Toby Simkin - Theatrical Producer and Marketing Consultant

Toby Simkin, regarded as the pioneer of bringing Broadway to the web (since 1995 with Victor/Victoria), has an extensive portfolio of well over 150 Broadway related web sites under his belt, that he personally designed and maintained. Mr. Simkin has won multiple awards for his sites, and garnered a wide array of press and Broadway credits for his pioneering efforts. As a theatrical industry professional (18 years of stage, company & general management and producing on 3 continents), he not only understands the intricacies of Broadway's unique business, but knows how to effectively maximize web technologies to best market Broadway shows to the widest possible audience."
- Michael Simmons,
Digital Hollywood Conf.

Biography: Toby Simkin

Toby Simkin is an Australian, born in England, splitting his time between China, Canada, Europe and the USA, doing most of his work on Broadway. Toby has co-produced shows that have collectively garnered 5 Tony® Awards, 7 Drama Desk Awards, 4 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, 3 Drama League Awards, 1 Theatre World Award, 1 Olivier Award, 3 Obie Awards and 1 Pulitzer Prize. Shows that Toby has been involved in marketing have garnered an additional 243 Tony® Nominations and 96 wins.
He is today represented with a brand new comedy, The Female of the Species starring Dame Eileen Atkins, currently playing in London's West End. In addition, he is focusing his efforts in Asia, with the formation of his own theatrical consulting firm in Shanghai, working on a number of projects for both import and export between China, Europe, U.K. and North America.

On Broadway, his producing credits include the Tony Award® winning Long Day's Journey Into Night (starring Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Dennehy and Philip Seymour Hoffman); I Am My Own Wife (starring Jefferson Mays); Death of a Salesman (starring Brian Dennehy) plus The Crucible (starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney); Marc Salem's MIND GAMES; The Price; Blood Brothers (starring Stephanie Lawrence); and Victor/Victoria (starring Julie Andrews).

Off-Broadway, he was Executive Producer of Savion Glover's NYC and national tours of Improvography I & II, Classical Savion, Savion at the Rialto, Matt & Ben and for Celebrity's Constellation in Europe, Batir, A Hot Minute (both directed/choreographed by Wayne Cilento), An American Canteen in Paris and Spotlight Broadway.

On the West End/London, I Am My Own Wife (starring Jefferson Mays); Death of a Salesman (starring Brian Dennehy); Blood Brothers (starring Stephanie Lawrence) and Vaclav Havel's Temptation (starring Countess Rula Lenska and Sylvester McCoy).

Around the world, other production and producing credits include producing the New Years Eve engagement of The 3 Tenors (Vancouver); Relatively Speaking (Washington D.C.); and in Canada, Driving Miss Daisy; Something in the Air, Blood Brothers; Connie Francis; The Ecstasy of Rita Joe; Damn Yankees; Arsenic and Old Lace; Love Letters (starring Victor Garber and Kate Nelligan); Godspell reunion and the Tribute to Gilda Radner (with Paul Shaeffer, John Candy, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Marvin Hamlish and Dave Thomas for CBC TV); Forever Plaid and the Shanghai Ballet's Tour of The White Haired Girl. In Australia, over 40 productions, for many companies including The Royal Queensland Theatre Company, The Twelfth Night Theatre Company, The Arts Theatre, The Melbourne Theatre Company and The Lyric Opera of Queensland.

Toby has managed marketing and produced numerous shows for Microsoft. Other industrials include the SkyDome Opening Ceremonies; Volkswagen EuroVan Launch; Toronto Arts Awards and The Dinosaur World Tour .

In 1989, Toby also founded and designed the first ever internet initiative for the theatre industry, a Bulletin Board Service (BBS) entitled ShowCall, in conjunction with the League of American Theatres & Producers. The dialup service offered theatre professionals access to Broadway touring schedules, box office reports, stage specs for the theatres across America, a communication forum, and access to logos and marketing materials for various shows. In 1995, Toby designed the first ever web site for Ticketmaster, including the online ticketing interface.

Toby served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Theatre.com Inc., the company he founded (as BuyBroadway) in 1995, grew from a basement hobby to a public corporation in 1998 and sold in 2000. During this period, he has personally produced the vast majority of websites and online marketing campaigns for over 100 shows and 50 companies on Broadway and in the West End.

Toby was Vice President and Executive Producer of Broadway China Ventures, LLC, and Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, where he developed Broadway concepts and strategies within the China region that secured a national theatre network and enabled Broadway touring productions to be presented throughout China.

Toby lectures on theatrical production, management and marketing. Toby is a consultant to Music Theatre International, the leading licensor of the majority of musical theatre, and a member of several industry associations.

"Toby Simkin is the man pushing the theatre industry kicking and screaming, into Cyberspace"
--Alex Stevens, The Boston TAB.

Mr. Simkin is a Broadway producer of such Tony award winning hits as I Am My Own Wife, Death of a Salesman, Long Days Journey Into Night and the The Crucible. He has also produced I Am My Own Wife and Death of a Salesman on the West of London. Toby developed Broadway concepts and strategies within the China region that secured a national theatre network and enabled Broadway touring productions to be presented throughout China. In Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou - 42nd Street. He has worked extensively in the broadway internet and broadway marketing industry throughout Australia, the U.S., England and Canada, with more than 120 shows, ranging from the Broadway shows of Blood Brothers and Victor/Victoria, to the live concert spectacular of The 3 Tenors to international tours of The Shanghai Ballet. He produced a critically acclaimed production of The Long & The Short & The Tall and was Stage Manager of the Royal Command Performance of The Tempest, starring Keith Michell, which opened the XII Commonwealth Games Festival in 1982. Mr Simkin produced a recording of a new musical The Promised Love in Leningrad, Russia during the coup. Over the last twelve years Mr. Simkin has worked in the entertainment technology sector, both for Microsoft Corporation and as an entrepreneur creating over 150 theatrical internet web sites for the vast majority of Broadway shows, joint technology ventures and bulletin board systems. Mr. Simkin pioneered bringing broadway theatre to the Internet with a Bulletin Board Service in 1989 called ShowCall in conjunction with the League of American Theatres & Producers. Since then, Toby has produced and developed websites for broadway shows, broadway plays, broadway musicals and generally, the majority of broadway theater. Mr. Simkin pioneered bringing Broadway theater to the Internet in 1995 with a web site for the broadway show Victor/Victoria. In March of 1994 he built his first web site. In April of 2000, Mr. Simkin sold the Internet company he founded in 1995, Theatre.com. Mr. Simkin was Associate Producer of the Tony Award nominated Broadway play revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. He is Associate Producer of Long Day's Journey Into Night starring Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Dennehy and Philip Seymour Hoffman. In addition, Toby is managing all broadway internet and broadway marketing initiatives online for Long Day's Journey. He is currently involved with the Broadway production of I Am My Own Wife. In conjunction with Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, Toby produced 4 Broadway shows directed/choreographed by Wayne Cilento for Celebrity Cruises to launch the Constellation in Europe. Broadway Plays include Long Day's Journey Into Night and The Crucible. Mr. Simkin is currently Executive Producer of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, responsible for the development and production of new business in both the legit, cruise, technical & web industries and foreign markets, and producing Savion Glover improvography throughout the world. He also served as Chief Technology Officer of Broadway Digital Entertainment, managing the broadway internet and broadway marketing for the Broadway Theatre Archive and Broadway Tonight series, and is a consultant to Music Theatre International, the leading licensor of the majority of broadway musical theatre, responsible for all broadway internet and broadway marketing.