I had an interesting week attending shows at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This year marks the Festival’s 20th anniversary combining cutting-edge performers with innovative works. Each year, artists join together from around the world to tell their stories and produce their own shows. All proceeds directly benefit the artists. The festival is billed as “10 days of Theatre, Art, Music, and Madness.” As I enjoyed the festival this year I was reminded how difficult it is to put yourself out there and have the world critique your work. It’s not easy!
Right around 8 years ago I had the opportunity to write and produce my own show at the Fringe Festival. It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot about myself. Although the critics panned my show, the experience was worth it. I learned that you have to continually take risks creatively if you want to be successful in the entertainment industry. Each experience teaches you something new that will help with your career goals. This process requires a passion for art and ultimately, leadership. Without leadership your art will not find an audience.
If you really want to put your creative content out there whether on stage, television, on film, or in a book, you must have passion for it. Many people in the industry have the passion but lack the leadership. Leadership is essential for selling your creative content. You must be able to build partnerships and move the process forward. Once you have put it together, you have to sell it. This can be the hardest part and many search for agents, managers, or producers who can do this work for them. If your lucky, you can focus on writing and you will have a team to focus on the selling.
However, most of us have to take the lead on selling our idea by ourselves. There are many new avenues for us to sell our creative content. Print-on-demand services allow writers to self publish. These services are becoming more popular as new technologies begin to emerge. The traditional model is slowly fading away. You have to do your homework when selecting one of these services. You should learn about the many different companies available and evaluate the pros and cons of each. You may find the perfect fit for your creative content. You can find more information on POD’s at www.sfwa.org.
Fringe is an excellent opportunity for creative writers and artists to put their show out there in a relatively safe environment. Print-on-demand services offer a similar but different opportunity. However, you must have a balance of leadership and passion.
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