Who are you, how’d you get into the Fringe, and why should we care?

I’m Kan Mattoo and I’m the Development Director for the Hollywood Fringe. I’ve known Ben Hill and Dave McKeever since college, back when they were lil freshman and I was an upperclassman. A few years ago, when Ben and Dave were first talking about starting up a Fringe Festival in Los Angeles, I immediately knew I wanted to be involved. Ben and Dave invited me to help them found the Hollywood Fringe in 2010. It’s been great having the success we’ve had and sharing it with a couple of my oldest friends.

[Above: Kan Mattoo on the left]

What exactly do you do as the Development Director?

I coordinate the Fringe’s efforts to raise money for our festival and I handle our business and government relations. We’re proud to be working with partners like KPCC and LA Weekly who have been strong Fringe supporters from the beginning. We’re also in the process of finalizing an exciting new partnership that we will be announcing in the near future.

Last year, we started our Fringe Green program, where we set up multiple Zero Waste days throughout the festival. Repurpose Compostables supplied us with their compostable drink cups and with their help, we diverted 86% of our waste from landfills on those Zero Waste days. It was a great success and something we are looking to bring back again.

I have also overseen our individual giving campaigns on Kickstarter the past two years. Thanks to the support of our great Fringe community, we’ve raised tens of thousands of dollars, all of which goes right back into promoting and running the Fringe.

Why did HFF switch from Kickstarter to CauseVox?

Because I didn’t want another ulcer! (Just kidding. Kinda.) While Kickstarter was a great resource for us, the countdown to making our goal every year was really nerve racking. This year we switched to CauseVox ,which gives the Fringe more control over the fundraising. We get all of the money we raise and don’t have to worry about losing it if we don’t make our deadline.

What is the money you are raising going to be used for?

The first $10,000 of the $20,000 goal will be going towards general production costs of the 2013 festival. The next $5,000 will be used to install pole signs in Hollywood to make the Hollywood Fringe even more visible. The last $5,000 will go towards starting a Fringe Shuttle pilot program between venues. Both the signs and the shuttle are programs we’re initiating in response to requests from our own Fringe community. If we hit our total goal, we’ll be able to do both.

Another exciting element of our CauseVox campaign is our 2013 Fundraising Contest. With CauseVox, individual shows can include a link to the Hollywood Fringe fundraising campaign on their social media pages and all the money raised on their pages will be credited to them. It’s a great opportunity for the performers because the top three fundraising teams will win ads in the Fringe Guide!

Could you tell some of our hair-challenged community members how you get your head so smooth?

Years of practice. Shave in the shower and use lotion! Also, be blessed with a beautiful round head.

After a successful start to our Fringe Internship program last year, we’re bringing it back! The festival is a huge event that grows substantially from year to year, exponentially increasing our need for support staff, volunteers and interns.

If you or someone you know (that is currently in high school, college, or has graduated within the last year) is interested in learning about the process of producing a performing arts festival, we’d encourage them to check out the qualifications and available positions here.

You can also look forward to reading about some Fringe Volunteer success stories in the coming months as part of our blog!

In the coming months, we’ll be hosting two workshops led by a panel of past participants and other veteran community members who can offer you an insider perspective of putting up a show on the Fringe as well as expert advice on marketing and networking. The workshops will consist of an extended Q&A session and stories from the panelists with a mixer to follow at a location TBA (most likely a local food establishment). 

First Workshop: Saturday, March 23rd at Elephant. 2 PM to 4 PM (1:30 Doors). Mixer to Follow. Click here to reserve a seat.

Second Workshop: Saturday, April 13th at Open Fist. 2 PM to 4 PM (1:30 Doors). Mixer to Follow. Click here to reserve a seat. 

There will be two more town halls before the opening of the 2013 Festival (if you missed the first one you can listen to it here). Each of the town halls contain a 75-90 minute informational session (presented by Festival Director Ben Hill) followed by 30-45 minute Q&A session. The next town hall will focus on pre-festival marketing & advertising and the final one will focus on making the most of your festival experience. There will be mixers following the meetings, both hosted at Three Clubs, where you can meet and mingle with other Fringers and staff members. Make sure to reserve your spot today!

Second Town Hall: Tuesday, April 9th at Theatre Asylum. 7 PM to 9 PM (6:30 Doors). Mixer to Follow. Click here to reserve a seat.

Third Town Hall: Monday, May 13th at Open Fist (the 2013 Fringe Mainstage). 7 PM to 9 PM (6:30 Doors). Mixer to Follow. Click here to reserve a seat.

Please join us for our second Twitter chat on Monday, February 25th from 8 to 9PM PST. This chat will focus on Registration preparation and community involvement, so get your questions or stories ready to share. All you have to do to join the discussion is be following @HollywoodFringe for the discussion questions and use the hashtag #HFF13 to answer.
 
The chat will be moderated by Rachel Stoll Armstrong, our Social Media Manager, from the @HollywoodFringe account. Other staff members will also be available to answer questions, and we’ll close out the discussion with an “Ask the Festival Director” segment, where you have a chance to ask Ben Hill anything and everything about Fringe. This is the second in a series of Twitter chats leading up to the 2013 festival. #HFF13 chats are currently slated to occur on the last Monday of every month. Hope to hear all about your plans for 2013!