. He said producers do not want to hear the entire plot in a pitch; just the general information of what the show is about. As an artist, it is important to always have a flyer, press release and business card on you. This is especially important at the Fringe because you are always meeting new people who could potentially help you.

            At the Fringe, a producer can help an artist with several things. A producer manages your budget, logistics, rehearsal space and anything else that keeps you from focusing on your show. Using a producer while at the Fringe will help the artist to spend more time making their show the best it can be and it is an overall good investment to make. While the price varies by the producer, the average price a producer will charge at the Fringe is 1000 to 2000 pounds for the month. While this does not fit into everyone’s budget, a producer is worth the money if you can afford it. Overall, Frodo’s insight on presenting to producers was very informative. He gave everyone the knowledge they will need if they want to get the attention of a producer.    

by Emily Selke

At the beginning of this past weekend, Fringe University hosted a meet and greet for university students to mingle and network with one another. It was held in Summerhall in the early afternoon, most certainly conducive to the young adults' sleeping schedules.  The room was bustling and full of goodies, ranging from coffee and tea to cookies and donuts. Fringe U. business cards and flyers for the big Fringe University project of the summer, the Traverse Through Time lecture series, were scatted on the counters amongst the sweets and treats. Several people wandered in during the hour and a half we were there. Some were students and others were there to present work at Summerhall. Regardless of their origin, we were happy to meet with and speak to them about their projects and goals.

One woman who seemed to just happen upon us, Maria, spoke with many of us about her project called Long Distance Affair. The effort is a cooperation between directors, producers, and actors worldwide who have never met before. The exhibit is interactive, as visitors walk around a room to various computer screens where different plays are acted out by one person from and in a different country. Over 30 artists from five continents are participants, and it is on at Summerhall through the 25th with five performances daily. Two girls came in about a half hour into our event with huge bags, grasping everyone's attention. After settling in, they spoke with me and told me they had just arrived in town. They saw the event in the Fringe book and wanted to check it out! It turns out the two are from a town just outside of Glasgow. The one I was mainly talking to, Kim, had recently completed a program with one of Edinburgh's theater companies. She has had and is also planning some awesome adventures for being just 16 years old, and speaking with her was truly fascinating.

Though there weren't a large number of people, the event seemed successful. People were able to come in and share their experiences and knowledge with others. The cool part was that even people who had no idea what Fringe University is found the event attractive enough to come, creating a very thrilling environment.

by Allison Pitts

            We have gone to several informative workshops this year at the Fringe that have been very helpful for Fringe first-timers. On August 5th we all attended the workshop: How to Get Your Show Seen by the Right People. At the workshop, there was a panel of people who work in different areas of the Fringe. They discussed several key things to do and not to do in order to get attention at the Fringe. To start off, the panelists emphasized the importance of the arts industry office at the Fringe. The Arts Industry office is available to help give you contacts to people who may be interested in your show. They can help you get the “right people” to see it.

            The part of the workshop that I found to be most helpful was the part when all the panelists stated their “do’s” and “don’ts” of the Fringe. “Do’s” included: hanging out at the right places, doing as much as you can and being nice to everyone you meet. Hanging out at the right places can lead to meeting important people who could possibly show interest in taking on your show after the Fringe. There are so many things to do at the Fringe that the panelists suggested to take advantage of your time and do as much as you possibly can. I have heard many people state that “sleep is for September.” Finally, you never know whom you are speaking with. It could be an important producer or someone who could put you in touch with someone that could help your career, so you should always be nice to everyone. The panelists’ list of don’ts included: don’t stress, move on when things don’t work, don’t worry about being over professional and don’t stalk people. Above all, the Fringe is supposed to be a fun and exciting experience. The panelists stressed that if you enjoy yourself, and perform your best work, an audience will come. They also stressed the importance of not stalking the people you want to get in contact with. Producers and reviewers are very busy. It is okay to send them a few emails asking them to attend your show, but it is not okay to call and email them constantly.

            Overall this workshop was very helpful. Although Fringe University students are not putting on a show here, learning all the ins and outs of the festival will be so helpful for us in the future. Whether we are back at the Fringe one day, or managing a show touring in the US, the information we have been given at these workshops can be applied to all aspects of the entertainment industry.

by Gayle Tadler

After our first traverse through time lecture on Sunday the 4th of August we were invited to attend the Gryphon Venue launch party. Instructed to arrive fashionably late, we went back to the flat to take our time getting dressed up.

Before the launch party, we had only ever seen Gryphon’s tiny, all black theaters in the basement of the Point Hotel. So we were very excited to find that the party would be held in the bar on the top floor of the hotel. When the elevator doors opened to a spectacular view of the city, most of our jaws dropped as we realized this is how venue owners party.

As the awe of all the beautiful scenery we were surrounded by began to fade, we remembered why we were there in the first place, to meet people! Most of us lamented over the party not having an open bar, but we soon found out that each table had jars of cookies and candy. We started gobbling them down, as we starving students are happy to take advantage of any opportunity for free food. As the cookies and candy started to dwindle over the night Julie Mercik and I decided to sit on a couch and put the most full cookie jar in front of us as a sort of baiting technique to lure people to talk to us. Didn’t really work, but we got to eat more cookies that way!

Throughout the night all the girls got to know many people from many of the shows being held at Gryphon including SHHH! A silent improv show, Northhanger Abbey, The Fifth duck. And of course our own shows Serotonin Syndrome and American Gunshow. Many of us talked to a gryphon employee named Michael, who we found out had a decent budget to spend on drinks that night and ended up being a pretty interesting character by the end of the night. At the end of the night we all learned some valuable lessons on what to do and not do at launch parties of this such and of some prospective shows to go see this month!

by Emily Selke

The Fringe Society has put together a ton of excellent free events to help guide performers and companies to make the most of their Fringe visit. Meet the Media was a recent event where representatives from various press outlets gathered at Fringe central to listen to performers' pitches. The brief exchanges were meant to open opportunities for previews, reviews, interviews, and even features. The event itself was four hours long, but queuing began well before the 2 o'clock start time; entrance lines started forming at around 11 o'clock in the morning and extended over two full blocks, nearly circling the building before admittance began.

Excitement and nervousness surged the air throughout the event, even as it drew to an end. Some students of Fringe University, myself included, were able to speak with a couple performers that were waiting to speak to the press. Our first conversation was with Ryan Good, better known as 'Ryan the Bi-Sexual Lion' from a comedy show called Sex with Animals. He shared with us that he is a New Yorker that recently relocated to San Francisco and came to Edinburgh to gain a wider audience and greater appreciation for his act. As you can see he was dressed head to toe, and his bag was chock full of flyers ready for the giving. 

Our second encounter was with another comedian named Toby Muresianu for his show Toby Explains the Universe. He originated from Rhode Island and was actually an engineer with a degree from Brown University and a solid three years at Microsoft before deciding he wanted to become a full-time standup comedian. His ultimate goal for the festival is to get more international press to add to his portfolio so he can continue touring worldwide. 

As a whole, the event was exciting and gave a lot of shows an edge to be acknowledged in the media. By the end, it seemed that everyone was happy (with their free Deuchars beer samples in hand).

by Julie Kimelman

Today we went to a workshop at Fringe Central titled How to Sell Your Show. The four panelists were a wealth of knowledge about how to appropriately utilize social media and flyers for advertising, creating and maintaining a company and show image, networking, and contacting the media for reviews. The panel emphasized the importance of a strong pitch, suggesting that the most successful pitches are vivid, yet to the point and under one minute long.

The moderator urged everyone to avoid sending blanket emails, and instead send fewer personalized emails to specific agencies that would more likely be interested in covering the show. It is essential that the first paragraph of any email include the venue, time, and dates of the show, as well as something that will catch the potential reviewer’s attention. Though this seemed obvious to many of us because of previous marketing classes, an interesting point that I had not thought about was to be wary of attaching photos because many journalists are instructed to not open attachments to avoid viruses.

During our class discussion after the workshop we agreed that one of our biggest takeaways from the workshop was the advice of a man not affiliated with any of the shows, but instead attending just to learn.  He suggested that shows should always hand out flyers as people are leaving the show to increase the possibility that the person will tell a friend. When attending a festival with so many hundreds of shows per day, it is easy for someone to remember that he or she really liked something about a certain performance but forget the name of the show. As the man advised, if the audience leaves with a flyer they are more likely to pass on the information! 

by Katelin Del Rosario

4:57

The commuter’s bus to the Newark airport from New York City was running late due to rush hour, and despite having three hours until my 8:00 flight to Edinburgh took off, my palms were sweating with nervousness.

What if the bus took another hour? What if I was late?

The weather did not make the wait go by faster. The air was not as heavy as it had been in the previous week, but the air was not only heavy, but as any other city, the air itself felt like someone had somehow managed to fill the air with sludge.

5:26

Finally, the bus turned the corner and pulled up to our bus stop. I let out a deep sigh of relief. Finally. I let the bus driver take my luggage so he could store it under the bus. I stored my baby guitar in the compartment above my seat and sat down towards the back of the bus hoping that no one would sit next to me, but due to the bus’s tardiness, there were too many people hoping to get on the bus that I knew I wouldn’t be alone. As I predicted, someone sat next to me, a man middle aged with dark brown hair and a sharp nose, but I didn’t mind so much. 

6:21

I got off the bus at Terminal C and rushed to check-in my bags so that I could get to my gate. Due to the unusually good customer service at the counter, the check-in line only took twenty minutes to get through.

Thank God. 

I walked briskly to airport security and waited for my turn to go through that magical metal portal that led to the airport gates to the airport gates. I stood in line and looked back to ensure that my bag was closed properly.

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t steal anything.” Someone said behind me.

I turned back to apologize. “I—“

The man had a goatee and glasses. His face reminded me of a cute English bulldog—round and pudgy. He had earrings with a picture of an animated cat in his left ear. But the thing that caught my eye was his fedora hat. I adored fedora hats. I realized that I had been staring for far too long and had not finished my sentence, and the man was looking at me oddly.

“I…like your hat.” I finished lamely.

That seemed to appease him. He instantly brightened and straightened. It was obvious that he loved his hat. “Thank you! Are you a musician?” He asked pointing to my guitar case.

“Oh, yeah. I play.”

“Are you in the business?”

I nodded in affirmation. “Yup.”

“That’s awesome! Performing or business?”

“Oh, I’m on the business side. I’m an entertainment and arts management major at Drexel University.” I explained. “What about you?”

“Business as well. Music.” He replied.

I laughed with glee. “I should’ve known by your hat.” I told him.

“Why is that?”

“In my experience, most people involved in the music industry wear fedora hats. So what exactly do you do?”

“I work in booking venues. I’m in charge of booking all the major venues in the Northeast area like Radio City. I’m on my way to a tour of the US and Canada with a band.”

            I held true to my EAM training, because the only thing I could think about at that point was getting his business card. Unfortunately, we had only begun to talk about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival when it was my turn to hand the security officer my boarding pass and passport.

            Just my luck.

            “See you around.” He said as he went to another part of the line.

            It was one of the few times that I wished that the security line hadn’t gone by so fast. I put all my belongings on the conveyer belt and walked through the metal detector. When it didn’t beep in protest, I smiled and quickly gathered my bags so that I could catch the guy before he went to his gate. I spotted him from my spot, and slowly reoriented my stuff so that it would not look like I was waiting for him to get to my side of security. Once he went past security, he sat down at one of the benches to get his stuff together.

            I approached him. “Did your hat survive?”

            He looked up. “No, the guy smushed my hat.” He said with a frown. He looked like a little kid that had just had his action figure sat on by his parent. “These hats are so hard to travel with.”

            I agreed with a nod. My mind yelled at me that it was time to pick up the pace so that I could go to my gate. “Well, it was nice talking to you…” I trailed off realizing that I never caught his name.

            “Sean.” He finished.

            “Katelin. Thanks for keeping me company in the line. Look me up if you’re ever in Philly.”

            “Likewise. Oh, here. Let me give you this.” He reached into his wallet, pulled out his business card, and handed one to me.

            “Thank you so much. I’m really sorry I don’t have a business card for you.”

            “That’s ok. You’re a student. You don’t need one quite yet.”

            “It was nice meeting you, Sean. If you’re ever in Philly, let me know.”

            “I will. It was nice meeting you as well. Good luck in Edinburgh.”

            “Good luck on your tour.”

            I turned toward my gate and walked away with the business card in hand. I stopped for a moment to take it all in: Edinburgh Fringe, one month away from home, meeting Sean.

            “Oh!” I looked at the business card in my hand. “Sean Striegel. VP Live Nation Booking….VP.”

            Wait, did I just meet the VP of Live Nation? I’m not even in Edinburgh yet.

            7:17

            I glanced at my clock. “Oh, good gosh. Gotta go.” I tucked Sean’s business card safely in my wallet as I rushed to my gate to board my flight to Edinburgh.