Flute | Viviana Guzman

National Flute Convention

August 16, 2011 By Viviana Guzman

Convention Center in Charlotte

Have you ever woken up in the morning, exhausted? I knew I had slept enough, yet this morning my feet were still pulsating and my head was slightly throbbing after the sensational weekend at the National Flute Association Convention in Charlotte, NC. I flew out to perform on Thursday and since I was continuing on to Edinburgh on Monday, I decided to make the best use of my time Thursday through Sunday, by creating a delightful but demanding new project for myself. I set out to interview the convention’s top flutists! Initially I didn’t think it would be such a demanding project to embark on, but when you add on rehearsing, performing, catching up with old friends, attending concerts, and looking for the perfect head joint, it turned in to quite an exhaustive venture of 16 hour days and very little sleep. The end result is that I feel thrilled with all the material I gathered for my new website www.flutechats.com (going live in September) and was especially happy to visit and connect and hear my beautiful fellow flute friends of which a small list would include Rhonda Larson, Paula Robison, Christina Jennings, Greg Pattillo, Jim Walker, Carol Wincenc, Robert Dick, Trevor Wye, etc. I wanted to take this opportunity to mention a wonderful new resource to find flutists called www.supportflutists.com created by Terri Sanchez. Off to Edinburgh, Scotland now! Weeeeeeee!!!!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: carol wincenc, christina jennings, flute, greg pattillo, jim walker, national flute association convention, nfa, paula robison, Viviana Guzman

7 Keys to Running a Successful Kickstarter Campaign

July 12, 2011 By Viviana Guzman

Flute Goddess photo by Susan Friedman

Dear Friends,

As grants for the arts quickly diminish, I wanted to introduce to you analternative way to raise funds for creative projects by using Kickstarter.com.

Click here to view my proposal and make a pledge create my Music Video in 3D: http://kck.st/kw7FPD

Seven Keys to Running a Successful Kickstarter Campaign:

1) Have good idea combined with a well written pitch. This is a given, I suppose, but I have seen a few unsuccessful proposals that were too convoluted to make sense. Short and to the point seem to work best.

2) Produce a solid, well presented video which is clear and concise. Again, this is probably obvious. I can not express enough the importance of the video, where it is filmed, how it is filmed, with what camera and how it is edited. This is your pitch. Have fun with it while also making it informative about your goal.

3) Have a built-in network of supporters (social networks, press, friends and family). Keep in mind that it takes time to get the word out. I only allowed myself a month and in hindsight I would have opted for 2 months which would give more opportunities to aim for different press sources, blogs, and networks.

4) You might want to consider building a team of people to help collectively work on your project. Like presenting a concert, it’s all about getting the word out and the more people you have rooting for you, the better. I have seen that the most successful projects have a collaborative component. The power to get the word out seems to increase exponentially with every person involved in promoting it. I did not have a team, and in hindsight, I would have put one in place before starting the campaign.

5) Work through as many details as possible before going live with a project. Put together a roll-out plan to spread the word in different phases using creative strategies. Don’t expect to just sit back and wait for the money to roll in. You will have to put in considerable hours coming up with different ways to promote and help spread the word about your project.

6) Review articles and testimonials from people who have used Kickstarter. Compare successful and unsuccessful campaigns to determine what works and what doesn’t. I enjoyed this process as there are a lot of interesting and creative ventures out there that never would have stood a chance for funding prior to this new platform called Kickstarter.

7) Have fun with the process! I certainly have. I have learned tremendously through this undertaking and I hope that with this email I have been able to outline a few pointers to make your project successful, too.

Wishing you happy funding adventures!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 3D, flute, kickstarter, music video, Viviana Guzman