CGO Creativity Panel

By: Erin Williamson

Chris Grady headed a workshop called the “CGO Creativity Panel.” The session was organized very loosely in order to allow participants the ability to ask the questions they really desired answers to. Anything was fair game. Because of this structure I took notes on the most helpful bits of information that are listed below:

1. Always bring your best work to the Fringe. If it’s not top notch then it’s not ready.
2. Look at the end, first. What do you want to achieve? Use that as a basis for everything you do.
3. Be aware of the audience you may draw. It’s okay to have a smaller space; they are easier to sell out and it looks better to play for 30 sold out seats that have 30 filled and 120 open.
4. Don’t be shy. Talk to whom you want and make friends. If you have the money, buy them a drink.
5. Network, network, network! Don’t make excuses!
   
6. Send short, snappy, and to the point emails. Always follow up, but if people want to get in touch with you they will, so don’t be annoying.
7. Share good praise; it could make someone’s day.
8. Flyering is more effective when keeping to one spot. Don’t travel/follow after people.
9. Pick a striking poster image. People will judge a book by its cover.
10.  A bad review is not the end of the world! Use it as a lesson and fix things.

I hope you find these tips as helpful as I did. These points will not solve all your problems, and are not a definitive answer to conquering the Fringe, but they do provide a good starting point. It’s better to have a “top 10” list to start from than nothing at all.