More than one way to work together
Start with the program. We can figure out the structure from there.
Not every public program should begin with a standard venue rental. 108 Blue Star is open to working with artists, producers, cultural organizations, independent chefs, local boutique restaurants and community partners on public-facing programs that make sense for the room and for the people they are meant to reach. Sometimes that means co-presenting. Sometimes it means a partner-hosted public program or a straightforward venue rental. Sometimes the right structure does not become clear until we have talked through the idea. You do not need to know which model applies before you contact us.
What we are interested in
Public programs with a clear reason to happen here: live music and performance; ticketed dining experiences with independent chefs and local boutique restaurants; talks, pláticas, readings and spoken word; community conversations; cultural programs and special projects; select seasonal markets; and cross-disciplinary ideas that do not fit neatly into one category. The strongest ideas usually have a clear point of view, a sense of who the audience is, and some connection to the cultural life of San Antonio.
What you may bring
The program concept. Artists, performers, speakers or culinary talent. Curatorial or creative leadership. An existing audience or community relationship. Marketing reach. Production capacity. Funding or sponsorship. Content, intellectual property or a body of work. One or more of these — not all of them.
What 108 Blue Star may contribute
Depending on the project and the structure: venue access, ticketing or box office support, marketing and communications, planning and event operations, production coordination, staffing, audience development, partner introductions, and financial participation or shared project costs where appropriate. Not every project includes every resource. Scope is developed case by case.
How financial structures work
There is no standard co-presenting split. Depending on the project, the structure may include a venue rental, facility allocation, ticket revenue, revenue sharing, partner funding, sponsorship, shared production expenses, an agreed venue contribution or another model. We look at the full project before deciding what is workable. A culturally aligned idea is not automatically a free or discounted venue rental, and a commercial rental does not become a co-presentation simply because it is open to the public.
What happens after you submit
We review the project for programming fit, timing and the kind of relationship it may require. If there appears to be a path forward, we follow up with focused questions or schedule a conversation. For a public-event rental, we move into venue pricing and an event estimate. For a co-presented project, we develop the scope, responsibilities and preliminary project economics together. A date is not reserved and neither party is committed until the applicable agreement is completed.
The Programming Inquiry is designed to give us enough information to evaluate fit without asking you to arrive with a finished production plan. If the project advances, we use that same information to build the venue estimate or program P&L — you should not have to start the intake process over. 108 Blue Star is operated by Nadine M. Fonseca and Tennasyn Moody in partnership with the Blue Star Arts Complex owner.
