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Arts organizations live at the busy crossroads of mission, money, and meaning, and the traffic has only gotten faster. That’s why interim executive directors have become pivotal to survival and growth. In our conversation with arts consultant and interim leader Beth Guerriero, we hear how a former violinist and professor learned to steady organizations with speed, empathy, and structure. Her path from higher education into nonprofit turnarounds reveals a pattern many leaders recognize: complex roles, growing expectations, and the need to act fast without losing sight of people or the art. The picture she paints is sobering but hopeful—change can be managed if we honor the messy middle and set realistic priorities.
Beth’s take on interim leadership centers on the “neutral zone,” a concept from William Bridges that reframes transitions as a three-part journey: endings, an uncomfortable middle, and new beginnings. Most groups rush from loss to action, but she argues that lingering in the middle—listening deeply, mapping tensions, and setting constraints—is where trust and clarity form. The work starts immediately: the first 30 days compress the classic 100-day plan. She meets every stakeholder, gathers conflicting narratives, and uses a two notebook system to separate raw input from actionable insight. That early discipline avoids reactionary fixes and surfaces repeat themes—process bottlenecks, founderitis, and budget habits—that drive smarter decisions and a more durable plan. The hardest cases often sit at the fault line between artistic and administrative power. When an artistic director with decades of influence meets an interim ED tasked with stabilizing finances, friction is guaranteed. Beth shows how clear roles, shared constraints, and board alignment prevent stalemates that drain time and morale. She urges boards to own their fiduciary duty and diversify their makeup beyond donors—skills, networks, lived experience, and true advocacy matter. Diversity here is not a slogan; it is a risk control and a creativity engine. Without it, organizations drift toward groupthink, fragile funding, and slow responses in a fast-moving environment. Funding realities sharpen the edge. Reliance on a single source—especially government grants—turns from comfort to cliff when cycles shift. Beth recommends treating revenue like a portfolio: individuals, foundations, corporate sponsorships, earned income, and government support should each be meaningful but not dominant. That approach cushions shocks and empowers programming choices. She also flags donor fatigue, the shrinking pipeline of qualified staff, and the toll of toxic workloads. Sustainable fixes require transparent dashboards, paced ambition, and investment in people. Mentoring emerging executives, standardizing onboarding documents, and tracking monthly cash metrics are low-cost practices that raise resilience. What emerges from Beth’s playbook is a humane, practical model: stabilize, listen, diversify, and connect the art to a realistic engine. Interim leaders are not placeholders; they are transition designers who help teams grieve, reset, and move. For arts nonprofits facing demographic shifts, higher-ed headwinds, and funding churn, this is the craft—build boards that care and act, budget for truth not hope, codify knowledge, and keep artistic vision alive within constraints. The work is demanding, but when organizations honor the neutral zone and face data without fear, they regain momentum. That is how missions endure and audiences keep finding the art they love.
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What happens when a lifelong dancer picks up a camera out of necessity and discovers a new calling? We sit down with Emmy-winning photographer and director Jennifer Zmuda to explore how a career that started with DIY promo shots for tight-budget performances grew into a creative agency serving dancers, arts organizations, and brands that value authenticity over trends.
Jennifer shares how dance training shaped her visual voice. She talks about feeling movement in her body, anticipating the precise moment to capture an arabesque or a fall, and translating that instinct into photography and film that looks intentional rather than lucky. We dive into her years at BalletMet, how institutional support helped her embrace video, and why the most compelling work comes from relationships, not transactions. Instead of chasing the blur fad or retro filters, she aims for honest images that serve story and marketing goals across websites, social media, and seasonal campaigns. The conversation turns candid about business. Jennifer breaks down her shift from one-off projects to retainers that encourage strategy, iteration, and agility when seasons change. She outlines a practical pricing method built on line items—creative development, equipment, crew, post, deliverables—that protects against scope creep and educates clients. We talk imposter syndrome, critique culture, and the gaps many artists face around taxes, hiring, and systems. Her advice is grounded and actionable: seek mentors, keep learning in public, design services that match real client needs, and use your artistic background as a competitive edge in media production and content strategy. If you care about arts entrepreneurship, creative careers, and the business of storytelling, this conversation is a masterclass in building a sustainable practice without losing your artistic core. Follow, share with a friend who’s pricing their first big project, and leave a review to help more artists find the show.  If you’re within driving distance of Kent, OH, consider attending Art Without Limits on Wednesday, October 8 at Kent State University. In addition to the exciting roster of successful arts entrepreneurs who will be sharing their stories and advice for developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the arts, there will be displays from a variety of arts entrepreneurs and organizations.
High school students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities across campus under the guidance of professional artists in the College of the Arts, Visual Communication and Design, and the Department of Africana Studies, and mentors from the John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship and LaunchNET Kent State. If you know a high school student interested in the arts, encourage them to attend! The 2025 speakers: Art: Artist and Founder of Black Box Press, Delita Martin Music: Performer, Band Leader and Non-profit Director, Bobby Sanabria Fashion: Founder of Found Surface, Aidan Meany VCD: Founder of Hazel Made, Susan Rich Game Design: Game Developer, Jarryd Huntley Theatre: Set Designer and founder of History of Chairs Design, LLC, Larry Heyman Dance: Dancer and Filmmaker, Leslie Shampaine Marketing and Branding: Founder of Confluence Arts Solutions, Lynette Shy We are pleased to once again be a strategic partner with this FREE event! Visit www.kent.edu/artscollege/art-without-limits to learn more about the event and to watch presentations from previous events.  If you’re within driving distance of Kent, OH, consider attending Art Without Limits on Wednesday, October 9 at Kent State University. In addition to the exciting roster of successful arts entrepreneurs who will be sharing their stories and advice for developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the arts, there will be displays from a variety of arts entrepreneurs and organizations.
High school students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities in under the guidance of professional artists, and new this year, they can participate in a pitch competition and hear speakers in the John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship. If you know a high school student interested in the arts, encourage them to attend! The 2024 speakers: Art: Artist and Founder of Gina DeSantis Ceramics, Gina DeSantis Dance: Founder of Ananya Dance Theatre, Ananya Chatterjea Fashion: Founder of Fashion Talks, Aimon Ali Game Design: Graphics Artist and Animator, Jess Williams Music: Founder of Helsel Music, Bryan Helsel Theatre: Founder of Bridging the Gap in Theatre, Jerrilyn Duckworth Marketing and Branding: Founder of CreativeStudy, Heather Bhandari We are pleased to once again be a strategic partner with this FREE event! Visit www.kent.edu/artscollege/art-without-limits to learn more about the event and to watch presentations from previous events. Any teachers reading this post will probably agree that we tend to say the same things over and over. One statement I find myself often repeating in percussion lessons and master classes is “Consistency is going to get you a gig and it’s going to keep you in a gig.” By that I mean a variety of things:
Last week, the John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship at Kent State hosted its annual Idea Pitch Competition. It’s similar to the spring competition I’ve written about previously, but on a smaller scale. This event is a lot of work to host and the Center is fortunate to have a passionate team of faculty, mentors, support staff, and students to assist. Even more impactful to this competition is the involvement of a growing network of donors—and since many artists rely on a vibrant donor base, it prompted me to write this blog post.
I’m writing this post from the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization convention in Tampa, FL. Listening to the variety of conference speakers got me thinking about what arts entrepreneurs can do to promote entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking in students and those entering the field, or to energize professionals who may be in need of motivation. Followers of the podcast have likely heard suggestions in our episodes, but I wanted to share activities I’ve pursued and know to be effective:
 If you’re within driving distance of Kent, OH, consider attending Art Without Limits on Wednesday, October 11 at Kent State University. In addition to the exciting roster of successful arts entrepreneurs who will be sharing their stories and advice for developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the arts, there will be a makerspace with displays from a variety of artists, arts entrepreneurs, and organizations.
New this year is a high school track designed to provide students with hands-on experience in creating art under the guidance of professional artists. If you know a high school student interested in the arts, encourage them to join the 400+ students who have already registered! If you’ve been paying attention to any news sources over the past year, you will have certainly seen content about artificial intelligence and its potential impact on humanity. Those of us who teach have long worried about AI and how students will use it to “save time” in their studies. I’ve found many articles and watched plenty of YouTube videos about how teachers have used AI, and I have been experimenting with it for courses, the podcast, and in general. In fact, Andy and I started using AI this year to help us with transcripts and show notes. While it’s been quite efficient, it’s not always accurate nor does it understand context at this time. Therefore we do have to proofread and edit any text before we post.
While preparing courses for the upcoming semester, I found a survey from a few years ago that was part of a presentation I gave to an arts organization. The survey was given to a few dozen arts entrepreneurs working in various fields in the music industry. Most of the respondents owned ventures with more than 1 employee, and only a few of the respondents were performers with no full-time employees. The questions focused on a variety of topics, from the industry landscape over the years, to changes in the field, requisite skills, and so on
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