Open Seat Direct's CEO Michael Collazo had the pleasure of speaking with Donna Walker-Kuhne, the CEO of Walker International Communications Group.

In her career spanning decades, Walker-Kuhne has consulted countless performing arts organizations regarding audience engagement, marketing and communications. Collazo and Walker-Kuhne had a candid discussion on the state of today's performing arts industry, what marketing, group sales and publicity has worked from her perspective, and what could be done to expand performing arts audiences.

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Here are some highlights:

(1:40) Walker-Kuhne is born and raised in Chicago. Parents were part of the great migration from the south to the north. She grew up in a small black community.

(2:30) Walker-Kuhne wanted to be a ballerina and started taking African dance classes. By the age of 13 years old… she was performing regularly.

(3:30) Graduated from Loyola University. Started at Howard Law School and still took dance classes while pursuing a higher education.

(3:55) How do I build a career with Dance and Law together??

(4:15) She was prosecuting for a Juvenile court/ family court.

(4:55) During her lunch breaks, she started to organize files at the dance studio across the street from the family court.

(5:30) She ultimately wrote a proposal for to be the manager at Thelma hill.

(6:50) What are you doing to get in the black community?

(7:56) “Where are the black people?”

(10:30) Worked on Hairspray, my Rainey’s Black Bottom, the Apollo theatre and on Harlem song.

(14:18) The murder of George Floyd changed the commercial industry,. People demanded equity and advocacy in the space. Direct result: 7 plays by black playwrights.

(18:00) What are incentives to help groups bring more people through the doors?

(21:00) Once your staff understands the value of diversity, they want to engage with the community.

• “I will always say it has never been the price of a gift that prohibit someone from the outside entertainment experience. It's a question of value.”

(22:47) The arts have an elitist value. How do we engage?

(25:00) Group sales strategy: then and now? Theme nights!

(35:45) You can’t market every event the same way. New voices need new ways to be invested and promoted.