Theater Resources Unlimited announces the annual essential workshop Raising Money for Theater 2020: Who, How and When to Ask

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents its much-anticipated annual workshop, Raising Money for Theater 2020: Who, How and When to Ask, on Saturday, January 25, 2020 from 10am to 6pm at Studios 150, 150 W. 46th Street, Studio 5, 7th floor. E-mail TRUStaff1@gmail.com or register online at https://truonline.org/events/raising-money-2020/.
 
It’s more important now than ever for the voices of theater to be heard, so if you have a production that cries out for an audience, get ready to move ahead with passion and a plan. For producers, one important step is finding the money and resources to bring your projects to fruition. We invite you to acquire some basic tools and crucial information that will help you to overcome your money shyness and effectively reach out to supporters. From pitching techniques and presentation skills to legal requirements and business planning, plus a wealth of first-hand experience from more than a half dozen producers who are currently active in the Broadway and off-Broadway worlds, we promise you an informative, empowering and inspiring day.
 
Workshop faculty will include (confirmed so far):
Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman (Be More Chill, King Kong, American Son, Carousel, Present Laughter, Natasha, Pierre…, On The Town),
Cody Lassen(Tootsie, What the Constitution Means to Me, Indecent, Significant Other, Spring Awakening revival), and Cheryl Wiesenfeld(upcoming Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, Tony winner for All the Way, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty); plus entertainment attorneys Eric Goldman and Lee Feldshon, and financial advisor Bailie Slevin of Entertaining Finance.
 
Registration is $195 for non-members, $165 for TRU members with festival and student discounted tickets available. E-mail TRUStaff1@gmail.com with questions, or register online at https://truonline.org/events/raising-money-2020/.
 
SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS (subject to change)
 
9:45am-10:00am – registration and check-in, coffee and cake/bagels
10:00am-10:15am – Keynote speech:
 
10:15 to 11:00 – “Commercial and Not-for-Profit Asks: Defining the Differences” with attorney Eric Goldman. We will define terms, then focus on the not-for-profit side: the legal paperwork and structure that is necessary in order to ask for donations, and the responsibilities to your donors, plus the ways in which not-for-profits and commercial companies can work together.
 
11:00 to 11:45 – “Commercial Financing: Formalizing Your Ask” with attorney Lee Feldshon. The required paperwork and structures at every level of development, from front money agreements to private placement to Federal filings. And the limitations placed on asking.
 
11:45 to 12:00 – BREAK
 
12:00 to 12:45pm – “How to Present Yourself to Investors” with financial advisor Bailie Slevin of Entertaining Finance. We will take a look at a basic money raising pitch both from your side and the investor’s side, learning how to speak the same financial language, exploring how to best communicate your proposal to your target audience. GETTING the money is what it is all about but HOW you go about the process makes all the difference. It takes simplicity, focus, structure, organization, and follow through to make it happen. This section will concentrate on “winning language” and “successful steps” to get the support for your creative projects.
 
LUNCH to 12:45pm to 1:45pm
 
1:45 to 2:15pm – “The Investor’s Perspective: Why Your Show?” So what do you need to do or say to get an investor to write that check? Different investors have different reasons for investing. Our guest speaker, active in commercial Broadway, will discuss why he picks the shows he picks, and what you might learn from his choices.
 
2:15 to 3:30 – “Cultivating and Maintaining a Pool of Investors” with Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman. Who to go to, what to talk about, how to present material, disclosures and much more. Identifying prospective investors is just the first step. How do you communicate your passion for a project, incentivize a prospect and close the deal? PLUS the business and hierarchy of theatrical producing: definitions of lead producer, co-producer, investors, and appropriate lingo, budgets, capitalization, and recoupment charts.
 
3:30 to 4:15 – “Practical Tips and Money-Raising Secrets” with Cody Lassen. Practical tips, tricks, and tools you can use to raise money and manage investor relations. From initial investor research through closing night and beyond, you’ll learn how to create a plan for managing the fundraising process that you can put to use right away.
 
4:15 to 4:30 – BREAK
 
4:30 to 5:15 – “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Just Started Asking” moderated by Cheryl Wiesenfeld with guests tbd. The best kept secret about raising money: you have to ask for it. And yes, it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Our panel will talk about overcoming fears, making mistakes and getting back in the saddle. And how they took the leap of faith that brought them the results they wanted.
 
5:15 to 5:30 – Keynote Speech: Cheryl Wiesenfeld
 
5:30 to 6:00pm – RECEPTION 
 
 
About the Panelists
 
Eric Goldman- For over 25 years, Eric has provided legal services to Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award winning talent, and to technology and internet entrepreneurs. Recent projects include representing the writers of the Broadway smash hit Come from Away and the producers of the highly successful Off-Broadway musical parody of the television show Friends. Before launching his own firm in 2011, Eric worked for 15 years as a Senior Associate for entertainment attorney Mark Sendroff of Sendroff & Baruch LLP. Eric also served as in-house counsel for St. Martin’s Press and Hertz Computer. His first job out of law school was working as an associate for copyright guru Stanley Rothenberg. Eric is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law.
 
Lee A. G. Feldshon- has over 23 years of experience in entertainment and corporate law. He recently formed Feldshon Law PLLC to launch his private practice, after having partnered with David Schwartz in Feldshon & Schwartz, LLP for the last 10 years. He represents producers, co-producers, composers, bookwriters, lyricists, directors, and other creatives in the live theatrical industry. He has represented the New York Musical Theatre Festival since its 2004 founding. He was production counsel for the Broadway revival of
Pump Boys & Dinettes and represented stars (including a Tony-award winning actor) in connection with the Tony-award winning Broadway musical
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He did legal work for
Desperate Measures (2018 Drama Desk Award for original music and lyrics),
Who’s Your Baghdaddy, Money Talks, Bloody, Bloody, Jessica Fletcher, Liberty, Emojiland, Rooms, and other Off Broadway shows. He represents co-producers on the Broadway productions of Moulin Rouge,
King Kong, and Chasing Rainbows. He negotiates screenplay option/purchase agreements and financing documents for film producers, and has worked as film production counsel for Good Girls Gone, Fly Away (SXSW Official Selection), and the documentary Darkon: An American Fantasy (2006 SXSW Audience Award). While Director of Legal Affairs and Business Development of the Radio City Entertainment division of Madison Square Garden, L.P., he worked on The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, A Christmas Carol, and Rockettes performances. As a Levine Plotkin & Menin associate, he worked on Rent (Broadway, touring), The Wild Party (Broadway), De La Guarda (Off Broadway), and other shows. He started his career as a corporate associate at White & Case. He received a B.A. from Columbia College in 1991 (magna cum laude, Rhodes Scholar State Finalist) and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1994 (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar). Bar Admissions: New York.
 
Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman are Tony Award-winning Broadway producers who have presented over 50 new plays, musicals and classic revivals, particularly for Broadway and the West End, plus many private and corporate events since forming their producing partnership in 2005. Their productions include – London/Berlin/Australia: Magic Mike Live; Las Vegas: Chris Angel Mindfreak; Broadway: Be More Chill (also London), Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus (Tony nomination), King Kong, American Son, 
Carousel (Tony nomination), Present Laughter (Tony nomination), Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Tony nomination), On The Town (Tony nomination), You Can’t Take It With You (Tony nomination), Pippin (Tony Award), Nice Work If You Can Get It (Tony nomination), Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park (Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award and Olivier Award) and Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys on Broadway and in the West End (London Critics Circle and London Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical, Tony and Olivier Award nominations); Off-Broadway: My Trip Down the Pink Carpet (also London’s West End), Straight, The 39 Steps, The Judy Show; Andrew Lippa’s I Am Harvey Milk at Lincoln Center; and Carrie the Musical (Los Angeles Critics’ Circle Award). Bruce and Jack have also produced five Original Broadway Cast albums (Grammy Award nomination) and were the Executive Producers of Gerald McCullouch’s award-winning film “Daddy.” sunnyspotproductions.com / sunnyspotcelebrations.com
 
Cody Lassen is a Tony-nominated theatre producer and live entertainment  consultant. Broadway productions include Indecent, the Deaf West Theatre revival of Spring Awakening, and the upcoming revival of Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive. He has been part of the producing team for other Broadway productions including Tootsie, What the Constitution Means to Me, Torch Song, The Band’s Visit, Macbeth and Significant Other. Upcoming: the first revival of Titanic, The Flamingo Kid, Steven Sater & Duncan’ Sheik’s
Alice By Heart and Burt Bacharach’s Some Lovers. In addition to producing his own projects, Cody consults for producers, theaters and agencies to help them discover how they should market their shows for the best chance of financial and critical success. Previously, he was the director of marketing for Los Angeles’ Center Theatre Group and its three theaters: the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre. He is an active member of the Broadway League, the National Association of Musical Theatre, and serves on the Board of NY’s Vineyard Theatre. More info at codylassen.com
 
Bailie Slevin is the founder of Entertaining Finance, a financial consulting and consulting firm geared specifically towards freelancers, specifically those in arts and entertainment. With 13 years of experience as a financial adviser and a hefty resume in theater, she is redefining planning for artists and entrepreneurs. She’s worked with Certified Financial Services and Forest Hills Financial Group in finance and teaches Financial Literacy and Well-being workshops and speaks throughout the region on the specifics of Financial Management for Artists. As a stage manager, general manager, and producer on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway, Tony Awards, Drama Desk, OBIE Awards, and IT Awards pepper Bailie’s resume. Some of her favorite projects include The Norman Conquests, Altar Boyz, Naked Boys Singing!,
Pursuit of Persephone, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant, and Popesical in Concert at Joe’s Pub. She currently serves as a board member for The PATH Fund and “Rockers on Broadway, a non-profit Arts organization committed to bringing arts education to all. Visit www.EntertainingFinance.com to learn more
 
Cheryl Wiesenfeld- Following a career in publishing, Cheryl began her theatre producing career in 1998. Broadway: The Great Society, The Heidi Chronicles, All The Way, Rocky, Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, A Steady Rain, Legally Blonde, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, ‘night Mother, Caroline or Change, Elaine Stritch At Liberty, and Hedda Gabler. Off Broadway: 10th Anniversary Exonerated, Play Dead, In The Continuum, Shockheaded Peter, Talking Heads, The Exonerated, The Waverly Gallery. Film: Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me. Current: Ain’t Too Proud- The Temptations musical. Upcoming: The Harder They Come. Cheryl has produced shows that have spawned national and international tours and sit down productions, regional productions, and London engagements which have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. Cheryl has won numerous awards for her productions including the Drama League, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics Awards and 4 Tony Awards. She has been honored by Theater Resources Unlimited with “The Spirit of Theater” award in 2007, and The Houses on The Moon Amplify 2015 Award for her support in championing the unheard voice. Her board commitments: Theater Resource Unlimited where she co-founded the TRU mentorship program. The program to date has mentored over 200 commercial producers and self producing artists. Cheryl is on the board of Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut, and is on the Honorary Council of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven Connecticut. Cheryl continues her mentoring work and speaks at universities, on panels and for different organizations. This is in the second year of curating a theatre program with the title – Theatre that changes OUR World- at The Quick Center at Fairfield University.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a twenty-seven year old 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to help producers produce, emerging theater companies to emerge healthily and all theater professionals to understand and navigate the business of the arts. Membership includes self-producing artists as well as career producers and theater companies.
 
TRU publishes an email community newsletter of services, goods and productions; offers a Producer Development & Mentorship Program taught by prominent producers and general managers in New York theater, and also presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop business skills. TRU serves writers through a Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works and a Director-Writer Communications Lab; programs for actors include the Annual Combined Audition.
 
Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by public funds awarded through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, as well as the Montage Foundation and the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation.
 
For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org.