So said Keala Settle who portrayed the bearded lady, Lettie Lutz, in “The Greatest Showman” on Broadway. Settle subsequently performed “This is Me” in the film version, which went on to win a Golden Globe Award for best original song in 2018. But to get folks into the theatre to see a Broadway show also takes the special skills and talent of a good PR team of villagers like those at Vivacity Media Group.
With an attendance of nearly 15 million at the close of the 2018-2019 season (ended May 26, 2019) and more than $1.8 billion in sales, producing a Broadway show may appear to be a good investment. On the other hand, history shows that 16 Broadway shows closed before even opening and 23 closed immediately. Filling a theatre consistently not only requires proficiency, but also a knowledge of theatre and its patrons.
Vivacity Media Group is headed by two experts with a combined theatre representation of more than 70 productions. President Leslie Papa came from the Hartman Group, where she was Senior Account Executive and not only managed PR campaigns for shows on Broadway, but also Off-Broadway shows and National Tours like the Tony-nominated musicals Rock of Ages, On Your Feet, Bring It On, American Idol, Legally Blonde, the 2012 revival of Evita, Jagged Little Pill, Little Shop of Horrors, and Slava’s Snow Show.
In addition to theatre, Papa also managed PR for TV shows like SMASH, Grease: You’re the One That I Want, The Search for Elf Woods and MTV’s Legally Blonde special, performers, and various production companies. Her experience is vast and diverse.
Vice President Whitney Holden Gore also came from the Hartman Group, where she had been a press agent. Prior to that, she was Senior Publicist for Cohn Dutcher Associates, where she managed the New York Pops, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the Caramoor International Music Festival, and the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. Like Papa, she also managed many of the same shows at the Hartman Group.
Vivacity Media Group’s results are also evidenced by articles in national publications like Time Magazine, Forbes, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Entertainment, USA Today, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. They and their clients have also been featured on and had exposure on the air on shows like The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Today, Good Morning America, ET, NPR, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, America’s Got Talent, Fox Sports, The View, Elvis Duran, Dancing with the Stars, and Live with Kelly and Ryan.
As Broadway singer, actor and performer Billy Porter, most recently known for his return to the Tony Award-winning musical, “Kinky Boots,” once said, “I don’t aspire to the middle. I aspire to the tip-tip-top of it all.”
Producers and productions looking to be at the tip-tip-top of it all need only look to Vivacity Media Group. The evidence is overwhelming. Vivacity Media Group has the proven track record and experienced villagers to garner invaluable exposure and get audiences into shows on Broadway.