Ninety Nine Seats: The Beginning

Welcome and thank you for stopping by to read the Ninety Nine Seats Blog!

This is the brain child of three people from three very different places, but who all share a love of drama, music and theatre. Based in Los Angeles, CA, we're focused on the role of small 'ninety nine seat' theatres -- hence the name -- established to give budding actors a chance to hone their skills before hitting the big time.

Over the coming months, award winning owner of the Playhouse Theatre Players, Sharon L Graine, along with publicist, Ron Carter of The Carter Agency and international journalist Joanne Griffith from Jane Hannah Media will share their ramblings on theatre life in Los Angeles and some of the key challenges for small theatre owners - from publicity and marketing, to legal matters, applying for grants and attracting big name acts to your space. You can read details on this blog, and also listen to our podcast - Ninety Seats, Thirty Minutes

But first, let's introduce ourselves....

SHARON L. GRAINE

My philosophy has always been that positive thinking brings about positive results. I have been very blessed to have met two people -- Ron Carter and Joanne Griffith-- who are energized by creative thinking and its affect on all our lives. We look forward to sharing collaborative articles with you in our upcoming blogs.

Ron has been a friend of mine for many years and we have been blessed to work on a variety of wonderfully successful projects. And although I just recently met Joanne, I feel our meeting was just a formality and we have met many times before.

I have been an actor, broadcaster and now theatre owner in the Los Angeles market for many years and am blessed to have a husband, a family and friends that have shared in my journey and I am now thrilled to share more of that journey with you.

RON CARTER

Over the next several months or perhaps years, I will join with my two partners, Sharon L. Graine and Joanne Griffith to communicate my viewpoint on a variety of subjects on this blog.

I'm excited at the opportunity to share my thoughts regarding media, public relations, sports, music, cultural issues, business and politics and other issues of interest. I trust that you, the reader, will appreciate my insight since the musings will be gleaned from my experience and work as a Banker and a Public Relations Consultant. My sincere hope is that you will be engaged, entertained and find our ramblings informative. Though I’ve had an amazing career, it is my wife Veronica who has consistently encouraged me to share my knowledge of media and public relations with others. I am forever grateful for her love, support and counsel.

I have known and worked with Sharon for many years. She is my good friend, sister and confidant. Joanne, on the other hand I have met only recently, but our interaction feels like we have been friends for a long time.

Lastly and certainly the most important, I thank God for guiding my life through a career which included working for Chase Manhattan Bank, Bank of America, Motown Records, Michael J. Jackson Productions, Mercury Records, Warner Bros Records, Quincy Jones’ Qwest Records and presently my entrepreneurship at The Carter Agency.

JOANNE GRIFFITH

Isn't life funny. One minute I was in the UK working as a broadcaster and journalist for the BBC, the next I'd moved 6000 miles around the world to get married, change career and start my own company. In just over a year, Jane Hannah Media is up and running and providing radio skills courses for youth in urban areas, as well as media training and PR advice to small businesses and not for profit organizations.

But you know when some people come into your life and the way you met was by no means a coincidence? That’s how I feel about Sharon. I met her through a man I bumped into at a business convention, who then became my client. He invited me to Playhouse Theatre Players to watch him perform and introduced me to Sharon. She in turn arranged a meeting with Ron, and now we’re blogging and podcasting like we’ve known each other for years. And you don't just blog and podcast with anybody. I think it’s fair to say we were all meant to meet.

And now through our ventures, we're all looking forward to getting to know you. Whether you're a theatre owner, theatre enthusiast, actor, musician, journalist, publicist or just curious, we're interested in hearing from you. This blog will be our place to ramble about the theatre business and share advice among the theatre community of Los Angeles and worldwide.

We also have our monthly pod show called 'Ninety Nine Seats, Thirty Minutes'. This edition, we're talking about theatres and the power of publicity. Over the coming months, we'll cover all kinds of topics. If you'd like to be featured, contact us at ninetynineseats@gmail.com or leave a comment right here!!!!

Speak soon - Sharon, Ron & Joanne