Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Mallory.
Jason, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started Scene and Song in 2012 as a live show that showcased comedy about pop culture, specifically assigning movie trailers to performers as prompts to build their sets around. As time went on, we began to incorporate more types of performance into the show until we evolved into a full-fledged variety show.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh man — so many obstacles, haha! The biggest challenge is getting the word out there and finding a theme each show that people will respond to. We’ve had sold out shows where people were trying to sneak into the venue and we’ve done shows where only 10 people came. So, we have to be very careful about what aspect of pop culture we cover each month.
Scene and Song – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Scene and Song is first and foremost a live show production organization. As the creator and showrunner, I curate performers, coordinate tech with the venue, commission or design the event artwork, edit and post photos and videos after the show — these days, if you want to produce a local live show you have to wear nearly every hat you can think of. Fortunately, I brought on my co-producer Ellaree Yeagley in 2018. She’s been instrumental in bringing a charitable layer to the show, as well as helping to manage our finances, create custom art for the show, promotion and curation. I would say what sets us apart is our commitment to quality. We may not be the largest show in Atlanta, but quality is very important to us. We’re organized, professional and we want both the experience of the audience and the performers to be as enjoyable as possible. No aspect of the production process is done with any half-measures — we work very hard to keep the quality of every facet of the show as high as possible.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is how you the work makes you feel. Nothing is ever really finished, especially with a monthly show. All you can do is look at the process and how you feel while you’re working on it. Did it feel like a chore? Is this work making you happy? I think a lot of people tie the idea of success to happiness, and happiness is never a static emotion. I think if you treat success as an ongoing state of being with peaks and valleys, it’s a little easier to take joy in the smaller “wins” along the way and not necessarily let the defeats get to you. I also think it boils down to due diligence. As long as you take every step available to you to make quality work, then even endeavors that don’t turn out the way you think, they will still be considered a success. At a certain point, especially with live theater all you can do is set the stage and the players and hope for the best.
Pricing:
- $10 a ticket
Contact Info:
- Email: scene.missing.magazine@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scene_and_song/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scenemissingandsongmissing/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sceneandsong
Image Credit:
Ellaree Yeagley, Jason Mallory, Scene and Song
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