Programming all year long

Business Plan Competition

Biz Savvy Artist™ Academy kicks off the submission window every August. It's open to creatives of all disciplines ready to turn their plan into a business.

1. Enter. Sign-ups open at Biz Savvy Artist™ Academy.
2. Build. Submit your business plan — key strategies, planning steps, and how you'll turn your craft into revenue.
3. Get coached. Monthly group coaching and accountability sessions run August through February, covering everything from pricing your work to managing cash flow.
4. Get selected. A panel of business and entertainment experts reviews every submission and selects finalists.
5. Win. Winners are announced during National Entrepreneurship Week (February).
6. Showcase. Finalists implement their business plan and present their creative work at Demo Day & the Arts Festival (April).

From Plan to Stage: Demo Day

Demo Day is where a business plan becomes a business. It's the culmination of a multi-month journey — starting at Biz Savvy Artist™ Academy in August and ending on stage the following spring, in front of the people who can move an artist's career forward.

Here's how it works:

1. Submit a plan through the Business Plan Competition — strategy, planning steps, and how you intend to turn the moment into revenue.
2. Train at Biz Savvy Artist™ Academy. This is where that plan takes shape, with the tools and training to build it out properly.
3. Get selected. A panel of business and entertainment experts reviews every submission and selects the artists who'll showcase their talent at Demo Day.
4. Build for the season. Selected artists spend the months between the Academy and the showcase developing and implementing their plan — supported by mentors, accountability groups, and workshops covering everything from stage presence to media interviews to pitching. At the same time, they're marketing their shows and building their audience.
5. Perform for the right room. Biz Savvy Artist™ invites guests based on each artist's specific goals — industry executives, potential sponsors, media, investors, and entertainment bankers.
6. Generate revenue. Demo Day provides the perfect opportunity for artists to sell — their artwork, merch, and more!

What the showcase looks like: music and performing arts (theater, dance, poetry), film screenings, game developer demo suites, fashion shows, book launches and readings, and visual art exhibitions — one stage for every discipline.

Pop-Up Events

In addition to Demo Day, Biz Savvy Artist™ will host pop-up events — a more compact, accessible way for creatives to perform and sell directly to an audience. Expect live performances across disciplines, plus a display and booth area where artists can sell products, merch, and original work.