Dear Back Stage Family,
Earlier this month, I became the new chairman and CEO of Back Stage, and I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share with you how excited I am to be involved with the iconic brand for performing artists. For 50 years, Back Stage has been the actor's resource, providing fresh commentary, casting listings, performance reviews, events, and more. More than anything, Back Stage has served as a platform for artists to achieve their dreams through education, insight, and inspiration, and I look forward to continuing to improve our product.
We've got lots of exciting great things in store for you, including in-depth content, expanded casting listings, larger events, and other new products. We're also planning major product and technology improvements in the coming months to ensure that your user experience is as pleasant as possible and meets today's expectations, whether you're reading the print version or searching casting calls on your mobile device.
I would like to thank the dedicated, talented, and loyal Back Stage team, whose incredible work has gotten us to where we are today. Most importantly, none of us at Back Stage would be here today without you, our customers, and I want to thank each and every one of you for your continuing patronage. The average life expectancy of a Fortune 500 company is less than 50 years, and we are here celebrating our 50th anniversary in this issue—I take great pride in that. I can assure you we're going to continue working tirelessly to exceed your expectations and deliver leading content and products that help you meet your goals. Finally, we'd love to hear from you! Please send feedback to jamato@backstage.com.
Warm regards,
John Amato, CEO and Chairman
Letter From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
My first direct experience with Back Stage was 11 years ago, when I agreed to publish a Back Stage–branded book through Lone Eagle Publishing: a collection of casting director interviews. The sales exceeded expectations, and I began to realize there was something special about the brand. Several years later Back Stage's parent company acquired our publishing company, and I found myself sitting in on Back Stage business development meetings. The gravitation pull continued, to the point that in 2008 I moved over to lead day-to-day operations of the brand.
Back Stage has a rich history and legacy that we are proud to celebrate. I estimate we have presented nearly 200,000 performing arts casting notices in print and online over the past 50 years. An anniversary is not only an opportunity to pay tribute to and acknowledge where we came from, but it is also important to highlight where we are now and where we are going. The relevance of the brand today has never been stronger. We thank you for your support in allowing us in our small way to help keep actors acting for five decades.
Back Stage serves actors of all levels as the definitive and trusted resource for performing arts jobs, opportunities, information, advice, and community. Back Stage has won numerous awards and nominations in the past five years, including the 2009 Folio magazine Eddie Award for best business-to-business website. In 2005, Back Stage averaged 140,000 unique users per month. Today, we consistently average more than 750,000 unique visitors, making us the largest professional performing arts website in the business. As we fast approach 3 million page views and more a month, we continue to strive for personalization and customization in the engagement and user experience of our audience. In tough economic times as well as facing the challenges in the traditional print business, Back Stage continues to thrive and buck the trends of retreat. The testimonials you will read in this special issue, from Sandra Bullock to Scarlett Johansson to Patrick Wilson to Michelle Rodriguez, serve to reinforce the broad reach of the brand and ensure our place in the fabric of the acting community as the launching pad for talent.
A 50-year anniversary would not be possible without the dedication, commitment, and cooperation of a passionate and loyal staff. Whether decades ago or in this issue, we are most grateful and humbled by the distinguished contributions from writers, editors, freelancers, the sales team, casting executives, graphics and production pros, part-time and support staff…even interns!
In the coming year, you can expect an improved redesign of our website along with significant upgrades to our casting tool. We will build upon our new foundation in mobile delivery of content. The weekly paper will continue to evolve, and we are excited about expansion plans in the works. Whether it's print, online, mobile, video, or face-to-face events, our goal at Back Stage is to expand our audience from aspiring beginners to working actors by providing more sophisticated and relevant content, enhanced digital tools, and the job opportunities to advance and sustain a career.
Let me conclude by sharing my most recent experience with the reach and power of the Back Stage brand, which came this past month while in a car rental shuttle going to the University of Michigan for Parents Weekend. I sat next to a father carrying four copies of Back Stage to give to his freshman son, a drama student at the university. He noticed my Back Stage luggage tags and started up a dialogue. He proceeded to tell me that his son secured his first audition through Back Stage and was in desperate need of staying connected with the broader acting community while he hones his skills as an undergraduate student. Once again, another example of Back Stage connecting with the next generation of performers and inspiring future careers.
Jeff Black, Publisher
Letter From the Editor
Dear Readers,
You're probably wondering why Phyllis Diller and George Clooney are sharing a cover this week.
The answer is that all of the people featured as caricatures (by the talented illustrator Matt Logan) on the front of our publication have participated in Back Stage in some way over the past 50 years, whether writing for us—as is the case with Phyllis Diller, one of our early columnists, and Neil LaBute, who wrote an essay for us earlier this year—or placing a casting notice with us—as Ed Burns did for "The Brothers McMullen" (Connie Britton saw it, submitted herself, and got the job)—or taking part in our events—such as Liza Minnelli, who accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at our 2009 Bistro Awards, and Clooney, who has done live Q&As with our audience over the years—or gracing past covers, as is the case with the rest of the famed actors featured.
I have had the pleasure of meeting many celebrated actors, directors, writers, and breakout talent over the years, and it has been a thrill to tap the minds of so many great artists. But what has kept me at Back Stage for 16 years has been my interaction with you—our readers. Your dedication to your craft has been so inspiring to me. It has been an honor and a pleasure to have so many of our readers participate in Back Stage over the years as writers, as sources for articles, as commentators on our message boards and blogs, and as attendees at our live events, which include our Evening With screenings, our Back Stage at the SAG Foundation panels, and our annual trade show Actorfest (Oct. 23 in New York, Nov. 5 in L.A.). I love it when you compliment us; I love it when you share what you think we could do better. I can't imagine a more passionate group of readers than you!
I have also come to greatly respect and admire the acting teachers, headshot photographers, artistic directors, agents, managers, producers, and casting directors whose work supports and elevates actors in pursuit of their goals. Back Stage would never have reached this milestone without you either.
Back Stage has proved itself to be so much more than a publication. It's a community for performing artists and those who support them to share best practices (and worst auditions), listen to and learn from peers, find and lend support, and inspire and be inspired. We have helped many actors get their first jobs. And once an actor is famous, we are one of the few places where he or she can discuss the craft and the business of acting.
I'd like to thank those who contributed to this special issue. There are too many contributors to name here, but know that we greatly appreciate your involvement. Most of all, I'd like to thank the amazing staff of Back Stage, who work tirelessly to put together outstanding content and must-know information week in and week out for our print publication and daily on our website. The same goes for our columnists, bloggers, and guest contributors.
What I am most proud of is how we have not rested on our laurels. Back Stage continues to push forward in covering stories that matter to our audience and presenting content in new ways, whether via digital video, daily email newsletters, or mobile apps. While we will always be known as a great resource for beginning actors, we have made concerted efforts over the last six years to speak to working actors. We hope you have noticed. I think many of you have. I've had many highlights, but hearing from John Turturro that he's still an avid Back Stage reader ranks near the top.
I hope Back Stage remains a relevant resource for you for as long as you're pursuing your craft. Here's to another 50 years!
Sincerely,
Jamie Young, Editor-in-Chief
