When we set out, we had a set of assumptions, plethora of plans, and plenty of bravado. We have added to that mix: set of lessons learned, a dose of humility, and a better sense of the business model that is going to work. I am very confident and inspired by the shape of our company and our chances for success.

Our business model in a nutshell: Jonny Stax Presents, Inc. is a Chicago-based company of artistic entrepreneurs that produces creative ventures and manages creative services and consultancy.

We have the right core team to make it happen (minus one member for which we are currently looking). Calidonia Olivares is a fantastic artist and entertainer and has the right experience and mind for being a kick-ass business manager. Sylvain Bosquet has an inventive communications and marketing mind and is a blessing to us as a full-time, year-long intern from France. We continue to have productive and pleasant part-time, short-term interns that do much more than interns typically do. And, of course, I am forever inspired by Scott Bradley’s talents, dedication, and brilliance as our creative producer.

Our creative services and consultancy grow out of the fact that many people could use the talents, experience, and networks we have amassed over the years. We tailor entertainment for their private functions, help them plan and implement their marketing and communications strategies, and guide them through strategic planning processes. Basically, if you are trying to accomplish something and want to tap minds that are freed by creativity but grounded in productivity, we can help.

We produce creative ventures that have something positive to offer and are unique, compelling, and commercially viable. Our premiere production is The Scooty and JoJo Show that is known throughout Chicago for its mash-ups such as The Carpenters music with the movie Halloween, the John Hughes-Molly Ringwold trilogy, and the music of Queen with the Alien movies. We are now in the process of securing all the necessary rights to produce these shows at the scale they deserve. This takes us into two totally new areas of learning and experience:

1. the legal and contractual steps necessary to secure rights
2. establishing relationships with major producers.

In fact, join us for our GoGo Legit fundraiser on June 1.

We have an open door invitation to artists with entrepreneurial spirits that would like some help getting their ideas off the ground. June 1 will see the debut of a new 35-person (and growing) choir that is our most recent creative venture. A project of Jonny Stax and Nicholas Davio, this choir will introduce new music to the world, provide a balance of musicality and accessibility, and be a profitable venture. We are excited to see it grow.

The creative venture we are producing this year that will demand the majority of our attention is Chicago Lab and Urban Retreat. This will be a citywide campus where arts creators and their neighborhood partners can share ideas, generate new works, and create cultural alliances within their home neighborhoods. This project grew out of a few realities:

1. We have envisioned a rural lab and retreat space for quite some time. Starting in an urban setting like Chicago give us access to resources, serves a real need for Chicagoans, and can be a great balance for city and country creation;
2. The creation process for new works of art requires elements that are hard to come by for the average artist, and many artists spend more time gathering the elements than actually creating art;
3. A wealth of partners in each neighborhood has access to the elements necessary to support the creation process and would love to share those elements and build alliances with local artists.

Our first resident artist, Lacy Campbell, presents her new wordless puppet piece this weekend. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of her process. We hope you can join us and give her your thoughts, feedback, and encouragement.

Some of you we have met in the last two years of doing business. Some of you we met when we moved to Chicago or one of the other great cities in which we have lived. Some of you have been with us since we were little children stirring up trouble. It takes all of you to shape us into the people we are today to jump the hurdles ahead. Thank you, and here’s is to two more years!

When I was first introduced to social change work, I took to it like a pump jockey to an oil-dry engine. Working to change systems to make them more egalitarian, efficient, purposeful, and productive gets me geeked out. I have also made a nice living out of this addiction, both in my consulting and producing work.

There comes a point, though, when focusing so much on changing systems shifts energy and focus away from fulfilling the task at hand – namely, manifesting one’s dreams. As we have been designing the vision, model, and projects of Chicago Lab and Urban Retreat, we have been asking arts creators what they would like to have at their disposal. It has been a wonderful listening journey.

One theme that I continue to hear and wholeheartedly embrace is that artists play an essential role in the well-being and progress of this country. However, they are not fully supported in playing this role, are experiencing diminishing subsidies for their work, and are having to expend their energies working other jobs that do not capitalize on the potential power of their contribution to society.

This feels very similar to the argument we were making when the welfare system was being overhauled in the mid-90s. We argued that parenting was a role that people needed to be fully supported to play and not be forced into work that took them away from that job. Unfortunately, we ran up against the same arguments of a system that does not place value on contributions that have no direct monetary measurement.

So, at what point do we stop raging against the machine and demanding a world that is different from the one we have? At what point do we start getting to know that machine and find ways to make it work for us? Hopefully, the solution lies in holding both efforts simultaneously.

We met with our attorney last week to kick off the outreach to rights holders of material we want to access for The Scooty & JoJo Show creations. The good news is that we chose the right person. I knew this when he texted someone while we were meeting (not usually a fan of that) and discovered that this friend’s daughter went to school with the daughter of one of the members of Queen. Score!

The bad news is that there are even more laws related to trademark and copyright than we knew. Whoever heard of synchronization rights ? That’s okay. Pull down some videos, find new ways to get our message out there, and make the system work for us.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do not rage against the copyright and trademark machine. It’s one of the tools in his country designed to help arts creators make a living – that is if they don’t get screwed out of those rights by shady contracts written by vultures who take advantage of the artists’ desire to get their art made.

But that’s a rant for another time…

To close out, I will share a quote that will be my mantra as I ease my fear of moving from planning to action. This comes from Johann Wolfgang van Goethe:

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.”

The problem is that I am often afraid of action. I have a difficult time stepping out of the planning phase and into the action phase. I think part of this fear comes from an inability to control the outcome. Once I act, I cannot control the reaction. Makes it a little hard for a boy with a few control issues here and there. (No comment, Scooty!)

The issue emerged for me this week when I set the appointment with our attorney to make contact with rightholders as part of our GoGo Legit campaign. You see, we are reaching out to the Alien, Halloween, Hughes, Queen, and Carpenters copyrightholders to ask for their blessing on shows that we and our fans have come to love. It’s all going to become a reality: one way or another our action will have a reaction and that reaction will demand more action. The time for planning has moved into the time for action and Jonny is a nervous little nelly.

Thankfully, we are not alone or ill-equipped for this journey. We have :

• great legal counsel, 
• fantastic documentation of some exciting shows, 
• great partners and investors, 
• and a wonderful base of fans and loved ones behind us. 

What sparked movement and pushed me out of planning and scheming into action was the recent announcement that Roger Taylor’s new Queen tribute project was going to be at House of Blues on June 1 – same night as our benefit concert Space Invasion. After being a little disappointed to not be able to catch this tour, I realized it was such a great opportunity. If we can get someone tied to the Queen camp to come see the tribute portion of our show, we will have a devotee. Those who attended any of last year’s sci-fi rock extravaganza will know that entering into our space is enough to get one hooked.

So, we have decided to push back our show an hour. That way people who want to attend the Queen Extravaganza can make it up to the Metro in time for the bulk of our intergalactic tribute to Queen. I certainly hope that Roger Taylor or Brian May are among those attendees!

You know, I was going to call this blog “Pulling the trigger” until I realized how violent that phrase is. Then I thought of “Releasing the hounds” – another violent image. Maybe I’m not alone in my fear of action. I do know that it is all in letting go – a constant but invigorating struggle for me.

Time to put our hands in the air and ride this ride to the fullest. Having weekly choir practice sure helps!

One of the greatest pieces of advice I gleaned from a blog I follow The Producer’s Perspective, was to subscribe to Entrepreneur magazine. I am so glad I did as it opened a new world of perspectives different from the traditional non-profit approach to producing live performance. What I get each month are stories about different folks who have an idea and decide to turn that idea into reality and try to make a living doing so.

Artists are entrepreneurs. We have an idea and we figure out how to turn that idea into reality. The next step is to figure out how to make a living at it. As I have been attending various sessions in the Chicago Cultural Planning process, I continue to hear people talk about the need to sustain artists. I wholeheartedly agree with that. However, that sustenance is not going to come from the government. We just don’t live in that society or those times.

What we have to figure out is how to work the systems in which we live to create the living we would like to have:

• demand higher wages when we can;
• actually read and negotiate our contracts;
• find new, unconventional sources of funding and producing (thank you, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo);
• add our pay into production budgets; invite businesses into the creative process;
• cultivate new donors and work in-kind contributions.

Lacy Campbell, an artist I love and respect is doing just that. She is doing whatever it takes to create The Story’s Story, and I respect her immensely for that. In fact, our new project, Chicago Lab and Urban Retreat  is all about figuring out how to support arts creators like Lacy in the creative process. Start with what you have and open the gates for others to join in.

We are doing that with The Scooty and JoJo Show’s GoGo Legit Campaign. In order to keep doing these shows that we created – Alien Queen, Carpenters Halloween, and Mollywood, we need to get the rightsholders to agree to let us do so. It’s an intellectual property issue – a vital tool for artists to sustain themselves. It is going to require a lot of financial resources to make this happen, so we are starting with the assets we have – a supportive and loyal base of fans and performers. We opened the flood gates and invited people to join us in this process. Thankfully, people are responding with such support and generosity. Stay tuned as we continue this process. It is going to be a big learning process.

So, as we move forward, the question I have is: in what ways should we continue to rage against the machine and in what ways should we learn to operate that machine?

1. Creativity and experimentation. Through this expo, my assumption was confirmed: Chicago is thriving with creativity and experimentation. So many artists out there are creating important and relevant works. I look forward to getting our new arts laboratory up and running to support and celebrate these creators.
2. Dedication and brilliance. I am blessed this year to be surrounded with staff, crews, casts, clients, and collaborators who are dedicated to their crafts and approach their work in brilliant new ways. I have been a lucky man.
3. Adventurous audiences. Great works and creations sit in silence if audiences are unwilling to step out and experience something about which they may be unsure. Chicago is filled with urban adventurers who want to encounter the unfamiliar, and we are a better city for this.
4. Giving. It is easy in hard times to hoard one’s resources. This has not been the case among many in this city and country. People continue to give of their money, time, and goods, and this helps us move forward. May this spirit continue in the new year.
5. Family and friends. I have a wondrous cloud of witnesses that surrounds me and lifts me up. They make me believe that I can do anything and help me when I attempt the impossible. They forgive me when I get too obsessed with work and don’t make time for them. They celebrate my successes and pick me up when I fall flat on my face.

I have come to believe that beginning and ending any venture or season with gratitude helps me focus on what I have instead of what I lack. That perspective of plentitude instead of scarcity is good for the head, good for the heart, and good for the soul.

So, thank you and have a lovely holiday season. Get lots of rest, because we have great things to accomplish and experience together in the new year.

At dinner one night, Leo, ever the conversationalist, pulled out a deck of cards filled with questions designed to help us get to know each other. Ruthie and I just wanted to giggle at poop and fart jokes, but we decided to play along. After questions about desired super powers, living in the ocean or a treehouse, and embarrassing moments related to passing gas in public (I added that one for the pleasure of Ruthie), Ella silenced everyone with a very important question.

“What do kids do better than adults?”

Of course, I turned to Ruthie and made a poop joke.

That got me thinking, though. Why is it that kids consume my attention in ways that adults rarely do? What is it about childhood that was so great that we lament having lost it along the way? What DO kids do better than adults?

Thankfully, our latest 5^th Star Expo event was a trip to Barrel of Monkey’s “That’s Weird, Grandma”. I have worked with these cats from BOM, but am embarrassed to say I have never attended this long-running show. All that has changed. From here on, you can meet me there most Monday nights as I have now found the best way to kick off the week.

You see, kids write stories, and these hilariously talented performers act them out, all under the direction of one of my favorite Chicago performers, Molly Brennan. We had so much fun with vegan vampires, snowmen from Mars, muscle-bound Santa, and a finale snowball fight to shame the makers of any Hollywood action film.

I asked Molly and another of my favorite creators, Ms. Lacy Campbell a variation on the question posed to me by my niece Ella: “Compared to adult playwrights, what do kids do better when they write?” They reminded me of three beautiful truths.

1. 1.    Kids have no second voice that censors them. What a beautiful and right thing that is. Anyone who steps in to censor that creativity needs to be locked for one week in a room with seven clowns, fifteen pounds of Play-Doh, twenty stuffed animals, and all the arts and crafts supplies you can find at a local pre-school.
2. 2.    They are unbound by conventional rules of storytelling and plot points. It’s like pooping out imagination. Let the conventions come later to help shape the imagination poop into fertilizer.
3. 3.    They just go for it. No second guessing, no second thoughts, no second takes. What comes to mind comes to life. What comes out can rarely be repeated.

So, there was my Thanksgiving lesson and reminder. Now, the two questions on my mind (besides how I can break myself of gaseous scatological language that makes me giggle) are:

How can we create safe and joyous spaces for adults to feel the creative recklessness and liberation of childhood, and

How can we create more intergenerational opportunities to stay connected across the life span, absorbing all the goodness that childhood, young adulthood, middle age, and sunset years afford us?

This is why I was thrilled to attend the opening of the new show at Park Schreck Gallery featuring the work of Rob Becoskie entitled She Fell in Love with a Point. First, I must say that I love this artist’s work. It is playful and meaningful, vibrant and deep, simple and complex. His titles are hysterical (e.g., The Gregarious Tea Cup, The Gunnysack is Implied).

What drew us to this event for the 5^th Star Expo is the concept behind the gallery. John Park and Dan Schreck are dedicated to “find[ing] talented emerging artists and connect[ing] them to buyers who are looking for original works of art.” Now that’s a mission I can get behind.

I was struck at how well they priced the work. It still required an investment on the part of the art buyer. However, for $350 one could purchase a ready-to-hang new piece of original art by an emerging artist. Great for the buyer and great for the artist who wants to pay some bills and get their work into people’s hands.

So, why is it that I keep running into performers who don’t want to get paid? I often hear that they don’t do it for the money. That’s fine, but how are they paying their bills and what’s wrong with doing it for the money? I truly believe there is a way to balance artistic integrity with social responsibility with profitability. It’s all in how one approaches the work.

At this stage in my career, I mainly produce live performances, a genre known for its slim profit margins. Lord knows, I have experienced my share of setting out to pay people and ending up owing them – not a great experience for either of us. I still believe it can work; it just takes some savvy and dedication.

As we continue to look for new models and approaches that help us strike the balance of integrity, responsibility, and profitability, I ask for your help. When you find promising or proven approaches, send them my way. Any producers, creators, performers, or investors interested in working with me to find this balance, let me know. We are a company of artistic entrepreneurs that creates deliberately liberating experiences. Paying one’s bills is certainly liberating.

While I was gone, I was reminded of two critical elements of innovation that have become clear to me over the last few years of my life: retreat and Chicago.

Retreating from the daily grind of life is ESSENTIAL for maintaining one’s sanity and stamina. This is true whether one is innovating or not. However, for the innovator who is constantly creating anew, retreat is especially important. Retreat allows the head space for ideas to settle. Part of innovation is the constant stirring up of convention and inserting of new ideas. This can make the head a very chaotic space. Retreat allows all of that to settle in new configurations that provide guidance and vision for forward movement.

It also just feels really good to not think for a while.

As I retreated to my home country, I absorbed time with loving friends and family – another beautiful aspect of retreat. These loved ones of mine asked me if Chicago was still the right place for me. (I think they hoped I would say, “No, I’m coming back home to be with you!”) I never hesitated to offer a resounding affirmation that this is where I belong.

You see, Chicago is one of the very best places to explore innovation. This is a can-do city, and there is always someone to help and someone to watch ANYTHING one might dream up to do. It is also a very gracious city; so long as you put your best forward, people will appreciate the effort if not always the execution. This means one can stand up and try again. Chicago is also filled with some of the most creative souls in the country, and this is balanced with a practicality that I think comes from our placement in the Midwest. Creativity and practicality are beautiful partners. One gives you wings to fly while the other keeps your feet on the ground. (Yes, I stole that concept from Dolly Parton.)

As we do the business planning in these months for a laboratory space that will support the creation of new artistic work, I am absolutely resolved to the fact that this laboratory must be paired with a retreat center and must begin in Chicago. What I want to know now is what elements of a retreat can be offered in an urban setting and integrated with the elements of a laboratory.

I had more than one person come up to me during the evening to thank me for bringing this show back. They had the biggest smiles on their faces. It was fulfilling to me to see people who had been to previous installments bring their new friends and prepare them for their virgin experience. A friend who attended commented on the power of watching and hearing everyone sing along at the top of their lungs to Bohemian Rhapsody. You can’t get that just anywhere.

One of the blogs I follow is from a Broadway producer, Ken Davenport. He recently quoted Don Harris, Paramount Pictures’ President of Distribution, who said:

Ultimately, it gets back to why there’s still a theatrical business, why people still go to the movies.  We want to laugh in a group, we want to be scared in a group, people like to cry in a group in the dark where nobody can see them crying. It’s all the reason movie theaters exist and this genre has always been front and center.

As I wrote about in a previous blog, this collective joy experienced by our audience members is an impact I am thrilled to make. Now, let’s talk about the explosion of gender, exposure of new voices and perspectives, exploration of power, and celebration of rebellion that both Alien Queen and Battlestar Fantastica offer to people in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago. It’s funny to me that people rarely note their experience of these deeper elements. I am curious if their collective encounter with this explosion, exposure, and celebration is a foundational element in creating that joyous energy in the room or if, for many of them, those elements are simply inconsequential trimmings to the music and humor.

Come on December 10th to the Alien Queen final installment of 2011 and let me know what you think. Or, better yet, share your thoughts now and come to the show just for fun.

My favorite story of the week came from Tommy of Roth Mobot. I asked him his story of becoming a circuit-bender (see Wikipedia for a quick definition). He told me that as a child he used to circuit bend without knowing what it was called. He even created a flying helicopter out of his mom’s train set. It wasn’t until years later that he attended a circuit-bending workshop at Lizard Lounge hosted by Patrick McCarthy of RubberMonkey (who would later become his partner in Roth Mobot). As Tommy described what he did with circuits and machinery, Patrick told him, “You are an artist.” Prior to that, he had just thought himself a meddler of machinery.

I was introduced to circuit bending through Patrick who never speaks of the art form without making sure you know that you can do it, too. I love that access he creates. All you have to do is raid a two-year old’s toy chest for all the electronic toys they no longer use, go down to Lizard Lounge on any Saturday at noon, and Patrick will make a circuit-bender out of you. You will have a new musical instrument that will impress your friends and relatives during the holidays.

I found another unusual pairing of art and technology at a lecture we attended on Sunday as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival. The artist, Jason Salavon, creates his own software processes to generate art and reconfigure data into new pieces of art. One of his most fascinating pieces is a work commissioned by the U.S. Census, American Varietal. For this piece, he created a three-dimensional graph of census data from 1790 to 2010. He then color-coded the data by counties, unfolded the graph, manipulated the dimensions, and chose aesthetically pleasing angles to create his art out of data – everyday data. He is working on an interactive piece that will allow people to interact with this beauty and explore the census data for themselves.

I am thrilled about my growing appreciation for the relationships that exist between technology and the arts. Maybe instead of my annoyance at its distraction, I can adopt an inquisitive nature for how technology is being used to draw people into creativity processes. I will still hold on to my fear of machines taking over the world. It could come in handy some day.