Jamie Alexander

Director, Strategy & Insights

“I love that my brilliant colleagues at JCA help nonprofits make a difference in the world. Whether a system selection, a pricing strategy, or anything in between, our projects support the greater good of society. And that’s a good feeling.”

~ Jamie Alexander

 

As Director, Jamie Alexander leads the Strategy & Insights team in its efforts to increase revenue, boost attendance, and grow patron engagement for arts organizations around the North America. Jamie’s clients include Arizona Opera, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Oakland Museum of California, Northlight Theatre, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, SFJAZZ, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre. She is a frequently sought-after speaker, having presented for organizations and conferences such as AMMC (American Museum Membership Conference), Asociación Argentina de Empresarios/as Teatrales y Musicales, INTIX, and TLCC (Tessitura Learning Community Conference).

Before joining JCA, Jamie worked on the marketing staffs for Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where she specialized in campaign strategy, marketing analytics, and audience development.

Jamie’s previous accomplishments in the arts world include developing innovative strategies to engage new audiences. At Steppenwolf Theatre Company she was a member of a team developed to drive Millennial and Gen X engagement, and led the implementation of the highly successful Steppenwolf RED membership for twenty-somethings. Jamie was also an integral member of the team that implemented variable and dynamic pricing for the company.

Similarly, at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Jamie formed a council focused on the engagement of young professionals, managed accessibility programs, and integrated social media into the Denver Center’s regular marketing plans. She also helped launch the marketing campaign for the first touring engagement of The Book of Mormon, and originated marketing efforts for a new programming stream called Off-Center.

At the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Jamie supported a marketing team that led a complete overhaul of the Executive Education department’s website and CRM systems. She also led the re-positioning and re-branding of the department’s marketing materials, which can be seen as soon as you enter the business school’s downtown campus in Chicago.

Jamie holds and BA in Music and an MBA, both from the University of Denver. Outside of work, Jamie is a huge opera nut, an avid tango dancer, the owner of a cat named Evil, and full of Chicago pride.

 

MORE ABOUT JAMIE

Where do you work? Where are you from?

I live and work in Chicago, IL—and I’m obsessed with this city. It’s so culturally and historically rich, and the food CANNOT BE BEAT. I dare you try 🙂

I’m originally from Denver—I grew up in the south suburbs, went to school and worked in downtown Denver, and left for Chicago in my mid-twenties where I’ve lived ever since.

What do you do at JCA?

I am Director of the JCA Arts Marketing consulting team. Our team does work to help cultural organizations understand the behaviors of their audiences and create data-driven strategies to continually engage them. Our goal is to help companies find fiscal success to support their mission.

I’ve worked with several organizations around the country, and I love that this job is both analytical and creative. Using data to be creative with strategies that increase revenue and grow the audience is so much fun! And the result, which is helping our country’s arts organizations thrive, is so rewarding.

What is your background? What brought you to JCA?

My undergraduate is in vocal music, where I quickly realized that my talents could be better used to support the art from back stage. So, I went on for a business degree—an MBA from the University of Denver. From there, I worked as Audience Development Coordinator (and later Marketing Project Manager) at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts where I did a lot of community work to generate interest in theatre. I then worked as Marketing Manager at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, where I first encountered JCA Arts Marketing—on the client side!

I came to JCA because I was fascinated by the work the company does to ensure that cultural organizations are financially viable while fulfilling their mission. I first worked as senior marketing manager at JCA, developing corporate marketing strategies, and then moved over to the consulting side to go back to my arts marketing roots.

What do you do outside of JCA?

I see a lot of opera, and am becoming a bit of an “opera tourist.” Last year my big opera adventure was at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence—where I saw a wild production of Tosca and a fully-staged production of Mozart’s Requiem. This year, I’m missing opera due to the terrible COVID-19. Was very much looking forward to the Lyric Opera’s Ring Cycle which was, of course, cancelled.

I also volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and love spending time with my “little,” Janiyah. We have so much fun on our adventures around the city.

Finally, I love to dance! Tango is my main passion, and has created within me an interest in Argentine culture as well.

What is one of your favorite stories of/with a JCA client?

I’ve had the opportunity to work with three companies right here in Chicago. One is my former employer—Steppenwolf Theatre Company! It’s so fun to work with my old co-workers on pricing strategies for upcoming productions and see the results. I love being a part of the Chicago theatre community.

 

To learn more about how Jamie and her team make a difference at arts and cultural organizations, read about our arts marketing services.