Promotion

The key to a successful Fringe show is (here it comes) buzz. Which is to say, people are talking about your show. Not necessarily in a good way, a bad way could be good way, better to be talked about than not, if you follow me. I do find the idea of everyone talking about your show, but they are all saying, "Don't see this show, it's really difficult to sit through and a waste of your time" as defending the no such thing as bad publicity trope, but some truly believe this to be the case.

I digress.

You can't create buzz by buying advertising. Well, I mean, you can, you just can't be caught doing it. No one wants to be told something is cool, they want to discover it themselves, through other people they think are cool, who tell them this is so. Or read about it first, perhaps in a major publication, on NPR or on the Internet.

I have no advertising budget to speak of. I used a service to distribute press releases to media outlets, and postcards to likely FringeNYC ticket buyers. Other than that, I will use whatever least-expensive path I can to getting the word out, hopefully a good word. Waiting until the show opens is too late to create "buzz" (wait, do they still say "buzz" I was using that term in 2003 and then it was very old) because I have five performances in four consecutive days. I need to let people know I am there, very fast. Like, now. Fringe starts in a week, my show in 12 days.

Bad news! ATYD did not make the cut for the half-dozen shows mentioned briefly in the sidebar in this week's Sunday Times. Rats. Not surprising, it was a six out of 200 shot. Those profiled admittedly stand out from the crowd, and in some cases featured artists familiar to the writer of the article. What did I expect?

Good news! I will hit the ground running (hahahahaha) when I arrive in NYC, participating in an outdoor event on Saturday, 8/15 called FringeTEASERS (at the PS41 Playground at Greenwich and Charles Street) where productions put on five minutes from their show al fresco and hand out surprises to what we hope will be a crowd.

Also, I just got word that I will be a guest at the FringeCLUB VARIETY POWER HOUR that night at 11 PM. Not only do I get to do a short bit, and be interviewed for the live studio audience, it will be recorded and featured on the VPH Podcast.

In addition, I (or willing surrogates) will no doubt visit those shows profiled in NYT to hand out postcards to the departing audience. Also, Harris make an excellent suggestion - the ING NYC Half-Marathon is Saturday. I need to roll out early and hand out cards to participants and loved ones.

Anyone will other good ideas are strongly encouraged to make them. Really. I mean, now.

Listening to: PODRUNNER Classic - Chasing the Horizon (135 BPM)

Distance: 3.25 miles
Temperature: 80º
Weather: hot!
Weight: 157.5 lbs.

It appears we will be having some summer weather after all. I headed out with the remnants of last night's dinner party settled into that space just above my left eye. Every step, every time my foot touched the pavement, it throbbed.

For a while. I thought about the show, about New York, about the arts camp, about work, about the birthday party this afternoon. And it faded. It went awake. There is a ghost of it now, to which I must say a tearless good-bye.

Take that ... head.