The Crew

Combining decades of experience in team-building, audience-finding, and revenue-generating, the Sweibel Arts crew uses field-tested expertise and data-driven insights to help performing arts organizations elevate their marketing to new horizons.

Robert Sweibel

Founder & President

In a career spanning three decades, Robert Sweibel (he/him) has developed a reputation as one of the most respected innovators and leaders in the industry. He has generated more than $250 million in earned revenue for performing arts organizations across the United States.

Prior to establishing Sweibel Arts in 2016, Robert ran the marketing division of Roundabout Theatre Company, the nation’s largest nonprofit theater, with three Broadway and two Off-Broadway venues. Robert was instrumental in launching Roundabout’s industry-leading Rewards by Roundabout program. He reversed a nine-year decline in subscription sales and marketed eight Broadway shows that brought in record revenue of more than $75 million before, during, and after Roundabout’s enormously successful 50th-Anniversary Season.

Before Roundabout, Robert presided over five consecutive seasons of record-breaking attendance and revenue at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. As Berkeley Rep’s senior marketing officer, he conceived the marketing strategies for five Broadway-bound shows and 28 world premieres, and launched Berkeley Rep’s innovative Entourage sales program.

Over eight years with San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre, ACT rebuilt and reopened its national historic landmark theater and grew its audience to the largest in company history. Robert has also held senior positions with SFJAZZ, the Arizona Theatre Company, and North Shore Music Theatre.

Service is intrinsic to Robert’s practice. He is a frequent guest lecturer, panelist, trustee, and mentor. A long-time sailor and a proud father, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and their cat.

Simon Blint

Consultant

Simon Blint (he/him, San Francisco) is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of creating best-in-class guest experiences. He has honed his skills in assisting organizations with developing and implementing intentional, on-brand guest experience and customer service programs that enhance guest engagement while maximizing revenue. Simon's career began in box office management at UC Berkeley’s Cal Performances. He managed front-of-house operations for the art-based children’s museum ZEUM (later renamed Children’s Creativity Museum), led the admissions team at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum, and headed the visitor services department at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). At SFMOMA, he led a cross-departmental team in designing a new guest experience for a major expansion of the museum. Most recently, Simon served as a general manager for a global theme park and attractions company. Simon is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

Tracey Bonner

Consultant

Tracey Bonner (she/her, Cincinnati, OH) is an arts advocate, artistic & executive leader, arts educator, and patron engagement specialist, utilizing data-driven strategies to improve organizational goals and align these organizations to increase profit and engagement. She has spent her life in the arts from performing in Broadway and national tours, working regionally as a choreographer and director, to becoming a tenured professor and university director of dance, as well as frontline fundraising and patron engagement. Her niche is working with teams to blend the human experience and systematizing organizational data to improve revenue and interpersonal experiences. She holds a BFA from Shenandoah Conservatory and an MFA from the University of California, Irvine. Personal passions include leading communities, and individuals in providing a voice for the unheard human spirit and creating art and artistic experiences, that change us, and give us all a place to belong.

Chelsea Burns

Consultant

Chelsea Burns (she/her, Stillwater, OK) is a veteran marketer, social scientist and organizational leader dedicated to cutting-edge, data-driven strategies that are proven to align target audience needs with organizational goals. With nearly 15 years of experience in all areas of marketing, she brings extensive applied knowledge to any situation. Her ideology on marketing includes a passionate focus on the customer experience, an integrated approach organizationally and a growth-oriented focus. She has worked in higher education, performing arts, nonprofit, business coaching, SAAS startups and residential and commercial real estate to name a few industries. Chelsea earned a Master's in Applied Psychology degree from the University of Southern California and has her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media from Baker University where she graduated magna cum laude. She is a mother to two tenacious daughters and enjoys spending what little free time she has walking, fishing and playing outside with the kiddos.

Thomas Cott

Senior Consultant

Thomas Cott (he/him, New York City) is an industry thought leader with a long record of success working on staff or as a consultant for some of America’s largest arts organizations, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lincoln Center Theater and The Metropolitan Opera. During 14 seasons at Ailey and 18 seasons at LCT, he was responsible for brand management, creative direction, audience development, multi-channel marketing, ticket sales, and the production of film, TV and online programming. As a management consultant, Thomas helped with the reinvention of The Metropolitan Opera in Peter Gelb’s first season and co-produced events for the Met Opera Guild; he also developed strategic plans for New York Musical Festival, Paper Mill Playhouse and Theater Development Fund, and served twice as an interim senior staff member at New 42/New Victory Theater. He is perhaps best known for “You’ve Cott Mail,” a free digest of arts news he curated daily for about 20 years. Due to its large readership, Thomas was included repeatedly in a peer-nominated list of “The 50 Most Powerful and Influential People in the Nonprofit Arts in the U.S.”

Caitlin Howle

Consultant

Caitlin (they/she, New England) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric from Rhode Island College. They have worked in the digital marketing sphere for nearly a decade, primarily working with arts organizations and small businesses. In addition, Caitlin is a published journalist and creative writer and teaches arts marketing part-time at Dean College. Caitlin is an avid traveler with 41 states and five countries under their belt and spends their time engrossed in words, media, and their pug, Winston. They define themselves as an Oxford comma enthusiast and are currently located in Providence, RI.

Cecile Oreste

Consultant

Cecile Oreste (she/hers, Los Angeles) is a marketing consultant based in California. Prior to joining Sweibel Arts, she was the Head of Communications at the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. During her time in New York City, she worked as the Associate Director of Marketing at Signature Theatre and as the School Marketing Manager at Atlantic Theater Company. Cecile received a BS in Public Relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She earned an MBA through the Mountbatten Institute and American International College in London, England and Bangkok, Thailand. She has also completed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificates through Cornell University and the University of South Florida.

Eric Pargac

Consultant

Eric Pargac (he/him, Los Angeles) has over 20 years of arts marketing experience. He began his career as a co-founder and co-artistic director of Furious Theatre Company, named one of the “Best Theatre Companies of the Decade” by LA Weekly. There he served as Marketing Director until he moved to New York City in 2010. In New York, he became the Director of Communications and New Media for Off-Broadway’s celebrated Vineyard Theatre leading the marketing department with a keen eye on new media trends while producing high-end video and podcast content for the company. During Eric’s tenure, two Vineyard productions transferred to Broadway (The Lyons, Indecent), The Vineyard produced 9 of the top 10 best-selling productions in the company’s history, and his final season set the record for highest ticket revenue in the company’s history. He moved back to Los Angeles in 2018 to serve as the Director of Marketing and Communications at A Noise Within where he exceeded ticket and subscription sales goals and was nominated for a Los Angeles Critics Circle Award for Streaming Design during the pandemic.

Daniel Rader

Consultant

Daniel Rader (he/him, New York City) is an award-winning photographer and dedicated storyteller with over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector and beyond. As an organized and detail-oriented manager and decision-maker, Daniel has a proven track record of successfully leading teams and collaborating across departments to achieve collective goals. With a steadfast commitment to fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility, Daniel is dedicated to using storytelling as a powerful tool for positive change. He studied photojournalism at Ohio University, where he earned his degree in visual communication with a specialization in anthropology.

Amanda Rodriguez

Consultant

Amanda Rodriguez (she/her, Minneapolis) is a seasoned marketing and communications professional with over a decade of experience. Her expertise lies in institutional storytelling, community programming, and driving transformative change. With her background in social media, branding, and multichannel digital marketing, she has helped elevate the Twin Cities's most renowned companies, including the Children's Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Opera, Illusion Theater, and others. In addition to her work with Sweibel Arts, Amanda serves as a Workforce Outreach Coordinator for the State of Minnesota, where she fosters community connections and drives strategic marketing initiatives. Outside of arts marketing, Amanda is a widely recognized local nightlife event planner and wedding DJ. 

Sara Waugh

Senior Consultant

Sara Waugh (she/her, New York City) is an energetic digital marketing strategist with over fifteen years of experience in theater management and non-profit leadership. She's adept in creating compelling content, growing audiences, and leading high-performing teams. She served as the Director of Marketing & Communications for Marin Theatre Company in the SF Bay Area from 2015-2021. With Sweibel Arts, she simultaneously served as the Interim Director of Marketing & Communications for both New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, and Rhode Island's Trinity Repertory Company in 2022. Last year, she helped launch the state theatre of California, Pasadena Playhouse's 2023-2024 season, alongside their 2023 Regional Tony Award Win. She is committed to Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Anti-Racism in every aspect of her work. She holds an MBA in Marketing and an MFA in Theater Management from California State University, Long Beach (2015) and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2007).