Michael Gepner Appointed VP of Marketing at 5th Avenue Theatre

Theatrical marketing executive Michael Gepner joins the administrative leadership at The 5th Avenue Theatre as the Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Guest Services, drawing to a close a national search.

Gepner comes to Seattle to join the staff at the theater titan following five years as the Director of Marketing and Sales at New Jersey's regional Tony Award winner, Paper Mill Playhouse, and an extensive career in the arts across the country. In this position, Gepner will oversee the entire marketing and guest services arm of the organization including subscription campaigns, single ticket sales, public relations, telemarketing, guest services and other special projects.

"We started this search with a very specific set of criteria in mind," said 5th Avenue Managing Director Bernadine Griffin. "We were looking for a seasoned and savvy professional with a proven track record of cultivating new audiences and growing subscription bases who could identify quickly with our 5th Avenue brand and help us continue to develop a national reputation as a leading home for musical theater. We are confident that Michael Gepner will connect with our audiences and mesh seamlessly with our 5th Avenue culture."

Gepner brings over 20 years of successful experience in marketing, public relations and audience loyalty in both non-profit and commercial settings. Most recently, he was the Director of Marketing and Sales at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey where he increased the subscription base from 13,000 to 22,000 and increased overall single ticket sales by 25%, or $2 million. Additionally, he developed successful strategies to grow new audiences, with nearly 60% of audience members now in attendance between the ages of 35-54 years of age.

Prior to his tenure at Paper Mill Playhouse, Gepner acted as the Director of Marketing and Communications at Florida Stage in West Palm Beach where he increased subscriptions by 12% in his first year, developed a social media voice, implemented telemarketing and telefunding campaigns and coordinated national press coverage. He has also acted as Marketing/PR Director at San Diego Repertory Theatre, Marketing Director at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, Massachusetts, and Marketing Director at Portland Stage Company in Portland, Maine. He has also consulted with a number of theaters nationwide with a focus on developing successful, forward-thinking and sustainable subscription campaigns.

The nonprofit 5th Avenue Theatre is acclaimed as one of the nation's leading musical theater companies and is especially renowned for its production and development of new works. Since 2001, the Seattle-based company has produced 17 new musicals. To date, nine (including the sensational hit Disney's Aladdin) have moved on to Broadway premieres, earning a combined 15 Tony Awards, including two for Best Musical (Hairspray and Memphis). The 5th Avenue Theatre is also known for its world class, critically acclaimed productions of musicals chosen from both the contemporary canon and the Golden Age of Broadway.

Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, this exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin and Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry, this nonprofit theater company attracts an annual attendance of more than 300,000, including over 20,000 subscribers - one of the largest theater subscriptions in North America.

In addition to its main stage productions, The 5th Avenue Theatre is also committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its extensive educational outreach programs that serve over 83,000 youth each year. For more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, its season and its programs, visit www.5thavenue.org.

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