The year is almost over, and like most of you, we are taking stock of 2009. We’ve been live for four months and have thousands of pages viewed daily by readers around the world.  In November, we had our first live event, a party attended by readers, contributors, and many members of the L.A. acting community.  As much as we love the Internet, we are big believers in getting away from our computers once in a while, and we look forward to hosting more live events in the new year.

Brains having Fun. Claire and Sarah at the Brains of Minerva Party at Echo Park's The Short Stop, Photo by Christian Anderson

We want to take a moment to tell you what it takes to keep the site moving forward and let you know what you can do to help us continue.  We love this work, this site, and you (In a fit of exhaustion, Claire suggested we might even love you more than your mom. But this seems a little extreme – even for Claire. However, does your mom tell you how to use the Breakdowns, tape behind the scenes stories from “The Daily Show,” or know the best place to get your brows threaded?  We didn’t think so.) But make no mistake, it is an enormous amount of work.

What does it take to publish new content 2-3 times a week?  We wear many hats.  We spend hours researching, conducting interviews for and writing detailed and in-depth articles to which we hold ourselves to very high standards.  For guest posts, we daily reach out to industry experts who we think you might learn something from. We spend hours editing, fact-checking, uploading and photo editing our guests’ writings.  As the creators of this site, we also take care of its business, legal and technical aspects (researching revenue streams, keeping our site spam-free and updated with the newest technology, ensuring that our content isn’t stolen).  We pursue relationships with others in new media in order to learn how to best grow our site and serve our readers.

Unlike many web start-ups, we aren’t bankrolled by a silent partner who made millions when she cashed out of Facebook, and we are not using the site to sell our services. Providing useful, cutting-edge content for the L.A. acting community is our business. We are excited to have just earned entry into an ad network, but we know that it takes massive numbers of readers for that model to enable the site to sustain itself.

There simply is no other online resource that is providing this kind of coverage on up-to-the-minute issues affecting LA’s intelligent, rising working actor.

So what can you, dear reader, do?  We thought you’d never ask!  Well, see that little tab up top?  The one that says, “Support Us“?  Click it, and give us some money!  It doesn’t need to be a lot (but don’t let us stop you).  The power of the Internet and numbers can be on our side here.  If 200 of you give us $10, it will go a long way towards meeting our financial needs for the beginning of 2010.  Please take a moment to think about the kind of in-depth coverage we provide here and the fact that you can help us continue for less than the cost of a movie ticket.  And maybe you’ve noticed the books and DVDs in our sidebar or in our shop?  When you buy through us, we get a small commission from Amazon.  The books cost you exactly the same thing as when you buy from Amazon directly, but you get to support us at the same time.

There are also things that you can do that won’t cost anything.  Right now, it’s important that we continue to grow.  So:

• Don’t keep us a secret!  If you like a story, post a link on Facebook, your own website or twitter.
• Become a fan of our Facebook page and subscribe to our updates.
• Follow us on twitter and recommend us to others on Follow Friday.
• Tell your friends, networking group, alumni group and acting class about us.
• And lastly, if you have a background in marketing or business and would like to give a little of your time and creative ideas, let us know!

It’s not easy for us to ask for help.  We’re much more accustomed to being on the other side of the equation – providing you with resources for your career and life.  We are thrilled that you use and enjoy the site.  Help us to build and grow as we go into the new year.

We thank you in advance for your generosity.

Now back to the fun stuff! Here’s what’s coming up in early 2010: using social networking media to grow your career, finance tips for actors, the return of Manouschka the Great, and much, much more.

We are taking a brief hiatus, so if you need your Minerva fix, dig into our Archives!  We will return with new content on January 12th.

Happy New Year!

Sarah and Claire

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