For a PDF version of this press release, click here.
Tweet It!
NEWS: @KimmelCenter announces NEW roles for two senior leaders, focused on #audiencedevelopment #growth and #diversity. More info @ kimmelcenter.org
Press Contact:
Lauren Woodard
215-790-5835
lwoodard@kimmelcenter.org
KIMMEL CENTER ANNOUNCES NEW ROLES
FOR TWO SENIOR LEADERS,
FOCUSED ON CENTER’S CONTINUED DIVERSITY INITIATIVES AND
LONG-TERM GROWTH STRATEGY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, Updated March 13, 2019) –– The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is proud to announce that Ed Cambron will add the responsibility of Chief Operating Officer to his current role as Executive Vice President (EVP). As Chief Operating Officer and EVP, Cambron will continue oversight of Kimmel’s key operating segments with a focus on its new program development pipeline and the continued progress of the Center’s strategic plan. He will continue to report to Anne Ewers, President & CEO. Similarly, the Kimmel Center is pleased to announce that Crystal Brewe has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications. In this role, Brewe will continue to report to Ed Cambron.
Cambron joined Kimmel Center, Inc. in 2009 as the Executive Director of the inaugural Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), having previously been a key member of The Philadelphia Orchestra's senior management for over 20 years. With increasing responsibilities in his role at the Kimmel Center, he was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2012 and Executive Vice President in 2014. In these roles, his responsibilities included oversight of the Center’s programming and marketing, communications, education department, and ticketing operations.
Crystal Brewe joined Kimmel Center, Inc. in 2014 as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and has spearheaded initiatives related to audience growth, partnership development, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and technology. She is the founding staff Chair of the Kimmel Center’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and will continue her integral role in building the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus brand and digital transformation.
“On behalf of our entire Kimmel Center staff, I offer heartfelt congratulations to both Ed and Crystal regarding their well-deserved promotions,” said Anne Ewers, President and CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “Both have been instrumental partners to me in shaping the direction of our institution. Focusing on leadership and integration of our Cultural Campus’ esteemed Resident Companies and of the sum of our many parts, they share a focus on the needs and interests of our diverse community. They have been pivotal in guiding our growth and R&D initiatives as we continue to shape our institution into a destination for our region.”
Also commenting on the new roles, Teresa Bryce Bazemore, Kimmel Center, Inc. Board Chair said, “Our entire Board is delighted that the Kimmel Center is moving forward with this team, leaders dedicated to serving in and improving Philadelphia’s cultural landscape – propelling our Cultural Campus into the future. These promotions reflect both Ed and Crystal’s responsibilities in the development and implementation of our strategy and vision in aligning our efforts under our other strong division leaders.”
Full bios for Cambron and Brewe are below:
Ed Cambron
Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President
J. Edward Cambron has more than 30 years of experience in arts management. On August 1, 2012, he was appointed to the role of Executive Vice President for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts where he oversees all aspects of Programming, Marketing, Public Relations and Communications, Education, and the Center’s role with Ticket Philadelphia. Prior to this position, he served as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), a city-wide arts and cultural festival inspired by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts that launched in April 2011. This widely successful festival exceeded all goals and expectations in its inaugural year by attracting 1 million people to over 145 of Philadelphia’s arts and cultural organizations featuring 1,500 artists during its 25-days. More than 195,000 people attended a one-day street fair on South Broad Street which featured a unique performance by the French troupe, Transe Express. With Mr. Cambron at its helm, PIFA has had three other successful runs, in 2013, April 2016, and June 2018.
Prior to the Kimmel Center, he served in a leadership position with The Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) for over 20 years. He joined the Association in 1987 as subscription manager and shortly thereafter he became director of subscriber and donor services. In 1990, he became assistant director of marketing. In 1993, he founded the POA’s new patron services department and served as its director, and in 1997 he was promoted to director of marketing, with responsibility for the overall marketing of the Orchestra. He became vice president for marketing in 1999 and assumed responsibility for public relations in 2003. In 2005 The Philadelphia Orchestra Association took over management of Peter Nero and the Philly POPS® which added a second brand to Mr. Cambron’s portfolio.
During his tenure at the POA, Mr. Cambron established Ticket Philadelphia, a collaborative, revenue generating ticketing operation. He led the negotiations for this unique joint venture between The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Philadelphia Orchestra, which now serves the needs of all the Kimmel Center Resident Companies. Mr. Cambron oversaw all marketing efforts around the Orchestra’s move from the Academy of Music to The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts as well as the introduction of music director Christoph Eschenbach. He led the development of several strategic plans involving new technology and electronic media, including the plan to distribute live Orchestra content globally via Internet2.
Mr. Cambron has served on national research advisory committees for several foundations, including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Magic of Music initiative, and has been an active participant in the arts research community. He has also served on various committees of the League of American Orchestras (formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League) and has acted as marketing chairperson for the national conference.
A native of Shepherdsville, Kentucky, Mr. Cambron previously worked for the Los Angeles Theater Center and the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and in 1992 he was director of marketing for the Florida Philharmonic. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Louisville.
Crystal Brewe
Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications
Crystal Brewe serves as Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications
at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia and brings her unique background in leadership, organizational change, communication, fundraising, and technology to her daily work. Serving as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at the Kimmel Center from 2014 through 2019, Brewe significantly expanded the organization’s reach through development of strategic community engagement initiatives and partnerships and through the substantial expansion of its subscription base.
As a leader of Miami’s Arsht Center from 2008-2014, Brewe developed a nationally-recognized, comprehensive internship program that still serves as a sustainable pipeline for young professionals interested in the arts marketing and non-profit industry. In her various roles there, Brewe began the Center’s young professionals’ group- raising funds for various start up initiatives. She also developed much of the public facing brand and digital infrastructure and built key partnerships for the 11-year old multi-venue performing arts complex.
Brewe served as an advisor to the Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community study, measuring communities’ arts and culture participation and its effects on positive growth for the City by building a fertile urban culture where art, tech, and entrepreneurship intersect. Brewe also served as a Board member and advisor to multiple arts incubator programs during her tenure in Miami and was voted by Nike as one of Miami’s Most Interesting People in 2011.
Board member of the International Ticketing Association, Brewe serves as a mentor and a catalyst for innovation in the industry of arts and live entertainment. She has served as instructor at various universities including University of Miami and Hawai’i Pacific University and has been a contributing columnist to several publications. Ms. Brewe presents regularly at national conferences in the area of audience engagement, image restoration strategies, cultural tourism, and new marketing approaches in the live entertainment and non-profit industry.
With an M.A. in Communication and Organizational Change, Brewe has over fifteen years’ experience in marketing for national clients in the arts and entertainment industries; her work with cultural institutions has led to innovative projects, box office records, and benchmarks in new audience development. She carries with her an extensive background in strategic marketing and cultural tourism- having worked with organizations from various locations ranging from Honolulu to Miami. In 2004, Brewe was appointed to work with the Oahu Visitors’ Bureau on the Hawai’i Arts Season Planning Task Force, which was integrally involved in the Downtown Honolulu urban arts renewal and rebranding of Hawai’i through the lens of its rich arts and culture scene.
Brewe proudly serves on Visit Philadelphia’s Hispanic Advisory Committee, was a finalist in PR Week’s 2017 Outstanding Marketer category, is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, and a delighted mother of two children who attend the award-winning Greenfield Elementary School in Philadelphia. She and her family volunteer time outside of the Kimmel Center for the Children’s International Summer Villages (CISV).
The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region’s diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1 million guests per year and includes the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music, and the Merriam Theater- representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. We are home to eight esteemed Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially-responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region’s young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is our proud sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2018-2019 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.
For a PDF version of this press release, click here.