video reel
8th Annual SEA Conference Session Videos
February 2008
8th Annual SEA Conference
Keynote: Tom Wilson
"The Deal of Art"
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Wilson shares stories from his own background to highlight the difficult intersection between art and business, and confesses his own awkwardness in trying to bridge the two worlds. He shares his thoughts on artistic integrity and the importance for an artist to carefully set aside business concerns when actually engaged in the act of creation, and how then to marry that process to the hard facts of commerce.

8th Annual SEA Conference
Session: The Savvy Artist in a Hostile World
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Playwright Matt Boresi explores the need for artists to embrace the business side of their work. He discusses some of the challenges that artists may face when making this leap, recommending that artists temporarily squelch their inner bohemian in order to embrace the business thinking that is crucial to enduring financial success on any scale. He also addresses the need to be able to articulate what you do concisely and the value of networking, and closes by explaining a concept he dubs the savvy artist's contract with a hostile world, which is a roadmap to forging a career in the arts.

8th Annual SEA Conference
Session: Defining Success in a Multicareer
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Jeffrey Fisher - a musician, teacher, software trainer, producer, composer, author, explains how to measure success in a "slash" career (musician/teacher, manager/student, author/parent) where traditional benchmarks and metrics might be meaningless or even in conflict with your goals. He also discusses how to remain focused on your own particular kind of success, when it might be at odds with more traditional definitions of the term.


BRIEF EXCERPT OF SESSION

8th Annual SEA Conference
Panel Session: How to Get Started Now
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Writer Gigi Rosenberg, entrepreneur Lisa Canning, and painter James Winn offer advice to aspiring arts entrepreneurs, discussing topics such as obtaining financing, networking, and staying focused on creating art.

8th Annual SEA Conference
Session: Succeeding After the Big Guys Say, "Sorry"
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Timothy O'Neill, an entrepreneur and million-selling independent musician, presents to an audience at the Self-Employed Artists' Conference 2008 some of the keys to his success. He addresses more than a dozen crucial insights about entrepreneurship and success, from how to market yourself at the start of your career when you have very little to offer, to how to build strong partnerships with vendors and distributors, how to succeed in music without a label, and much more.

8th Annual SEA Conference
Panel Session: What Every Artist's Website Needs
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Panelists Jeanette Smith, Benjie Hughes, Elizabeth T. Russell, and moderator Matt Boresi share their experiences creating and operating their websites, discussing the mistakes they've made and the ways in which their sites have benefited their respective businesses. Related topics include hiring a web development team, maintaining websites and blogs, and protecting copyrighted material and privacy on the internet.

8th Annual SEA Conference
Session: What are You Going to do After You Graduate?
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Educator and entrepreneur Barbara Yokom discusses the pressures and decisions that high school and college students face when contemplating what to do after graduation, and offers some useful strategies for coming up with an answer to all those people who feel they need to ask.

8th Annual SEA Conference
Session: How to Market TV and Film
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
In this conference session, Joe Roberts, Jeffrey Fisher, and Greg Bizzaro share their expertise in the marketing of films and television shows, offering suggestions on cost-effective strategies, creative fundraising techniques, and building credibility with key industry contacts.

8th Annual SEA Conference
Session: Becoming a Visual Arts Professonal
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Olga Stefan of the Chicago Artists Coalition discusses what "professional" actually means, and whether it really strictly refers to those who make money on the sale of their works. She also cites some of the resources available to artists in the midst of the creative process, such as artist residencies.

8th Annual SEA Conference
Faculty Discussion: Resources for Teachers in the Arts
Brought to you by: artisthousemusic.org
Gary Ernst of North Central College leads a discussion on innovation in the arts classroom, centering on how to get arts students engaged with non-art content, like business courses. He also discusses the merits of nontraditional teaching tools such as the internet in bringing content to students, and helps audience members learn how to navigate departmental politics in order to successfully innovate in the classroom.