Hey Everyone! 

So we’ve been getting questions on how to start one’s digital marketing journey while here at Fringe— no worries! I’m happy to review some starter pointers that can be super helpful when marketing your show. After all many of us are creating and producing our show so I totally get how daunting marketing can feel. This blog post will give you a couple of ideas on how to market your show in the digital landscape— Let’s start!

Actually! Before we dive in, we have to talk about rights, licensing, and branding.

We live in a world of AI, which means that now, more than ever, it is quick and easy for lawyers to search images, show titles, and show content for potential infringements. You can be held liable years after your show has ended because items on the internet live forever.

You must own, have permission to use (copyright-free counts here) or have a license for every element of your show (music, sound, script, visuals, promotional materials/printed and digital images, etc.).

An additional reminder: We strongly encourage placing the Fringe logo on your digital materials to indicate your show is a part of the larger festival. All those branding images can be found here: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/branding

Okay, now, back to digital marketing…

Tapping into your Community

Okay, so this one may sound a bit obvious at first, and that’s okay! Many of us have social media accounts and use it to stay in touch with friends and family. Bringing a show to Fringe is no small feat, and letting your circles know what you’re up to is the first step! Now I understand that it can sometimes feel like you’re shouting from the rooftops of Mt. Digital, wondering if anyone is listening— people are! Honestly, when I would be producing a show it even took me a while to make sure that everyone knew what I was up to (in fact, sometimes I still don’t manage to tell everyone— big mistake!).

I understand that there are some nerves you might get even when telling your friends, but you’ll have to know that you’re community wants to support you! Even those closest to you appreciate a reminder about what you’ve got going on— feel free to tell ’em!

Using the Fringe Site’s Ad Impressions

Our site is a crazy wonderful work-in-progress that has continued to change and morph based on the needs of our artists. Honestly, it’s an amazing piece of tech that was created alongside the origins of the Hollywood Fringe Festival back in 2010 (actually, work on the site began in 2008 if I’m not mistaken— thanks Ben!). 

The Hollywood Fringe site is a unique platform because it hosts our artists’ project pages, allowing for the editing and curation of these pages, while also hosting our ticketing sales. This means the site gets a lot of traffic from both artists and audiences. In 2024 alone, the site saw 1,385,912 visits— that’s like if the whole population of San Diego visited the site!

Now, what is an Ad impression? An Ad Impression is the singular time your image, followed by a short description of your choosing, pops up on the site ad is seen by a user. This is why when you check out the Hollywood Fringe Market located at https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/market you’ll see Impressions sold in packs of 4,500 all the way to 45,000.

Tip: Be aware of when you buying your Ad and the duration your Ad may be shown for. For example, 4,500 Ad Impressions purchased and activated right now may last a week as fewer users are on the site, but buy and activate that same group of 4,500 Ad Impressions in mid-May when artists and audiences are on the site and you may see that those Ad Impressions last a couple of days due to high user volume. 

Discounts to Volunteers and Commissioner Club Members

Get a head start on packing your audiences and promoting your show by providing discounted tickets for Hollywood Fringe club members and volunteers – after all these are the people that make this festival possible! One way you can help us say ‘Thank You’ is by offering them a free or discounted ticket to your show through our Google form.

STEP ONE: Create a discount code on your project page, use HFFThanks. Our suggested discount is $5 off (or more).

STEP TWO: Fill out the Google form so we can add your show to the list!

Tapping into the Fringe Community

We’ve got the Official Hollywood Fringe Facebook Group! Connect with your fellow artists there!

There’s also a couple of unofficial Hollywood Fringe Groups run by past and current theatre artists called Hollywood Fringe Festival 2025 & Fringers Alliance.

Outside of Fringe, other Facebook groups that talk about Socal & LA Theatre at large are Los Angeles Theatre Artists and So Cal Theatre News.

Finally, Discounts! 

Make sure to check out our participant packet (found at https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/participants) that also has some wonderful discounts from local businesses and artists on such services like media packages and graphic designers.

And that’s what I have for ya right now on marketing your show digitally! Now go out there and shout from the top of the mountains that you’ve got a great show coming this June!

SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING INTERNSHIP 

Hollywood Fringe is currently seeking a Social Media and Marketing Intern for the 2025 festival! Interning with Fringe is the best way to get hands-on experience behind the scenes of the largest performing arts festival on the West Coast. Interns work directly with Fringe staff to help run various aspects of the festival. 

DESCRIPTION

The Social Media and Marketing Intern will work under the supervision of the Marketing and Operations Manager, Jeannette Srinivasan, to plan and execute social media posts for the Hollywood Fringe Festival, the largest performing arts festival on the West Coast, taking place in Hollywood in June. They will analyze social media data from past years to plan new branding for Hollywood Fringe 2026. The intern will assist with the new Fringe podcast, “On the Fringe,” taking creative lead on at least one episode. This position will work 20 hours a week from June 2nd through October 17th, 2025.   

QUALIFICATIONS

Must be 18+ years of age. Specific desire to be involved in late-night Hollywood Fringe events and planning. Background in customer service or community engagement (as an employee, student, or volunteer) is a plus. Experience working at large events is great! Experience with social media platforms, especially Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Ability to keep a level head amid great fun and confusion. DIY skills are a major plus. Must be proficient in Google Docs, especially Google Sheets and Google Forms. Experience with Canva is a plus 

BACKGROUND

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual, open-access, community-derived event celebrating freedom of expression and collaboration in the performing arts community. Each June during the Hollywood Fringe, the arts infiltrate the Hollywood neighborhood: fully equipped theaters, parks, clubs, churches, restaurants, and unexpected places host hundreds of productions by local, national, and international arts companies and independent performers.  Participation in the Hollywood Fringe is completely open and uncensored. This free-for-all approach underlines the festival’s mission to be a platform for artists without the barrier of a curating body. By opening the gates to anyone with a vision, the festival can exhibit the most diverse and cutting-edge points of view the world has to offer. Additionally, by creating an environment where artists must self-produce their work, the Fringe motivates its participants to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurialism in the arts. 

HOW TO APPLY

Please fill out the following Google form by Friday, May 2nd, 2025, at 11:59 pm PT to apply for this position: 2025 Social Media and Marketing Internship Application

We are excited to announce the 24 recipients of the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Artist Fund! 

This past November, we undertook a bold fundraiser with the goal of funding 24 low-income Angeleno artists at this year’s festival. With the generous support from members of our Commissioners Club, we reached our goal! The following productions were selected by random lottery, and will receive a one-time stipend toward registration, venue, and/or production costs at the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Festival:

Leave a Message

A Dad Is Born 

Jim McCaffree – National Treasure

Too Much of a Good Thing

Layers of Love

AP Sex Ed

IMGONNAWANNA

Venus in Fur

Polite Conversations & Wine

Pandora’s Boombox

Road to Hollywood

Gu

How to Make it in New York City: a Cabaret with some Cabernet

Detox

Slap Ass Friday

Godless

PEEP

Ophelia’s Refrain

Slürt

A Miracle on Christmas Street

Family Values

Gutenberg! The Musical!

Salon Noir

Kittens

Congratulations to all! 

Arts funding in Los Angeles is abysmal, and our work does not stop here. Join the Commissioners Club today to help us make this happen again in 2026!

Hi Everyone! 

This Blog post is a reminder about what to expect for your tech day(s) with the Hollywood Fringe festival while also serving as a recap of our most recent Workshop: HFF25 Workshop #6: What I wish I Knew Going into Tech

If you’d like to see the presentation used in the workshop, the link to that is here. Thank you to our guest Erin Moore, and to Brandon Baruch and Corwin Evans, who created much of the infrastructure of this Tech Workshop back in 2022.

As the festival works with so many venues, the #1 name of the game for tech is communication! Always check in with your venues because each venue and its technicians take a different approach to Tech.

Okay! So, as the workshop was recorded and I’ll be including some note shortly I wanted to start off by highlighting some words of wisdom Erin shared with us first.

ERIN’S WORDS OF WISDOM

• If you can have a dry tech with your technician/venue, do it! It’ll more than likely save you money, time, and stress scheduling and paying for that technician’s time than panicking and trying to figure out how to get more tech time a week before the festival opens.
• Label everything! If you’re bringing in audio files, make sure everything is labeled! This will save so much time during your tech day!
• A basic cue will take about 5 mins to program, take into account how many cues you’re expecting— Erin also said that if you don’t think you have any cues, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll have 8.
• A Tech rehearsal is for your technician, not your cast. Give acting notes after, this time is precious and should be focused on your tech elements.
• You’re cast should be at Tech, practice those blind exits and fight calls if you have any. You’re cast should always be mindful of volume so that the technician can speak to whomever they need to speak to easily. 
• Wear your costumes and bring all your set/props to ensure that everything gets lit properly. It’ll also give you an idea of how to load-in/out in 15 minutes. Especially if you’re wearing something reflective/sequin, have complex makeup, or have a mirror as a prop/set.
• Practice patience! Your technician will likely be building your show during tech, they’ll need time to create those cues and they’ll let you know when their ready to move on.
• Come in prepared!

RECAP NOTES

Tech Vocab

• Lighting Grid, the structure in which all the lights (and sometimes speakers) are hung.
• Lighting Plot, a mapped out design of where lights will be hung and set for your show.
• A Repetory or “Rep” Plot, the arrangement of the lights where they are set, typically to get complete stage coverage. A basic lighting plot. The Rep plot is usually what theatres have hung in their space.
• Light board, the controller for all the lights and where you can program lights from.
• A Cue or “q” is defined as a trigger for a change in lighting, sound, and/or video.
• Cue Sheet, a document (usually made for each department), detailing when cues happen and which kind (lighting, sound, prop, etc.)
• Prompt Book, a complete collection of all the cues throughout the play.

Dream as big as possible.

There will always be big ideas on your wish list, don’t get rid of them, but hold onto them. Fringe isn’t the end all be all for your work, it’s a place to test it out, have it seen by an audience, and to explore your creativity. You can always scale up for a future production of the piece. Have a plan for the next step, because if it goes really well, you’ll wanna have next steps.

For now, scale down to the simplest version. This is where you get to be the most creative. You may not need red curtains if red lights work. You probably don’t need projectors, not yet. A song for scene changes might be enough (or a live musician!). Look at the things you want to do, and find a way to communicate that idea without moving mountains to accomplish it. The fewer, more specific things you have, the more powerful every choice is.

If you need a target to help cut back, plan to carry in and set up everything you need for your show in eight minutes sharp. Yes, you’ll have 15 mins to load in and out but, you always want to give yourself a buffer, and you don’t ever want to make someone else late. It’s one of the cardinal sins of Fringe.

Prep your script.

It’s okay if it’s only some of the way done, you can always adjust things later. Let’s make some tools to help communicate what you need from your venue operators.

Writing down Cues

Every time something happens– light change, sound, projection, etc — each of those is a “cue.” Make a note of every cue in your script, and on a list for each (light cues, sound cues, video cues, scene change). This is going to be your “cue sheet.” If you have a lot going on, it can be useful to break this down into separate sheets too, but having it all on one sheet is okay.

Check with your venue about what they have. They probably have a sound system and a light plot with some options for different looks. Make sure you know what they have going in. They should have guidelines about how to give them what you need to run your show.

What should I expect a space to have?

Don’t assume things will just be there in the space waiting for you. Each venue operates differently and will have different things available to you and your productions. Always check! If you’re not sure about how to ask for what you need, you can always talk with your venue representative with your cue sheet to give them an idea of what you need. They should be able to work with you.

What do I need to prepare ahead of time?

You should prepare everything a stage manager might need to run your show for you. Think of it as making your show clear to run for someone who has never seen it. You’ll need your cue sheet, a prompt book, and if you have scenery, scene change assignments (these are nice to print out and have backstage). Here’s a quick breakdown on how to figure all this out…
 

Step 1 – Write Where Cues Happen

Take your cue sheet and a clean copy of your script. Work through your script and make a note (in pencil) where each of your cues go. Remember that you’re trying to make it so clear, someone who hasn’t even seen your show will know when something happens. Make sure your script is double spaced and at least 12 pt font and printed on one side only so your tech can make notes on the blank side.

Step 2 – Have A Guess at Timing

Do you need the lights to turn on suddenly? That would be a zero-count up. Would you like to have them fade gently into a scene? Try a five-count up.

How does the sound and lights work together? Does the sound fade slowly while the lights come up quickly? You can always adjust it in Tech, when everything comes together, but if you go in with an idea of how it should work, that’s going to make it way easier for you to communicate.

Step 3 – How is it Called?

Do the lights turn on when you do a big gesture? Does the phone ring right on that one line? If it’s a line, write down which line it is on your cue sheet. If it’s a gesture, make a note that it’s a visual cue and write a short description. You’re going to  want to write this in your cue sheet and in your script (prompt book).

When you go through the process of tech (when everything gets put together) you’ll want to have a copy of your cue sheet for yourself (or a trusted friend!). That’ll be a checklist for you to make sure you’ve got everything set up. It can help you stay on track so you don’t get lost in the process!

When you’re making notes about the cues, label your light cues with “LX” and then a number and your sound cues with “SQ” and then a letter. That way, anyone looking at the prompt book or cue sheet knows at a glance if something is supposed to happen with lights or sound (or both).

Working with your Stage Manager & Technicians

Always be kind (it’s also a great general rule), your venue stage manager or your venue technician is probably working on a dozen shows. If you show up prepared and with clean paperwork ready to go; everybody wins! Rember, when you hand over your script to your technicians, it’d be best to give them a blank script, meaning a clean script with no notes.

If you walk into your tech prepared, you will be surprised how fast and easy it can be. Knowing what you want, where it goes, and how you’d like it allows you to focus on the important part: the show itself!

Don’t forget about the following!

Preshow Speeches

So many people forget about the very beginning of the show. Are you having a live speech to welcome the audience or is there a recorded announcement? Make sure you take a moment to see where you should stand so you can be well-lit if it is a live announcement. Why would this be important? A lot of people add a little speech before or after the show to plug a friend’s show or shout out other cool things. It’s a great way to help each other out. Fringe Shows are required to have a Land Acknowledgement speech either live or pre-record at the top of their production. Ellen & Lois will send out an optional version of this before May or your venue may have something prepared.

End of Show

Does your show end with a blackout, or a certain song? Do you plan to bow at the end? Make sure you keep those in mind. Don’t surprise your stage manager with a speech you didn’t plan ahead of time.

Numbering systems

Depending on the venue, you may have a different set of numbers for your lighting cues that they will give you. Make notes of this for your own reference on your cue sheet. This is one of the reasons pencils are so handy.

QLab

Qlab is a program that will let you program sound cues, fades, and even video cues for free on a Mac laptop. It’s very easy to drag and drop files and set up your whole show so you can take it with you when you’re done. There are tutorials online and it’s used all over the theatre world. You can get it for free at http://qlab.app to try it out. It is, however, currently only for Mac computers.

Sound Libraries

Where do you get sound effects? It’s best to avoid just grabbing something from somewhere on the internet. Not having permission to use someone else’s work can get you in trouble later on down the road. You’ll want to use royalty-free or public domain sounds, music, and pictures/video (if you’re using a projector).

Here are some sites you can look at to download those:

http://www.freesound.org/ (requires registration, check the licenses)

http://soundbible.com/ 

http://www.sounddogs.com/ (pay per sound)

http://www.macloops.com/ (for music)

Tech Tips
Tips for the day of! 

Check for parking ahead of time
Parking at Fringe is a little different every day, every time. Give yourself as much of a buffer as you can. Also, consider this a test run of what your audiences will handle getting parking to your show.

Get there Early!
Ask everyone involved with your show to show up fifteen minutes early to your tech period. Take a little time to relax, warm up, run in circles to get the nerves out, or give an inspirational speech to your team. Make sure everyone has an assignment for their piece of the show to bring in and set up. Don’t expect to do it all by yourself.

Wait until the previous show is loaded out
Lots happens at Fringe so it’s not unusual that a venue will be tech-ing multiple shows a day leading up to the festival. Sometimes, people run long– which, granted, isn’t great, but be patient with them and don’t add stress to a stressful situation.

Bring a thumb drive
It is called a thumb drive or a flash drive, I spent way to much time trying to look this up, maybe this is just a regional thing… huh. Anyway! This is a great way to hand over your sound cues (but check with your venue first).

Suggestion to optimize your tech:

• If possible, have other people in your show set up your scenery, props, costumes, etc. That’ll give you more time to start programming lights and sound.
• Spend the first half-hour programming lighting looks and sound volume (with your cuesheet!)
• Spend an hour skipping from cue to cue, starting a few lines before the cue.
• When you get to the end of your cuelist, spend some time making any needed changes to your tech, but don’t worry about performance notes for now.
• Finally, rehearse your curtain call with tech.

Don’t worry too much about performance notes during tech, unless you have another rehearsal before the show. Don’t expect to get a full run-through of your show during your tech period either. You can try, especially if you’re super prepared, but if you think you need a full run with tech in the space, you should communicate that with your venue and book additional time in your space.

Last Tips and Thoughts:

• Have someone on a clock the whole time. Set timers. Make sure you don’t go over schedule, and if you find yourself getting distracted make sure to get back on track.
• It’s okay to feel stressed by the process. You probably will be. Adversity occurs.
• If you need to, step aside, take three deep breaths and find your center. Consider yourself a cheerleader rather than a dictator; trust your people and you’ll enjoy it more.
• Trust your work and let your story tell itself. It’s okay to cut something in tech that just isn’t going to work the way you wanted. Remember your big dreams at the beginning of the process, make a note for the next time you do the show, and don’t change things for this festival run. Changing things after tech makes stage managers sad… maybe mad…. mostly annoyed though.
• Leave the space cleaner than you found it. Don’t use baby powder, confetti, or spilled liquids (even water), unless you have cleared it with your venue and you have planned ample time to clean it up. It won’t magically disappear, in fact, it’ll often magically become someone else’s problem. And that’s a bad magic trick.

Remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. You are in a vibrant arts festival – the largest in the United States – full of beauty, fun, and community. We’re all rooting for everyone’s success and we want to make sure everyone has the tools they’ll need to succeed. 🎉

We are so excited to announce a total of 15 recipients of the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Scholarship!

Thanks to support from Third District Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, we were able to expand the number of scholarships we were able to offer this year!



LA E$trELLA

In Her Head

La Canción de Nuestros Días

Katotohanan

deadbeat.

El Mago Loco presents: Una Noche!

Do You Accept These Charges?

Me, Myself and Other

Natural Born Citizen

The Pyrex 

Eggs

A Minor Inconvenience

She’s About To POP! 

Too Good To Be True 

Riding in Cars with Girls

Applications were reviewed and recipients were selected by an objective committee of former scholarship winners and artists & artistic company reps whose missions align with the program’s goal of expanding and diversifying the body of work being presented at Fringe.



There were so many outstanding applications, and the committee would like to acknowledge the following honorable mentions:



I Hope You’re Having Fun In Hell, Dad 


Simply Maria, Or the American Dream 


The Troll 


Race for the Summit 



At Hollywood Fringe, we seek to make the performing arts more accessible, both to the artists who produce work and for those who otherwise cannot afford to see theatre. Scholarship recipients will receive free registration, a stipend toward venue/production costs for three performances, an experienced Fringe mentor, and marketing/networking opportunities with the community.



Congratulations to all!