The Oakland Agenda

The Grand Opening

Circle up! with W. Kamau Bell and Dr. Mieko Hatano

Sponsored by

A keynote address by W. Kamau Bell will be followed by a conversation and Q&A moderated by Dr. Mieko Hatano.

W. Kamau Bell is a Peabody Award-winner, four-time Emmy Award-winner, Celebrity Jeopardy! champion, part-time activist, and full-time family man. Kamau is a two-time New York Times Bestseller with Do The Work! - An Antiracist Activity Book and Who is Government? - The Untold Story of Public Service. Kamau is best known for his CNN series United Shades of America and his docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby, Kamau is the host of a podcast and bestselling Substack, both named Who’s With Me? Kamau is the ACLU Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice, is on the Board of Directors for DonorsChoose, and is on the advisory board of LiveFree. Kamau’s first children’s book, titled Rock, Paper, Scissors, Cheese, comes out October 27, 2026. Kamau is currently on his 2026 Who’s With Me? stand-up comedy tour.

Dr. Mieko Hatano is Chief Executive Officer of the Oakland Symphony. A French horn player by training, Hatano brings an artist’s perspective to executive leadership. Working alongside Music Director Kedrick Armstrong, she is helping shape an ambitious future for the organization, grounded in Oakland’s cultural richness and the belief that orchestras can be powerful instruments of belonging, civic imagination, and social change.

CIRCLES!
See it.
Talk about it.
Book it.

When you join a Circle, you join a conference community made up of diverse colleagues with a shared passion. Each circle follows the same rhythm: See a showcase, talk about it at a professional development workshop, then book it during a networking session.

You can jump between circles or dive deep into one. Either way, you’ll leave with artists booked, strategies tested, and problems solved. 

  • Arts & Entertainment Circle

    Arts & Entertainment Circle

    Join colleagues who’ve mastered the art of crowd-pleasing with purpose, from nostalgia acts that deliver quality experiences to holiday shows that become beloved traditions. Discover what fills the room, delights audiences, and strengthens your mission without apology.

    Whitepaper
    Coming soon…

    Excursions
    Meyer Sound Laboratories Visit
    10am PT, Tuesday, Sept 8

    Conference Sessions
    Big agency booking demystified
    How venues team up to get better routes and prices

    Juried Showcases
    Emily Day and Cosmo Alleycats
    Mads Tolling & The Mads Men
    TAP INTO SOUL with Solomon Jaye
    Tom Rigney and Flambeau

    Project Pitches
    Conrad Tao + Julia Wolfe + Third Coast Percussion
    Joselyn & Don
    The Mariachi Experience

    Circle Leaders
    Jacob Deaton, GPG Touring
    Jessika Akers, Oakview Group Grand Junction
    Joshua Heim, WAA
    Randall Vogel, Mesa Arts Center

  • Youth & Family Circle

    Discover the range of works touring for multigenerational audiences, from familiar favorites to unknown adventures. Learn how to market to parents vs. educators, how performance can activate your venue’s open spaces, and how to integrate youth and family programming without siloing it.

    Whitepaper
    Coming soon…

    Excursions
    Oakland School of the Arts
    10am PT, Tuesday, Sept 8

    Conference Sessions
    Critical issues and approaches in youth and family performance
    Risk and impact in performing arts for young and multigenerational audiences

    Juried Showcases
    Axis Theatre
    Cirque Us
    IMGE Dance
    Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theatre

    Project Pitches
    Alex Taite
    Justice in Motion
    Uncle Jumbo

    Circle Leaders
    Makaveli Gresham, WAA
    Ruth Juliet Wikler, Clark College Foundation
    Spring Karlo, Holden & Arts Associates

  • Beyond the Circle

    Beyond the Circle

    Circle up with colleagues who have successfully mastered genre fluidity and programmed crossover and fusion work. Learn which genre-blending artists tour reliably, how to market work that defies categories, and how to attract audiences beyond your usual subscribers.

    Whitepaper
    Coming soon…

    Excursions
    Del Sol at Angel Island
    Noon PT, Saturday, Sept 11

    Conference Sessions
    Creative pathways for yet-to-program work
    Local community partnerships: cultural districts, third spaces, and city programs

    Juried Showcases
    Orchestra Gold
    Olas Perdidas
    Marty Isenberg’s The Way I Feel Inside
    Del Sol Quartet

    Project Pitches
    Wakka Wakka
    Kitka
    e. Franklin

    Circle Leaders
    Beatrice Thomas, Authentic Arts & Media
    Jonathan Campbell, WAA
    Nadhi Thekkek, Nava Dance Theatre
    Scott RC Levy, Green Box Arts

Program Schedule

Choose Your Own Adventure

The Commons is the hub of the conference and this year we're giving it more room to breathe. We've expanded the hours that The Commons will be open, so that you have more opportunities to schedule the meetings that matter, without scrambling around a narrow window of time or fighting for a couch in the lobby. Also, there is no distinction between "Open" and "Accessible" hours like at other conferences, so exhibitors don't have to be mandatorily stationed at their booths during specific times but can choose what works best for them. 

Some programming will run concurrently and that's intentional. The Commons is located next to the showcases and down the hall from the breakout rooms, making it easy for you to jump between meetings, showcases and sessions. This gives agents, artists, and presenters alike the flexibility to connect, discover, and do business at your own pace.