“Even a small star shines in the darkness.” - Finnish Proverb
You’ve got a story to share. We want to hear it.
Introducing "5 Minutes to Shine: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention from the Field" at APAP|NYC+ 2023.
Creativity, problem solving, and innovation have abounded across the presenting, booking and touring community since 2020. Maybe you’ve discovered new ways of doing business. Or you’ve explored new ways to reach audiences, create work, or promote artists. Perhaps your team experimented in small ways that had a bigger impact on you or your company than you expected. Undoubtedly many of you are ditching old tactics for new ones and have learned something in the process.
Now’s the time to share those stories with your colleagues … because we all need some inspiration and new ideas to navigate the current times.
An APAP|NYC favorite, 5 Minutes to Shine (5MTS) is back and with some reinvention of its own. This year, 5MTS will showcase stories of reinvention, innovation, insight, and experimentation from the last few years. These bursts of inspiration will be featured at conference and beyond, and we hope they’ll spark story sharing among fellow conference attendees during our January gathering.
APAP is seeking story submissions NOW. Selected stories will be featured at APAP|NYC 2023.
The deadline to submit is Wednesday, December 7 at 11:59 p.m. (EST).
5 Minutes to Shine will provide a platform for five to seven performing arts professionals to share their stories of innovation and experimentation. This is NOT a competition. It is a platform to celebrate and lift up our field’s creativity, persistence, risk-taking, and resilience in challenging times of change.
We are looking to highlight new ideas you tried, ways you shifted or switched your work, and how you or your organization may have changed things in the process – as a matter of necessity or survival. Story examples might include, but are not limited to:
- Something new you’re doing to connect with audiences or patrons
- How you’re creating new work and projects
- Ways you’ve promoted artists, their work or programming
- How you shifted your business or roster development
- How you switched your programming, schedule or venues
- New strategies in marketing or front of house operations
- Different models of recruiting or training staff or changing work culture for better work/life balance.
Our field has moved through many moments of vulnerability and change. Maybe you don’t know the outcomes of your efforts just yet. That’s fine. Your efforts to catalyze change within your practice, organization, community, or the field are what matter.
Any performing arts professional working in the field – artists, producers, agents, presenters, marketers, development professionals, etc. Depending on the volume of stories submitted we aim to feature five to seven of them throughout the conference and in concentrated sessions throughout the year.
Whether you are part of a current APAP organization or a prospective APAP member, you are welcome to submit. If selected, you will be required to become an APAP member.
APAP will provide an honorarium of $250 for all selected story submissions.
If selected, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your story with a professional writer and story coach so you can prepare a well-crafted delivery of your unique story to your peers.
Submit your story using the jot form link below. You’ll be asked to:
- Provide a brief 150-word narrative outlining the story you propose to tell by answering the following brief questions:
- What was/is the challenge you are addressing?
- How was this issue or your efforts to address it new or different from your approaches in the past?
- Tell us what you did. What steps did you take? What has been the result?
- What have you learned in the process?
This brief narrative doesn’t have to be comprehensive, but it should offer the heart of your story and some takeaways. You can also add a 30-second recording, video or YouTube link (make the link private).
- Upload images of the work or experience described in your story in the online application if applicable. This isn’t required, but it may help illustrate your story.
- Indicate your role in the field, your organization, and if applicable, your facility information, annual budget, programming budget and staff size. The deadline for submissions is December 7, 2022 at 11:59p.m. (EST).
Participants will be notified by December 13, and if not currently an APAP member, must join APAP by December 14, 2022. Selected storytellers agree to attend a "5 Minutes to Shine" coaching session between Dec 14-16 and a prep session at the APAP|NYC+ 2023 conference January 13-17, 2023. Each presenter agrees to tell their story (a 5-minute automated PowerPoint presentation) to a public audience and authorizes APAP to document the event. Photo, video, and audio recordings may be publicly disseminated by APAP for educational, informational, and promotional purposes.
An APAP panel will review all submissions. A limited number of stories will be featured at conference. Prior to the conference, APAP will work with participants to shape stories into a 5-minute automated format and provide feedback on imagery, structure and narrative.
Remember, this is not a pitch! This is a moment for you to share stories of risk, success, inspiration, or discovery with your colleagues.
Have questions? Contact the APAP Programs Team at
programs@staging.apap365.org.
