Terrific research, Jeff! Let me add a couple "variables" and info bits...

-Because Ladies at Play (from OK) and I (from TX) were both at C-13, we had a great turnout of dancers, and bookers from that area in Atlanta... You'll notice that Austin, Dallas, and OKC are among the best at booking Catapult talent, and the class of '13 benefitted most.

Except me, which is easy to understand--I was a familiar face who could be hired anytime, and wouldn't be a "special selling point" for any weekends there.

-The TX/OK dance groups have a friendly/competitive attitude about "booking the hot new band first", and I think that may drive booking the emerging bands a little.

-And the only way those two states can get big-name bands is to book them for weekends, and they don't want to book the same legacy bands year after year. They want freshness and variety. So maybe that drives the willingness to hire less-known bands more, too.

-Ladies at Play also played the High Tea ECD weekend 2016.

-I did have a "2nd caller" role at Fire Ant Frolic '13. And I became the featured caller at Flamingo Fling, June '13 when/where George Marshall had his heart attack, and I was asked to fill in, calling with Crowfoot that evening. So, technically, I guess I got my first weekend job quicker than any other caller after appearing at Catapult...;-)

Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield, IL

On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 2:54 PM, Jeff Kaufman <jeff@alum.swarthmore.edu> wrote:
This thread got me thinking about whether I could figure out the
effect of catapult from looking at later dance weekend bookings.  I
didn't make much progress, but people might be interested in the data:
http://www.jefftk.com/p/effect-of-catapult

On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 3:37 PM, Keith Tuxhorn via Callers
<callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> What Luke said! I answered in much the same way on a FB post to a similar
> query.
>
> I was a caller on the 2013 roster with Luke. It was one of the most
> enjoyable experiences of my life.
>
> And what Rob said! Catapult get a good amount of national attention, thanks
> to the way Rob's done it. The majority of attendees still come from the
> southeast, but increasing numbers are coming from all over.
>
> And Rob, if you need any help, get in touch, I'd be happy to.
>
> Keith Tuxhorn
> Springfield, IL
>
> On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 1:59 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers
> <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>> How many of you out there have participated in this?  What did you think
>>> of it?  I'm curious, but not sure whether I'm what they're looking for, or
>>> vice versa.  And it's a long way to travel for a short gig.
>>>
>>> Kalia
>>>
>>
>> I'll weigh in as someone who called there in 2013.
>>
>> I had a great time
>> It helped me get some other festival gigs
>> It nucleated relationships with bands
>> I've directly mentioned this to some callers who aren't on this list,
>> encouraging them to apply
>> If selected, they cover the direct cost for you to come out
>> It's a short gig, but it's also a dance festival you get to attend ~70% of
>> as a dancer with expenses paid
>> I think the process of going through the application is worthwhile in
>> helping define your own goals
>> I'm enough in favor of it that I've volunteered to help as I can for
>> future years
>> It puts you in Georgia during peach season (I think I ate half a crate
>> while I was there, fresh at the farmers market. SO good)
>>
>>
>> It got some initial buzz as a sort of America's Got Talent - Contra
>> Edition. That wasn't the vibe fore me at all. The 6 callers got together and
>> had wonderful chats about calling; both the stage craft and the
>> back-of-house stuff. I'm closer with all of them as a result. It's probably
>> one of the few opportunities for that many callers to get together and work
>> a festival together (I found it a much more collaborative and bonding
>> experience than calling at NEFFA, which doesn't cover travel costs)
>>
>> I'm happy to talk about it one-on-one if you have more specific questions.
>> I'm also happy to publicly endorse applying if you're interested.
>>
>> And like Rob, I'll also admit to being biased.
>>
>> --
>> Luke Donforth
>> Luke.Donforth@gmail.com
>>
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>>
>
>
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