Marketing Committe

Tri-chairs: Alicia DiPompeo amd5192@psu.edu
Stephen Levine: sal287@psu.edu
Samatha Shoffner: shs5022@psu.edu

The marketing committee is responsible for large number of things to advertise shows (newspaper, TV, and radio ads, flyers, posters, banners, t-shirts, and more), as well as things like making programs and taking headshots. Marketing strives to reach as much of the campus and community as possible to draw audiences to enjoy the results of months of hard work by Thespians. The committee also advertises for pledge recruitment, children's shows, and MasquerAIDS.

In order to better distribute the workload of this committee, the following teams were created:

Team Descriptions
Online marketing- The online marketing team is responsbile for all social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, blogs, etc.  They are also responsible for updating local online calendars to include Penn State Thespians' events and performances.
Website Liason- The Website Liason will be responsible for maintaining the Thespian Website to include our information and any photos or videos.  This person will also market the Penn State Thespians website.
Art/Design- The team is responsible for creating logos and any art designs needed for Penn State Thespian productions.  This includes but is not limited to flyers, tshirts, banners, program covers, posters, etc.
Print Journalism- This team is reponsbile for publicizing Thespian events through the Collegian, CDT, Town and Gown, Phollegian, Family Pages, etc.
Campus Advertising- This team is responsible for publicizing Thespian events and performances to our target audience: the student body.  This could include Stall Stories, HUB late night, The Toilet Paper, Street Advertising and announcements, etc.
TV/Radio- The TV/Radio team will be responsible for publicizing Thespians events and performanced by contacting local TV, News, and Radio stations.  They will also coordinate with the director and stage manager if cast members are needed for interviews.
Videographers- This team is responsible for the creation of each promotional video commerical for Thespian performances and events.  They will produce the video and market it through YouTube and other video sites.
Special Projects- This team is our creative unit!  They need to think out of the box to come up with new and innovative ways of marketing our shows!  They will also be executing these projects and recruiting the efforts of other teams to assist in these projects.
Headshot Coordinators- The headshot coordinators are responsible for taking photographs of the cast and production team for the headshot boards in the lobby.  This is open to creativitiy and this team will also create the headshot board.
Press Release/Announcements- This person will be in charge of writing press releases and other announcements needed by the marketing teams.
Business Advertising Managers- This team is responsible for collecting a list of businesses (new and previously contributing) and assigning business to production staff, cast, members and pledges.  They also follow up on all business contacts and ensure that all areas (downtown, campus, community) are included.
Personal Advertising Manager- This person is responsible for overseeing and compiling personal ads for the program.  They will send out letters and emails to family and friends of cast and crew.
Community Outreach- This team will work in close proximity with schools, SCCT, and will brainstorm and execute ways to attract community members to Thespian performances.
Program Managers- This team is responsible for building and putting the program together.

Meet the Committee Co-Chairs

Name: Alicia Marie DiPompeo
Year: Senior
Major: Secondary Education- English/Communications
Hometown: Newtown Square, PA

What does the marketing committee do?  We market the show! This entails advertising in local newspapers, radio stations, and television stations. It also includes marketing within the campus community through a variety of techniques (i.e. flyering, banner posting, previews, mass emails, etc.). In addition, the marketing committee is responsible for any art design required for the show. This includes the program cover, t-shirt design, teaser flyer design, poster design, and the banner design. The marketing committee is also required to oversee the development of the show program and the headshot board located in the front of the house. This year the marketing committee is going to try to "DO EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING."  We believe in thinking out of the box and love creativity.  We have also created teams within the marketing committee to give everyone a chance to dabble in their area of expertise.  If you are looking for a great way to get involved and meet some wonderful people come join the marketing committee for an AWESOME experience!

Thespians experience: run crew for Crazy for You (spring 2007), assistant project coordinator for MasquerAIDS (spring 2007), secretary of Thespians (2007-2008), program advertising manager for Assassins (fall 2007), assistant stage manager for Assassins (fall 2007) and Jekyll & Hyde (spring 2008), Child in The Lorax (spring 2008), marketing committee co-chair (2008-2009), marketing committee tri-chair (2009-2010.  Member since 2007.

Favorite Thespians moment: My Thespian Communion with Team FABULOUS :-)

Name: Stephen Levine
Year: Sophomore
Major: History and Economics
Hometown: Allentown, PA

Marketing can be simple stated in the dictionary as the act of buying or selling in a market.  Our committie is so much more than that.  We are there to promote the shows, to show the people of University Park and of State College a little piece of the entertainment that will follow.  The Marketing Committee will do whatever it takes to market a show including newspaper/print ads, TV/Radio, Banners, awesome programs and amazing T-shirts.  For the 2009/2010 year we have created multiple teams to help divide the projects and responsibilities and allow things to run smoothly.  This year we are hoping to add an even more creative spin to the Marketing campaign with our special projects teams and take the ads directly to the student population.  If I've done my job our audiences will be bigger or budget larger and the Penn State Thespians a huge part of the entertainment scene at PSU.

Thespians Experience: Once Upon a Mattress Ensemble (Fall 2008), Mr. Rogers in Amelia Bedielia (Fall 2008), Masqueraids cast member (Winter 2009), Jacob/Patipher Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Spring 2009)

Favorite Thespian Moment: On a more serious note, bonding with my pledge class and communion, on a much less serious note, when I started singing I Want It That Way at Paternoville and getting the entire section to sing along.

Name: Samantha Shoffner
Year: Senior
Major: Theatre Design and Technology- Scenic Design Emphasis
Hometown: State College, PA

Marketing is the committee that does the behind the scenes work for what we all want to see the week of the show...people in the audience!  We do everything from video and radio commercials, to press releases and contacting sponsoring businesses, the headshot board, program, and graphic designs for the tshirts, flyers etc, and more.  We reach out to both the community and campus and advertise and make people aware of our wonderful productions that everyone works so hard on!  There are many ways to be involved with marketing TEAMS this year in all areas of expertise and we are excited for a great year of marketing!

Thespians Experience: Scenic Designer for Sweeney Todd, Joseph...Dreamcoat, and Assassins.  Scenic Artist for The Rocky Horror Show, Once Upon A Mattress.  Marketing committee member since 2006 and graphic designer/program co-coordinator since 2007.  Performed in MasquerAIDS 2008.  Member of Thespians since 2007.

Favorite Thespian Moment:  Although I have many favorite Thespian moments, I will always remember pushing out the "tongue platform" during the Rocky Horror Show...and doing the Time Warp backstage with fellow run crew members every night!  We also dressed up in found-lingerie from the costume shop one night of running Rocky Horror...tech guys included!