Past Incubator Workshops
By season
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AEI participants in 2022/2023 received step-by-step coaching on:
- shaping their big, creative ideas into marketable products;
- forming a viable business model;
- and using that model to achieve sustainable success.
Six virtual marketing workshops were facilitated by Newberry College Assistant Professor Paul D. Smith Jr., who specializes in guiding the growth of small and existing businesses.
- Stand Out from the Crowd
Create an effective marketing research strategy for maximum exposure. This session will help you to analyze the marketplace and your competition, identify your target market, complete a SWAT analysis and help develop a plan to reach new customers. - The Entrepreneurial Artist
Lessons from highly successful creatives explores
• Building partnerships with peers, patrons, and sponsors
• Embracing diversity
• Expanding your focus
• Allowing your work to mature - Bank on your Success
Learn how to establish and sustain a solid relationship with financial institutions. Create a strategy to move your business forward in both the short and long term and develop a better understanding of the financial resources available to creative entrepreneurs. - The Art of Cash Flow
The lifeblood of any successful business is a positive cash flow. Identify opportunities and retool your business strategies by tracking where your money is coming from and how money is being spent. - Business Model Canvas
Learn how to use the Business Model Canvas, a strategic management tool to define and communicate your business idea quickly and easily. - Skills that Pay the Bills
Feel more confident with negotiating! This session focuses on improving your communication, initiative, and enthusiasm for negotiating with potential clients and customers in setting commission fees, framing contracts, and determining price points for the items you create.
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The inaugural year of the program was a discipline-based approach to topics, but each class was open to artists of all disciplines in a virtual format.
I. Better Business for Creatives
A “how to” workshop for starting/operating a scalable, profitable business.
With a focus on the arts/artists, Better Business for Creatives provides an overview of three critical disciplines necessary for a successful business:
- The functional BUSINESS MODEL
- MARKETING strategies/tactics for the presentation of your art
- ACCESS TO RESOURCES needed to fulfill the business model and the marketing requirements for success
Marketing for creative entrepreneurs will focus on communicating your unique value proposition finding and reaching your audience and measuring the success of your campaigns.
The city of Columbia Office of Business Opportunities will cover the resources it can provide to all business within our community. OBO also has a vast network of community partners with whom businesses can connect with depending on their specific needs.
Presenters
- Tom Ledbetter
- Dr. Kasie Whitener
- Ayesha Driggers
In conjunction with the City of Columbia Office of Business Opportunities
II. Hit the Right Notes: Music
Being a musician is not just a matter of loving the music; it requires finding ways to create the music that you love while earning money! The modern successful musician has to learn how to capitalize on and exploit as many income streams as possible in order to pursue their passions. This session will cover the basics of how to create income streams as a performing musician.
Workshop Outline
- Copyright Registration
- How to Get a Performing Gig (and keep it!)
- Live Performing Contracts
- Remote Collaboration
Presenters
- Dr. Matthew White
- Jeremy Polley
III. Going Public: Public Art
There are many definitions and applications for public art and art in public places/spaces. Participants will learn about the fundamentals of public art. The session is designed to engage professional artists by sharing information and conducting a hands-on process for applying for and understanding public art opportunities.
Workshop Outline
- Definitions of Public Art
- Selection Processes
- Managing Expectations
- Contracts & Deliverables
Presenter
- Constance Y. White
IV. Become a Media Darling: Multimedia
This course is designed to cover LLC basics, pricing and how to determine your ideal client. This workshop will cover some of the following topics dealing with multimedia businesses as it relates specifically photography, videography, and creative writing. Other areas of focus include pricing your service, multiple streams of income, identifying customers, Geographic area, attracting and retaining clients.
Workshop Outline
- What you need to call yourself a business
- Corporate structure and why you need it.
- Insurance
- Bank accounts
- Credit accounts
- Pricing your service or product
- All money isn’t good money
- People die from exposure
- Multiple streams of income
- Determining your ideal customer
- Geographical area
- Businesses or Consumers … or both?
- How to attract the clients you want
Presenter
- Dr. Thaddeus W Jones Jr.
V. 2D or not 2D: Visual Art & Craft
Visual artist and educator Mary Gilkerson will lead a conversation around the five pillars every artist needs to have in place in order to thrive in the rapidly changing landscape we find ourselves in. Having these pillars in place gives us the flexibility to pivot and respond quickly to the sudden changes we face, as well as giving us increased control over both our careers and our impact on our communities and the world beyond, both online and offline. Participants will leave with a checklist and assessment of their next steps for growing their own thriving practice.
Then, Tiffany Thomas leads a section on social media’s expansion to many different channels over the last several years. In this workshop, you will learn how to leverage its power by utilizing various platforms, without using ads. By cultivating a community of like minded individuals that enjoy your personality and work, you can open the door to wonderful opportunities, regardless of location.
Workshop Outline (Section I)
- Pillar #1: Cultivate the Thriving Creative Mindset
- Pillar #2: Create Compelling Artwork
- Pillar #3: Build Your Online Platform
- Pillar #4: Grow Your Own Engaged Audience
- Pillar #5: Launch Your Work
Workshop Outline (Section II)
- Developing your unique voice
- Gaining followers on social media
- Creating a website
- Shipping products
- Social media etiquette
Presenters
- Mary Gilkerson
- Tiffany Thomas
VI. Best Foot Forward: Dance
Wideman Davis Dance Co-Directors Tanya Wideman-Davis and Thaddeus Davis will lead a conversation on the Ecosystem of the Dance Industry in a Pandemic World. The dialogue will center on what it means to be dance artists working in the southeast region of the U.S., resources and organizations you should know about, and a discussion on the dynamics between agents, presenters, and artists.
Workshop Outline
- Being a dancer in the Southeast U.S.
- Resources and organizations you should know
- Managing Expectations
- Dynamics between dancers
- and agents
- and presenters
- and artists
Presenters
- Tanya Wideman-Davis
- Thaddeus Davis
VII. Save the Drama: Theatre
In Part I of this workshop, writer/producer April C. Turner, of Life As Art Productions, will give touring theatre artist entrepreneurs the “Top 7 Things to Know and 7 Things to Do” for a satisfying & balanced career filled with happy & loyal clients. We will also discuss ways today’s touring theatre artist can navigate new performance pathways during pandemic uncertainties in the industry.
In Part II, we hear from Rodney Rogers and Sharon Graci of Pure Theatre. From not-for-profit models to self-producing, creating theatre demands wearing many hats. In any one production, the theatre artist can be performer, producer, and presenter all rolled into one. Not to mention head of marketing! This workshop looks at the process of theatre making from the granular level to the thousand-foot view. How do we do our best work while holding true to the demands of the form and market?
Workshop Outline
- Potential of theatre in community and individuals
- Production musts
- Production models
- How to infuse artistry into every aspect of the practice
Presenters
- April C. Turner
- Sharon Graci
- Rodney Rogers
VII. Turn the Page: Literature
Literary luminaries from across South Carolina share their experiences with the business of authorship, the hustle through which a passion for the craft of writing becomes a livelihood. Join them for a lively discussion on the treasure trove of resources available to South Carolina writers.
Workshop Outline
- Good literary citizenship
- Pathways to publication
- Traditional
- Hybrid
- Indie
- Working with agents and editors
- The business of authorship
- (How) do writers make money?
- Who pays for what?
- What else do writers get paid to do?
- Resources and organizations you should now
Presenters
- Marcus Amaker
- Meg Reid
- Jonathan Haupt
I’m here to help!
If you are seeking more program information, please contact Artist Development Director Tanisha N. Brown (803.734.8043 | tbrown@arts.sc.gov).