Conceiving the HFF Model

When we began this venture in 2007, our first true challenge was developing the model by which the festival operates. This was no easy task and involved extensive soul searching, graying hairs and long, contemplative walks.

There is no single operating model for Fringes though many of them have a lot in common:

• a focus on the performing arts
• shorter, less expensive shows.
• uncensored content
• “rapid fire” programming with shows stacked one atop the other

There’s no global Fringe organization that runs all festivals that include the word “fringe” in their titles; each festival is privately run and conforms to the unique principles that ensures success in its host town.

We knew we wanted the joyful chaos that embodies much of the international fringe spirit. We knew the performing arts should be front and center in our programming. We wanted to leverage the wonderful venues in Hollywood and the dedicated producers and owner/managers who run them.

But how would the Hollywood Fringe work?

To properly examine the model of a fringe, one must dissect three principal aspects:

Venue Management

How are venues booked? Are venues independent or run by the central fringe organization? What services do the venues offer and who offers them? Can participants bring their own venue?

Participant Programming

How are performance dates and times determined? Are all performances a fixed price? A fixed duration? Do all participants enjoy the same number of performances? What method is used to determine who can participate?

Festival Mission

Why is the festival being produced? What are its goals? Are they looking to boost the local economy? Foster community? Enrich its participants, venues and organizers? Highlight particular kinds of shows? Are they looking to expose their home city as a global arts player?

The decisions we made boiled down to five observations:

• Los Angeles is uniquely spread-out geographically and as a result struggles with community in the arts.
• Los Angeles boasts so many theatre companies and practicing performing arts professionals.
• Los Angeles boasts a vast array of actors and directors. It lacks a glut of theatrical producers.
• Los Angeles loves to party (and does it well).

These observations and our spiritual voyage to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe lead to epiphanies in how the festival might run.

Edinburgh is known for its venue model. Each venue is a self-operating business that books its own shows. This is how they’ve managed to grow sustainably over the years.

Empowering venues to operate independently creates a win-win-win-win. The festival wins by enjoying a model that allows it to grow sustainably. Existing and pop-up venues run their own shows, with their own rules and their own balance sheets. Participants have extraordinary freedom in matching the unique needs of their show to a venue of their choice. Patrons can rest easy that the fringe will keep coming back year over year as it grows/contracts.

This model addresses the question of developing producers in Los Angeles (and beyond). Much of the work of producing involves setting budgets, ticket prices, number of performances, choosing and working with a venue, selecting from a buffet of options on how to promote that show. Freedom can certainly be scary, so we provide a framework where a producer can try new approaches and choose their own adventure. This is how theatrical producers are formed and how they eventually contribute to the larger artistic ecosystem of a city.

And so, the operating model was created and we developed the mechanics of How the Fringe Works. It was a struggle but one worth the attention and frustration.

Want to learn more about Fringes around the world? For those interested in festival in the United States, check out the Unites States Association of Fringe Festivals. For Canadian fringes (including some in the US), check out the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals. And for the global perspective, check out the World Fringe Alliance.