Crain's New York - October 1, 2012 - (Page 25)

HELLUVA TOWN INSIDE New location on the table American cities should start salivating now. The king of food fiestas, Lee Brian Schrager (below), who founded and produces the South Beach and New York City Wine & Food festivals, is adding a third metropolis to his roster. His events are wildly popular not only with foodies but also with celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Guy Fieri, who draw the crowds and sponsors such as Food Network and Bank of America that foot the bills for the nonprofit festival organizer. “I’ve been looking at a lot of cities,” said Mr. Schrager, who launched the first festival a decade ago in Miami. “I’ll be spending the next three months zooming in on a location.” Though he wasn’t specific, he did drop some hints. “I love Chicago, California and Hawaii,” he said. Mayors across the nation will want to roll out the welcome mat when they get a look at the numbers. The fifth New York festival, taking place from Oct. 11 to 14 at various venues, will attract 50,000 attendees, up from 46,000 last year, with 25% coming from out of town. It’s on target to make $6.5 million, with the net proceeds going to the Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength. A new family program, Fun and Fit, taking place at Basketball City on Pier 36, costs $22 per person, versus more than $100 per person for most events. —lisa fickenscher Source Lunch Energizing students through the arts PAGE 26 Out and About Picasso in black and white at MoMA PAGE 27 DRAMATIC ARC: Oskar Eustis wants the Public Theater to become “a communal center where you meet your friends and hang out.” Doctor is ailing The troubled new Fox TV series The Mob Doctor may soon be wearing cement shoes. It’s now No. 1 in the rankings compiled by social analytics research company General Sentiment, which tracks “online engagement” according to blogs, news stories and Twitter and Facebook mentions. But being No. 1 is a dubious distinction, as much of the chatter has been negative, said Pete Moran, CEO of General Sentiment, which just released its first weekly rankings for the new broadcast season. CBS’ new show Vegas, No. 2 on General Sentiment’s list, drew 20 million viewers its first night out, according to Nielsen. The Mob Doctor had 4 million viewers last week. Mr. Moran said networks and advertisers that subscribe to the company’s research pay close attention to social chatter to see whether a show might have legs despite low ratings. “It’ll be interesting over the next couple of weeks to see how discussions [about The Mob Doctor] either change or don’t,” he said. “If a show is getting creamed in the ratings but is getting some strong social-media engagement, it might behoove a network to be patient.” —matthew flamm Public Theater’s next stage O BY SIMI HORWITZ skar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theater, admits he enjoys fundraising and approaches his donors as if he were directing a play. ¶ “A group of people who don’t know each other show up around a table and you have to convince them to invest in the project,” he explained. “If you’re talking to actors, you’re asking them to invest their talent. If you’re talking to donors, you’re asking them to invest their wealth. You’re also convincing them that their contribution will make them happier. Research has shown that people who donate money are happier than those who don’t.” ¶ His power of persuasion was put to good use when the Public embarked on the fundraising portion of a $40 million capital campaign in 2008 to revitalize the famed East Village theater. The renovation is slated to bow Oct. 4 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a block party and open-house tours, among other events. ¶ The striking refurbishment—which includes an expanded entry with ramps for enhanced accessibility; a new mezzanine boasting a restaurant, The Library, run by celebrity chef Andrew Carmellini; and remodeled bathrooms—is more than improved See PUBLIC on Page 26 PUBLIC’S FUNDS $22M $40M For its revitalization campaign Source: Public Theater Annual operating budget October 1, 2012 | Crain’s New York Business | 25 buck ennis A $40 million revitalization is set to bow. It will make the theater more striking and inviting

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crain's New York - October 1, 2012

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
CORPORATE LADDER
FROM AROUND THE CITY
OPINION
GREG DAVID
REAL ESTATE DEALS
REPORT: SMALL BUSINESS
CLASSIFIEDS
FOR THE RECORD
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crain's New York - October 1, 2012