Member Spotlight: Megan Kingery
Megan Kingery just got back from an exhilarating trip abroad. When I met up with her, she was already back to using Croissant at some coworking spaces in midtown, mostly because her work takes her to lots of different places in the neighborhood. As a producer of theatre and musicals, I've got to say that makes a lot of sense.
Before all this, Megan was working with Blue Man Group for many years. Not only did she work on their award-winning show, but more recently started up Blue Man Group's first ever work in print, a book called BLUE MAN WORLD. The book details photographs, interviews, infographics, and other archival information about the making of Blue Man Group.
And that's not all. Megan is a co-producer on the new hit Broadway show Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. For the uninitiated, the show stars Josh Groban and is based on 70 pages of War and Peace. The theatre has been revamped to accommodate for the show's unique seating. 200 seats were added to the stage so it looks like fantastical Russian bar. There is room for actors to run and dance along the mezzanine. The show combines modern-sounding music, classical broadway, Russian folk music, and electronic music. And though she may be biased, Megan says The Great Comet is one of her favorite musical of all time.
Megan celebrating the opening of The Great Comet at Imperial Theatre.
After she wrapped up her hard work on both projects, she decided to take the big trip abroad.
The first stop was Guangzhou, China, where she headed up a project with some former colleagues to install a Halloween performance. Next, she went straight to Battambang to volunteer alongside Americans, Canadians, and Australians with Habitats for Humanity. Afterwards, she went on a 174-mile bike ride from Siem Riep to Ho Chi Minh City. Along the way, some of her favorite experiences include getting a Sak Yant tattoo (which is a traditional magical charm of protection for male Cambodian warriors), eating tarantula (which apparently tastes like a soft shelled crab), and munching on deep fried scorpions!
Biking along the Mekong Delta in Vinh Long Province.
Now that she's back in New York City, she's been working on a couple of new projects, including two early stage musicals. She has also been applying her production experience to the freelance world. She is now a branding, storytelling, and video production consultant for clients outside of the entertainment space. Megan works with clients to seek what is most interesting about the brand. She loves helping her clients find the hidden story, and is a huge advocate of using video to explain what is most difficult to market.
Her biggest advice for those new to video is to ask yourself, what is something you always have to explain to people? What is often misunderstood? Usually it's the most interesting part about what you do. Use this insight to spark people's creativities and highlight the special sauce that most people don't know about your business.
Want to talk to Megan about adventures in South East Asia, or your favorite musicals? You can find her hanging out at coworking spaces in midtown, her website, or on Instagram @megansarak.