Name: Janice Price
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Age: 51
What she's done: Price is highly regarded in the international world of arts administration, arts marketing, and fund-raising. Originally from Toronto, she spent the last decade in the U.S., working at New York's Lincoln Center (where she served as interim executive director in 2001) and Philadelphia's Kimmel Center (a multi-space facility that houses eight companies including the Philadelphia Orchestra and also presents Broadway shows). From 2002 until the fall of 2006, Price served as Kimmel's president and C.E.O. Before moving to the U.S., Price held senior positions with the Stratford Festival, Livent, and the Hummingbird Centre.
What she plans: The inaugural Luminato festival, a ten-day multi-disciplinary arts and creativity celebration planned for June 1—10, 2007. The festival consists of more than 100 events taking place in about a dozen venues and public spaces across Toronto.
Favourite cocktail: Green apple martini
Favourite appetizer: Spring rolls
What she's reading: Margaret McMillan's 1919
What brought you back to Toronto?
I was approached by the two founders of Luminato, Tony Gagliano, executive chairman and C.E.O. of St. Joseph Communications, and David Pecaut, a senior partner with The Boston Consulting Group. I was craving something not bound by buildings after years of working in the arts field in organizations that were about facilities, and as they described their vision to me, I realized they were talking about a kind of performing arts centre without walls. That was interesting to me. It meant I could take all of my experience and apply it in a new environment.
Where did the name Luminato come from and why was it chosen?
Our advertising agency, McLaren Mcann, proposed many names, and the festival founders loved Luminato. It expresses light and elegance. Focus group testing found that it appealed to both arts supporters and younger non-arts attendees. The idea of light appears in our sub-slogan for this year's festival, "See the World in a New Light." We're also using light as a motif in other ways: Our major donors are called "luminaries" and our exterior programs are called "illuminations."
Planning for the festival was underway when you joined the organization. How far along was the process, and what have you contributed?
I got involved less than a year ago, at which point 60 per cent of the planning had already been done. My role was to add international flavour and create some new elements. An important part of my job is to make it clear to attendees that, although a lot of great Canadian talents will be represented at Luminato, the festival is not meant to be a showcase of Canadian talent to the world. Rather, it is meant to bring international arts to the city.
What has been the biggest challenge so far in orchestrating this 10-day festival?
Planning for the launch while also building the business. That's tough, but I like start ups and find them exciting. We've actually had quite a short window to gather corporate sponsorship support and do the logistical planning.
How have you staffed your organization to put on this event?
When I arrived, I had basically myself and one staff member. I had to get the program up and running, firm up funding, create the materials, find an office—and hire staff. Now we have ten employees, responsible for fund-raising, programming, production, contracting, marketing, public relations, volunteers and visitor services, and so on. Some of the employees are Canadians, who returned from the U.S. to get on board. We're in the process of hiring seasonal staff, high-caliber students and recent graduates, to start in April and work through July.
How did you select venues, and what percentage of production costs do the venues represent?
Sometimes selection is driven by the arts partner we're working with. For example, Luminato and Toronto Symphony Orchestra have commissioned Spamalot Tony and Grammy Award-winning duo Eric Idle and John Du Prez to write the music and lyrics for a new work based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. It will be called "Not the Messiah," and it will take place in the TSO's home venue, Roy Thomson Hall. On other occasions, the choices are based on production and technical requirements such the need for a large stage or film screen. Venue costs, including programming and talent expenses, are just under half of our total festival budget.
How have you marketed the festival?
We started with travel publications, which have a long lead time for materials. In April, we launched a very comprehensive campaign that includes a sales strategy, advertising, and PR. We're going to run a double-page, four-colour ad in the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, and shortly afterward, the same papers will insert a 40-page brochure. Then we will start our billboard campaigns, a TV campaign, etc.
What is the revenue goal for ticket sales, and what are your other sources of funding?
Ticket sales form about 12 per cent of our total operating budget. Other sources of income are public sector funding, corporate funding, individual funding, and in-kind contributions from the tourism boards and corporations that are providing pro-bono services.
How have you engaged potential corporate sponsors and individual donors?
In the early stages, some sponsors, including Telus, Manulife, and the Bank of Montreal, gave seed money donations to help us get the festival up and running. Then we rolled into a phase of raising funds for the program in its first year. That's where our individual luminaries have come in to play. With corporations, we've moved into corporate sponsor mode in which we're providing tickets and logo recognition, among other things.
How do you attract prominent productions like the world premiere of The Book of Longing, Philip Glass' original musical work based on Leonard Cohen's poetry book of the same name, or filmmaker Atom Egoyan and artist Kutlug Altaman?s debut of their visual arts display Auroras/Testimony?
It's partly because I have been working in the international arts field and know the producing and the presenting community well, and partly because talk about the festival led people to approach us.
What will the festival's highlights be?
The world premiers will be highlights, for sure, as will the Royal Ontario Museum's opening show and free museum access, and we'll also have a huge closing carnival.
The artistic committee includes arts community heavyweights such as Richard Bradshaw, general director of the Canadian Opera Company, Piers Handling, director and C.E.O. of the Toronto International Film Festival, and designer Bruce Mau, C.E.O. of Bruce Mau Designs. How did you attract their participation and what kind of influence have they had over the design of the festival?
They all saw this as a good thing for Toronto, and a good platform for showcasing their work from time to time. Also, I can collaborate with international commissioning partners to support their future projects, thereby guaranteeing them a showcase in other parts of the world. This event is going to be a multi-disciplinary festival, and it's not a direct competitor to film, visual arts, dance, or music. They understand the festival will attract attention to the region for its art, and this, ultimately, is going to deliver new audiences, of which they will be the benefactors.
Posted 04.18.07
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Age: 51
What she's done: Price is highly regarded in the international world of arts administration, arts marketing, and fund-raising. Originally from Toronto, she spent the last decade in the U.S., working at New York's Lincoln Center (where she served as interim executive director in 2001) and Philadelphia's Kimmel Center (a multi-space facility that houses eight companies including the Philadelphia Orchestra and also presents Broadway shows). From 2002 until the fall of 2006, Price served as Kimmel's president and C.E.O. Before moving to the U.S., Price held senior positions with the Stratford Festival, Livent, and the Hummingbird Centre.
What she plans: The inaugural Luminato festival, a ten-day multi-disciplinary arts and creativity celebration planned for June 1—10, 2007. The festival consists of more than 100 events taking place in about a dozen venues and public spaces across Toronto.
Favourite cocktail: Green apple martini
Favourite appetizer: Spring rolls
What she's reading: Margaret McMillan's 1919
What brought you back to Toronto?
I was approached by the two founders of Luminato, Tony Gagliano, executive chairman and C.E.O. of St. Joseph Communications, and David Pecaut, a senior partner with The Boston Consulting Group. I was craving something not bound by buildings after years of working in the arts field in organizations that were about facilities, and as they described their vision to me, I realized they were talking about a kind of performing arts centre without walls. That was interesting to me. It meant I could take all of my experience and apply it in a new environment.
Where did the name Luminato come from and why was it chosen?
Our advertising agency, McLaren Mcann, proposed many names, and the festival founders loved Luminato. It expresses light and elegance. Focus group testing found that it appealed to both arts supporters and younger non-arts attendees. The idea of light appears in our sub-slogan for this year's festival, "See the World in a New Light." We're also using light as a motif in other ways: Our major donors are called "luminaries" and our exterior programs are called "illuminations."
Planning for the festival was underway when you joined the organization. How far along was the process, and what have you contributed?
I got involved less than a year ago, at which point 60 per cent of the planning had already been done. My role was to add international flavour and create some new elements. An important part of my job is to make it clear to attendees that, although a lot of great Canadian talents will be represented at Luminato, the festival is not meant to be a showcase of Canadian talent to the world. Rather, it is meant to bring international arts to the city.
What has been the biggest challenge so far in orchestrating this 10-day festival?
Planning for the launch while also building the business. That's tough, but I like start ups and find them exciting. We've actually had quite a short window to gather corporate sponsorship support and do the logistical planning.
How have you staffed your organization to put on this event?
When I arrived, I had basically myself and one staff member. I had to get the program up and running, firm up funding, create the materials, find an office—and hire staff. Now we have ten employees, responsible for fund-raising, programming, production, contracting, marketing, public relations, volunteers and visitor services, and so on. Some of the employees are Canadians, who returned from the U.S. to get on board. We're in the process of hiring seasonal staff, high-caliber students and recent graduates, to start in April and work through July.
How did you select venues, and what percentage of production costs do the venues represent?
Sometimes selection is driven by the arts partner we're working with. For example, Luminato and Toronto Symphony Orchestra have commissioned Spamalot Tony and Grammy Award-winning duo Eric Idle and John Du Prez to write the music and lyrics for a new work based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. It will be called "Not the Messiah," and it will take place in the TSO's home venue, Roy Thomson Hall. On other occasions, the choices are based on production and technical requirements such the need for a large stage or film screen. Venue costs, including programming and talent expenses, are just under half of our total festival budget.
How have you marketed the festival?
We started with travel publications, which have a long lead time for materials. In April, we launched a very comprehensive campaign that includes a sales strategy, advertising, and PR. We're going to run a double-page, four-colour ad in the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, and shortly afterward, the same papers will insert a 40-page brochure. Then we will start our billboard campaigns, a TV campaign, etc.
What is the revenue goal for ticket sales, and what are your other sources of funding?
Ticket sales form about 12 per cent of our total operating budget. Other sources of income are public sector funding, corporate funding, individual funding, and in-kind contributions from the tourism boards and corporations that are providing pro-bono services.
How have you engaged potential corporate sponsors and individual donors?
In the early stages, some sponsors, including Telus, Manulife, and the Bank of Montreal, gave seed money donations to help us get the festival up and running. Then we rolled into a phase of raising funds for the program in its first year. That's where our individual luminaries have come in to play. With corporations, we've moved into corporate sponsor mode in which we're providing tickets and logo recognition, among other things.
How do you attract prominent productions like the world premiere of The Book of Longing, Philip Glass' original musical work based on Leonard Cohen's poetry book of the same name, or filmmaker Atom Egoyan and artist Kutlug Altaman?s debut of their visual arts display Auroras/Testimony?
It's partly because I have been working in the international arts field and know the producing and the presenting community well, and partly because talk about the festival led people to approach us.
What will the festival's highlights be?
The world premiers will be highlights, for sure, as will the Royal Ontario Museum's opening show and free museum access, and we'll also have a huge closing carnival.
The artistic committee includes arts community heavyweights such as Richard Bradshaw, general director of the Canadian Opera Company, Piers Handling, director and C.E.O. of the Toronto International Film Festival, and designer Bruce Mau, C.E.O. of Bruce Mau Designs. How did you attract their participation and what kind of influence have they had over the design of the festival?
They all saw this as a good thing for Toronto, and a good platform for showcasing their work from time to time. Also, I can collaborate with international commissioning partners to support their future projects, thereby guaranteeing them a showcase in other parts of the world. This event is going to be a multi-disciplinary festival, and it's not a direct competitor to film, visual arts, dance, or music. They understand the festival will attract attention to the region for its art, and this, ultimately, is going to deliver new audiences, of which they will be the benefactors.
Posted 04.18.07
