A quick look back at 2019

The holidays are here and the year is coming to a close. It’s a time to savor the fruits of the harvest, to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and do a little crystal ball-gazing into the months ahead.

This holiday, there’s an especially rich harvest for me to enjoy thanks to the publication of The SAVI Singing Actor and SAVI Cards last summer. It’s almost six months to the day since our launch at the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, NE.

This is me on June 21, opening the first box to come from Book Baby.
Team SAVI, open for business:
D’Arcy, Madison and I at our table in the exhibit hall at ITF.

Getting to launch day was the work of the first half of the year, hectic in its own way:

  • Finishing the book, with the help of editors Chantel Hamilton in the developmental stage and Jessica Hatch in the final stretch
  • Photographing the SAVI picture cards (Chris Loupos was the genius behind the viewfinder, and Aaron, Krystal, Jaz, Jelani, Yui and Angelina were all amazing models)
  • Designing the SAVI logo, the cards and the book cover (mad props to Sarah, Karrisa and the team at P’unk Ave for that)
  • Publishing the book and the e-book, accomplished swiftly and flawlessly with the help of Book Baby account rep Patrick Aylward
  • Taking care of business, with the support of our fabulous business coach, Jody Johnson, and her supportive associate Amanda Noboa

Chris Loupos (behind the camera) shoots Aaron Bell while D’Arcy, Karrisa and I look on.

Since the launch, the last six months have been especially busy for us:

  • We taught workshops in Philly, Lincoln and the Poconos
  • SAVI books and cards found their way into the hands of hundreds of serious singing actors and their teachers
  • I wrote an article for dramatics.org that was published in late summer and another one for the Musical Theater Educators Journal that will come out early in the new year.
  • We got compelling testimonials and five-star reviews on Amazon.
  • I taught a ten-week intensive workshop for students at Drexel University.
  • I was invited to present at the Musical Theater Educators Alliance conference in San Diego in January, and received a grant from the UArts President’s Fund for Excellence to help fund the trip.
  • D’Arcy and I will present at the South Eastern Theater Conference (SETC) in Louisville in February.

As the year comes to an end, I feel like I’m succeeding at the important task of helping serious singing actors Practice Better and Perform Better. Helping artists find their true voice and unleash the power of their authentic artistry is important to both D’Arcy and me, and though we know there’s much more to do, we’ve made a solid start and we’re proud of what we’ve done so far.

D’Arcy and I are particularly grateful to Madison Claus, our talented and capable executive assistant, who’s played a crucial supporting role in all our endeavors this year and  deserves a great deal of credit for the success of the launch.

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude when I think of the number of people who’ve joined the army of SAVI Soldiers over the past year: people who have embraced the ideas of SAVI Singing Acting, who’ve bought the book and tried out the SAVI Cards, who’ve added their names to the SAVI VIP email list, who’ve written a review or told a friend or a student. Thank you for your open-mindedness and your generous support!

D’Arcy, Madison and I have plans on the drawing boards to take SAVI to a whole new level in 2020. The plans include instructional videos, online courses, guest teaching and workshops, and members of the SAVI VIP list will be among the first to hear about them. Follow us on Facebook at @getSAVI and on Insta at @savisingingactor, and tell your friends to do the same. Help me spread the word about SAVI and reach the students, teachers and professionals who will benefit from it!