Testimonials
“I want to more appropriately thank you again for all your help and superb work on our audience research! Both the surveys and the interview report have proved to be incredible resources for us. And working with you was genuinely a delight. I know Jessica very much enjoyed the collegial experience and your special regard and partnership with her. I’m so appreciative for your professionalism and kindness. It was a pleasure, Surale, and a true benefit for the Festival’s future. I would welcome the opportunity to work together again and wish you great success in the meantime.”
—Ellen Primack, Executive Director, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
“Not only did Surale do exceptional research work and take the time to help us understand the important implications, she really connected with the various organizations in our community and got to know each of them. As a result, she was able to work with our groups to drill down and identify some very specific action steps that would help each of us build our future audiences.”
—Karen Spacek, Chief Operating Officer, ArtsMemphis
“Thanks again for all of your work. By the way, when I was at the latest Irvine Foundation Grant Convening last week in Santa Barbara, you were recommended as one of the top professionals in your field. Congrats!”
—Colleen Bailey Executive Director, The National Steinbeck Center
“The one-on-one coaching [at the NAMP Conference] I did with Surale Phillips was invaluable. It was imperative that the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra learn how to collect and deliver new impact data to our united arts fund and she really helped to get us on our way. Just working with our small staff to understand the new application language was enormously helpful. She even gave us survey samples to get us started!”
—Angela M. Williamson, General Manager, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra
“I have been lucky to enlist Surale as a member of several community cultural planning teams. Her solid research skills and custom design of surveys is a great addition to the process. I value her big picture perspective combined with her ability to find practical ways to act on her findings. I truly love working with Surale.”
—Bill Bulick, CreativePlanning
“I would love to get my hands on a fresh copy of the geodemographic analysis you did in Milwaukee in 2006. The one I’ve been left with has notes scrawled all over it. I’ve used the materials extensively while working for two other arts groups in Milwaukee before coming to Skylight and find that the data is still relevant to be a good tool during our strategic planning.”
—Jennifer Samuelson, Marketing Director, Skylight Opera Theatre
“Surale has an amazing array of skills! She devised a national study for the Folk & Traditional arts field and developed a useful analysis of the findings. Although it has been several years ago now, I still refer to this data, as do many of my colleagues.”
—Amy Kitchener, Executive Director, Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Surale was a member of a team that conducted research on behalf of Junior Achievement USA to discover the internal and external landscape and opinions in designing a digital volunteer strategy for the organization. Surale’s background understanding of the digital educational environment and grounding in the research base made her an invaluable member of the team. Surale was always eager to provide responses based on data and was open to changes in the project as it evolved. I appreciated Surale’s expertise and easy-going style.
—Allison Farr, Education Manager, Junior Achievement
“The audience development work we did with Surale was the beginning of substantive and strategic collaborative marketing among our cultural organizations.
It was a contract that keeps on giving.”
—Margot H. Knight, Former President & CEO, United Arts of Central Florida
“Surale Phillips is a mastermind. She knows how to understand the marketing and decision-making of her clients, pull together comprehensive data to meet those needs, and present the often mind-blowing revelatory information to the client that is translatable to revenue-generating action. Further, Surale knows how to make data and research fun. She understands our world and is a complete joy to work with.”
—Christine Harris, (Former) President & Executive Director, Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee
“Surale is brilliant and truly a joy to work with! I’ve had the pleasure of working and collaborating with Surale for over a decade. She’s an invaluable team member, always using her expert-level market research, data analysis and presentation skills to shape and guide critical, data-driven business decisions. She’s your secret weapon! With Surale on your team, you will inevitably discover previously unidentified, usually misunderstood, information about your customers or potential donors which will forever change your organization. If you want to infuse your project with insightful, course-changing information then I highly recommend that Surale is on your team.”
—Kitch Walker, Director of Marketing for Murdoch’s Rand & Home Supply
“The information gleaned from our work with Surale has informed every department of our museum. We are operating from an informed place and that gives us confidence to grow and serve our audiences better.”
—Jenn Kennedy, Director of Marketing, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara