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Today we meet Jill Amato, an account executive with Enertex Marketing Inc. in New York. Amato brokers lists for arts, entertainment and cultural organizations nationwide. Her niche is live theater.

Prior to joining Enertex about a year and half ago, Amato worked in the marketing department at Manhattan Theatre Club, where she oversaw direct mail campaigns on the client side. She used to be a client of Enertex.

"I kind of got into the business by default. I love being a broker, but I doubt I'd love being a broker if I didn't work with performing arts organizations," says Amato.

She started off splitting her time about 50/50 between list management and list brokerage, but now she does list brokerage exclusively.

Most of the clients she works with are based in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Some of her larger clients include The Public Theater, New York City Center, New Victory Theater and the Society for Performing Arts in Houston.

"The arts are actually doing surprisingly well, considering the economy isn't doing so well," Amato says.

Given that most of her clients are smaller organizations unable to afford list rentals, the majority of her brokerage recommendations involve list exchanges.

Amato deals mainly with postal and telemarketing lists. She says demand for e-mail lists greatly outstrips the available supply in this sector. "Organizations don't like to release e-mail lists," she notes.

Besides list brokerage, Amato is also an actress when she has the opportunity. "I do a little acting, some improvisation and I direct high school plays," she says.

How much creativity is there in the list business?

Creativity is a prerequisite in the list business because brokers must constantly come up with new ideas. It's challenging because the duplication rate for names on lists of ticket buyers commonly exceeds 50%, according to Amato.

Some large organizations mail 100,000 to 200,000 pieces, which means Amato must line up lists from many sources. "I have to find lots of small lists from little theaters that may only have a list with 500 names," she adds.

What does your list research process involve?

For Amato "research" is the best part of her job. "I have to read a lot to keep up with what's going on. I need to know what new shows are opening, the choreographer, who's performing when and where, and the touring schedules," she says.

It's a plus too that she enjoys going to Broadway shows and other forms of live entertainment.

Her clients primarily want lists of ticket buyers and it's her job to find lists for audiences with affinities for certain kinds of shows, a particular singer or dancer, choreographer, etc.

Previous response reports must be analyzed to determine what has worked in the past, but each show or production requires its own individual list strategy, she says.

Know someone you'd like to suggest for Meet the Broker? E-mailJim.Emerson@Penton.com

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