Playbill Ad Chief Task List

Last Revised on October 1, 2006.

• General Information - fun facts to know/Background Information
• Quick List - a quick list of all tasks that you are responsible for (these may require input from others). Clicking on a task will take you to a more detailed description of that task.
• Task Details - detailed information on each task.
• Tasks assigned to others, but require your input. The person responsible will be named and a link provided to their task list for convenience.
• Reference Documents - forms, documents that have been used in the past. You may find them useful.

General Information

• The Playbill Ad Chief recruits sponsor donations and arranges to sell playbill ads and collect the income from them, typically with the assistance of recruited Ad Soliciters.
• The Playbill Ad Chief is part of the business staff and is recruited by the Producer.
• It is important the the Playbill Ad Chief work closely with the Playbill Layout Chief so that printing deadlines are met.

Quick List

Complete?	Task	Timeframe
	Identify New Prospects	September/October
	Prepare Ad Rate Schedule	September/October
	Early letters to Advertisers	September
	Fall Mailing	September
	Collect Patrons and Sponsors	November
	Collect Ad Copy	beginning in November
	Ad Followup	ongoing until deadline.
	Assign Territories	mid-December
	Deliver Ad Packets	mid-December
	Church Newsletter	mid-December
	Submit Crew Names	January
	Collect Ad Packets	January
	Chase Ad Packets	ongoing until deadline
	Submit Ad Copy	Ongoing until deadline.
	Submit Patrons and Sponsors	Ongoing until deadline.
	Proof Patrons and Sponsors	February
	Turn in ad money	by Last Performance. See the Calendar for the exact date.
	Attend Debriefing Meeting	Date is determined by the Producer
	Return Task List	Return to the Task List Manager at Debriefing Meeting. See Calendar for the exact date.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Task Details

Identify New Prospects

Scan local papers and other playbills for any new prospective advertisers.

Prepare Ad Rate Schedule

Prepare advertising rate schedule, including special offers and priorities for premium locations (squatter's rights, full page only, first come first serve). Distribute for review at September Board meeting. See the Calendar for the exact date.

Early Letters to Advertisers

As soon as confirmation of performance dates is received mail out early contact letters on SUMC stationery to those advertisers requiring a long lead time. Indicate whether we currently have usable ad copy that could be reused. Note that payment must be received with the ad. Information on existing advertisers can be obtained from the Database Manager

Fall Mailing

Prepare ad order form (including ad dimensions) and return envelope for the fall mailing. The Database Manager can print out labels.

Collect Patrons and Sponsors

Collect Ad Copy

Begin to collect advertising copy and advance payments for playbill. Payments received should be turned over to the Treasurer as soon as possible for timely processing.

Ad Followup

Follow up on ad contacts as required (it usually is!) Encourage solicitors to close accounts whenever possible; advertisers may need a push (don't depend on them to 'send it in'.) Rather than billing, ask advertisers to send in payment with their ad.

Assign Territories

In the past, we have had specific territories/towns laid out for people to canvas (either by phone or visit)and people sign up for specific territories. This has not been done for several years, but it is captured here in case someone who like to revive this practive.

Deliver Ad Packets

Distribute advertising packets (with ad prices, a poster/flyer when available, etc.) to each potential advertiser, or to ad agents for distribution when they solicit advertisers.

Church Newsletter

Give Church Liaison copy for the church newsletter, asking for advertisers, professional patrons, and sponsors. The Playbill Ad Chief may want to enlist the aid of the Newsletter Editor in writing effective, consistent copy.

Submit Crew Names

Submit crew names to the Producer for inclusion in the playbill.

Collect Ad Packets

Retrieve any ad packets from the cast. Do this early and often as followups can take time.

Chase Ad Packets

Chase ad packets that were not returned, and missing ad copy, too. This takes time, but can be a wonderful tax deduction even at 12 cents per mile.

Submit Ad Copy

Submit advertising copy for playbill to Playbill Layout Chief. Include names, numbers, and sizes of ads for which copy is still missing. Include a notice, somewhere: "Please patronize our advertisers and tell them you saw their ad in our program." Be aware of the deadline for the playbill to go to print.

Submit Patrons and Sponsors

Submit patrons and sponsors lists for playbill to Playbill Layout Chief and the Database Manager. Be aware of the deadline for the playbill to go to print.

Proof Patrons and Sponsors

Proof-read patron and sponsor lists for spelling, omissions, additions. The Playbill Layout Chief will provide the copy to proof-read when received back from the printer. Prepare for a very short turn-around time for this task.

Proof Ad Copy

Proof-read advertising copy for playbill. Warning: make sure competitors are not on the same or facing pages. The Playbill Layout Chief will provide the copy to proof-read when received back from the printer. Prepare for a very short turn-around time for this task.

Turn in Ad money

All payment for playbill ads should be submitted to the Treasurer by the final performance.

Attend Debriefing Meeting

The Producer is responsible for setting for scheduling the Debriefing session, generally held within a month of the show closing. The meeting is to go over the production, focusing on areas of great success and areas which need significant improvement.

Return Task List

If not already turned in, return the task list at the Debriefing Meeting.

Tasks that require your input, but are the responsibility of others

Task	Description	Timeframe
AdvertiserDatabase	The Database Manager is responsible for updating the advertiser database and distributing it to the Playbill Ad Chief.	The list should be received in early September, so the mailing can begin to go out in October

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Related Documents: