Page 24 - APAP - Inside Arts - Conference 2020

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Members of NAPAMA; Pamela M. Green, recipient of the 2017 NAPAMA Liz Silverstein Award for Agent-Manager of the Year.
The service organization for agents and managers looks toward the next 40 years.
BTY KRISTEN ANDRESEN hey say life begins at
40. If North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents is
any indication, the same holds true for organizations.
As NAPAMA marks this milestone anniversary, its role in the field is stronger than ever.
“We’re working to improve
the whole field and make our relationships collegial and beneficial for everybody,” says NAPAMA board president Mike Green of Mike Green Associates. “It’s become part of our DNA now. We’ve created a sense
of cooperation within the field and with each other.”
Although it’s still a competitive business, the stereotypical “tussle” among agents, managers and presenters is a thing of the past, Green says, and that extends to professional organizations and conferences such as APAP and
WAA. Today, NAPAMA and its members are in the room where
the planning happens – not just the rooms where the showcases happen.
“The people who do what we
do are our closest friends in a way,” he says. “With conferences, our relationship used to consist of us advocating for what we needed, like more hours in the exhibit hall. Now, it’s more a matter of really looking at how we make conferences better for everybody. If the presenters are happy, we’re better off. It’s a more holistic approach.”
That holistic approach applies
to NAPAMA’s focus on professional development, as well. Just ask Kevin Spencer, a theatrical illusionist
who left his stage career in 2015
to foster inclusion for those with disabilities through the arts. He became a member several years ago, and in that time, he has forged close relationships with agents, managers, presenters and artists whom he met through the organization.
“NAPAMA’s influence in
the industry is continuing
to grow,” Spencer says. “The organization provides professional
development and
networking opportunities
and we share best practices in professional development sessions at conferences, through webinars, and at our annual retreat. NAPAMA should be especially proud of
its mentoring programs and the important research that has been conducted over the last few years. This will inform all of us and help produce effective leaders that will guide us in this evolving field.”
APAP Leadership Fellow Heena Patel, of MELA Arts Connect, which specializes in South Asian performing arts, joined NAPAMA five years ago after attending its annual retreat. At the time, Patel was a world music agent, but the retreat and the relationships she developed with her colleagues opened her eyes to the possibilities beyond. Today, she wears many hats including membership on the
22 INSIDE ARTS CONFERENCE 2020