Ep. 34 - Public / Private Partnerships with Meghan Wells

Hi there folks!

Creatives Meet Business is an event and podcast series based out of Austin, Texas for artists and creatives to learn the ropes of entrepreneurship.

This episode features Meghan Wells, Cultural Arts Division Manager at the City of Austin Economic Development Department, who joined us in August during our roundtable event on Fundraising. As you'll soon find out, she has so much to share about how to be a better collaborator. Because there's so much magic in this episode - let's hop in and hear what Meghan has to say!

• 0:00 to 1:06 - Ashland Opening Remarks and Intro of Meghan Wells
• 1:10 to 1:49 - Introduction of Topic (Public / Private Partnerships)
  • Public sector = government
  • Private sector = community members that want to partner
• 1:50 to 3:44 - Be Authentic
  • Tell your authentic story
  • Be committed to making good work and to your craft
  • Be invested in yourself
  • Make good work, then get it out into the world
  • Document it - take pictures, record things, build a portfolio, create a budget history, list of references (partners / clients / funders / collaborators)
  • Build a world
• 3:45 to 4:53 - Partnership is an Art, Not a Science
  • This is one way to do it, there are others. Forge your own path.
  • Talk to someone who has already done it, find a mentor
  • Fiscal sponsor - "big brother" entity to give feedback, best practices
  • City of Austin staff is a resource
• 4:54 to 5:26 - Know What Your Goal Is
  • What is your goal?
  • How will support help you reach your goal?
  • What will your project or work contribute back to the funder? 
  • How will you provide a public benefit?
  • Do your thing
• 5:27 to 6:12 - Work Within Established Funding Frameworks
  • Know the deadline
    • Start WAY before the deadline
  • Read the guidelines (make sure you understand them)
• 6:13 to 8:46 - Build Relationships
  • Build trust, help make them understand that their investment in you is a smart one
  • Half of this is luck (and timing)
  • Example about how outreach can turn into more and build a relationship
  • Don't be shy, share your information
  • Ways to network
  • Just start talking to people
• 8:48 to 9:16 - Get Feedback
  • Ask for critique
  • Helps your work improve
• 9:17 to 10:00 - Think Like a Business
  • Figure out a long-term plan and transfer it into a business plan
  • You need to make money
  • Think about how your income and expenses are part of the picture
  • Small Business Program at City of Austin has resources
• 10:01 to 10:43 - Don't Be Afraid of Testing Your Assumptions
  • Reshaping your identity and exploring new areas of creative work is healthy, but don't have too many that you aren't focused
  • Keep everything under an umbrella, but taking risks is good
  • Funders like innovation, think about that in the context of your work
• 10:44 to 11:25 - Biggest Piece of Advice
  • Plan ahead
  • Start Early
  • Ask a lot of questions
  • Don't give up, if at first you don't succeed, try again
  • Timing can help you or hurt you
  • Build relationships
• 11:30 to 16:36 - Ashland Closing Remarks
  • The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida
  • Stay in touch, email us ([email protected]) or connect with us on social (@createmeetbiz on Instagram and Twitter // Creatives Meet Business on Facebook)
  • Big thanks to Jamal Knox (audio engineer) and Chris James (composer)!

If you like what you hear, share the podcast with your friends, and rate and review. To stay in the loop - follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or subscribe to the newsletter.

More on Fundraising, stay tuned!

Thanks!

Ashland, Creatives Meet Business