Marketing profiles CA

B. Joseph Burch

Marketing Manager, Subscriptions and Sales
San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco, California
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Time in current position: 8 months
Years in the field: 10+

Majors:
Music Education, but I switched to and finished with Music Business

Additional Training:
My degree provided me with, basically, a business minor. Those classes were very helpful early in my career (i.e. finance, accounting, economics, marketing).

Career Path:
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Chamber Orchestra 
Manager, Media Play (Musicland Group)
Visual Merchandising Manager, Sam Goody (Musicland Group)
Audio Marketing Manager, Musicland Group (Best Buy)
Marketing Consultant, Freelance
Assistant Director of Marketing, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra 

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
Most challenging is the volume of work with limited resources. I also find the lack of innovation by the major leaders in the industry discouraging.

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
I’m passionate about the music.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Interview and try out the different parts of the field, such as operations, development, marketing, etc. They are really different dynamics. 

Any other advice?
Come one, come all!

Barbara H. Burger

Marketing Director/Education Coordinator
Santa Barbara Symphony
Santa Barbara, California
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Years in current position: 24
Years in the field: 28

Majors:
B.A. Sociology/Anthropology
M.A. Public Service Management

Additional Training:
Attended nearly every Association of California Orchestra Conference and several League of American Orchestras National Conferences, plus marketing workshops in the Santa Barbara area

Career Path:
Public Relations and Marketing
Information and Referral Professional, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Community Relations Coordinator, St. Francis Hospital, Santa Barbara

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
Every day is a creative day. Whether it be putting together marketing plans, creating ads or scripts, or negotiating contracts, it’s all interesting. The challenge over these 24 years has been to handle all the demands of marketing an orchestra, handling the public relations, coordinating the Santa Barbara Symphony’s education programs, selling ads and creating the concert books.

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
I have loved classical music since I was young. It was a natural to take my public relations skills to this field. I love all aspects of working for a symphony, including the social parts.

Would you have done anything differently?
I would have majored in communications if that had been a degree offered at Eastern University.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Work as an apprentice or an intern under a professional in the field. There are so very many things to learn and it would be helpful to learn from someone who is already skilled. Take as many courses or workshops as possible to keep up your skills and to learn more about the city or town that you are working in. Get involved with other organizations in your city or town and serve on their boards. Network every chance you can.

Any other advice?
If possible, take the training offered by the League.

Sandy Galin

Director of Development and Marketing
New West Symphony
Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, and Santa Monica, California
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Years in current position: 1.5
Years in the field: 15+

Majors:
Liberal Studies (elementary education) 
UCLA Extension: Fund Raising, Broadcasting

Additional Training:
Relevant database training
Meet the Grant Maker presentations
Association California Symphony Orchestra conferences
CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) conferences;
Association of Fund Raising Professionals training programs

Career Path:
Professional Choral Musician, toured nationally and internationally and sang locally as a soloist and with ensembles (Roger Wagner Chorale, Norman Luboff Choir, William Hall Chorale, Carmel Bach Festival, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, Los Angeles Bach Festival, etc.)
Assistant to the Director of Alumni Development and Contracts and Grants, UCLA School of Social Welfare
Assistant Director, Annual Fund, Occidental College
Director of Development, Cal State University Northridge, Colleges of Humanities and Science and Math
Assistant Director of Development, College of Social and Behavioral Science and the University Library
Director of Advancement, Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School
Director of Development, CHIME Institute

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
It’s a joy to work for a musical organization where all employees are invested in making it a success. Challenging: We have one administrative assistant, so all directors do an amazing amount of multi-tasking, including writing direct mail solicitations and press releases; creating graphics for programs, cultivation, and marketing materials; producing and managing cultivation/fund-raising events; writing grants; raising funds from individuals/businesses; building audiences; securing sponsorships; arranging ensemble concerts (with the General Manager); inputting prospect and donor data; and more, including working with the board of directors and auxiliary leadership. 

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
I thought it would be a wonderful match for my musical and development background.

What were the first steps in your professional career?
I took hands-on jobs so I could learn all the aspects of development, PR, community relations, and marketing. When I outgrew a position (or there was no where to move up), I moved on so I could keep growing my skills.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Try to intern for a non-profit in high school or volunteer while in college. If you let the executive or development director know you’re interested in working in the non-profit world, you will find an excellent mentor.

Any other advice?
Be organized and flexible.

Kevin Shuck

Director of Marketing and Communications
Berkeley Symphony Orchestra
Berkeley, California
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Years in current position: 3
Years in the field: 5

Majors:
B.S. Biochemistry
Ph.D. Molecular Biology

Additional Training:
Orchestra Management Fellowship Program

Career Path:
Production Assistant, Ravinia Festival
Operations Assistant, Pittsburgh Symphony
Director of Marketing and Development, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
I find it interesting to develop new ways to get the word out about the Berkeley Symphony in a very crowded Bay Area arts scene, as well as generating excitement and communicating the value of new symphonic works.

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
I fell into the field by accident while completing my graduate degree, when I became involved as the volunteer general manager for a community band organization in Chicago. I discovered that working for an arts organization provided a way to combine my organizational, computer, and writing skills with my love for music.

What were your first steps toward an orchestra career?
I first accepted a seasonal position at the Ravinia Festival, which had very broad-ranging responsibilities, followed by a six-month position in operations at the Pittsburgh Symphony. Both experiences built up my skills set in a concentrated period of time, and I learned the work culture of two very different music organizations. They also proved very effective in building my industry knowledge and professional credibility, without having to spend too long in entry-level positions.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Try to seek out several short-term experiences in a variety of settings, including internships, training programs, temporary positions, and/or seasonal work at festivals. Exposure to different work environments provides a better sense of one’s own interests and, most importantly, the types of organizations and positions that would be most fulfilling.

Any other advice?
Provided you can handle the intense periods that concert schedules demand, there are always job opportunities for capable people in this field!