Archive: Business & Technology

State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc.(STI) and Dan Smalls Presents, Inc. (DSP) announced this week that Doug Levine has been hired as Executive Director of the State Theatre. He will manage day-to-day operations and development for the theatre beginning August 17.

Levine spent the past five years at The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce as the Director of Membership, Public Relations and Special Events. Levine received his MBA from Ithaca College in 2004.  An active member of the community, Levine manages the local rock band Hubcap and serves on the boards of 93.5 WVBR FM and the Ithaca Adult Hockey Association. He is also active in local fundraising initiatives, having produced five annual benefit concerts for The Cayuga Waterfront Trail that have raised more than $20,000 since 2004. He is a native of Philadelphia and lives in Ellis Hollow with his wife Treva and 2 young children. Together, they run the “Music in the Hollow” concert series, which brings free live music to the Ellis Hollow community throughout the summer.

“Doug’s passion for The State Theatre and knowledge of the local business community made him the perfect candidate for this position," says STI Board of Directors Chair Mack Travis. Doug’s background and skills are an ideal fit. The board and staff are delighted to have Doug join our organization.”

Levine will manage day-to-day theatre operations with a strong focus on development and oversight of STI staff. He will be guided and supervised by the theater’s contracted management company, DSP, and current Executive Producer, Dan Smalls. Smalls and DSP will continue to book, promote and produce all shows at the State as the theatre’s exclusive talent buyer.

“This position and the partnership with DSP allows for continued growth and the ability to make a smooth transition into the new operational model," Levine said.  "Having Dan on board as a mentor will be a huge benefit.  He has a proven record booking successful shows in this theatre and he’ll continue to handle those duties.  I look forward to the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead and the challenges that come with such an endeavor.   It’s been wonderful watching the theater’s rebirth over the past few seasons.  Now I am happy to become a part of that process.”

“He’s the perfect candidate,” Smalls said.  “We’ll be an incredible team… with Doug being the face of the building and me as the face of the events… we’ll finally cover all the necessary bases and keep the State’s recent resurgence moving steadily forward.   Our model is already performing better than 90% of the theaters nationwide.   Together we can continue to close the income gap.”  Theatres like the State generally operate on a 50/50 earned to unearned income model.  That means revenue from tickets and sponsorships only cover half the normal operational costs of most venues.  The State is already operating at a 70/30 ratio placing it in the top 10 percent nationwide.  That said, community support will continue to be a vital component for keeping the State successful.

"It is with a little sadness that I leave my position at The Chamber," Levine concludes.  "I started as an intern during the summer of 2003 and have been in my current position for the past five years.  My experience at the Chamber has been fantastic.  Besides getting to really know the local business community, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some fabulous people, most notably, Chamber President, Jean McPheeters.  Besides being a wonderful boss, Jean is the best mentor anyone could imagine and I am sure that much of the knowledge I learned from her will be carried over to my new role at The State.”

State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc. took over from Historic Ithaca as owner and steward of the 80-year-old theatre on December 15 and concluded a highly successful spring season last month. The re-tooled operational model is a hybrid between a pure “presenting house” where the theatre assumes risk on all shows, and a pure “rental house” where shows are presented by outside promoters. The 2009/2010 State Theatre subscription season will be announced Thursday and Friday with additional events are added as they are booked.

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