Gregory
Campbell
Director of Marketing and Communications
Lyric Opera Of Kansas City
Lyric Opera desperately needed a new website and one that would work well with our new brand. I’ve fought with arts websites for years that are bloated, poorly designed, have hidden pages, and load too slowly. Drew and his team have created the perfect arts website for a fraction of the cost typically incurred by similar projects.
Rebecca
Wallace
Marketing Director
City Lights Theater Company
After seeing UpStage’s work with other websites, I knew that Drew and his team would create a new site for our theater that was beautiful and beautifully functional. What I hadn’t realized was how much time the new site would save our team.
Our new site is a breeze to update with new content. It’s automated in all the right places, while leaving freedom for creativity and innovation. And it leaves us with more time to spend on making and promoting theater.
Dayna
Meyer
Digital Marketing Manager
Kansas City Repertoire Theatre
The new website that UpStage Pixel designed for KCRep is such an incredible asset in my Digital Marketing toolbox, and working with Drew and his team on the project was a delight. Drew is collaborative, easy to work with, and came up with so many creative and clever solutions to the problems we had with our old site. The new kcrep.org is a speedy, accessible, and user-centered website that is vastly more manageable to edit and update. And it looks absolutely beautiful! I am thrilled with the results! Drew and the team at UpStage exceeded all of our expectations.
Thank you, UpStage Pixel!
Timothy
Judd
violinist and Author
The Listener’s Club
I have two websites which have been developed by UpStage Pixel, one site for my Richmond, Virginia-based violin studio, and another for my music appreciation blog, The Listeners’ Club. Drew McManus and UpStage have played an enormous role in the growth and development of both my studio and blog. You can trust Drew to provide an attractive and highly functional website. Drew is passionate about serving his clients and providing them with a product which meets the highest professional standards.
Garza-Tucker
Aurel
Director of Program and Operations
Young Texas Artists
Our website at Young Texas Artists (YTA) was stuck in the past and had terrible performance issues, so we knew something had to change. I had worked with Drew and UpStage Pixel at a previous organization to revamp their website and knew his team would be the perfect fit to help YTA modernize our website and bring it into compliance. Communication with the UpStage Pixel team is always quick and easy and we’re so happy with our new website. It’s so much easier to update content, literally 7x faster to load, and I don’t have to worry about any of the techy stuff on the backend—UpStage makes sure that all works without me having to worry about it. Their knowledge of the arts sector and reasonable pricing are a huge asset and I will continue to recommend them to any arts organizations or artists that need help with a new website!
Arya
Daire
Singer/Actress
UpStage Pixel was nothing short of a lifesaver for me. I was coming up on an important deadline and only had a very messy Tumblr site up – I needed to get a professional, polished site up without having too much time to do it. Drew and his team made the process exactly as easy as I needed it to be, I was so relieved. Their Basecamp is self-explanatory and so easy to use, Drew explained everything to me in a way I could understand and work with, and they were very fast to respond to everything. The price was also surprisingly affordable and is worth every penny. Any artist that wants an online portfolio can trust them, and I personally think every artist should definitely have one. It’s very worth it.
Kate
Jones Butler
Director Of Marketing And Communications
New Conservatory Theatre Center
I never thought a website could bring me so much joy, but the NCTC redesign does just that every day. After years of holding onto a website that both looked out-dated and had readability issues, we knew it was time for a change. We wanted a site that showcased NCTC’s bold design aesthetics, presented information in a very clean and concise style, utilized our photography in meaningful ways, and represented all our theatre has to offer.
Within minutes of my first meeting with Drew, I knew thatUpStage Pixel was the right choice to take on this project and what an adventure it has been. Drew was incredibly easy to work with, very responsive, and always happy to hop on a call to discuss things that needed more time. The new nctcsf.org site perfectly represents who we are and grabs the viewers attention immediately. Last but not least, Drew has been there every step of the way to answer every question and guide us through this process.
Since our site launch, we’ve been flooded with positive feedback on how gorgeous the new site is – and we agree. I can’t recommend UpStage Pixel enough!
David
Murphy
Conductor
It has been an enormous pleasure to work with Drew and his team at UpStage Pixel on the design and delivery of my new website. They have created a site that looks great, and functions fantastically on all platforms. As a musician, I really appreciate Drew’s deep understanding of music, musicians and the wider musical world. It meant that we spoke the same language throughout. The whole process was fast, efficient and enjoyable and the responses to my questions to the point, lightning fast, and often peppered with Drew’s great sense of humour!
Michael C.
Hardy
Director (Ret)
The Institute of Outdoor Theatre
Drew has shepherded us through our new website’s development for several intensive months now and has never failed to come up with creative solutions or answer our most idiotic questions with good humour.
I don’t know how he’s gotten anything else done, but the results are fantastic and it’s already helping us to transform our organization.
Ben
Thiem
Former Director of Member Services
League of Chicago Theatres
We are so happy that we chose Drew and the team at UpStage Pixel for our website redesign. Our organization needed a complete online overhaul involving multiple complex websites. Drew expertly and cheerfully led us step by step through the process of developing each new website to help us better serve our member theatres, patrons, artists and administrators. They kept us on task and on time so we could launch by our deadline and without any issues. The new websites all turned out great, and are now so easy for us to manage and update. Drew continues to be incredibly responsive and supportive and it’s reassuring to know that they’ve always got our back. We highly recommend working with UpStage!
Catherine
Van Handel
Bassoon
Choosing UpStage Pixel was one of the best decisions I have made in my career. As a performing artist, I believe it is paramount to invest in yourself. Initially, I attempted to make my own website, but then it occurred to me that in order to make a memorable and powerful statement, my website had to look high-quality, sleek, and professional; I did not have the required expertise. Drew’s knowledge of the classical music industry and his website expertise enabled me quickly to gain trust in his work. He was understanding, patient, and shared my vision from start to finish. Drew always replied promptly when questions arose and provided crystal clear guidance on how to navigate the platform. Screenshots, step-by-step labeled markers, and always available for a quick chat are a few examples that helped create the site that I’m now proud to share. Now with my new website up and running, I have the ability and the platform to continue building my brand. I see so much potential and growth in the many years to come. Thank you to Drew McManus and to the entire UpStage Pixel team!
Elizabeth
Santana
Managing Director
Palo Alto Players
At Palo Alto Players we dreamed of having an industry-leading website that reflected the quality of the art on our stage. Thanks to Drew and his team at UpStage Pixel, that dream is now a reality. Drew worked with us to develop a detailed project plan that met our design goals, timeline, and budget. Not only were we working through a complete redesign, but also integrating our site with a new ticketing/CRM platform. Drew’s experience working across a variety of ticketing service providers proved invaluable during the transition. As a small staff we are also grateful for the ongoing customer support that Drew provides after the launch to keep the site up to date and relevant. We highly recommend Drew and his team!
Frank
Almond
Founder
Frankly Music
UpStage Pixel has handled all my sites for several years now, from the initial construction to basic updates and maintenance. These sites are drastically different from one another, yet integrated in a certain seamless way, thanks to the innovative and comprehensive approach that is a hallmark of UpStage.
From basic aesthetic guidance to cutting-edge technical advice, the difference with UpStage is obvious. I finally have a full-service web company that incorporates a vast knowledge of the arts world with high-tech mastery, all at a reasonable cost. In my experience, that’s a rare combination.
Jason
Haaheim
Principal Timpanist
MET Orchestra
After I won the MET job, it quickly became clear that a high-profile appointment like that needed a high-profile web presence… and my old homegrown cobbled-together personal site wasn’t going to cut it. Enter UpStage Pixel: he understood my needs better than I did, crafting a site structure that would serve as a sharp and professional baseline, but with lots of room to grow and add content. Aesthetically, he quickly determined my style and preferences, and delivered a look and feel that matched superbly. UpStage was quickly responsive to all calls and emails, and the consequent setup and launch cycle was remarkably brief. Moreover, UpStage delivers one of the most powerful events manager engines around — it adeptly combines sophisticated capabilities with simple back-end control. All of this helps realize the final goal: far from being another “job” to manage, this site will now help me do mine better.
Russ
Todd
Managing Partner
Akustiks
From day one working with Drew and UpStage Pixel on our new website, I knew that it was going to turn out great! Drew and his team laid out a clear plan for the website development that allowed all members of our firm to contribute and participate in the process and at the same time provided a structure to keep the project on track and on budget. The result is a website that truly reflects our acoustical practice today with built in flexibility for growth and evolution as we gain international presence in the world of performing art acoustics.
Scott
Coulter
singer and owner
Spot-On Entertainment
When I realized my rapidly expanding concert business needed an online presence fast I called Drew. I had no idea what I wanted or, more importantly, what I needed but I needn’t have worried. Drew asked the right questions, listened to my answers and created something beyond my expectations. And he was available every step of the way to answer my questions and help me think outside the box to present my company in the best possible way.
Olivia
Boen
Soprano
Working with Drew is a guaranteed way to elevate one’s branding without compromising the complexity of what it means to be a musician in the modern day. His ability to see artists and institutions from a birds-eye view allows him to create seamless online experiences fueled by his incredible attention to detail. He takes a tremendous amount of care to ensure that the complete story of an artist is told in an intuitive way throughout the website; I really feel that Drew takes inspiration first and foremost from who the client is, allowing the flow of site, the logos, and all of the tiny details to be born from his astute observations. On top of this creative vision, he has a comprehensive and chronically up-to-date understanding of web design, analytics, accessibility, and trends within the fine arts sphere, so one can rest assured that the structure of his architecture is as pristinely and soundly formed as his aesthetics.
Furthermore, working with Drew not only has given me an adaptable, intuitive, and beautiful website, but has helped me to grow as a businesswoman. In the process of building my online portal, Drew asked all the right questions and challenged me in the best way possible. Figuring out exactly how I wanted to interact with audiences and promoters, what I want to be known for, and finding the balance between illuminating who I am but not giving too much away was really difficult for me on my own. With his guidance, I now feel more confident in sharing more about my work because I have a structure for it. I cannot recommend him enough!
Joycelyn
Fish
Director of Marketing and Development
Racine Theatre Guild
The Racine Theatre Guild’s website needed a comprehensive redesign to better engage our audiences, promote events and diverse offerings, and encourage ticket sales, season subscriptions, event/class registrations, volunteering, and donations. As the main project contact with Drew, it was wonderful to establish the understanding about all the stories we hoped to share early on, along with the necessary information and easy navigation needed for the site. Having his expertise to try new layouts, figure out technical details, and provide suggestions of best practices was wonderful and we continue to touch base after launching the site for updates and questions. Our patrons, community, and volunteers have found the new website as a wonderful upgrade and we are grateful to have had UpStage Pixel by our side throughout the whole process.
Bob
Smedley
Director of Communications
Friends of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
The Friends of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra previously relied on a website built with HTML/PHP code to manage member registration, event information, and communication. While this website functioned as intended, it was difficult to maintain, not mobile-friendly, and disconnected from our parent organization.
Drew and his team, who also support our parent organization, efficiently transformed our website into a modern, user-friendly platform. The new site is responsive, easier to maintain, and seamlessly integrated with our parent organization. We were impressed with Drew’s expertise and collaborative approach, he was a pleasure to work with, and he even shared valuable coding knowledge with our team.
Tekla
Cunningham
Founder and Director
Seattle Bach Festival
My experience with Drew McManus and Upstage has been uniformly delightful. The Seattle Bach Festival is a brand new organization which incorporated in 2024, and we spent most of last year building out the systems before launching our first events. The most attractive aspect of the Upstage suite is the integration between the website, email, crm, ticketing. With robust systems in place and Drew and his team of seasoned professionals on call, I felt confident launching a new organization where the back end systems supporting the organization would be as beautiful as the music on stage.
Upstage’s focus on the customer and user experience supports our vision for how to care for our patrons. During the onboarding process, Upstage provided an extremely detailed timeline for launch which broke the on-boarding into manageable steps. The implementation phase was a great education for me in how an elegantly designed system can help an organization run with more ease. Drew is a consummate professional and is responsive, helpful, and generous with his time when our team has questions. Because of my excellent experience, I have enthusiastically recommended Upstage to a number of other organizations.
