Getting Big Press (even for little slams)
As far as slams go, Delray Beach's hasn't been around very long (3 years), and our venue isn't all that large (it's a three-bedroom home that was converted to a restaurant & lounge)...
But we get the press's attention here in South Florida, often with better coverage and more frequent praise than other slams, and certainly better than any poetry reading.
The Sun-Sentinel, South Florida's largest newspaper, just published an article in its Sunday edition on the front page of the Art & Leisure section, titled "Delray Beach slam team leads Florida's rise in poetry performance and competition."
Jack Zink wrote the story after we invited him to attend one of our team rehearsals, where he had dinner with us and gave us feedback on our performances (valuable stuff from a newspaper critic!!).
More than just a profile on our slam team, the story provided a brief history of slam and included Broadway's Def Poetry Jam's recent success at the Tony Awards (actually, this was our hook when we sent out the press releases since the DB team was announcing a theatrical revue of its own work at a local playhouse). This hook landed us extended coverage on another event, Hot Air 2003, the Florida State Poetry Slam Team Championships.
The old adage "Know Your Audience" applies to the press, too. If all your shows are nightclub or coffeehouse events, the press doesn't pay much attention. Booking unusual gigs in other locations and generating events that appeal to new audiences ("It's easier to get a new audience than to write a new poem," is the mantra of one of my teammates) also strike the press as a movement, especially if the same people's names don't keep popping up. For this article, we created a partnership with a playhouse which sent out the press releases for us and lended legitimacy to our event.
Press coverage is like a social disease; once gotten, it spreads quickly. This one article has generated tons of interest in slam, both from the media and from the community.
Getting press is not just about vanity or beefing up attendance at shows, either. Getting good press helps a slam team get sponsorships. More importantly, when applying for grants, a slam has documentation of the benefits it has provided to the community. The Sun-Sentinel story can be viewed here:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/stage/sfl-th22poetryjun22,0,222331.story?coll=sfla-entertainment-stage
But we get the press's attention here in South Florida, often with better coverage and more frequent praise than other slams, and certainly better than any poetry reading.
The Sun-Sentinel, South Florida's largest newspaper, just published an article in its Sunday edition on the front page of the Art & Leisure section, titled "Delray Beach slam team leads Florida's rise in poetry performance and competition."
Jack Zink wrote the story after we invited him to attend one of our team rehearsals, where he had dinner with us and gave us feedback on our performances (valuable stuff from a newspaper critic!!).
More than just a profile on our slam team, the story provided a brief history of slam and included Broadway's Def Poetry Jam's recent success at the Tony Awards (actually, this was our hook when we sent out the press releases since the DB team was announcing a theatrical revue of its own work at a local playhouse). This hook landed us extended coverage on another event, Hot Air 2003, the Florida State Poetry Slam Team Championships.
The old adage "Know Your Audience" applies to the press, too. If all your shows are nightclub or coffeehouse events, the press doesn't pay much attention. Booking unusual gigs in other locations and generating events that appeal to new audiences ("It's easier to get a new audience than to write a new poem," is the mantra of one of my teammates) also strike the press as a movement, especially if the same people's names don't keep popping up. For this article, we created a partnership with a playhouse which sent out the press releases for us and lended legitimacy to our event.
Press coverage is like a social disease; once gotten, it spreads quickly. This one article has generated tons of interest in slam, both from the media and from the community.
Getting press is not just about vanity or beefing up attendance at shows, either. Getting good press helps a slam team get sponsorships. More importantly, when applying for grants, a slam has documentation of the benefits it has provided to the community. The Sun-Sentinel story can be viewed here:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/stage/sfl-th22poetryjun22,0,222331.story?coll=sfla-entertainment-stage
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