Got a story to tell? Longtime Canary client, First Person Arts, recently announced a new competition for memoir and documentary artists. First Person Impressions invites artists to tackle the first person story through three artistic mediums: the written word, video, and photography. Artists are challenged to find universality in the personal, make the exotic familiar, shock and amaze, or pause to reflect, all while crafting an engaging and true tale around a slice of real life. Everyone with a true story is encouraged to enter. Submissions for the competition are now being accepted through August 15th.

Check it out online here: www.impressions.firstpersonarts.org.

Derek Sivers of CDBaby.com recently sent out an article called “How to Call Attention to Your Music.” He says, “This is my best advice to help every musician sell more music, win more fans, and have the music business open its doors for you.” Many of the tips here are relevant beyond the music industry and can be carried over to other types of promotional campaigns; universal ideas like “be a real person,” “be different,” “think from their perspective” when contacting people, and “If you target sharp enough, you will own your niche.”  Check it out here.

Here’s just one more example of why good design really does matter. Terry Teachout, drama critic for The Wall Street Journal, recently posted his updated guidelines for getting him to review a theater company’s production on his “About Last Night” blog here. It’s a great reminder that ticket buyers aren’t the only people visiting your website and making decisions about your organization based on the site’s design and ease of use. Just as every performance on stage counts, so does every website hit - you never know who’s lurking in the audience.

Teachout says: “Web sites matter–a lot. A clean-looking home page that conveys a maximum of information with a minimum of clutter tells me that you know what you’re doing, thus increasing the likelihood that I’ll come see you. An unprofessional-looking, illogically organized home page suggests the opposite. (If you can’t spell, hire a proofreader.) This doesn’t mean I won’t consider reviewing you–I know appearances can be deceiving–but bad design is a needless obstacle to your being taken seriously by other online visitors.”

Our most recent theater company website launch: www.pigiron.org We think it’s a pretty good example, even if we do say so ourselves.

Join us at the Rosenbach Museum & Library today between Noon and 7 p.m. to celebrate the 16th annual Bloomsday. The Rosenbach, home of James Joyce’s original manuscript for Ulysses, holds this Philadelphia tradition every year on June 16th, drawing hundreds of friends, neighbors, Joyce enthusiasts, book-lovers, and curious passersby to Delancey Place. Bloomsday is free and open to the public and features readings on the steps of the museum from some of the city’s most interesting business, creative, and media personalities, along with performances from Academy of Vocal Arts singers and a special exhibition of Joyce materials. You can find a full list of readers, including Governor Ed Rendell, here.

Bacon’s posted an interesting article this month on how to handle a media interview. This can be a daunting thing for someone new to interviews. No one is more of an expert than you will be when it comes to talking about your work or organization, but not everyone feels comfortable talking to the press right away, and if you’re new to it, you may not know how to handle a tough question or how to steer the interview in the direction you’d like.

Two key points from the article:
1) Understand that you’re “being interviewed for a bigger purpose: perspective and a broader view… find a way to speak about the bigger picture regarding the issue or the event; as an expert, an observer or a participant.” Providing real expertise and relevance to the broader view gives you a better chance of not being cut out of the final piece.

2) “Remember the ‘mass’ in mass media by making a message as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people without jargon, slang or ‘inside language.’” This is particularly appropriate for many of the performers, musicians, and artists we work with. It’s easy to launch into references that have been swimming around in your head as you created your work, but don’t assume the press - and the public - will know anything about the obscure playwright or the dominant 7th chord you just have to talk about. Don’t forget to help people catch up. There IS a difference between dumbing yourself down for an interview and considering the audience. I’m a firm believer in sticking with your style and principals, but if you can draw people into your world rather than close the door with too much “inside language,” you’ll find a stronger response to your press coverage.
Read Media Tips for Preparing the Novice here.

I grew up in Philadelphia and remember going to The Rosenbach Museum & Library (one of Canary’s newest clients) many, many moons ago on a school trip. To my young eyes, the building itself was sort of magical - the museum is housed in a historic old house in the Rittenhouse district. After reading up on the museum’s current collection, I’ll definitely have to take another look-see. For all of you literary types, the Rosenbach is home to one of the nation’s great collections of rare books and manuscripts and also serves as a research center and library. Somehow, the museum got their hands on some pretty cool personal items belonging to Nathaniel Hawthorne including his copy of Moby Dick (I wonder if he marked any specific passages…) They also have James Joyce’s original manuscript for Ulysses and even Melville’s bookcase.

For the imaginative visual types, the museum boasts a selection of John Tenniel’s original illustrations for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Look-Glass. I always found Tenniel’s drawings to be very intricate and full of wonderment. I’m really looking forward to seeing those in the flesh. Also on the illustration side, are over 10,000 drawings and manuscripts by Maurice Sendak. I remember reading his books as a child and loving the drawings. In the Night Kitchen was my favorite and of course, everyone loves Where the Wild Things Are. If you were ever wondering where the wild things actually are, now you know – they’re at the Rosenbach! Now that Canary is working with the museum, I’ll definitely have to check out more of their extensive collection. Oh, and just so you’re in the know, it’s not RosenBACH like the composer but RosenBACK, like well your back.

Boing Boing reports: “The Atlantic Theater in Atlantic Beach, FL changed their marquee for ‘The Vagina Monologues’ at the request of a woman who saw it as she drove by the theater with her niece.” The woman apparently threatened further action if the sign was not changed. We aren’t even talking about a slang word, here. We’re talking about a scientifically correct term for a part of the human body. Does this woman protest the use of the word vagina in her niece’s health class too? I’m surprised that the theater changed the sign. Not only is it a free speech issue, but they could have used the publicity to promote the show! Apparently, it has become a news story down there, but they’d look better if they stood their ground on the name. I would guess anyone interested in seeing that play would side with the theater anyway.

Terry Teachout, theater critic for the Wall Street Journal, wrote in his blog last month about how he chooses the regional theater productions he’ll review each season, and it’s most certainly a good read for anyone involved in regional theater. He writes that he is “the only New York-based drama critic who routinely covers productions all over America.” Although we have seen coverage from publications such as The New York Times for Philadelphia theater, dance and other arts, it is an uphill battle to convince that market that what’s happening an hour and half south is not only worthy of their attention, but truly innovative and influential. Teachout writes, “The time has come for American playgoers—and, no less important, arts editors—to start treating regional theater not as a minor-league branch of Broadway but as an artistically significant entity in and of itself. Take it from a critic who now spends much of his time living out of a suitcase: If you don’t know what’s hot in ‘the stix,’ you don’t know the first thing about theater in 21st-century America.”

With the inaugural Philadelphia New Play Festival in full swing and as I look toward other major festivals later this year like the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe, it’s interesting to think about not only the national media coverage our arts community receives but also the local coverage. With the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News continuing to cut more writers from their newsrooms (something that seems to be happening all over the country), we’ve seen a serious decline in the overall page space reserved for the Arts. Philadelphia events are often relegated to a sidebar, while New York events still get a good deal of page space here, and Shakira’s hips still warrant a half-page.

Yet, Philadelphia has seen a tremendous surge in positive national attention as a city experiencing a renaissance. And why are people moving to Philly from New York, or moving back to Center City from the suburbs (and why can’t I find a parking place to save my life anymore)? Sure, the great restaurants and shopping are part of the reason, but it’s the cultural experience that makes me remember any city I’ve visited and enjoyed.

And it’s not just the big guys like the Kimmel Center and Museum of Art - it’s innovative theater companies, great clubs, an amazing music scene, and young artists who make this city pulse and are the reason I chose to buy a home here. It seems that SOME of our local media is missing it.

As Philadelpia Media Holdings (the company that bought the Inky & DN) struggles to hold on to ad revenues and subscribers, perhaps they’ve forgotten that compelling content might actually sell newspapers too. Why not go beyond the predictable event review, and report on what it’s really like to immerse yourself in this thriving cultural community? Music writers (and a lot of alt. weekly writers) have been doing it for years - getting in the van with the band to get the gritty experience. I’d argue that what goes on behind the curtain in the creation of a new play is just as mysterious and intriguing as what goes on in the recording studio (and I’ve been in both places).

Resident Canary comedian Paul Mecurio has been hitting the airwaves on The Bob and Tom Radio Show. Over the past few months, Paul’s been sharing with listeners his helpful tips on how public figures can easily improve their images. So far, Paul has set out to remake Rev. Ted Haggard, OJ Simpson and the Pope. He has even provided image advice to such newsworthy events as the spread of E-coli and even The Superbowl! And what did Paul have to say about the recently disgraced leader of the National Association of Evangelicals? Well, Paul figured that since the good Rev. admitted to buying drugs (but not using them) and soliciting prostitution (but not engaging in it), he should bypass the now trendy trip to rehab and go with the Shopaholic’s Defense. “That’s brilliant. You like to buy stuff, but you never use it!” says Paul. “This sort of lukewarm admission is perfect. Keep sitting on that fence.” For some reason, Haggard has yet to take Paul up on his makeover plans.

Rest assured, with Paul hot on the trail, no one in the public eye with a bad rap will go unscathed. On Friday, February 9^th, Paul will be back in the studio with another Image Makeover piece about U.S. Presidents. Tune in to an affiliate station to hear Paul’s hilarious Image Makeover segment or check out the archive online at www.paulmecurio.com.

Phawker.com will be showcasing images from the PhillyHistory.org archive on a regular basis. Look for some amazing photos from Philly’s history AND cool “write your own caption” contests. The winner of this week’s contest gets a pari of tickets to see Yo La Tengo at the Trocadero on February 10th. Not bad! Enter the contest here.