I’m Drew McManus
“I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired.”
Those were the first words out of an executive’s mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.
I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals “aggressively embracing career change” but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.
In short, it doesn’t matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can’t keep your own clients out of the ground, and I’m fortunate enough to say that for 30 years, I’ve done exactly that for organizations of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.
Corporate Experience
I’m the founder and CEO of UpStage Technologies, a cutting-edge Ticketing Customer Relationships Database platform designed for nonprofit arts and culture organizations. I also run Venture Industries Online, a designated division of UpStage Technologies that focuses on a managed website development solution for nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
I oversee an online media group that includes ArtsHacker.com, InsideTheArts.com, and am the founder and author of The Adaptistration Network, which has more than 5,000 published articles over 20 years. In 2001, I established ArtsAdminJobs.com, a jobs board that specializes in nonprofit administration listings. As a purely philanthropic effort, it is entirely free for both employers and candidates to use and it still manages to generate positive revenue!
For three decades, I’ve worked as an arts consultant specializing in nonprofit governance, executive review, labor relations, strategic planning, and technology.
Media Reputation
“It has been both an honor and a pleasure to serve as a valuable resource for numerous media outlets. So far, I’ve been quoted in over 100 publications as an expert in nonprofit governance, labor relations, or technology.”
Newspapers & Online Outlets
- New York Times
- Wall Street Journal
- Chicago Tribune
- Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Crain’s New York Business
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Dallas Daily News
- Dallas Morning News
- Baltimore Sun
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Detroit Free Press
- Vulture.com
- Cincinnati Enquirer
- Houston Chronicle
- New Jersey Star-Ledger
- Washington Post
- Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune
- Indianapolis Business Journal
- Indianapolis Star
- St. Louis Post Dispatch
- Salt Lake Tribune
- Kansas City Star
- Ohio Beacon Journal
- Syracuse Post Standard
- Springfield Business Journal
- Louisville Courier-Journal
- Omaha World-Herald
- San Jose Mercury-News
- St. Petersburg Times
- Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette
- Nashville City Paper
- Traverse City Record Eagle
- The Guardian Unlimited (UK)
- The Evening Standard (UK)
- Melbourne Age (AU)
- The Scotsman (UK)
Broadcast Appearances
- WQXR – Conducting Business
- WNYC – Soundcheck
- NPR – All Things Considered
- NPR – Weekend Edition
- MPR – Morning Edition
- CBC One – Definitely Not The Opera
- WTOP – D.C. all-news radio
- WDET – Detroit
- WWFM: A Tempo with Rachel Katz
- WGTK – The Joe Elliot Show
- WHFR – Detroit
- KUVE – Austin Radio
- KBAQ – Arizona radio
- WFPL – Louisville public radio
- Michigan Radio – NPR affiliates
- WTVH – Syracuse CBS affiliate
- WWNO – New Orleans Radio
- WWLTV – New Orleans CBS Affiliate
- WBUR – Boston Radio
- Inside Indiana Business – TV & Radio
- WZFG AM 1100 – Doing What Works with Maureen Anderson
- SoundNotion.TV
- The Entrepreneurial Musician Podcast
- The Audience Development Podcast
Trade Journals
- International Musician
- American Symphony Orchestra League
- International Arts Manager
- Musical America
- The Chronicle of Philanthropy
- The Strad
- INTIX Access
- Association of California Symphony Orchestras
- National Association of Music Education (MENC)
- Strings Magazine
- San Francisco Classical Voice
- American Viola Society
- International Bassists Society
- International Ticketing Association
- University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication
- World Clarinet Alliance
- International Tuba Euphonium Association
- The Oberlin Review
- Wisconsin Arts Board
- Music Council of Australia
Conference, Convention, and Academic Appearances
- Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTEN)
- Americans for the Arts
- National Arts Marketing Project Conference (NAMP)
- Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE)
- Arts Alliance Illinois
- Arts Midwest
- League of Chicago Theatres
- ArtsReach
- Institute of Outdoor Theatre (IOT)
- Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC)
- Chamber Music America National Conference
- Columbia College Chicago: Guest Lecturer
- Conductors Guild Conference
- Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM) Keynote Speaker
- International Conference of Symphony Orchestra Musicians (ICSOM) National Conference
- TEDx Michigan Ave 2011; an independently organized TED event that will focus on how to strengthen and evolve the arts industry: the future of labor relations in the arts.
- Arizona State University Post-Graduate Orchestral Conducting Seminar: Guest Lecturer
- Columbia College Chicago: Guest Lecturer
- Eastman School of Music: Guest Lecturer
- Northwestern University School of Music: Guest Lecturer
- University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Bolz Center for Arts Administration: Guest Lecturer
