Making Something Out of Nothing

With my background producing concerts and managing artists for 10 years, I'm adept at hustling things into existence out of sheer force of will.  Nothing about music or art has a clear roadmap, and often there's a gap in vision and understanding between the creative team and their funders, or worse, their audience!  Sometimes, it takes just the right descriptive turn of phrase to bridge the gap between these groups.  Finding that phrase, telling your story, and enchanting your audience—these skills are the currency that separates successful cultural impresarios from poor, starving artists.

It has struck me over the years that the wine industry is also buoyed by the stories that surround it.  Upon acquiring a beloved bottle direct from the vintner, who hasn't delighted in sharing the tale of its purchase during a subsequent dinner party?  Does the taste of the wine rely on the beauty of the estate, or the charm of the winemaker, or the story of the Italian great grandfather who brought the vine trimmings over from Tuscany in a coffee can as he escaped the war (it doesn't even matter which one)?  Probably not!  But it all adds to the enjoyment of the wine, the socialization around it, and ultimately the rituals that surround the sale, purchase, and consumption of this beloved cultural good.

My goal in taking this course is to get to the bottom of how these stories are created.  In particular: how wine brands are crafted and conveyed to consumers, how distinctions between wine regions become more pronounced, and how the language around tasting conveys the satisfaction of the experience of drinking.  I suspect I may be able to transfer most of these lessons back to the music business.  I've seen first-hand the tragedy of a beautiful work of art laid to waste by an audience too unfamiliar, uncomfortable, or unprepared to enjoy it.  Let's work together this quarter to save future delicious creations from going down the drain.