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1

Slam Selection Processes / Austin, TX / Ego's

« on: August 22, 2007, 10:29:27 AM »

Austin Poetry Slam
Ego's Lounge
510 S. Congress
Every Wednesday night, 8 pm

Weekly Slam format: 

12 poets in the slam, three rounds.  Cut to 6 for second round, 3 for final round.  All rounds are clean slate, rounds two and three are low to high from previous round scores.  Break between first and second round. Five judges, standard slam rules and time limit.  $100 in cash prizes divided 50/30/20 between top three. 

Season format:

Season divided into four quarters of equal (or as close as we can get it) length.  Poets earn points towards the season with their participation / success at the slam (at Ego's plus other special event slams held at other locations, if they fit the proper format and are open to all):

1st place = 7 points
2nd place = 5 points
3rd place = 3 points
everyone who slams (plus the host for the night) = 1 point

A quarterfinal slam is held at the end of each quarter.  Top eight point totals from that specific quarter are invited (and we go down the list until the field is filled if someone from top 8 can't make it).  If ties for 8th, we take all the poets who are tied for 8th and have a bigger field. Quarterfinals are two rounds cumulative, then top two poets return for one poem head-to-head death match.  Scoring works like tiebreaker rule at NPS.

Winner of the quarterfinal is in our Team Slamoff, as well as our iWPS slamoff.  Everyone else goes "back in the pool"

So, four people earn their way into the slamoff(s) with quarterfinal wins.  For everyone else, point totals for the season as a whole are added up and the top 12 poets are invited for one Super-Semifinal at the end of the season.  Top six poets from that slam fill out the field for the team selection slamoff. **

Slamoff is two rounds cumulative, period.  We do our slamoff at the Paramount and focus our attention on making a short, kickass show (including an opening showcase) for that large audience. 

mh

** = to pick our iWPS rep, we take the list of the top ten qualifiers at that point using season totals to date and hold a slamoff based on those numbers.

2

General Discussion / Attention NPS competing team members: call for bios on nps website

« on: July 28, 2007, 04:28:58 PM »

Go to http://www.nps2007.com/diy_bio.php

You'll be able to select your team name, input your name and bio.  After approval by a moderator, it will be live on the website.  Only Team members, Coaches, and Slammasters should post bios.

Please spread the word to your crews.

Thanks,

Mike Henry
Artistic Director / NPS 2007

3

General Discussion / NPS 07 Sponsor to give away $10,000 to a spoken word artist

« on: May 12, 2007, 09:40:23 PM »

Everyone,

Here's exciting news about an Austin-based company that will be (a) sponsoring nps2007 and (b) giving $10,000 to the spoken word artist that wins their online contest.

Please spread the word to your communities -- forward the text below at will, and please submit videos yourselves. 

Looking forward to seeing you in August,

Mike Henry
Artistic Director, nps2007

*****************************

Open letter to all spoken word artists – please forward at will:

This August, a spoken word artist will win $10,000.

For real.  No strings, no gimmick, guaranteed.  I’ll say it again:

This August, a spoken word artist will win $10,000.

Go to your computer and check out www.FameCast.com.  This Austin-based company has just finished the first season of their nation-wide online talent competition and awarded $10K each to the top scoring artists in six genres:  Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, Country, R & B, and Comedy.  Their new season features a stage for spoken word artists with – I say it a third time – a $10,000 prize.

If the opportunity for that prize money isn’t enough, let me give you four reasons why I think it is crucial that you participate:

1.   Check out the stats below; FameCast is an incredible opportunity for us to get the work of spoken word artists out there to an enormous online community.  That equals a huge doorway for us to grow the spoken word audience, which helps every poetry venue in the country.

2.   FameCast is getting behind the spoken word community and giving us our own stage and our own prize, on the same level as pop, hip hop, or any other genre.  This is a chance for spoken word artists to step up and show the haters and nonbelievers that our work deserves that equal treatment.  How many times have you ran across someone who rolled their eyes at you or treated spoken word as a “lesser” art form?  Post your videos and let’s prove them wrong.

3.   FameCast has come on board as a sponsor of the 2007 National Poetry Slam. That’s another example of how these folks are getting behind spoken word; they are putting their money where their mouth is to give back to the community.

4.   If the spoken word community gets up and makes this stage rock, this won’t be a one-time opportunity.  FameCast stages cycle in and out throughout the year.  Time to show and prove:  put the great work up there and let’s build an audience that can’t wait for the next spoken word competition.

Becoming a FameCast artist is absolutely free, and very easy.  Go to the site, register as an artist, and you will be given your own Backstage Manager.  Use it to help you:

•   Upload multiple videos in the video gallery - including naming & describing each video and uploading cover art for them
•   Create your own blog and post at will
•   Add a bio to the About Me section
•   Link to your own website
•   Upload an artist avatar image
•   Start a FameCast fan club for yourself
•   Add existing FameCast members as friends or favorites
•   Send emails to invite people to come check you out on FameCast

From there, use your skills as grassroots artists and promoters.  The more active you are, the more people you reach out to online and point to your site, the more buzz you create and the better results you will have.

How the competition works:

Basically, think about it as a big online Poetry Slam:

•   You post a video and create a cool Backstage profile
•   FameCast users surf through the spoken word stage and vote for their faves
•   The field gets narrowed down based on the votes:

May 30:  Voting begins
June 6:  Cut to 50 artists
June 20:  Cut to 25 artists
July 4:  Cut to 10 artists
July 18:  Cut to 5 artists

The top five artists will be flown to Austin, Texas, to perform in a live showcase as a late night event at the 2007 National Poetry Slam.  The show will be streamed live on the web and posted at famecast.com.  After another short voting period, the FameCast Fenom for spoken word will be named and will win $10,000

The numbers:

Stats from FameCast Season One:

•   Over half a million unique visits to the site
•   Over 10 million pages viewed (meaning people are watching the videos)
•   1,200 registered artists across 6 genres of talent
•   55,000 registered fans

Let’s do this, people.  Post videos and spread the word.  I am working personally with FameCast behind the scenes to help make this program a success and I give them all the props and my highest recommendation.  FORWARD THIS MESSAGE and encourage all the poets you know to get involved.

Thanks for your time,

Mike Henry
Slammaster / Austin, TX
Artistic Director, 2007 National Poetry Slam
Co-Director / Producer, Slam Planet: War of the Words

About FameCast

Born in Austin, TX, the Live Music Capital of the World, FameCast is the first artist discovery and entertainment community providing a nationwide, seasonal competition whereby an online audience determines tomorrow’s big stars. Knowing that lack of exposure is what keeps some of our best artists in the shadows, we aim to shine the spotlight on those that have what it takes, but have lacked the breaks. For more information visit www.famecast.com.

4

General Discussion / Slammasters' meeting 2006

« on: November 08, 2005, 06:02:33 PM »

Everyone,

EC invites you to attend Slammasters Weekend in Austin, Texas, April 14 - 16, 2006.

If you can, come in for Friday night. We'll have another big cookout (with Official Grill Czar Bob Whoopeecat at the helm ... worth the trip to Austin just for that) and get together. I'd expect meetings all day Saturday and Sunday, readings / performance opportunities on Saturday and Sunday night. Scott, Steve, and EC will post more info re: format and times for meetings here, I bet.

Registered Slammasters vote at these meetings, but everyone gets an equal voice in discussing and voicing opinions during these very important meetings.

And if you're interested in touring through Texas, the following weekend is the annual Austin International Poetry Festival. Last year they gave away something like $1,500 in prize money at their Slam. Hit www.aipf.org for more info, and hit up us Texas slammasters for features a plenty around these events.

See you April,
mike henry
Slammaster,
Austin TX

5

General Discussion / St. Louis Hotel sold out

« on: June 07, 2004, 01:28:05 PM »

Hey crew,

Just talked to the St. Louis NPS host hotel and they are sold out.  St. Louis folks ... suggestions?

mh