Reflections from Our Founder
It has been a month since we completed our 16th flagship event in Pittsburgh, which means we are back at it, exploring what 2023 might look like.
Currently, we are prospecting for our first international Breakout and continuing to scout what city/place might be our newest partner to gather our community in ‘23.
I’m often asked, How do you choose where Breakout goes next?
If 8 years has taught me anything, it’s that many key factors come into play when looking to activate within a new city, such as:
Anchor funding partnerships to cover expenses and support local producers.
An existing community on the ground to support our ability to build relationships and trust.
A rich history and culture to learn about and highlight.
Storytelling angles, access diverse stories, and/or a potential misinformed external view of the city to be retold through local community members.
Presence of multiple growing sectors, or active expansion efforts.
In the early days, we relied almost entirely on tickets from our attendees; but, that was never enough to make our model work or to activate and support local businesses and leaders in the way we wanted too.
Since 2017, we have worked with chambers of commerce, large corporate stakeholders, and foundations ahead of launching a new city Breakout to ensure we could deliver properly on our mission to champion change. We believe in the power of everyday people to be catalysts for a more equitable future and work to close resource gaps.
‘Tis the season of setting budgets, so like many of you, we are in those conversations to see where our mission aligns with city stakeholders looking to amplify the work of their hometown heroes.
Our superpowers to date:
Providing local, mission-driven creatives and founders opportunities to grow and build with a national community that they would not otherwise have access to.
Amplifying predominantly grassroots leaders and serving as a re-granting model by allocating the majority of our budget to support these emerging leaders.
Connecting local leaders within the city that had yet to meet each other and providing them an environment to foster deeper bonds.
Bringing in a national group of changemakers, aka Y'ALL, to collectively learn and amplify the stories and work being done in your own communities and circles.
If you think your city needs some of that Breakout magic next year and you’ve got folks for us to talk to, our inbox is open!
Much love,
Michael Farber