Jay Lustig—Editor of NJArts.net—and Erika Bleiberg—former daily editor of Baristanet, arts publicist, and content marketing producer—are experimenting with a new multi-media series for NJArts.net called A Seat in the House. The series consists of short videos that include exclusive artist interviews and concert footage focused on conveying the experience of watching a performance at arts venues across the state.
First showcased in the series is Montclair’s Outpost in the Burbs, a non-profit outreach organization that builds community through music, community service, and cultural programs. Joan Osborne’s performance in February (her third for Outpost) was featured in A Seat in the House‘s inaugural video.
“When I proposed to NJArts.net editor Jay Lustig the idea of producing a possible series called ‘A Seat in the House,’ I immediately thought of featuring Outpost in the Burbs for our prototype,” explains Bleiberg. It makes sense that Outpost was her first choice. Bleiberg has been attending Outpost concerts since 1991, having enjoyed 75+ shows.
“It’s affordable, convenient and consistently a great ambiance. A wonderful community non-profit organization staffed completely by volunteers who share a passion for bringing people together to hear music, Outpost provides a venue that allows artists to connect on a personal level with their audience and concert goers to get close up and personal with the perfrmers. It’s as much about camaraderie as it is about the show,” says Bleiberg.
Lustig and Bleiberg teamed up with Montclair State University School of Communication and Media’s Wired Jersey students who worked as the production crew, under the direction of Montclair resident and Emmy Award winning television news producer Steve McCarthy. The primary producer was MSU student Orlando Hurtado.
A Seat in the House: Outpost in the Burbs from WiredJersey.com on Vimeo
Bleiberg praises the students on their work. “They were excellent; highly professional and enthusiastic. They really enjoyed being exposed to Joan Osborne, who wasn’t on their musical radars.”
The team hopes to produce similar pieces for performing arts venues throughout the Garden State for A Seat in the House.
(Photos: Todd Boressoff)
As an Outpost Board Member and head of Promotion & Publicity, we were delighted to be asked to participate in this exciting new project! I had the pleasure of working closely with Erika, Jay, Steve, and his students on this. The process was enjoyable and extremely professional and the result was fantastic, as you can see by watching the segment.
Thanks to Erika, Jay, Steve, and MSU/Wired NJ students (and Joan Osborne, of course).
Thanks too, to Baristanet for this piece about it!
Gail Prusslin