River City Company’s Emerging Producers Program
For as long as most can remember, Chattanooga has been known as a tourist hot spot in the South. This can mostly be accredited to all of the eclectic activities and remarkable mountain views the city has to offer. As years go by and the community continues in its growth for both locals and visitors alike, River City Company’s new program, Emerging Producers, hopes to bring fresh ideas and faces to these activities.
Emerging Producers 2024 Cohort (Cortina Jenelle Caldwell, Brianna Jones, Courtenay Gillian Cholovich, Randi Franklin, Pedro Rivas Mella)
What is Emerging Producers?
Emerging Producers is a program designed to support a cohort of individuals and artists with two or less years of event management experience who have a vision for creating unique events in the downtown Chattanooga area. Spanning from January 2024 until October 2024, the program will use in-depth educational workshops, mentorship from industry professionals, and field trips with some of River City Company’s partners to foster a fresh assemblage of event producers and allow them to see their ideas come to fruition.
While the first four months of the cohort focus on education, the second half begins the actual execution of the members’ plans and ideas. River City Company provides additional support during these stages by awarding the cohort members seed funding for the event concepts. All other funding will be garnered through the cohort’s own fundraising efforts.
What exactly are the producers learning?
Topics covered in the Emerging Producers educational workshops include:
Concept Creation - This session takes a look at how to take a creative idea and visualize it as a tangible event. The producers will determine who their audience should be, what the right venue space looks like, the “why” behind their event, etc.
Creating Collaborations - EPs focus on how establishing relationships and utilizing business partnerships can benefit their event and provide support in lacking areas. This includes considering which parts of their event might be better suited for a more experienced business to help take over and what that looks like contractually in a written document.
Fundraising - This workshop covers financials. Producers work on budgeting, learn how to apply for grants, and consider what sponsorships could make sense for their event.
Logistics 101 - During this session, EPs will discuss the importance of acquiring event security, insurance coverage, and necessary permits. They will also create a run of show that lays out a detailed overview of event operations from pre-event setup to post-event tear down. This includes contingency plans and assigning specific tasks to each person on their event team, so that everyone clearly knows their role.
Marketing and Public Relations - The last workshop dives into creating marketing materials and how to approach promoting their event. Producers will create media kits, learn how to compose a press release, decide what platforms are most appropriate to use for marketing their event, etc.
Why were these producers chosen?
Among other characteristics, the ideal candidate for the EP cohort is someone who holds a vision to activate downtown Chattanooga with diverse and unique events that everyone can enjoy. The program aims to take an already eager, passionate individual and supply them with the tools needed to channel their dedication to the community into something tangible and enjoyable. Our first-ever cohort (pictured above), with a wide range of background experiences and community involvement, brings exactly that. So your next question might be…
Who are they?
Cortina Jenelle Caldwell - Cortina is new to the Chattanooga area, but has quickly plugged into the community. She hopes to see Chattanooga become an iconic city for its work and strides in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Brianna Jones - With a background in theater education and arts administration in the nonprofit sector, Brianna hopes to use her experiences to provide a platform that unifies all Chattanoogans’ niche interests and cultures through highlighting the importance of green spaces and utilizing the city’s beautiful landscape.
Pedro Rivas Mella - Pedro is a musician, music producer and sound engineer who has previously worked in Canada and Chile and now resides in Chattanooga. He hopes to apply his background experience and knowledge of Hispanic culture to create events that are appealing and inclusive to all in Chattanooga.
Randi Franklin - Randi, owner of Dazey Skate Company, has a passion for creating a welcoming, stress-relieving space through roller skating. She hopes to provide an inclusive event that leaves a positive impact on attendees’ mental and physical health.
Courtenay Gillian Cholovich - With her experience teaching and working in the arts and theater, Courtenay hopes to utilize these passions in her production to push boundaries in Chattanooga and celebrate performance art.
Why is this program needed?
Supporting new faces in the event industry enriches the city’s culture and creates a strong sense of pride through celebrating and representing all of its members. Activating downtown Chattanooga not only feeds the visitor population, but it is also what influences people to stay here and want to contribute to this themselves. The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study (2022) regarding Hamilton County's nonprofit arts & culture industry states that 90.8% of study respondents agreed that the activities and venues they attended inspire “a sense of pride in this community". It also reports that over $97 million in event-related spending was generated by audiences in the area. Our growing city welcomes and relies on using events to attract engaged visitors and new residents that will support our economic, social, and cultural goals.
What’s next?
River City Company looks forward to sharing these Emerging Producers’ fresh ideas with the community in the coming months. Expect to experience an eclectic lineup of productions that you are not going to want to miss. Keep an eye out for updated information and applications for those interested in joining our next cohort at https://www.rivercitycompany.com/producers.
Kortney Segraves
Marketing Intern