Gearing Up for the Hottest Ticket in Sports -- Her Own: An Interview With Brisa Trinchero

Randi Zuckerberg
Mon, 30 Oct 2017 21:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

I've known Brisa Trinchero for years. Our friendship blossomed in our love for the arts, but it's come into full bloom as I've watched Brisa growing her own company from the ground up. She's a relentless worker with a big heart and an imaginative mind.

That's why I support this woman's work.
Updated: Tue Oct 31, 2017

I've known Brisa Trinchero for years. Our friendship blossomed in our love for the arts, but it's come into full bloom as I've watched Brisa growing her own company from the ground up. She's a relentless worker with a big heart and an imaginative mind.

That's why I support this woman's work.

Brisa Trinchero is the founder and CEO of ShooWin, an innovative solution to get real fans better access and better prices for the hottest events. For the past 16 years, Brisa has built a multimillion-dollar entertainment investing portfolio that includes the record-breaking iconic hit "Hamilton," as well as the Tony Award-winning "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical." Brisa's successful entrepreneurial track record has earned her two Tony Awards for Broadway producing, as well as awards for being one of the top 40 business leaders under 40.

1) You were a singer with a degree in music, got your MBA in finance and won your first Tony Award within two years of moving to New York. How did you get your Broadway start?

When I realized that I didn't have the temperament to be a performer, I pursued a business degree and discovered my passion for the business of entertainment. I got my start on Broadway in 2011 by jumping in the deep end. I quit my dream job running a theater in Portland, Oregon, moved 3,000 miles away to New York City and, almost immediately, got my first shot at co-producing on Broadway. My first show, "Bonnie & Clyde," was a flop. But I had an incredible experience and learned exactly what not to do. My second try at co-producing was "Porgy & Bess," for which I won my first Tony Award. In between, I spent months networking (this is a business built on relationships) and learning as much as I could about the business. The only way to truly learn about Broadway producing is to just go for it, so I did.

2) After a very successful 15 years of innovation in live events, you're getting into the $15 billion ticket industry with ShooWin. What was missing in sports ticketing that you saw needed a revamp?

If you've ever tried to get tickets to a hot playoff game or event, you know firsthand that it's become nearly impossible to access or afford tickets. Real fans are being locked out of the hottest tickets because the secondary market sets sky-high ticket prices and obliterates face-value access. Besides the fact that this is hugely frustrating for real fans, it's also eroding future generations of audiences. If you look around at the Super Bowl or major playoff games, you see "suits" and expense accounts. Rarely will you see true fans or families having a bucket list experience. I am passionate about building ShooWin to give real fans better access and better prices to high-demand events.

3) Having gone from Broadway to running your own business, what skills did you pick up in the world of theater that you use as an entrepreneur?

Broadway prepared me well for being a tech entrepreneur. In theater, you have to quickly learn how to be successful with tight budgets, tight timelines and a lot of creative cooks in the kitchen. Just like on Broadway, when you're building a new tech company, you have to raise a bunch of money, bring on top talent and collaborate with your team to iterate on a product that you hope consumers (audiences!) will embrace. In both Broadway and tech, you must have a strong vision but also be willing to quickly pivot and adapt. Some of my favorite show tunes were cut from my shows for the right reasons. And I have no doubt some of the features on ShooWin that we've put time and energy into building will inevitably morph or disappear.

4) What do you think are the major crossovers that should happen in tech and Broadway?

I'd love for Broadway to embrace tech, and vice versa. Due to union restrictions and basic infrastructure limitations, tech has been slow to make its way to Broadway. It's also well-known that the majority of tech entrepreneurs don't spend their free time at the theater. Luckily, there are smart folks like you, Randi, who are pioneering the bridge between the tech world and the Broadway world. I'm happy to be joining that cause. My first goal is to get Broadway shows to start using Slack. It would be a perfect fit to bring more efficient and effective communication to theater production teams.

5) How are theater and sports similar in terms of business?

There are major similarities between the sports business and the theater business. That's what has allowed me to transition from Broadway into sports so seamlessly. The two industries are actually in the same business — live entertainment. They share the same opportunities, in that they are best experienced in person and create life-changing experiences for their audiences. And they also share the same challenges — perishable inventory, high costs due to the number of people involved, and often high-risk propositions. And I must say, they are both filled with lots of drama — onstage/on-field and off!