Apr 04, 2022 Music

[00:00:07]

OH,

[CALL TO ORDER]

SO THIS IS THE APRIL MEETING OF THE AUSTIN MUSIC COMMISSION.

AND WE HAVE JUST HAD SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST AND WE HAVE HAD HONK.

AND SO I THINK SEVERAL OF US HAVE BEEN BUSY AND EVERYBODY'S A LITTLE BIT TIRED, BUT ALSO EXCITED TO BE BACK IN PERSON DOING THINGS.

UM, YEAH, SO WE'RE COMING INTO APRIL, I THINK IN ARE IN A REALLY EXCITING PLACE.

UM, SO, UH, SPEAKING OF PEOPLE DOING MUSICAL THINGS, WE

[MUSICAL PERFORMANCE]

AND THIS IS PATRICE PIKE'S QUICK.

AND I'LL LET PATRICE TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT JOHN EVERYBODY.

UH, IT WAS HARD TO TRY TO EDIT DOWN JOHN'S INFORMATION CAUSE HE HAS SUCH A, AN INCREDIBLE STORY.

SO I'M JUST GOING TO GO FOR IT.

UH, JOHN'S MUSIC AREA'S LISTENERS ON AN ARTFUL JOURNEY THROUGH HIS REMARKABLE LIFE, WHICH BEGAN IN A SMALL SUBURBAN SLUM AND KAMPALA UGANDA.

YOU FIRST FELT THE GRAVITATIONAL POLE OF THE CREATIVE LIFE AS A SMALL BOY SITTING IN HIS LEAKY ROOF, TWO ROOM HOUSE AND MATTOON GO WITH NO RUNNING WATER.

ELECTRICITY BEGAN TO DREAM UP STORIES AND SONGS.

AS HE LISTENED TO CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN HIS PARENTS AND SISTERS LATE AT NIGHT, STARING AT THE SIMPLE BEAUTY OF THE MOONLIGHT THROUGH CRACKS IN THE ROOF.

WHEN HE STARTED SCHOOL, HE FOUND HIMSELF GETTING INTO TROUBLE OFTEN FOR RETURNING HOME LATE IN THE EVENING BECAUSE HE STAYED BEHIND TO LISTEN TO THE SCHOOL BAND PLAY.

HE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CO-MINGLING OF TRUMPETS DRUMS AND TROMBONES.

WHEN HE WAS INVITED BY THE BAND MASTER TO JOIN, HE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY PICKED UP TRUMPET BY EAR AND QUICKLY BECAME ONE OF THE GROUP'S BEST PLAYERS WITHOUT LEARNING TO READ MUSIC.

JOHN WENT THROUGH HIS CHILDHOOD, DISCOVERING A PASSION FOR SINGING AND PLAYING GUITAR AMONG OTHER INSTRUMENTS, AND EVENTUALLY BRINGING HIS OWN SONGS TO LIGHT.

DURING THIS PERIOD OF SELF STUDY, JOHN COMMITTED TO BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN.

JOHN LEFT UGANDA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE IN 2017 AND BEGAN TO SING SIX DAYS A WEEK ON A CRUISE SHIP THAT TRAVELED BETWEEN FLORIDA, THE BAHAMAS AND SOUTH AMERICA, EARNING AWARDS FROM THE COMPANY FOR HIS OUTSTANDING ARTISTRY AND ESTABLISHING HIMSELF AS A LEADER ON BOARD, EXCITED BY THE PROMISE OF A REJUVENATED LIFE IN THE U S THEY LOOKED FOR WAYS TO STAY IN THE COUNTRY, BEYOND HIS CONTRACT TO CONTINUE TO BUILD HIS MUSIC CAREER.

HE FOUND CONNECTIONS WITH OLD FRIENDS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.

WHEN HE CAME TO PLAY AT A BENEFIT PERFORMANCE FOR CASA.

MARIANELLA A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES SHELTER AND LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO IMMIGRANTS.

GRANTED ASYLUM NOW BASED IN AUSTIN, JOHN HAS FOUND A STRONG CREATIVE COMMUNITY TO NURTURE HIS POWERFUL TALENT AND ALL AROUND ARTISTS WHOSE TALENT REACHES BEYOND THE WORLD OF MUSIC.

JOHN HAS A DEGREE IN INDUSTRIAL ART AND DESIGN, AND AS WELL-VERSED IN AFRICAN DESIGN JEWELRY-MAKING AND MOSAICS, WHICH ADD A VISUAL DIMENSION TO HIS SONGS, HE HAS ALSO CONTINUED TO DEVOTE TIME TO CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS IN BOTH UGANDA AND THE U S WORKING WITH NONPROFITS AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE EDUCATION, FOOD, CLOTHING, AND SUPPORT TO THOSE IN NEED FASCINATED BY LIFE, SMALL BUT EXTRAORDINARY MOMENTS AND THE COMPELLING HUMAN STORIES THAT INSPIRE HIS OWN SONGS.

JOHN IS DRIVEN BY HIS MISSION TO BRING HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD AND SUPPORT OTHERS WHO ARE LOOKING TO FIND A NURTURING AND INCLUSIVE PLACE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THE LARGER WORLD.

JOHN IS CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF SOME VERY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS THAT I'M NOT AT LIBERTY TO ANNOUNCE AT THIS TIME, BUT CONGRATULATIONS, JOHN.

AND NOW PLEASE ENJOY JOHN LUKE, BUT WE ARE LIVE HERE AT ARLAND STUDIOS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS WITH JOHN .

JOHN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, MAN.

THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING ME.

YEAH, DUDE, LISTENING TO YOU WARM UP AND SOUNDCHECK HAS BEEN A DELIGHT AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE YOUR MUSIC WITH OUR AUDIENCE.

WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FOUR SONGS TODAY.

THREE OF THEM ARE FROM THE FORTHCOMING DEBUT RECORD, WHICH COMES OUT SOMEWHERE AROUND SPRING OF 2022.

AND WE'RE GOING TO HEAR ONE THAT YOU'VE JUST, JUST RECENTLY WRITTEN HOT OFF THE PRESSES.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE DOING FIRST, TODAY? I'M GOING TO DO A SONG CALLED ONE YOU LOVE.

AND IT'S A VERY SPECIAL SONG TO ME THAT AS LISTENING TO A FRIEND'S RELATIONSHIP AND IT'S REALLY INSPIRED ME.

SO I CAME UP WITH THIS SONG.

SO

[00:05:17]

MY LOVE, THESE FACTS.

WELL SET THAT YOU, UH, THE WOMAN FOR ME, YOU WILL SEE THE CONTACT, ALL YOUR PAIN.

UM, WELL, I GUESS GOES TO THIS ONE WILL BE THE ONE YOU TWO, THIS ONE WILL BE THE ONE YOU LOVE.

YOU'VE GOT THE ROCK DOZE ROD FROM MY HEART.

MY DEAR.

I CONTACT ALL YOUR PAIN.

WELL WELL, JESUS, WON'T BE THE ONE TO THIS ONE WILL BE THE ONE.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT, MAN.

UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR MUSIC WITH US.

THIS IS, I FELT LIKE THIS ENTIRE WEEK HAS BEEN A TOTAL DELIGHT FOR US.

I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU'RE HERE RIGHT NOW.

UM, WE'VE, UH, WE'VE BOOKED A PRETTY INTERNATIONAL LINEUP AND I KNOW YOU'RE HERE IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW, BUT YOU STARTED STARTED LIFE IN KAMPALA AND UGANDA.

AND UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PLAYING THIS THE LINEUP THE DAY AFTER THE MONGOLIAN FELLOWS CAME IN AND PLAYED SOME MONGOLIAN THROAT SINGING METAL.

SO IT'S JUST, IT FEELS A LOT LIKE THE GLOBAL SOCIETY THAT THE INTERNET HAS PROMISED US.

AND IT'S TOTALLY, THAT WAS SO GREAT.

THAT WAS THE EXTRAORDINARY PICK.

THANK YOU, PATRICE.

AND I DEFINITELY WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GO FIND THE REST OF THAT VIDEO AND WATCH THAT ENTIRE INTERVIEW.

I'M SURE IT'S A REALLY EXCELLENT, SO THAT WAS OUR PICK FROM DISTRICT NINE, KATHY TOWBOATS DISTRICT BEING RE-UPPED ON THE COMMISSION BY PATRICE PIKE.

SO NEXT MONTH WE'RE UM, GRAHAM, THE MAYOR'S POINTY.

IT'LL BE YOUR PICK.

SO GRAHAM CAN PICK FROM THE CITY.

WHOOPS.

SO LOTS OF, LOTS OF CHOICES THERE.

UM, COMMISSIONER ROSENTHAL NEXT MONTH.

OH, ACTUALLY.

OH, DISTRICT 10.

OH, SORRY.

SORRY.

COUNCIL, WOMAN ALTAR.

I FORGOT ABOUT YOU FOR A SEC.

OKAY.

SO YEAH.

THANK YOU, STEPHANIE, FOR, UH, KEEPING US IN LINE ON THAT.

UM, SO

[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]

[00:10:01]

DO WE HAVE ANYBODY THAT CALLED IN? DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT? OKAY, AWESOME.

WELL, I, UH, I HAVE SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO COMMUNICATE, UM, WHICH IS THE, THIS IS, UM, STAFF LIAISON, STEPHANIE BACARAS LAST MUSIC COMMISSION MEETING.

WE WILL MISS HER A LOT.

SHE, UH, HAS A TON OF COOL STUFF GOING ON IN HER LIFE, UM, INCLUDING LEADING BITTY, BITTY BHANDA AND THEN ALSO SHE HAS A NEW GIG, UM, COMING UP.

THAT'S REALLY COOL.

I DON'T KNOW IF CAN I SAY, OKAY, SHE IS GOING TO BE JOINING, UH, THE STAFF AT WATERLOO GREENWAY, A HANDFUL HELPING WITH PROGRAMMING.

AND I KNOW SHE'S JUST GOING TO DO AN AMAZING JOB, SO THAT IS PERFECT FOR HER.

AND THAT IS LUCKY FOR ALL OF US IN AUSTIN, EXCEPT FOR THE MUSIC COMMISSION AND STAFF.

CAUSE WE, WE REALLY RELY ON OUR STAFF TO, I MEAN, THEY DO A TON BEHIND THE SCENES, SO WE WILL MISS HER A BUNCH.

UH, BUT I HAVE A FEELING WE'LL BE IN TOUCH CAUSE YOU'RE STILL DOING COOL STUFF FOR THE CITY.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

SO HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK OVER THE MINUTES FROM THE LAST MEETING, A MOTION TO APPROVE.

I, UH, I GO QUICK.

YEAH, I THINK IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I SEEN IT.

I MAYBE I'M TRIPPING CAUSE I GOT A BABY BRAND.

SO THIS, THIS IS ALSO POSSIBLE, BUT UM, I THOUGHT WE RECOMMENDED AND VOTED TO, UH, MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY ABOUT, UH, THE FUNDING, THE APPLICATIONS AT THE LAST MEETING WE HAD THE VOTE.

CORRECT.

WE, I, WE DID SEND UP A RECOMMENDATION TO INCREASE DISASTER RELIEF.

YEAH.

SO KIM'S GOING TO JUMP IN AND CLARIFY AS FAR AS YEAH.

OH GOOD.

MY MIKE'S WORKING.

UM, SO YEAH, I CAN EXPLAIN, UH, THERE WAS ONE RECOMMENDATION THAT WENT UP AND THAT WAS FOR THE MUSICIAN, UH, UM, FEE FOR THE, THE CITY, UM, MUSICIAN, UM, PAY.

AND THE OTHER ONE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WASN'T, UH, THE, THE MOTION WAS MADE WITHOUT THERE BEING AN AGENDA ITEM ATTACHED TO THAT.

AND SO WE COULDN'T GO FORWARD WITH SENDING THAT UP, BUT IT'S ON THE AGENDA THIS TIME.

SO WE CAN, IF YOU CAN MOVE THAT MOTION UP TO THIS THIS MONTH AND THEN WE CAN DO IT, BUT WE COULDN'T ATTACH IT TO AN AGENDA ITEM.

IT WAS DEALING WITH A DIFFERENT POT OF MONEY THAN WHAT THE AGENDA ITEM ON THE BUDGET WAS TALKING ABOUT.

SO IT DIDN'T FIT.

IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN'T MAKE MOTIONS ON, UH, ON ITEMS THAT AREN'T ON THE AGENDA.

SO WE'LL, WE CAN ENTERTAIN IT ON THIS ONE.

SO WE'LL DO IT UNDER OLD BUSINESS FOR BUDGET KIM, IS THAT WHAT WE'LL DO THE OFFICIAL? UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE AUSTIN MUSIC DISASTER RELIEF IN PARTICULAR.

UH, AND SO THERE IS AN ITEM THAT'S AUSTIN MUSIC, DISASTER RELIEF IN OLD BUSINESS.

WELL, LET'S SEE, IT'D BE ITEM 10 NEW BUSINESS ACTUALLY.

I'M SORRY.

YES.

THANK YOU.

NEW BUSINESS.

AND THAT WOULD BE BEAT THREE BEAT.

RIGHT.

OKAY, AWESOME.

SO YES, WE WILL CIRCLE BACK TO THAT, BUT YEAH, THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT THING THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO.

WE DOT ALL OUR I'S AND CROSS OUR T'S ON THAT ONE.

UH, SO OTHER THAN THAT, UH, ARE WE GOOD TO MOVE AHEAD TO MOTION? TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, SO WE NEED A SECOND.

OKAY.

SO WE HAVE A SECOND.

OKAY.

I THINK COMMISSIONER METTA CHARLA ONE THAT RICE.

UH, OKAY.

SO EVERYBODY IN FAVOR.

OKAY.

I THINK THAT IS ALL OF US.

OKAY, GREAT.

SO THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED.

[2. STAFF BRIEFINGS]

AND I JUST HEARD THE OUT ON THE WAY OVER HERE ON KCI.

SO GO AHEAD.

IS CASEY, DO YOU WANT EVERYBODY TO HEAR ME? WE CAN.

YEAH.

OKAY.

UM, FINALLY, UH, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT FINALLY ABLE TO UNMUTE, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE THE HOST IS KEEPING ME NEAR THAT THE WHOLE TIME.

SO TIM, IS MY PRESENTATION AVAILABLE THERE OR SHOULD I SHARE MY SCREEN OR WHAT COULD YOU SHARE YOUR SCREEN? OKAY.

I'LL DO THAT.

IT'S A DIFFERENT LAYOUT THAT I'M USED TO.

HERE'S MY OPTION FOR SHARING

[00:15:01]

SAW IT A MINUTE AGO.

SURE.

ALL RIGHT.

LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU GUYS CAN SEE THAT.

OKAY.

WE'RE GOING TO SAY IT NOW.

OKAY.

SO THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM WAS JUST LAUNCHED VERY NEW PROGRAM.

IT IS, UH, FUNDED IT, IT WAS, UH, CREATED BOTH OR, UH, PUT TOGETHER BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.

IT IS FUNDED BY ARPA MONEY, THE AMERICAN, UH, I'M SORRY, IT'S FUNDED THROUGH ARPA.

UH, PART OF THE CITY'S ALLOCATION OF ARCA FUNDS, THE MS. AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, AND IT IS APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

SO THE INTENT IS TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO THREE CATEGORIES, UH, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, NONPROFITS AND GREATER PROFESSIONALS, UH, EXPERIENCING HARDSHIPS CREATED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

BASICALLY THE OVERVIEW WOULD BE THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, HAS CREATED PARTNERSHIPS.

WE'RE CALLING THEM OUR NAVIGATORS, OUR COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND I'LL HAVE A LIST OF THEM A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN IN THE PRESENTATION AND A CLIENT.

WE, WE WENT THROUGH A MARKETING CAMPAIGN WHERE WE, UH, AND I'LL COVER MARKETING IN A MINUTE TOO, UM, WHERE WE DID A LOT ABOUT REACH, UH, AND HOPEFULLY GOT SOME WORD OF MOUTH OUT THERE FOR THIS PROGRAM.

SO PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THOSE CATEGORIES CAN SEEK ASSISTANCE THROUGH OUR PORTAL SYSTEM, WHICH IS, UH, BASICALLY OUR, THE CITY'S APPLICATION SYSTEM, UM, AND BE CONNECTED FOR SERVICES WITH, UH, WITH SOME OF OUR PARTNERS, UH, WHOEVER THEY THINK, UH, MOST FITS THEIR NEEDS.

SO IT'S NON IT.

IT'S NO COST ASSISTANCE FROM THESE NAVIGATOR PARTNERS.

UM, IT'LL INCLUDE ONE-ON-ONE COACHING DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, UH, WHETHER IT'S, UH, EXPANDING BUSINESS OR RECOVERING FROM, UH, EVENTS OR HARDSHIPS THAT YOU'VE EXPERIENCED.

UH, THIS CAN INCLUDE COACHING.

THIS CAN INCLUDE VIRTUAL CLASSES AND A BIG PART OF IT IS ALSO, UH, HELPING, UH, COMPLETE OR, UH, HELPING CLIENTS APPLY FOR ADDITIONAL GRANTS ARE MONIES THAT COULD BE OUT THERE.

UM, LET ME SEE TO BE ELIGIBLE.

UM, YOU HAVE TO BE IN OUR, UH, MSA AREA, WHICH IS THE FIVE COUNTIES, UH, TRAVIS HAYS CALDWELL, BEST DROP IN WILLIAMSON.

LET'S SEE.

I KIND OF EXPLAINED HOW IT WORKS.

LIKE I SAID, BASICALLY WE HAVE PARTNERS, UH, CLIENTS WILL THROUGH ONE OF OUR OUTREACH, UH, HOPEFULLY CONNECT ONTO OUR WEBSITE.

UM, YOU CAN SEARCH FOR THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS PROGRAM OR REFER ANYBODY TO IT THROUGH OUR AUSTIN, TEXAS, UH, AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV WEBSITE, JUST COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS AS A SEARCH.

AND IT WILL BRING UP SOME INFORMATION, UH, AT THAT WEBSITE.

UM, YOU CAN ASK FOR ASSISTANCE CREATING AN APPLICATION, OR I'M SORRY, CREATING AN ACCOUNT AT PORTAL.

UM, ONE OF OUR PARTNERS WILL FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON HELPING CLIENTS THAT ARE HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING LOGGED IN OR CREATING ACCOUNTS OR FILLING OUT AN APPLICATION ONCE YOU'RE THERE.

UH, THE APPLICATION PROCESS WILL TAKE INFORMATION INTO ACCOUNT LIKE, UH, WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS YOU ARE, UH, AND IT WILL, UH, TAKE, AND YOU'LL ALSO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE A NARRATIVE ABOUT THE TYPE OF ASSISTANCE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.

YOU CAN, UH, LIKE I SAID, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH ANY OF OUR NAVIGATORS, HERE'S OUR LIST OF NAVIGATORS RIGHT HERE.

IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH ANY OF THESE, UM, THERE'S SOME THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH.

YOU CAN SELECT THROUGH YOUR APPLICATION THERE AT THE PORTAL SYSTEM.

UM, I WANT TO WORK WITH MISSION CAPITOL, OR I WANT TO WORK WITH, UH, ARA AUSTIN REVITALIZATION, OR IF YOU DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THESE PARTNERS, YOU CAN JUST GIVE US YOUR NARRATIVE AND EXPLAIN WHAT YOUR NEEDS ARE.

AND WE HAVE, UH, PERSONNEL THAT ARE GOING IN EVERY DAY AND HELPING IDENTIFY THESE UNSELECTED OR UN-DESIGNATED APPLICATIONS AND GUIDING THEM TO, UH, TO A, A PARTNER THAT CAN HELP THEM.

WE HAVE A CROSSWALK SYSTEM THAT WAS BUILT, UM, THAT HELPS, UH, EACH OF OUR, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S THREE TYPES OF CLIENTS, SMALL BUSINESS NON-PROFITS AND GREATER PROFESSIONALS.

AND THEN THERE'S DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASSISTANTS IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, ALSO CLASSES, UH, APPLICATION ASSISTANCE, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO WITH THIS CROSSWALK, UM, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'RE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT EACH OF THESE PARTNERS IS, UH, PROVIDING FOR SYSTEMS AND WHICH I HAVE A CLIENT THEY'RE ASSISTING.

SOME ARE ASSISTING ONLY SMALL BUSINESS.

SOME ARE ASSISTING ALL THREE TYPES.

SO WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF GUIDE THEM TO SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT.

IF SOMEONE WERE TO COME IN AND THEY PUT DOWN, I'M A CREATIVE MUSICIAN, A SMALL BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, I'M A INDEPENDENT BUSINESS PERSON, A MUSICIAN I NEED HELP APPLYING FOR GRANTS.

THERE'S, UH, SOME OF OUR PARTNERS THAT ARE DOING

[00:20:01]

UM, WE'D BE ABLE TO GUIDE THEM TO HAM, FOR INSTANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME GUIDANCE THERE.

LIKE I SAID, AT THE APPLICATION POINT, THE INDIVIDUAL CAN SPECIFY ONE OR IF NOT, WE WILL HELP THEM IDENTIFY WHEN THROUGH, UM, THROUGH THE NARRATIVE THAT THEY WROTE IN THEIR APPLICATION.

OFFICIALLY WE LAUNCHED ON MARCH 23RD AT 10:00 AM.

WE HAD A SERIES OF OUTREACH AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, UH, EVERYTHING FROM THE AUSTIN NEWSLETTER THROUGH, UH, EMAILS TO STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE THOUGHT WERE BEING, UH, UH, INVOLVED, UH, DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

I KNOW LAST WEEK OF OUR, UH, ONE OF MY PARTNERS HERE AT CITY, UH, MARLA, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON TO, UH, WE'LL GIVE YOU SOME TO DO SOME PAID PROGRAMMING.

SO WE'VE, THEY'VE TRIED TO MIX IT UP AS FAR AS THE, UH, THE EFFORTS FOR THEM AT THE WEBSITE.

LIKE I SAID, IF THEY WANT, IF A CLIENT YOUNG KNOW, SOMEONE THAT YOU CAN REFER AND YOU GET THEM TO OUR WEBSITE AT OUR WEBSITE, THERE SHOULD BE SOME MORE BASIC PROGRAM INFORMATION.

SOME IF IT CUES, UM, THERE'S EVEN A, HOW TO VIDEO FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE TRYING TO CREATE THEIR FIRST PORTAL APPLICATION ACCOUNT.

WE WILL HAVE ONGOING EFFORTS FOR THIS.

UM, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE POSTING IN THE NEWSLETTER.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE WITH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS, AND THERE'LL STILL BE ADDITIONAL MEDIA BUYS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WHERE WE'RE STILL TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE GOING, UM, AND KEEP INTEREST IN THIS PROGRAM.

WE HAVE HAD A PRETTY GOOD START.

WE HAD PROBABLY ABOUT 150 IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS, UM, ON THE FIRST WEEK AND A HALF, I SHOULD SAY, UH, THAT ACTUALLY, I MEAN, THAT GOT ONTO THE WEBSITE, UH, ABOUT HALF OF THOSE ALREADY, UH, RECOGNIZE OUR PARTNERS AND TO PUT SPECIFIC PARTNERS AND THE OTHER HALF WE'VE HELPED GUIDE THEM AND DO REFERRALS FOR THOSE WHO WERE IN DESIGNATED INTO A PARTNERS THAT WE THINK CAN HELP, UH, START TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS.

AND THAT IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM.

SO WHAT QUESTIONS DO WE HAVE OUT THERE? MY FIRST PROGRAM IS EXPECTED TO RUN FOR A FEW MONTHS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS OR NEXT FEW MONTHS UNTIL FUNDING RUNS OUT.

AND, UM, WHAT ELSE? AND WE DO HAVE, LIKE I SAID, ONE OF OUR PARTNERS IS ACTUALLY DESIGNATED TO BE OUR TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR CLIENTS THAT ARE HAVING PROBLEMS LOGGING IN OR CREATING ACCOUNTS, OR HAVE, UH, TECHNICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM.

AND THEY ALSO HAPPEN TO BE OUR MARKETING PARTNER AND ALSO THE ONES THAT ARE HELPING WITH THE MARKETING AND OUTREACH PORTION.

SO LET ME GO AHEAD AND DROP DOWN SO I CAN SEE YOUR QUESTIONS.

I CAN'T SEE FROM THIS SCREEN.

ALL RIGHT.

GO AHEAD WITH YOUR QUESTIONS.

OKAY.

THANK YOU, CASEY.

UM, I HAVE A QUESTION.

SO WHAT IS THE TOTAL PROGRAM BUDGET FOR THIS? THE ENTIRE THING WAS $500,000 OF APPLE PHONES.

WE SPLIT EVENLY BETWEEN OUR PARTNERS.

OKAY.

AND THERE WAS, I THINK THERE WERE LIKE EIGHT, EIGHT PARTNERS.

IS THAT RIGHT? HERE'S EIGHT.

THEY'RE DOING THAT KIND OF WORK.

UM, WE HAVE, UH, ONE THAT'S DOING SPECIFICALLY JUST MARKETING OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

AND THEN, UM, AND THAT'S ALL WE HAVE ACTIVE AT THIS POINT.

SO NINE, IF YOU COUNT OUR MARKETING.

OKAY, COOL.

AND HOW DID Y'ALL DETERMINE WHICH, WHAT SERVICES WOULD BE NEEDED IN THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT, WHICH I KNOW THERE WAS AN APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE NAVIGATORS FOR THE PROVIDERS, BUT YEAH, I'D JUST LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU DETERMINED WHAT IS NEEDED.

YEAH.

I'M GOING TO RE I JOINED THE, UH, THIS TEAM, THIS TEAM A LITTLE BIT AFTER INCEPTION OR NOT A LITTLE AFTER, QUITE A BIT AFTER DAVID GRAY WAS LEADING THIS PROGRAM AND HE'S ON MATERNITY LEAVE.

UM, BUT I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE CONTRACTING PORTION OF IT, BUT DONALD JACKSON SHOULD BE ONLINE.

AND I KNOW THAT HE CAN ANSWER THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH.

CAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF THOUGHT AND A LOT OF WORK THAT WENT INTO SELECTING THE, THE CLIENT BASE AND THE SERVICES PROVIDED DONALD, ARE YOU THERE? YEAH.

GOOD EVENING.

UH, THIS IS DONALD JACKSON.

UM, YES.

UH, SO, SO PARTLY THIS PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED IN SOME OF ITS PARAMETERS IN TERMS OF LIKE WHAT PROJECT OR WHAT NEEDS WOULD BE FULFILLED FOR THE COMMUNITY, UH, FROM COUNCIL DIRECTION.

THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, UH, THERE, THERE WAS STRONG DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL TO BASICALLY CREATE THIS PROGRAM WITH OUR FUNDING, TO FOCUS ON A COUPLE OF THE THINGS, ESPECIALLY HELPING A COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, AND, UH, SMALL BUSINESS IN CREATIVE SECTORS, ACCESS, EXISTING FUNDS THAT WERE AVAILABLE THROUGH THROUGH PROGRAMS, UM, AT THE TIME FEDERALLY AS WELL.

UH, AT THIS POINT SORT OF MORE LOOKING AT KIND OF LOCAL FOR LOCAL FUNDS IN THE FUTURE.

UM, AS WELL AS JUST PROVIDING TRAINING

[00:25:01]

UM, AND THE, THE SCOPE OF WHAT THAT CAN BE IS FAIRLY BROAD.

UM, AS THIS CASE, HE SAID, WE HAVE, UH, EIGHT DIFFERENT PROVIDERS, UH, THAT ARE DOING DIFFERENT TYPES OF WORK.

AND WE, UH, OUT AN OPEN SOLICITATION WANTING TO GET A LARGE, UH, A LARGE GROUP OF NAVIGATORS AND JUST KINDA RE REVIEWED THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WHEN WE HAVE LIKE HIGH QUALITY APPLICANTS AND THEN WHICH, WHICH WE CERTAINLY DID.

AND THEN, UH, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS A BREADTH THAT COULD SPEAK TO THE COMMUNITY NEEDS IN TERMS OF DIFFERENT SECTORS AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF SERVICES.

SO AMONG THE NAVIGATORS, THERE'S, THERE'S PRETTY MUCH A BROAD RANGE OF POTENTIAL SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES THEY CAN DO FOR FOLKS.

YEAH.

SO I THINK A LOT OF US RECOGNIZE HAM ON THE LIST AND WITH FAMILIAR WITH THE SERVICES THEY OFFER.

CAN YOU, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT ELSE IS OFFERED THROUGH THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, OR I KNOW THAT CASEY WENT THROUGH SOME OF THAT TOO, BUT, UH, IF YOU COULD EXPAND ON THAT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OTHER SERVICES THAT ARE OFFERED.

YEAH.

LIKE, OR JUST GIVE US, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY'S APPLIED YET, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT SOMEBODY MIGHT SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF ENTITY AND WHAT MIGHT COME THROUGH THE PROGRAM, UH, ASKING FOR SERVICES AND WHAT SERVICES THEY MIGHT RECEIVE.

SURE.

THING.

YEAH.

WE'VE, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF FOLKS WHO'VE SIGNED UP SO FAR.

UM, AND A LOT OF, UH, INDIVIDUALS IN SMALL BUSINESSES AND, UM, WELL, SMALL BUSINESSES OF VARIOUS TYPES, ALSO, UM, CREATIVES AND DIFFERENT, UH, ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS AND ASKED ME FOR A VARIETY OF THINGS, UH, SUPPORT AND APPLYING FOR GRANTS AND OTHER TYPES OF FUNDING, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, UH, SUPPORTIVE, A LOT OF SUPPORT IN BUSINESS PLANNING AND LONG-TERM BUSINESS PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.

UM, A LOT OF, UH, UH, ESPECIALLY WHERE YOU SEE A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES OF DIFFERENT TYPES COMING AT THE COVID PERIOD AND TRYING TO, UH, PRIOR TO, UH, BE IN LIKE A RECOVERY PHASE, THAT'S REQUIRING A LOT OF BUSINESSES TO THINK ABOUT, UM, NEW WAYS OF DOING THEIR WORK.

AND SO WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF INQUIRIES AROUND THINGS LIKE MARKETING SUPPORT OR STRATEGIC PLANNING SUPPORT, UM, JUST KIND OF A PRETTY, A PRETTY WIDE ARRAY OF, UH, COACHING AND TRAINING, UH, QUESTIONS.

AND SO ADD TO WHAT DONALD HAD THERE.

DONALD SAID THERE, UH, THE WAY I IDENTIFIED A LITTLE WHILE AGO WAS IT FOR THE CLIENTS WE HAD BROKEN THEM INTO, OR THEY'D IDENTIFIED THREE GROUPS WITH SMALL BUSINESS NON-PROFITS AND CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS FOR THE ASSISTANCE PORTION.

THEY ALSO DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS, A CATEGORY, ONE WAS ONE-ON-ONE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CATEGORY TWO WAS A TECHNICAL OR COHORT CLASSES.

AND THEN THREE WAS APPLICATION OF SYSTEMS FOR GRANTS.

SO LIKE DONALD WAS DESCRIBING THOSE THAT DEPENDING ON HOW THEY'RE RECEIVING THEM, WHETHER THEY'RE ONE-ON-ONE COACHING ABOUT SPECIFIC SUBJECTS, UH, LIKE HE SAID, OR IF THEY'RE, UH, CLASSES THAT ARE, UH, THAT THEY CAN ATTEND THAT FALLS UNDER CATEGORIES TO THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UH, COHORT CLASSES.

UH, BUT THAT'S HOW WE HAD THOSE DIVIDED, UM, ONE-ON-ONE TECHNICAL COACHING AND ASSISTANCE CLASSES, UH, WHICH ARE MOSTLY ONLINE AND THEN APPLICATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR THE, AND THEN AS DONALD MENTIONED, A FEW EXAMPLES UNDER EACH OF THE FIRST TWO CATEGORIES.

OKAY.

I JUST WANTED TO POP IN, OH, GO AHEAD, ERICA.

YEAH.

SO NOVIA IS GOING TO FOLLOW UP AFTER, AFTER YOU GO ERICA.

SURE.

SO ERIC HAS FAMILY MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT, GIN MANAGER, UM, WHERE IT SAYS SMALL BUSINESSES, MUSIC, INDIVIDUALS, LIKE MUSICIANS CAN ALSO APPLY TO THOSE NAVIGATORS.

A LOT OF TIMES MUSICIANS ARE, UM, THE AB TECH, SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU UBER WHEN THEY COULD BE AN LLC.

SO YES.

UH, JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW, YOU'RE VERY QUIET.

IF YOU CAN LOOK INTO THAT, MAYBE TURN UP YOUR INPUT OR SOMETHING.

THANK YOU.

UM, ALL RIGHT HERE, WHY DON'T YOU GO TO SYNOVIA? SHE MAY COVER MY PLANTS.

YOU'RE LOUDER NOW.

THANK YOU.

OH, I DID NOTHING.

SO JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT LIKE A LOT OF MUSICIANS REPORT INCOME ON THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, ONE OF THE SERVICES THAT ARE OFFERED TO SMALL BUSINESSES RATHER THAN JUST CREATIVES COULD BE HELPING TO FORM AN LLC FOR YOUR BAND OR FOR YOUR SOLO WORK, SO THAT, UM, YOU'RE USING A BUSINESS ID NUMBER INSTEAD OF YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

SO EVEN THOUGH IT SAYS SMALL BUSINESSES AND THEN CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS, UM, CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS CAN GO GET SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT.

SO WE'RE GETTING THE WORD OUT TO EVERYONE TO PLEASE APPLY TO THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE YOU MAY NOT REALIZE THERE ARE

[00:30:01]

SO NIVEA ERICA, STILL NOVI, HAUTE, REV, DIRECTOR, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY, EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK THIS IS FOR YOU AND YOU HAVE SOME CHALLENGES APPLY BECAUSE THAT'S WHY COUNCIL WANTED IT SO BROAD THAT IF THERE'S SOMETHING, A GRANT YOU SAW OUT IN THE, ON THE WEB AND YOU WANT HELP TO APPLY, PUT THAT IN THE PORTAL.

AND SO WE CAN NAVIGATE THAT BECAUSE EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT EXPERTISE ON THE 10, THAT, UH, NAVIGATORS THAT WE HAVE, WE WORK WITH OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY TOO.

SO, UH, WE'RE NOT THE END, ALL THE BE ALL.

WE DEFINITELY HAVE OTHER PARTNERS.

SO I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE, IF YOU HAVE A CHALLENGE OR A QUESTION, ASK US IN THE PORTAL SO THAT WE CAN PARTNER, UH, MATCH YOU UP WITH THE APPROPRIATE THIRD PARTY OR COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR.

AND THEN I'LL JUST ADD THAT ONCE YOU'RE IN THE PORTAL SYSTEM, NOT ONLY ARE YOU AVAILABLE THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO YOU, BUT THEN YOU'RE KIND OF REGISTERED FOR ANY PROGRAM THAT EDD, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WOULD OFFER.

SO IT'S A GREAT WAY TO GET PREPARED FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AND FOR OTHER PROGRAMS COMING UP.

IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM? LAUREN, GO AHEAD.

UM, THIS IS REALLY GREAT.

UM, AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY SO THAT I CAN SHARE AROUND THE COMMUNITY.

SO SAY I WAS, UM, WELL, I AM A PROFESSIONAL FULL-TIME WORKING MUSICIAN AND SAY I WANTED TO, I WASN'T SURE EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO ASK FOR HELP ABOUT.

AND I JUST KNEW THAT I, I WANTED TO, I WANTED TO GET SOME, YOU KNOW, BUSINESS ADVICE ON WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DIRECT MY ENERGY, UM, OR WHAT'S THE BEST, WHAT'S THE BEST, UH, NEXT STEPS FOR ME TO GROW.

UM, AS A, AS A SMALL BUSINESS, WOULD I BE ABLE TO JUST APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM AND THEN MAYBE CONNECT WITH SOMEONE WHO COULD, EVEN IF I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I NEEDED HELP WITH, WHO COULD MAYBE THEN, UH, POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND, AND GIVE ME SOME, UH, SOME CLARITY ON LIKE GOOD NEXT STEPS TO TAKE WITH MY CAREER.

CAUSE I, I F I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, IN SOME WAYS MYSELF AND MY COLLEAGUES, UH, FEEL THAT WE MIGHT BENEFIT FROM SOME DIRECTION IN THAT WAY OF JUST LIKE, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS TO, TO GROW? UM, IS THAT, IS THAT, DO I UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY? IS THAT KINDA WHAT THE, YES, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE HOPING IS EVERYONE JUST TO GET, UH, APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM.

THEY MAY KNOW, YOU MAY KNOW WHAT YOU WANT, THAT YOU NEED HELP WITH THE FORMING AN LLC, OR YOU NEED MARKETING HELP.

YOU MAY NOT KNOW WHAT THE HELP, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU.

AND YOU'RE JUST STARTING OUT TO FIGURE OUT HOW, HOW CAN I PROFESSIONALIZE MY CAREER? AND SO LET'S DONALD HAD MENTIONED, AND CASEY HAD MENTIONED, UM, THIS GET, YOU KNOW, APPLY, THERE'LL BE A SERIES OF QUESTIONS.

SOMEONE WILL BE ASSIGNED TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AND THEN TO REFER YOU TO ONE OR SEVERAL COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS TO HELP YOU OUT.

VERY COOL.

I WILL DEFINITELY BE SPREADING THE WORD.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

SO, UM, THIS FUNDING IS, YOU SAID THERE'S $500,000, UM, IS THAT THAT'S TO PAY, UM, THE, THE, UH, ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND, UH, THAT THIS, THE PAID ORGANIZATIONS, RIGHT? CAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING ON THE, I'M JUST READING.

IT SAYS, UM, APPLY UNTIL ALL FUNDING IS EXHAUSTED.

SO W WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? AND LIKE, HOW, HOW COULD THE MONEY BE EXHAUSTED, OR WHAT WAS, IS IT IT'S TO PAY FOR THE SERVICES IT'LL PAY FOR THE PARTNERS THAT PROVIDE CLASSES, IT'LL PAY FOR THEM TO ATTEND THOSE FOR FREE, UM, IT'LL PAY FOR THE ONE-ON-ONE COACHING, UM, IT'S TO PAY THE PROVIDERS TO HELP, UH, THE CLIENTS THAT ARE ASKING FOR THIS HELP BECAUSE OF THE PROVIDERS AREN'T GETTING LIKE A LUMP SUM, AND THEN THEY JUST HELP PEOPLE, OR IS IT, IS IT EVERY TIME THEY HELP PEOPLE THEY'RE GETTING PAID OR HOW'S THAT WE'VE DESIGNED THE CONTRACTS AROUND THEM HELP QUINN.

SO THEY'RE BEING PAID EITHER BY THE HOUR OR BY THE CLIENT OR BY THE CLASS.

SO THEY ARE PROVIDING THE HELP.

SO THEY HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY FUNDING YET.

THEY'RE GETTING FUNDING AS THEY HELP.

EXACTLY.

YOU'RE CORRECT.

OKAY.

YEAH, GO AHEAD, CHRIS COMMISSIONER.

SO HOW, HOW WAS THAT DETERMINED? I MEAN, UM, WHEN I, WHEN I LOOK AT SOMETHING, I

[00:35:01]

UH, ALSO IT CAN BE DETERMINED ON THE QUALITY OF WHAT THE, WHAT THE RESULTS ARE FROM THE WORK THEY'RE PUTTING INTO IT.

HOW IS THERE, IS THERE A GREAT SCALE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WITH THAT? BECAUSE SOMEBODY COULD PUT IN A LOT OF WORK INTO SOMETHING, BUT IF IT'S NOT GENERATING A POSITIVE INCOME, AS FAR AS HELPING OUR ARTISTS AND OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR LOCAL MUSIC, MUSIC COMMUNITY, I TRY TO, YOU KNOW, I GUESS FOR MYSELF AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, I ALWAYS GO, THINGS HAVE TO BE JUDGED IN A CERTAIN POINT.

DOES ANY AS YOUR PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE, I UNDERSTAND WHEN THESE ARE PARTNERS THAT WE DO SOME OF THESE PARTNERS AT ALL, BUT SOME OF THESE, WE HAVE A PAST WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM WITH THE TYPE OF SERVICES THAT THEY DO, A SUCCESSFUL, THE ONES THAT ARE REPEATED HERE THAT HAVE HAD OTHER CONTRACTS, UM, WERE SUCCESSFUL CONTRACTS FOR SIMILAR TYPES OF SERVICES.

AND THERE WAS A, A LONG APPLICATION PROCESS AS FAR AS SELECTING THE PARTNERS THAT WE DID.

SO WE DID OUR BEST AND OUR DUE DILIGENCE TO TRY TO SELECT PARTNERS.

WE FELT, UH, COULD PROVIDE WHAT THEY WERE PROMISING.

SO TO SAY, UH, SUCCESSFULLY, UH, BASED ON, UM, LIKE I SAID, THE SELECTION PROCESS AND IN PAST HISTORY, IF THAT WAS RELEVANT.

AND OTHER THAN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WILL BE MONITORING THEM, UH, AS THESE GO.

IN OTHER WORDS, IF SOME, ONE OF MY PARTNERS WAS TO SAY, OH, WE HELP 50 PEOPLE THIS WEEK, OR THIS MONTH, UM, THEY ARE IN THE PORTAL SYSTEM, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE NOTES DOCUMENT, UH, WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT THE CLIENT RECEIVED AND SUCH.

UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD BE REVIEWING DR.

MYSELF BEFORE ISSUING ANY PAYMENTS TO THESE PARTNERS.

UM, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THESE ARE GOOD FAITH CONTRACTS.

LIKE I SAID, THESE ARE PROFESSIONALS THAT WE, UH, DEEMED, UH, UH, ELIGIBLE FOR THESE SERVICES, UH, AS FAR AS PROVIDING THEM.

AND WE DO HAVE SOME HISTORY ON WHICH SOME OF THESE PARTNERS ALREADY, AND THEN IT'S PAY AS YOU GO, LIKE YOU SAID, UM, WE WOULD PROBABLY WORK WITH A FEW OF THE CLIENTS AND, YOU KNOW, GET SOME, UH, FEEDBACK AS FAR AS HOW WE FEEL, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY FELT ABOUT THE SERVICES THEY RECEIVED AS FAR AS, UH, BENEFICIAL AND SUCH, EVERYTHING YOU MENTIONED.

UM, SO TO SAY THESE AREN'T JUST BLIND PAYMENTS, RIGHT? AND I WILL SAY THAT IN THE PAST, UM, SMALL BUSINESS HAS DONE THIS BEFORE.

SO THEY'VE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH CLIENTS WHO MAY COME IN START SERVICES AND THEY SAY, I'LL BE BACK TIRE KICKERS.

SO WE HAVE THE EXPERIENCE IN THAT, AND WE WILL ADJUST AND WORK WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO, IT'S A LIMITED AMOUNT OF FUNDS AND WE WANT TO BE EFFICIENT WITH THOSE.

SO IT WOULD BE A TWO WAY EVALUATION SO THAT WE WANT TO GET RID OF ANYBODY, BUT WE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GET PUT IT THIS WAY, IF YOU GET GIVEN HOMEWORK AND WE ASKED YOU TO COME BACK TWO OR THREE TIMES, AND YOU HAVEN'T DONE IT, THEN THAT'S A FLAG.

RIGHT.

AND SO HOW LONG AS A TEACHER, DO WE KEEP GOING BACK? THIS IS AN EXAMPLE.

SO WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THAT.

UM, I'M JUST CURIOUS.

SO ARE THOSE CONTRACTS, ARE THOSE, IS THAT, UH, ARE THIS CITY LIKE PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, LIKE THERE ON THE WEB, THERE SHOULD BE ON THE WEAPON NOW.

UM, AND AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM, WILL THERE BE, I MEAN, IT WOULD BE GREAT.

I THINK THE PROGRAM STARTED MARCH 23RD.

WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO LIKE, HEAR BACK ON SEPTEMBER AT OUR SEPTEMBER MEETING? LIKE YEAH.

HAVE A REVIEW.

CAUSE I DO THINK CHRIS HAS GOT A GOOD POINT OF JUST, YOU KNOW, EVALUATING AND SEEING YOU, WHAT, WHAT WAS THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT AND WE, AND WE'RE GETTING BETTER EACH PROGRAM ON MINING THE DATA.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR IT FROM SOMEONE.

SO EVERY ITERATION WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE BETTER.

OKAY.

AWESOME.

WELL, I WILL SAY TO LAUREN'S POINT, AND I JUST, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE MORE PEOPLE APPLY AND ASK FOR SERVICES, THE MORE ROBUST THE PROGRAM CAN BE.

UM, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET THE WORD OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND JUST SAY, EVEN IF YOU'RE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED SOMETHING FOR YOUR CAREER, AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN SURE WHAT THAT IS, OR YOU'RE NOT EVEN SURE, SOMETHING THEY OFFER, JUST ASK.

UM, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT THIS IS A REALLY GOOD WAY TO GIVE OUR, UM, MUSIC AND CREATIVE COMMUNITIES AND SUPPORT, BUT YOU KNOW, THE CITY, WE WON'T ALWAYS KNOW LIKE WHAT'S NEEDED UNTIL IT'S ASKED FOR.

UM, SO YEAH, IT WAS EXCITING.

UH, HOPEFULLY, MAYBE IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE PROGRAM IS REALLY SUCCESSFUL.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN CONTINUE WITHOUT, WE WON'T HAVE THE ARPA FUNDING FOR IT, BUT MAYBE THERE'LL BE ANOTHER, UM, POCKET OF MONEY THAT SOME CHANGE IN THE CALCULATIONS THAT WE CAN USE TO FUND THIS IN FUTURE YEARS.

OKAY.

DID ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A QUESTION OR, UH, WE DO HAVE A PRETTY BIG AGENDA, SO WE'RE GOOD.

WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT THING.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, CASEY AND DONALD, UH, FOR JOINING US TO EXPLAIN THE PROGRAM.

OKAY.

SO WE'LL MOVE ON

[3A. Discussion and Possible Action on Austin Convention Center renovation, expansion and music industry role following presentation by Katy Zamesnik, Chief Administration Officer, Austin Convention Center.]

[00:40:01]

IT'S THE BEST NEC CHIEF ADMINISTRATION OFFICER AT THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER.

SO HOPEFULLY KATIE'S KATIE DIDN'T.

I WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE MEETING TONIGHT.

OH, OKAY.

THAT IS TOO BAD.

OKAY.

WELL, I KNOW THAT THE, AGAIN, WE MENTIONED THIS, UH, PREVIOUSLY THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SOME OTHER COMMISSIONS ARE DISCUSSING AND IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW WHAT THE TIMELINE IS AND THE PLAN, ESPECIALLY POST COVID WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED A LOT.

UM, AND JUST ALSO WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE FOR HOW, UM, HELP THIS EXPANSION CAN, YOU KNOW, HAVE, UM, A MUSIC FOCUS.

CAUSE I THINK THAT THAT IS WHY PEOPLE COME TO OUR TOWN.

AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE LIKE A VERY COOL THING FOR A CONVENTION CENTER, BUT ALSO THERE'S A BIG PRICE TAG TO CONSIDER.

AND ALSO OUR FUNDING COMES FROM THAT EXPANSION.

SO THIS IS REALLY, UM, IMPORTANT TO MUSIC.

SO WE WILL, HOPEFULLY KATIE CAN JOIN US NEXT TIME AND MAY, AND THEN WE CAN, UM, LISTEN TO HER PRESENTATION AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.

SO THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM

[3B. Discussion and Possible Action on Austin Music Disaster Relief following presentation by Casey Smith, Strategic Planning Manager, Economic Development Department.]

I'M THE OTHER CASEY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

NICE TO TALK TO YOU ALL TODAY.

UM, I, I BELIEVE I AM HERE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THE OUTCOMES OF THE AUSTIN MUSIC, DISASTER RELIEF.

YEAH.

YEAH.

YOU'RE SUPER SOFT.

CASEY, DO YOU, CAN YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE MAGIC THING IS, BUT YEAH, YOU'RE PUSHING THE FLEX BUTTON.

IS THAT ANY BETTER? THAT'S BETTER.

THANK YOU.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

UM, YEAH, SO I'M HERE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT, GO INTO DETAIL ON THE DASHBOARD, WHICH IS THE OUTCOMES FROM THE AUSTIN MUSIC DISASTER RELIEF GRANT THAT WE WE'VE PRODUCED EARLIER THIS YEAR.

UM, BUT BIG, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE LOOKING THROUGH, UM, THE OUTCOMES, WE SAW THAT 72% OF APPLICANTS EITHER HEARD ABOUT THIS PROGRAM FROM WORD OF MOUTH, WHICH I BELIEVE HAS A LOT TO DO WITH Y'ALL OR THROUGH OUR EMAIL OR NEWSLETTER.

UM, SO GREAT JOB GETTING THE WORD OUT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, I'M GOING TO SHARE MY SCREEN.

I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU A BUNCH OF STUFF.

I'M LIKE PICTURES AND DASHBOARDS.

IT'S MY LOVE LANGUAGE.

UM, SO I'M GOING TO SHARE SOME STUFF WITH YOU, BUT FIRST, BEFORE I SHOW YOU ANYTHING JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE HAD SO MANY ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS TO THIS PROGRAM.

UM, IT WAS PRETTY DEVASTATING TO NOT BE ABLE TO FUND EVERYBODY WHERE WE WOULD HAVE NEEDED ABOUT $5.6 MILLION TO FUND EVERYONE WHO IS ELIGIBLE.

UM, AND AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD 2.3 MILLION TO DISTRIBUTE.

SO I, I ALSO WATCHED THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING.

SO I, MY HEART STRINGS HURT TOO.

UM, AFTER HEARING SOME OF THE FEEDBACK, BUT LET ME START WITH WHAT WE DO, HOW WE TRIED TO BUILD THE PROGRAM.

I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH THE APPLICATION ITSELF AND WHAT THAT, HOW THAT TURNED OUT ON THE DASHBOARD.

UM, BUT JUST STARTING WITH KIND OF THE UNIVERSE OF, OF, UH, CREATIVES WE WERE TRYING TO WORK WITH WHEN I GET TO, I HAVE A LOT OF TABS OPEN AND LISTEN TO SEE IF THERE'S SOME WORK.

AND I WANTED TO POINT Y'ALL TO A, UM, A DATA SET THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT.

THIS IS MY JOB AS A STRATEGIC PLANNING MANAGER IS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR DEPARTMENT, UM, BASICALLY DOES WHAT WE SAY WE WILL DO REGARDING OUR, OUR CITY OF AUSTIN, STRATEGIC DIRECTION, 2023 PLAN.

AND THIS IS ONE OF OUR METRICS THAT WE'RE MONITORING FOR OUR CITY.

AND THIS IS AROUND THE CREATIVE EARNINGS OR THE MEDIAN EARNINGS FOR THE CREATIVE SECTOR IN AUSTIN.

SO WE SCROLL DOWN.

SO, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE UNIVERSE OF CREATIVES.

AND IN THIS CASE, IN THIS PROGRAM, WE'RE TRYING TO REALLY REACH THIS MUSICIANS AND SENIORS CATEGORY.

OF COURSE, THE PROGRAM WAS ALSO OPEN TO INDEPENDENT PROMOTERS MUSIC, INDUSTRY WORKERS, UM, AND OF COURSE MUSICIANS, BUT THIS IS GIVES YOU A SENSE OF HOW BIG, HOW BIG OUR POOL WAS.

AND JUST FOR FURTHER BACKGROUND WHERE THIS DATA COMES FROM, THIS COMES FROM A PROPRIETARY SOURCE CALLED CREATIVE VITALITY SUITE, WHICH WE PAY FOR AS A CITY.

UM, BUT THEY GET THEIR DATA EVEN DEEPER FROM THE UNITED STATES, BLS BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS AND THE CENSUS DATA.

SO THEY PUT IT TOGETHER, GIVES US A SENSE OF, FOR THE CREATIVE SECTOR IN PARTICULAR, WHO IS

[00:45:01]

THIS IS KIND OF THE BEST WE CAN GET OUR HANDS ON AT THE MOMENT.

UM, BUT IT, THAT TOTALS ABOUT 5,173 PEOPLE THAT ARE MUSICIANS IN SENIORS IN AUSTIN.

SO THAT'S, THAT IS WHO WE WERE TRYING TO REACH.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DASHBOARD, WHICH I HOPE YOU'VE ALL SEEN, AND IF YOU NEED LINKS TO ANY OF THIS INFORMATION, JUST LET ME KNOW WHEN WE CAN GET IT TO YOU.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DASHBOARD, YOU CAN SEE WE HAD 3000, THIS BIG SQUARE RIGHT HERE, 3012 APPLICANTS, WHICH IS ABOUT 42% OF THE MUSICIAN POPULATION.

SO I THINK WE DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB REACHING INTO COMMUNITY FOR A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM.

I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DID, UM, TO GET THE WORD OUT.

SO LET'S NOW GO TO YOU.

I'LL SHOW YOU THIS PAGE REALLY QUICK, THE NEXT PAGE HERE.

UM, AND WE'LL GO INTO MORE DETAIL IN A SECOND, BUT JUST TO GET A SENSE OF, YOU LOOKED AT THIS AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE QUESTIONS WERE, UM, YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING, WELL, WHAT DOES A BANK HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING? WHAT DOES INCOME HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, HER HEALTHCARE.

BUT WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO IS REALLY UNDERSTAND AUSTINITES, UM, THAT ARE IN THE MOST NEED AND WHO ARE REALLY STRUGGLING IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO WE ASK QUESTIONS TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NEED IS.

UM, SO I'LL GO TO OUR PORTAL AND THIS IS, UH, WE'RE IN THE PRETEND THE LAND OF THE APPLICATION PORTAL.

THE APPLICATION IS NOT ACTUALLY OPEN RIGHT NOW, AS YOU KNOW, IT'S CLOSED, CLOSED A LONG TIME AGO, BUT I WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT THE QUESTIONS WERE.

SO REMEMBER I TOLD YOU 72% OF APPLICANTS AND TOLD US THEY HEARD ABOUT IT THROUGH EMAIL AND WORD OF MOUTH THAT'S BECAUSE THEY CHECKED OFF THESE BOXES.

AND THAT'S HOW WE CAME UP WITH THAT FIGURE OF HOW PEOPLE HEARD ABOUT US.

AND WE ASKED THAT QUESTION FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR APPLICATIONS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH OUR PORTAL.