Staff Spotlight: Meghan McCauley, Outreach Director

Q: What does an Outreach Director do?

It definitely depends on where you work! In some organizations, outreach is synonymous with marketing. In others, it is exclusively arts education and youth programs. It may relate to drama therapy, recruiting, financial development, creating community partnerships… you name it, it might be outreach.

Q: Okay… so what do you do as Outreach Director for the Hollywood Fringe?

I have three major areas of outreach – student outreach, community outreach, and artist outreach. I coordinate and program Student Fringe, which invites middle- and high-school students from different parts of Los Angeles to visit Hollywood Fringe, see different Fringe shows, and participate in Q&As with featured artists.
This year, I’m also coordinating Fringe Family, working with GLAAD to develop a larger LGBT presence within the Fringe community (and a larger Fringe presence within the LGBT community), and I spend the months leading up to registration getting to know new artists and producers who might enjoy participating in the festival.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to go to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a representative from Hollywood Fringe – that was definitely the furthest I’ve ever “reached out”, geographically speaking!

Q: You came to the first Hollywood Fringe Festival as a participant. How did that lead to getting a job?

I was still living and working full-time in San Diego and commuting to Los Angeles for Fringe-related events, venue meetings, rehearsals, etc. At some points, I was commuting one or twice a week to make sure that people around the Fringe were getting to know me. The 2010 Hollywood Fringe Festival was a blast for me, and I decided to move to Los Angeles a few months later.

My perspective was: “What can I add to this festival?” rather than “What can the Hollywood Fringe do for me?” I had planned to volunteer for the next Fringe and hopefully get hired the year after that – so I was very lucky to have been brought on staff earlier.

Q: Least favorite Hollywood Fringe activity?

Breaking everything down the day after the Closing Night party.

Q: Favorite Hollywood Fringe activity?

All-staff hugs!

If you’d like to learn more about how to support or participate in Student Fringe or Fringe Family, e-mail [email protected]