Staff Spotlight: Development Director Kan Mattoo

Who are you, how’d you get into the Fringe, and why should we care?

I’m Kan Mattoo and I’m the Development Director for the Hollywood Fringe. I’ve known Ben Hill and Dave McKeever since college, back when they were lil freshman and I was an upperclassman. A few years ago, when Ben and Dave were first talking about starting up a Fringe Festival in Los Angeles, I immediately knew I wanted to be involved. Ben and Dave invited me to help them found the Hollywood Fringe in 2010. It’s been great having the success we’ve had and sharing it with a couple of my oldest friends.

[Above: Kan Mattoo on the left]

What exactly do you do as the Development Director?

I coordinate the Fringe’s efforts to raise money for our festival and I handle our business and government relations. We’re proud to be working with partners like KPCC and LA Weekly who have been strong Fringe supporters from the beginning. We’re also in the process of finalizing an exciting new partnership that we will be announcing in the near future.

Last year, we started our Fringe Green program, where we set up multiple Zero Waste days throughout the festival. Repurpose Compostables supplied us with their compostable drink cups and with their help, we diverted 86% of our waste from landfills on those Zero Waste days. It was a great success and something we are looking to bring back again.

I have also overseen our individual giving campaigns on Kickstarter the past two years. Thanks to the support of our great Fringe community, we’ve raised tens of thousands of dollars, all of which goes right back into promoting and running the Fringe.

Why did HFF switch from Kickstarter to CauseVox?

Because I didn’t want another ulcer! (Just kidding. Kinda.) While Kickstarter was a great resource for us, the countdown to making our goal every year was really nerve racking. This year we switched to CauseVox ,which gives the Fringe more control over the fundraising. We get all of the money we raise and don’t have to worry about losing it if we don’t make our deadline.

What is the money you are raising going to be used for?

The first $10,000 of the $20,000 goal will be going towards general production costs of the 2013 festival. The next $5,000 will be used to install pole signs in Hollywood to make the Hollywood Fringe even more visible. The last $5,000 will go towards starting a Fringe Shuttle pilot program between venues. Both the signs and the shuttle are programs we’re initiating in response to requests from our own Fringe community. If we hit our total goal, we’ll be able to do both.

Another exciting element of our CauseVox campaign is our 2013 Fundraising Contest. With CauseVox, individual shows can include a link to the Hollywood Fringe fundraising campaign on their social media pages and all the money raised on their pages will be credited to them. It’s a great opportunity for the performers because the top three fundraising teams will win ads in the Fringe Guide!

Could you tell some of our hair-challenged community members how you get your head so smooth?

Years of practice. Shave in the shower and use lotion! Also, be blessed with a beautiful round head.