Darryl T. Bey
Impresario • Consultant • Producer • Curator
Darryl T. Bey
As the founder, co-founder and leader of several musical societies, as an active participant in numerous nonprofit civic organizations, as a professional impresario and as an independent businessman, I have acquired decades of successful experience in management, marketing and development. These skills and experience include:
• Development and execution of numerous marketing, advertising and public relations campaigns in support of performing arts programs and events.
• Representative and negotiator with artists’ agents, publicists, managers and organizations to book and promote live performances.
• Identifying primary and secondary audiences for events and programs and developing cost-effective targeted marketing campaigns to reach them using the appropriate tools and methods, such as direct mail, email blasts, telemarketing, news releases and media advertising.
• Making presentations to municipal government bodies, civic organizations, clubs, news conferences and other public forums.
• Print interviews and appearances on broadcast media to discuss and promote programs and events.
• Strategic creative direction, production coordination and distribution supervision of print and electronic collateral design.
• Development, scheduling and distribution of news releases, public service announcements and performance interviews.
• Evaluation and reporting of results of promotional activities to directors and members of performing arts societies.
• Recruitment and leadership of volunteer assistance in promoting programs and staging events.
• Building cooperation and coordination among various performing arts and educational organizations.
• Developing policies, responding to inquiries regarding performances, promotions and related issues.
• Annual planning of performing arts societies’ programs, promotions and activities.
• Database building and management of membership, media, email telephone and facsimile lists.
• Soliciting and negotiating corporate sponsorships for programs and events.
• Planning, direction and reporting of surveys and studies on public perceptions and issues regarding performing arts organizations and programming.
ORGANIZATIONAL, MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP CREDENTIALS
• Co-founder of the Northeast Ohio Jazz Society, 1978.
• Founder and President of the Birmingham Metro Jazz Institute, 1988.
• Co-founder of the Fort Pierce Jazz Society, 1996; served as president until 2006 and Executive Director until 2007. Under my leadership, the Jazz Society has contributed to the rebirth of downtown Fort Pierce by promoting and staging musical entertainment that has attracted area residents to visit downtown and patronize local businesses. Jazz Society events, performances and sponsorships I’ve created include:
• Weekly Jazz Jams.
• Fort Pierce Jazz Ensemble. (which took second place in a national competition in Washington, D.C. that was televised by the BET channel’s “Jazz Discovery” program in 1998)
• Members Night Out, held at various downtown establishments to highlight and increase patronage of their businesses.
• Annual Jazz Cruise (aboard the Spirit of St. Joseph) Indian River State College Student Music Workshops with nationally known artists.
• Annual trip to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for 9 years consecutively.
• Brown Bag Lunch Concerts at the downtown branch of the St. Lucie County Library.
• Jazz Art Exhibition series at Backus Art Gallery, the Lafrandre Gallery and other Treasure Coast galleries and studios.
• Presenting Jazz Concert Series, which has included the American Wind Symphony.
• Music Scholarship Program, which raises and awards college scholarship funds for deserving area music students.
• Annual Jazz Week & Tribute to Jazz Masters, which includes concerts, musical education and workshops with internationally known artists such as The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Freddy Cole, T.S. Monk, Ramsey Lewis, Ira Sullivan, Little Ed and The Blues Imperials, The Bill Porter Orchestra, David (Fathead) Newman, David Sanborn, Guitar Shorty, Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, Joey DeFrancesco, Melton Mustafa, Zac Harmon, Ana Popovic and Wynton Marsalis.
ADDITIONAL ART, CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT CREDENTIALS
• September 2015 – 2020 Operations and Programming Manager for the Historic Sunset Lounge in West Palm Beach, Florida.
• Worked with the Executive Director of the St Lucie County
Cultural Arts Council on the Zora Neal Human Festival Project as entertainment chairperson.
• Host Committee entertainment chairman for Project Amistad held in Fort Pierce Florida from December 6th – 15th, 2001.
• Organized Annual trip to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for 9 consecutive years.
• Produced Brown Bag Lunch Concerts at the downtown branch of the St. Lucie County Library.
• Organized Jazz Art Exhibition series at Backus Art Gallery, the Lafrandre Gallery, and other Treasure Coast galleries and studios.
• Curated Annual Jazz Week & Tribute to Jazz Masters, which Includes concerts, musical education, and workshops with internationally known
artists such as The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Freddy Cole, T.S. Monk, Ramsey Lewis, Ira Sullivan, Little Ed and The Blues imperials, The Bill Porter Orchestra, David (Fathead) Newman, David Sanborn, Guitar Shorty, Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, Joey DeFrancesco, Melton Mustafa, Zac Harmon, Ana Popovic and Wynton Marsalis.
• Musical curator and consultant for Stuart Art Fest – 2005 – 2010.
• Contributed to the success of the Fort Pierce Main Street by working with Main Street Manager Fort Pierce MRMST. to provide entertainment at Fort Pierce Friday Fest.
• Established the annual Highwaymen Art Festival.
• Participated in and provided entertainment for the annual Fort Pierce Celebrity Rib & Roast fundraiser for scholarships for deserving music students.
• Conducted research of the Duke Ellington archives at the Smithsonian Institution of American History for the proposed “Beyond Category” exhibit In Fort Pierce.
• Worked with St. Lucie County Parks and Recreation department to produce the Waterside Jazz & Blues Festival (formerly BBQ Jazz & Blues Fest).
