7/17,2008. Lima, NY. Mowed field. Heavy rain early, then humid and hot.
The coolest hipest girl in my high school was Cindy Filipetti, or so it seemed to me thirty some years ago. Later Cindy took her father’s name and called herself Cindy Force and became born again and came here to Lima to attemnd bible college before going to India. Cindy took me to a small church where I tried hard to feel something, because I had an terrible crush on her, but I was in that chasing rattlesnakes and hanging out with sideshow types phase, and then I moved to Florida. Today she’s Cynthia Neale, the children’s book author.
Paul Horseman the carnival and circus historian visited the show in Fair Haven. Paul sells book and now I have something to read.
Because my real interest in circus is as much about the numbers and financial mechanics as it is about the show or the animals I’ve been think a lot about the front end and the advance. One thing that impressed me on Culpepper & Merriweather was just how well the home office and advance motivated sponsors to enthusiastically sell tickets. I don’t know if every show needs and advance clown, or a marketing team – but at least theoretically I like the idea of playing good cop/bad cop with local hosts. A dedicated support team at the home office providing sponsors with ideas and materials, a clown acting as a cheerleader, and a marketing person who scares the heck out of hosts who haven’t sold many tickets ten days out. Hosts sometimes think that a poor presale can be offset by a strong box office. It can be in theory, but it almost never happens. It’s important for hosts to understand that.
The coolest hipest girl in my high school was Cindy Filipetti, or so it seemed to me thirty some years ago. Later Cindy took her father’s name and called herself Cindy Force and became born again and came here to Lima to attemnd bible college before going to India. Cindy took me to a small church where I tried hard to feel something, because I had an terrible crush on her, but I was in that chasing rattlesnakes and hanging out with sideshow types phase, and then I moved to Florida. Today she’s Cynthia Neale, the children’s book author.
Paul Horseman the carnival and circus historian visited the show in Fair Haven. Paul sells book and now I have something to read.
Because my real interest in circus is as much about the numbers and financial mechanics as it is about the show or the animals I’ve been think a lot about the front end and the advance. One thing that impressed me on Culpepper & Merriweather was just how well the home office and advance motivated sponsors to enthusiastically sell tickets. I don’t know if every show needs and advance clown, or a marketing team – but at least theoretically I like the idea of playing good cop/bad cop with local hosts. A dedicated support team at the home office providing sponsors with ideas and materials, a clown acting as a cheerleader, and a marketing person who scares the heck out of hosts who haven’t sold many tickets ten days out. Hosts sometimes think that a poor presale can be offset by a strong box office. It can be in theory, but it almost never happens. It’s important for hosts to understand that.
