Amanda Pekoe

Marketing, Advertising, Design and Web Sites for Theatre
New York, New York USA

Being in marketing and advertising, I find inspiration everywhere I turn: from friends talking about their weekend plans on the subway platform, to fashion magazines, to webinars on new social media tools. I am always aware of who a product is geared towards and what people are talking about, even when they are on their cell phones on line at the airport. What interests me most is the language of connecting and communicating with the people you want to attract to your show, your brand, your world.

I feel most like myself when I am part of the audience at a show and immersed in the energy of the audience and the performers on stage. And of course before curtain and during intermission I like to stir up conversations with the people around me to ask what else they have seen lately. This helps me to hear from the source what shows are “speaking” to their demographic.

Since I am always “working” and tend to work long hours: I keep late office hours and also see theatre several evenings each week, I do find myself needing to recharge and spend quality time with my husband. We’ve recently found an organization that runs several ashrams, and have been to some of them for long weekend trips with a focus on yoga and meditation. This helps me to stay centered and get back into the swing of things without missing a beat!

Amanda Pekoe is the Owner and President of The Pekoe Group, a full-service advertising and marketing firm specializing in theatre. Previous experience includes account executive at HHC Marketing, VP of Business Development and Sponsorships at Spiegelworld, and Partner and Director of Business Development and Advertising at Art Meets Commerce.

Michelle Haines

Advertising/Marketing, Directing
New York, New York USA

Where do you look for inspiration?
Inspiration usually finds me in unexpected ways. I feel it’s one of those things that you can’t force; you just have to let it happen to you. Even when I’m deep in research for an upcoming project, I just try to stay open instead of having a pre-determined idea of what will be the source of inspiration. Being tuned in to the environment around you can open doors to new ideas, whether it be a song that catches your ear, an amazing piece of art, the way the sun hits the water, an incredible performance or production, a link to an interesting article on Twitter, good TV like Mad Men, bad TV like anything on E!, coffee with a friend, deliciously prepared food, the lights of a city, the quiet of the country, a deep sleep – really anything can be the source of inspiration. Like great theater, the best things happen when you live in the moment.

The real trick in this business is taking that inspiration and applying it to your work in a productive, clear and compelling way. My current theater experience comes down to focusing on two disciplines – theater directing and working as a marketing professional in the industry. I dive into projects for both with an open mind to whatever the material inspires, but it is only the relentless and dedicated work behind it that can ultimately recreate the same inspirational response for audiences when they interact with the material, whether it is as an audience member attending a play or the media that inspires them to buy a ticket to the play.

I feel most like myself when I …
When I’m collaborating with a group of people on anything that requires our collective creativity. I feed off of the energy of the process and really come into my own in that environment.

What is your best escape?
I do love spending time in anywhere that can be defined as wine country, though the Northern Sonoma region and Walla Walla Valley are my favorite retreats.

Michelle Haines, currently Sales and Marketing Manager at DreamWorks Theatricals, recently moved to NYC from Seattle, where she worked for various organizations including Theatre Puget Sound, Empty Space Theater and Broadway Across America. She also ran her own theatre company –Burnt Studio Productions — during her twelve years in the Emerald City.