Publicity

=**Publicity**= Chairpersons: Chris Rigaux and Michele Levenson

Volunteers as of the Parent Meeting on 10/6/09: Chris Rigaux, Michele Levenson, Tricia Smith

The Publicity Committee is responsible for advertising and publicizing the show within the Churchill and Potomac communities. We are always looking for new, low-cost ways to increase interest in our show. We are especially interested in direct peer-to-peer contact and using modern technologies such as Facebook and Twitter to reach potential customers, so if any parents out there would like to spearhead these efforts please respond to this Wiki accouncement.

If you are interested in taking on any of the following jobs, please indicate so on this Wiki page. Many hands make light work!

Typically, we have engaged in the following activities. 1. Write (with Ms. Speck) and distribute a press release to local newspapers such as the Washington Post, the Gazette, and the Potomac Almanac. //**Michele Levenson will write one (based on your model last year Chris) with Ms. Speck Please give me the contacts**. **Chris-does jessica take care of the blips?**// Your press release is great; thanks for writing it, Michele. Actually, last year Judy Murphy took care of the BLIPS for us. Judy, would you care to volunteer to send it again? I would recommend pulling sentences from the Press Release for the post. Here is the press release itself. Please circulate it far and wide to all interest press members. Ok, I know for a fact the blip went out at Hoover and my contact at Frost MS just confirmed that it will go out in next PTSA e-mail newsletter.** I'm glad you liked it! I can send Judy a summary of the press release, and perhaps she can foward it to the blips, for some reason i had trouble last getting stuff to the blips. Michele, I think Ms. Speck puts the press release on WCHS Drama letterhead, but I cannot remember if Ms. Speck sent out the press release last year or I did. If we can find someone to serve as press liaison (see below), he or she would be the best person to send it out. PRESS RELEASE HAS BEEN SENT TO WASHINGTON POST, GAZETTE, ALMANAC, AND OTHERS 2. Write (with Ms. Speck) a letter to all Montgomery County High School Drama Directors (33 in total), offering a free color poster and two free tickets. **Chris will do this based on last year's model.** LETTER AND POSTERS WERE SENT OUT TODAY VIA PONY MAIL 3. Send a letter with the offer of two free tickets to members of the Board of Education and select central staff of Montgomery County Public School system. **Chris will do this based on last year's model.** CHRIS HAS SENT LETTER; ALSO TO CHRIS VAN HOLLEN AND LOCAL COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS 4. Interact with ASI Signs Inc. in Rockville (http://signs-n-tees.com/) to produce 25 to 50 yellow plastic signs to erect throughout Potomac to advertise our upcoming show. Contact families along major thoroughfares to allow signs to be placed in their yards. **//Michele Levenson will help put signs out.//** Chris will order the signs and also help to put them out; please see below. Do we have families that live along major thoroughfares such as Falls Road, Tuckerman Lane, Seven Locks Road, Democracy, etc.? We would like permission to post our signs in your yard. Please recruit your neighbors! POSTERS ARE SPROUTED THROUGHOUT POTOMAC THANKS TO MICHELE LEVESON, JUDY AUSTIN, CHRIS RIGAUX, AND JOAN CLOWES. ONLY FIVE SIGNS ARE LEFT TO BE CLAIMED. 5. Interact with ASI Signs Inc. in Rockville to produce one large banner to hang at the corner of Gainsborough Road and Tuckerman Lane to advertise show. BANNER TO ARRIVE FRIDAY. 6. Distribute flyers to local middle school choir/theater directors to give to students.//**Michele Levenson will take flyers to Hoover MS,Cabin John MS and St. Andrews. Will flyers be provided to me for that purpose?**// Ms. Speck usually produces flyers in-house and calls parents when they are ready. 7. Contact Cabin John Mall about placing an advertisement on their main marquee sign facing Tuckerman Lane. TRICIA SMITH WILL FOLLOW UP. SIGN UNAVAILABLE. 8. Posting color posters in the middle schools, the local libraries, and throughout stores in Cabin John Mall, Potomac Village, and other local shopping destinations. TRICIA SMITH WILL FOLLOW UP & //**Michele Levenson will help with this- let's split territories, your choice Tricia.**// 9. Creating Facebook event about Chicago and coordinating cast and band members to issue invitations to all their friends, then sending them reminder notices one week before the show. We need students to perform this activity. (Maggie? Steven? Alex?) STEVEN TELLS ME THIS WAS CREATED OVER THE WEEKEND. 10. Serve as a Press Liaison to the Gazette and the Potomac Almanac and contact their local reporters about the upcoming shows and try to generate articles, photo ops, etc. Ms. Speck said the Potomac Almanac was already sending a reporter to a rehearsal, so there is already interest and a contact. We also need to fill out the local newspaper online forms to place our shows on their community pages/web sites. CHRIS HAS BEEN DOING THIS ACTIVITY. 11. Twitter? MEH. 12. Publicize show within the high school via the school newspaper and the school news show. Perhaps some students would like to take the lead on this (Aaron? Steven? Josh?) //**I'll ask Alex to talk to Scott Selman about this. I think she and Stephen had an idea about doing a cell block tango scene of some sort (probably a spoof version). She can also ask Scott Schuler about a Chicago themed Daily Dose the week before? She has no newspaper connections.**// //**.**// Please take a look at the above list and see what you would be interested in doing for the show.
 * Michele submitted a blips, we'll see if it is successful. I would like to do the blips now and the week of the show as well. I'm going to contact Hoover to see if they'll put in our "blip" I see now they have a list serv. Chris do you have a contact at Cabin John? I could forward it to them too.**
 * Michele, last year the elist was taken care of Greg Barr; contact him at "Greg Barr" ; if he is not doing it again this year, I am sure he can tell you who is. Chris
 * SIGNS WILL BE AVAILABE AT NOON TOMORROW AT CHURCHILL. PLEASE TAKE 5 IF YOU CAN HELP.**
 * COLOR POSTERS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TUESDAY MIDDAY. MS. SPECK HAS THEM. MICHELE WILL PICK SOME UP. BUT IF OTHERS CAN HELP MICHELE PUT POSTERS UP AROUND THE AREA, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.**

Submitted by Chris Rigaux, Publicity Chair


 * //Michele Levenson's book club has been notified//**