If you've seen a show, visited a museum, bought a ticket to an immersive exhibit, or rode a downtown tour bus, you might know about them because of Carol Fox.
"I studied ballet my entire life, for more 20 years. I always loved the performing arts. That's all I wanted to do, "she recalled.
When she hung up her pointe shoes, she decided to pursue arts management and worked for familiar venues like Ravinia, Hubbard Street Dance and Performing Arts Chicago.
"I worked at Ravinia for a season, I did the box office, worked behind the scenes, set up the tents all that stuff. Many years later, I was at the ribbon cutting at the new Harris Theater and I told a few people I was looking for other projects."
Fox says her own company began kind of accidentally in her home with the help of two of her friends.
"I worked out of my house, I would sit on the floor in my basement and I'd fold and mail press releases. I had three initial clients. The Dance Center of Columbia College, Ballet Chicago and Chicago Opera Theater." she smiled. "There was no intent of starting a business initially. It was very casual. It was just, I love doing this and it was something to do."
30 years later, she employees 30 people and her dozens of clients read like the whose who of performing arts.
"Already knowing people in the industry helped, its about connecting people. That's what I bring to the table. We started in marketing and PR, then advertising, then group sales for arts organizations, we started doing galas and special events and then we branched out to social media and influencers."
Fox says public relations has definitely changed over the years. The role of social media and influencers have revolutionized how they get the word out to the world.
"The world has so changed, but the social, influencer, digital space is where most things are happening. The challenge is staying at the forefront of all of this. Before, don't forget, it was a traditional medium, everyone knew who the critics were and it was a small pool of people. Now, you really have to get the influencers and social media involved."
She says unlike most industries, the pandemic actually helped them double in size-client wise. A new exhibit called Immersive Van Gogh changed the game and eventually expanded her reach across the country and North America.
"There were five producers who were bringing Immersive Van Gogh to the U.S. I knew of a realtor who we brought on board so Chicago was the first venue. We ended up doing 22 cities. These exhibits like "Friends" and "Prince" are like museums, where you could walk through and not touch anyone. Circles were on the floor and everyone were six feet apart. They continue to expand the themes and its reach," she said. "Immersive is not going away."
From Blue Man Group, to the Chicago Air and Water Show, to the Chicago International Film Festival to the Chicago Dogs baseball team, Fox says arts and culture, hospitality and tourism are the lifeblood of any community and public relations will always be necessary to keep audiences engaged and attending.
"It's still a challenge to get traditional audiences in getting them to the theaters like we used to. It's my passion and my love but if you look around, it's older audiences. Immersive continues to bring in younger audiences but I worry about the traditional arts community."
CF&A has been honored as one of the Top 100 PR Agencies in the U.S. by The PR Net. Fox also co-founded See Chicago Dance, where she served as President for 12 years. She most recently received The Lifetime Achievement Award from The Publicity Club of Chicago this past summer.