About Forward Flux
Forward Flux Productions is a dynamic live arts production company devoted to presenting innovative projects that connect people with art in unexpected ways. The company challenges the boundaries of tradition by re-imagining the audience experience. Forward Flux is committed to presenting work about the right now, and striking a meaningful dialogue that stirs a lasting impression.
The company was founded in New York City in late 2010, and relocated to Seattle in 2014. Forward Flux is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – all donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Mission
Forward Flux cultivates new artistic voices and new audiences to create an accessible, sustainable, relevant future for the live arts.
We place an emphasis on presenting new work from women and artists of color, and are working to create a safe, equitable, accessible live arts experience for all.
We Believe
• Live art is essential to a healthy society. We’re on the front lines attracting new, younger audiences to ensure a sustainable future for the live arts over the long term.
• The art we present should be relevant to the world we live in today. Presenting stories that speak to the right now is key to engaging a new audience. We produce work by emerging artists, with an emphasis on female and non-white voices.
• Live art should be accessible to all. Our unique ticketing model allows multiple entry points for people of all economic backgrounds, with subsidized options being offered for all of our programs, starting at just $5.
• By presenting live art events, we are providing an opportunity not just to connect with art, but also to each other. Sparking conversation among our audience, and connecting them to each other is one of the key ways we stand out from TV, film and traditional theatre competition.
• Artists deserve to be paid a fair wage. All artists that work with Forward Flux are paid a competitive stipend for their time and talents.
• By investing in the voices of today, we are creating the master artists and classics of tomorrow.
the Team
Wesley Frugé
Founder + Producing Artistic Director
Kiki Abba
Marketing Director
Andy Buffelen
Managing Director
Emily Penick
Creative Director
Benjamin Benne
Literary Manager
Pilar O’Connell
Casting Manager
Haley Butler Bates
Associate Producer
Kiefer Harrington
Associate Producer
Shruti Swaminathan
Associate Producer
Board of Directors
Patricia Berns is a global marketing leader known for her ability to win profitable business development opportunities, lead complex marketing growth and turnaround challenges, build and inspire teams, align stakeholders and clients against a shared vision, and drive operational excellence. She has led integrated marketing services businesses (data analytics, direct, and digital) for many of the Fortune 100’s most iconic brands including Microsoft, Google, Verizon, and AT&T.
Patricia, recruited by MRM/McCann, was instrumental in shaping their strategic evolution and expanding the global footprint. In key leadership positions, she led worldwide initiatives for the agency’s largest accounts and increased profit margins. Charged with global leadership of the Microsoft account, Patricia successfully led a 400+ person team across 22 markets, launched a Production Division in Seattle which significantly drove down costs, reduced time-to-market, and increased agency productivity. In her next assignment as the Verizon lead, the relationship grew, client ratings increased, and MRM was awarded Agency of the Year.
Prior to joining MRM, Patricia consulted on business strategy and integrated marketing for technology and telecommunications companies. During her early career at AT&T she lead their US Distributor Channel including a telemarketing center, direct marketing, and retail channels.
In collaboration with business and academic leaders, Patricia has designed innovative programs to promote best practices in global strategic account management and sales & marketing.
Her thought leadership on client and agency relationships has been featured in Max-e-Marketing in the Net Future (Stan Rapp) and Agency Mania (Bruno Gralpois).
In the non-profit world, Patricia has used her marketing and networking skills for the benefit of several organizations, most notably with the film Girl Rising and with the Sustained Dialogue Institute. With Girl Rising, she worked closely with Intel to develop the campaign for bringing Girl Rising to movie theaters around the US as part of a digital (website-based) and Experiential fund-raising marketing campaign. Screenings were hosted around the US (and today are hosted around the world) to encourage organizations and communities to invite friends, educators, business organizations to host a screening to raise money for Girls’ education and empowerment.
With the Social Dialogue Institute, she partnered with with Executive Director, Amy Lazarus, to develop a 360 degree Marketing strategy and platform, including website development, to more effectively educate Universities and Business around the world on the value of using “dialogue” and “change management” as a way to overcome and resolve human conflict. This organization has grown significantly since the project launched in 2009 and today has positively transformed 240,000 Campus, Community, Business and Global relationships by leveraging the tenets of the Sustained Dialogue Institute. Read some of the stories here: http://sustaineddialogue.org/our-impact/#
Bio coming soon.
Joshua Heim is the cultural arts administrator at the City of Redmond, Washington, a local arts agency where he develops cultural plans and policies, supports nonprofits through grants, manages a public art collection, and delivers public programs. Soon he will be the Arts Program Manager at the City of Redmond. His previous work includes the Native Hawaiian Legacy Project in Honolulu, a scholarly journal of archival Hawaiian language texts, and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience in Seattle where he managed the award winning YouthCAN program, recipient of the National Youth Arts and Humanities Program Award.
Joshua is dedicated to building Washington State’s cultural community by serving on the King County 4Culture Arts Advisory Committee, King County Library Arts Advisory Committee, and the Humanities Washington Program Committee. He is also committed to expanding opportunities for artists of color nationwide. He has been a panelist for the Joyce Foundation in Chicago; an Ambassador for the Artists Up! initiative in Seattle; lectured for the Immigrants Sites of Conscience Seminar in New York; and taught museology coursework for Northwest Indian College in Bellingham. Joshua was the Washington State representative to the 2014 WESTAF Emerging Leaders of Color in the Arts Professional Development Program.
Joshua received a M.A. in Cultural Studies from the University of Washington and a B.A. from Lewis and Clark College.
Joshua is dedicated to building Washington State’s cultural community by serving on the King County 4Culture Arts Advisory Committee, King County Library Arts Advisory Committee, and the Humanities Washington Program Committee. He is also committed to expanding opportunities for artists of color nationwide. He has been a panelist for the Joyce Foundation in Chicago; an Ambassador for the Artists Up! initiative in Seattle; lectured for the Immigrants Sites of Conscience Seminar in New York; and taught museology coursework for Northwest Indian College in Bellingham. Joshua was the Washington State representative to the 2014 WESTAF Emerging Leaders of Color in the Arts Professional Development Program.
Joshua received a M.A. in Cultural Studies from the University of Washington and a B.A. from Lewis and Clark College.
Bio coming soon.
Katherine is the founding board chair for Forward Flux. She is the former managing director at williamsworks, a strategic consultancy that works with visionary individuals and organizations to help them discover and harness their unique resources to create the change they want to see in the world. Previously CEO of The Resonance Group, Katherine’s 25 years of executive and marketing experience ranges from working with scrappy, entrepreneurial start-up ventures to building global business franchises for Fortune 100 companies. Katherine currently serves on the boards of Threshold Group, IslandWood, and Conenza, Inc. Prior board roles have included serving as Chair of the Washington Technology Industry Association (formerly Washington Software Alliance), and the boards of Digital Blackboard Foundation, Coyote Central and The Learning Space. Katherine’s public service work includes appointments to the Governor’s Digital Education Taskforce, the Governor’s Advisory Council on the Internet, and two terms each on the Washington Economic Development Commission and the Washington Technology Center. She is passionate about big ideas, children and the natural world, and lives with her husband, John, in the woods that nestle the Madrona/Leschi hillsides of Seattle.
Margie has a thirty-year portfolio as an arts advocate and arts management professional. She received a BA from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington and a MFA in Theater from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She is an advisor to the International Council of African Museums based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is a Fellow at the Salzburg Global Institute in Salzburg, Austria and a long-time board member of Americans for the Arts.
Margie served a six year tenure as Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Dallas. After her time in Dallas, she relocated to Los Angeles to serve as the General Manager for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. She held that position under three Mayoral administrations. During her time in LA she developed Music LA!, which provides quality music instruction to young people throughout the city.
Margie’s expertise as a grantmaker was tapped by the Ford Foundation to advance cultural projects in West Africa. Based in Lagos, Nigeria and serving 14 West African countries, her work centered on cultural policy development and conservation of West Africa’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Following her three year service in West Africa, Margie returned to Dallas and took the position of Vice President for Programs at Big Thought. Her time was spent leveraging public and private sector resources to provide arts education experiences for children and their families. She has also contributed to countless community cultural plans as a strategic consultant for local arts agencies across the country.
Margie continues to contribute to the field of Arts Administration, and often serves as the keynote speaker at arts conferences around the globe. She is a faculty member for leadership programs organized by the National Guild for Community Arts Education and the Western States Arts Federation. In addition, she is an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas and at Goucher College in their graduate schools of arts administration.
Beth is a business strategist and non-profit leader, who is committed to igniting growth and creating positive change within organizations. Her organizational experience ranges from small start-ups to growing non-profits (IslandWood, board co-chair, marketing & development committee chair, event chair; the Arboretum Foundation, Vice President; Seattle Chinese Garden, Treasurer; Bainbridge Art Museum; Bainbridge Schools Foundation) to larger corporations (Nestle USA, brand manager; The Clorox Company, finance & accounting). Beth is currently the CEO of B. Morgan Enterprises, a real estate investment firm. Her industry experience includes investment real estate, consumer products, education, the arts, advertising, architectural products, fashion, and food. Beth has an MBA from UCLA, a BS from UC Berkeley, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Health from the George Washington University.
Mikel is an expert in consumer connection, a world traveler, and a live performance aficionado. He has developed online customer experience strategies for companies worldwide, including AT&T, Disney, Bank of America, and Verizon. His experience as a musician, director, and producer is extensive, having spent nearly 30 years on stages large and small, in orchestra pits, recording studios, and in attendance at thousands of musicals, concerts, and plays. He brings a keen sense to the technical, artistic, and esthetic merits of effective performance.
Producer credits include the 2014 Tony Award-winning A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder (Broadway & US National Tour); Just Getting Good (Valerie Vigoda’s live concert video & CD); Village Originals (Village Theatre). Select musical director credits include the long-running Sunday Brunch with Dina Martina; Capitol Hill smash hit Bed, Boys, & Beyond (Gaydar Productions); Tell Me On A Sunday and Dirty Little Showtunes (Thumpers’ Oak Room). Upcoming: Producer for the upcoming Broadway production of Come From Away.
Mikel holds a B.A. in Music from Brigham Young University, and lives in Seattle.
Katy Hannigan is a California native who currently serves as the Artist Liaison for Artist Trust in Washington. Katy is the primary point of contact for artists seeking support and information from Artist Trust: she answers questions, assists in research, and cultivates relationships with artists and communities across the state. In addition, she is engaged in developing strategic programming initiatives aimed at addressing historic funding inequities in the arts through professional development and one-on-one career support for artists of all backgrounds.
Prior to Artist Trust, Katy worked at Shunpike, where she provided business and administrative support for 85 fiscally sponsored arts organizations. She also managed Shunpike’s Arts Business Clinic, an program aimed to connect small arts groups with seasoned experts for low-cost consultation and support. Katy represented Shunpike at the Turning Commitment into Action Racial Equity Learning Cohort through the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Prior to moving to Seattle, Katy was the Program Associate at MASSCreative, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for the arts and cultural communities across Massachusetts. She has a degree in Theatre from the College of Holy Cross and is currently enrolled in Seattle University’s MFA in Arts Leadership program.
