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promotio Artists' Promotional Needs Assessed at Forum by Richard Strachan On March 25th, the North Vancouver Community Arts Council held an Artists' Forum--its third so far--to discuss how the Arts Promotion Board (APB) can best help local artists. (Editor's notc:The APB is a partnership activity between the North and West Vancouver Community Arts Councils and the North Shore Arts Commission. It currently employs one three-quarter-time staff person to run the Arts Promotion Office. Her duties include editing Arts Access.) Sponsored by the North Vancouver Community Arts Council, these informal monthly gatherings have been providing invaluable guidance to the Council in its work with related organizations, and the March meeting was no exception. The combined experience of artists from different backgrounds was put to work, brainstorming a wide range of possible actions for the APB, and several very practical ideas were formulated: (1) A commercial voice-mail company was identified as a possible source for offering an Arts Hotline. The line could be set up with boxes so that callers could "press 1 for performing arts information," "press 2 for visual arts," "press 3 for general information," "press 4 to leave a message," and so on. This streamlined format could prove a valuable tool for promoting artists' events to the public. (2) A centralized desktop publishing facility was proposed, to be furnished with computers, appropriate software, a selection of fonts, laser printer, digitizer camera, etc. These would be available to artists for use in preparing promotional materials such as flyers, posters, catalogues, etc. This type of facility is already provided by the Vancouver Cultural Alliance and the Bumaby Arts Council and was lagged as "urgent" in the Cultural Plan for the North Shore. (3) A practical and exciting idea to produce low-cost but high-quality catalogues for promoting visual arts was also proposed, using some of the same equipment as the desktop publishing facility. A digitizer camera could input photographs of artwork directly into a computer without the expense and quality loss of regular photography. Entire catalogues could then be laid out and printed on a 600dpi laser printer. Extensive technical skills would not be required and high-quality images could be produced without significant (5) The potential for the Seabus area was discussed and it wasrecommendedthat the APB approach the transit authority on the basis that visual art would greatly enhance the area while providing benefits to both three-partner consortium would be ideal-- the North Shore News, which would benefit from improved penetration; a commercial sponsor, whose message would reach the public more effectively; and the arts advertisers themselves. you anyway.) Have you avoided adjectives and stuck to the facts? 6) Quotes--Arc they used appropriately? 7) Background Information--Does the media release provide a suitable platform for back-up materials' Is it easy for the reader to call you back and ask question!? Do you know the answers? Do you have a fact sheet about your organization/event? 1 What to Include in your Media Release (6) A similar approach could be made to street-level shop owners with unused window space. (7) The suggestion was made that the APB liaise with arts groups in the Lower Mainland to coordinate "piggy-back" mailings. Sharing costs on bulk mailing could save artists up to 19e per envelope. (8) The APB could provide, as a service, an up-to-date media/publicity list with a fax machine capable of "broadcasting" faxes to all media and interested parties. Artists could then use this facility to distribute theirreleaseseasily, cheaply and accurately. (9) The APB could act as a coordinating office for visual arts shows. If several different exhibits were being held at the same time (but in different locations), promotional activities could be shared (i.e., the shows could be marketed as one package). All these very practical suggestions will be discussed at future APB meetings, and we hope to be able to report progress before long. If you have any comments, or have any other suggestions on how the APB could help your arts organization, please call Richard Strachan at 986-6510. Music--List pieces to be performed and names of composers. Also mention performers, soloists, and some historical background. Theatre--Summarize the plot, include some background on the playwright. Mention exceptional members of the cast. Remember to focus on the most interesting aspect of the production. There is no harm in including previous Visual Arts--If you can afford it, include a colour postcard of one of the works shown Don't bother with a lousy photocopy. Who to Send it To--Have you checked, checked, and rcchccked the names (spellings and titles) of the producers, hosts, etc.? Have you updated your mailing list within the last 2 months? Promotion Office will be compiling an up-to-date media!publicity list Please call Ann Macklem at 984-9537 if you would like a copy. Arts Promotion topics in future issues of Arts Access include How to Work with the Press, How to Work with Electronic Media, and How to Write a Brief. If you ha ve any other areas you'd like to see covered, please convey your suggestions to me at 984-9537. Richard Strachan sits on the board of the North Vancouver Community Arts Council and is their representative to the APB. He is also active in the North Shore theatre community, having appeared most recently in Theatre West Van's production of No Man's Land. Beefing Up those Media Releases In the last issue of A m Access, there was an article on how to write an effective mediarelease.Below are some more detailed tips in this regard. Media Release Checklist 1) Letterhead or Logo--Are you clearly identified? Is it easy to see at a glance...separated from the copy? 2) Event Information--Docs it include all info (times, dates, places, prices, etc.)? 3) The Hook--Did you summarize the most noteworthy aspect of your event (i.e., why it should be covered)? This should be in the first sentence. 4) Copy--Have you stated clearly and succinctly what's going to take place? 5) Superlatives--Have you remembered to leave out 'wonderful' and 'talented'...? [The media are skeptics and wont believe By combining these catalogues with a picture rental and delivery service, die potential for widespread marketing, display and eventual sale of visual art in offices and public places would become a practical reality and could be a great boon to artists. (4) The idea of placing a regular ad in the North Shore News was also discussed, as a way of reaching as many North Shore residents as possible. Following the example of an arts listings-type ad in the Vancouver Courier (sponsored by Granville Island), it was agreed that a