We understand that receiving an unexpected call from a stranger is likely going to catch you off guard. Then, when we ask How can we help? – you’d easily be forgiven for thinking it was a scam call and hang-up. In the event our dulcet tones and phone manners didn’t place you at ease, we thought best to create this page to steer people towards so they can learn more about why we’re calling people at random.

Rest assured, these aren’t sales calls, they’re a genuine effort to reach out so we may understand the issues and hurdles you’re all facing, no matter whether you’re someone just starting out or someone who might have been involved in the industry for some time.

At Ozstream, we know that if we’re going to make a real difference in the lives and dreams of people in the arts and creative industries, then we know we needed to engage, go looking for the problems, then dig a little deeper. Our outreach campaign is about connecting with people and business to understand where you might be struggling to gain traction in an industry that can often feel unforgiving.

As we’ve been building our contact lists over the last six months, we came across an interesting phenomenon. There are a surprising number of artists, entertainers, musicians, and performers with absolutely no other online presence outside a phone number, a Google business profile, or some vague reference to information located up in the back corner of the internet. Despite obviously having some passion, these individuals were largely invisible online, making it difficult for them to be discovered or to connect with opportunities and audiences.

As we tried to find more information about these contacts, we often found there was little to no other information available online. This left us wondering how many talented people are out there just waiting to be discovered. And so became the start of our “How Can We Help?“ outreach campaign – an initiative designed to do just that. Rather than simply deleting the contact and moving onto the next, we decided we’d try reaching out to these unicorns – to learn more about them – then ask one simple question: How can we help?

We understand that for many people, the arts and creative industries are hard enough to navigate without feeling lost or disconnected. It’s a brutal industry at times, and a little compassion and understanding can go a long way in getting someone moving in the right direction. By taking the time to listen to your stories and challenges, we hope to be able to offer support that’s meaningful, practical, and designed around your own specific needs.

GigBridge may be one of the solutions that can help individuals connect with other artists, venues, and opportunity creators, but that’s not the point of this outreach campaign. If GigBridge appears it might be of benefit, sure, we’ll mention it. At the end of the day, it’ll be entirely up to you to decide if it’s a good fir for you. Our goal is to simply offer some assistance, whether that means connecting people to the right resources, offering advice, or simply listening to your challenges so we may use our voice to help represent these elsewhere.

These conversations form an invaluable resource for Ozstream. They help us better understand the obstacles people in the industry are facing today, allowing us to identify what solutions might be needed tomorrow. Over the course of the last 18 months, we’ve already spoken with 100+ individuals in all areas of the arts and creative industries. It’s these conversations which have helped shape the look, feel, features and functionality of GigBridge.

At the end of the day, our outreach campaign is a genuine effort to make a difference in cases where you don’t know where to start, who to talk to, what you could do, something new you might want to consider, or simply where you can go find more information.

So, if you’re one of these people wondering What’s Going On? It’s Ozstream calling, my name is Brad Franzen – and I just want to help out where I can!