Simply Dex

Today there is a cool article in WSJ about the future of the Apollo Theater. The emphasis is on the Apollo’s efforts to leverage digital technology in order to serve a global audience and younger demographic. I’m the digital media manager for the the Theater, so I was quoted a couple of times in the article.

I’ve had the awesome responsibility of leading the strategy of the project, including the development of the new website, video production, social media engagement and creation of the mobile app.

To God be all the glory! I feel so honored to play such a critical role in the legacy of the world famous Apollo Theater.

Original WSJ Article (Only paying digital subscribers can see the full article)

The Apollo Auditions for the Future
By ROBERT P. WALZER

Even after 77 years, the Apollo Theater is anything but dowdy. But it does risk fading into modern obscurity. So the Harlem theater, famed for helping launch the careers of generations of performers, from Ella Fitzgerald to James Brown to Michael Jackson to Lauryn Hill, is taking steps to modernize its venerable “Amateur Night at the Apollo” series and bring it to a wider audience.

“People know us for our history of presenting young new artists,” said Billy Mitchell, the Apollo’s tour director and in-house historian. “The challenge is how to keep that going, to keep it fresh and bring it to the now.”

On Wednesday night, in a ritual dating to 1934, amateur contestants will vie for the top prize in the final stage of the competition, known as “Super Top Dog.” They stand to win $10,000, but they won’t be seen by millions around the world, as are the contestants on music-based reality shows like “American Idol,” “The X-Factor” and “The Voice”—which were created in part from the mold of the original “Amateur Night” and the defunct TV show that presented it, “Showtime at the Apollo.”

“Amateur Night is kind of the prototype for these reality TV shows,” said Claude Kelly, a New York-raised songwriter and vocal coach for “The X Factor” who grew up watching “Showtime at the Apollo.” “It’s famous for discovering and nurturing urban acts.”

In recent years, the rise of nationally televised talent competitions has helped erode the Apollo’s influence, but auditions for next season’s amateur series, to start in February, are already under way, and much-needed updates are coming with them. For starters, the Apollo is creating a new “Amateur Night” website, which will integrate social-media links, videos, blogs and a mobile-phone app that the theater’s managers hope will cross-pollinate the brand across continents and demographics.

The theater also will attempt to replace its syndicated TV series “Showtime at the Apollo,” which from 1987 to 2008 televised live performances by professional musicians as well as select performances from the “Amateur Night” competition, with a new model aimed at tapping into “American Idol” ubiquity. It recently filmed a pilot based on “Amateur Night” for BET Networks, which was co-produced by the actor and musician Jamie Foxx.

“We’re trying to take the Apollo experience and extend it beyond the four walls of the theater and into the global arena,” said Dexter Upshaw, the theater’s digital media manager.

Within those walls, enthusiasm about the “Amateur Night at the Apollo” auditions for next season has hardly abated, as evidenced by the long line of eager hopefuls from as near as Harlem and Brooklyn and as far away as Atlanta and Japan who lined up on 125th Street earlier this month.

Inside one of the theater’s studios, a rap trio called G.I.I. (Get It In) from New Britain, Conn., exasperated the two-judge panel, which repeatedly interrupted the group thanks to a distracting sound track and a slip of profanity. “Whoa, whoa, you can’t do that,” shouted “Amateur Night” producer Marion Caffey, summoning his inner Simon Cowell. But he ultimately signed G.I.I. up for the competition.

Mr. Caffey turned to the room of seated contestants to remind them of the Apollo’s credo: “If you can’t say it on Disney, you can’t say it here. And that includes the ‘n’ word.”

Meanwhile, the nonprofit institution is working to freshen up its format for its fans in the U.S. and around the world. The new website, which will go live at the start of the new season, will be more interactive than the existing informational site, with far more original content. It will host contests and trivia, and a blogger will post videotaped performances, profiles of contestants, and scenes from the green room and backstage, where coaches help contestants with basic stage techniques. There will also be videos of “Amateur Night” aspirants, including a new “redemption round,” where contestants who failed to merit a spot in the competition get a second chance to prove their mettle by soliciting votes in their favor.

Apollo executives hope the theater’s fans will take to new Facebook and Twitter pages and leave comments, some of which will make their way to a feed on the Amateur Night website. “Our goal is to capture those moments and to translate the energy,” Mr. Upshaw said. “It’s about going engaging deeper with your audience. But it all starts with content.”

And the technology will extend to the spectators in the theater. At forthcoming “Amateur Night” performances at the Apollo—where winners are famously cheered onto the next round and losers are booed offstage—the audience will be able to use a mobile app to view contestant profile information, browse past performances and post comments. Through the app, the Apollo will also draw a direct line of contact to its fans to learn more about them and offer better direct marketing.

At the recent auditions, a new generation of fans was clearly in evidence. Franklyn Cheston was there with his 6-year-old daughter, a rapper named Cheyenne, who was gearing up to try out. “Actually, it was my dream to do this,” he said of the “Amateur Night” competition. “But then I woke up. Now, I’m trying for her.”