Culture Arts and Performance Center
WHAT WILL WE LEAVE BEHIND?
Every generation inherits institutions, opportunities, relationships, and stories created by those who came before. In turn, every generation leaves something behind for those who follow. An incense that lingers in the upper room. The question before us is not whether Waco will have a legacy. The question is whether we will leave behind a collection of buildings, or a collection of assets that continue creating opportunity, connection, creativity, and belonging long after we are gone. This is not ultimately a conversation about a performing arts center. It is a conversation about what kind of city we want future generations to inherit.
Most of us have felt it.
We've watched ideas sit on shelves.
Plans move slowly.
Projects take decades.
We've watched talented people leave.
We've watched opportunities pass by.
And we've all asked some version of the same question:
"If Waco has so much talent, generosity, faith, creativity, leadership, and goodwill... what are we waiting for?"
Because this is not really a story about a building.
It is a story about momentum.
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?
YOU'VE FELT THIS TOO
You've watched talented students leave Waco.
You've watched artists struggle to find opportunity.
You've watched organizations work toward similar goals without ever fully connecting.
You've watched people who care deeply about this city pull in the same direction without always pulling together.
You've probably found yourself thinking:
"We have so much potential here. Why does it still feel so fragmented?"
WACO'S HIDDEN IDENTITY
Waco is a bridge city.
A place where different worlds meet.
Faith and culture.
Education and opportunity.
Local and national.
Tradition and innovation.
We sit between Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, College Station and more.
But we also sit between many worlds.
Perhaps our greatest strength is not what we build.
Our greatest strength is what we
CONNECT
TEXAS NEEDS TRUSTED GROUND
Waco does not have a talent problem.
We have:
Baylor. Churches. Magnolia. Entrepreneurs. Artists. Donors. Civic Leaders.
We have extraordinary people.
The challenge is not a lack of talent.
The challenge is that too many of these talented people remain disconnected.
What if Waco's future is not choosing between connection and creation? What if we connect the assets we already have...
AND create entirely new ones? New relationships. New collaborations. New opportunities. New intellectual property.
New cultural traditions. New reasons for talented people to stay. The strongest communities do not simply consume assets…
WHAT IF THE OPPORTUNITY IS BOTH?
They participate in them.
Most people think of a performing arts center as a venue.
A building.
A stage.
A place where people gather.
But what if CAP became something larger?
A place that creates collaborations.
Creates opportunities.
Creates momentum.
Creates cultural assets.
Creates reasons for people to stay, invest, mentor, sponsor, and participate.
A DIFFERENT WAY TO THINK ABOUT the Waco CAP
THE BIG IDEA
the CAP functions as a
Civic Creative Production Company.
Producing performances.
Producing content.
Producing collaborations.
Producing opportunities.
Producing momentum.
Every project becomes an opportunity to strengthen the community while creating cultural assets that continue generating value long after the event ends.
An intellectual property catalog that reflects the identity of Waco and grows more valuable over time.
ONE PRODUCTION ~ MANY ASSETS ~ COMPOUNDING VALUE OVER TIME
CAP is producing an ecosystem of assets, opportunities, audiences, and revenue streams.
Assets Created:
• Behind-the-scenes YouTube content
• Social media content
• Artist interviews
• Sponsor integrations
• Audience growth
Revenue Opportunities:
• Sponsorships
• YouTube advertising
• Brand partnerships
Economic Impact:
• Production crews employed
• Local creatives hired
• Marketing and media services utilized
REHEARSAL PROCESS
Assets Created:
• Reusable creative catalog
• Long-term intellectual property
• Discoverable media assets
LICENSING & DISTRIBUTION
LIVE PERFORMANCE
DOCUMENTARY FILM
Assets Created:
• Ticketed event
• Community participation
• Audience data
• Donor cultivation opportunities
• Sponsor activation opportunities
Revenue Opportunities:
• Ticket sales
• Sponsorship revenue
• VIP experiences
• Donor engagement
Economic Impact:
• Hospitality
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Tourism activity
Assets Created:
• Long-form documentary
• Educational content
• Cultural archive
• Distribution asset
Revenue Opportunities:
• Streaming distribution
• Sponsorship integration
• Educational licensing
• Platform licensing
RECORDED MUSIC PROJECT
Assets Created:
• Album
• Live recordings
• Performance masters
• CAP content library
Revenue Opportunities:
• Spotify
• Apple Music
• YouTube Music
• Physical releases
• Future compilation projects
Revenue Opportunities:
• Film placements
• Television placements
• Advertising placements
• Brand collaborations
• Future documentary use
NATIONAL ARTIST
+
BAYLOR ENSEMBLES
+
LOCAL WACO ARTISTS
+
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
=
ROYALTIES FOR ALL
NATIONAL ARTIST + BAYLOR ENSEMBLES + LOCAL WACO ARTISTS + COMMUNITY PARTNERS = ROYALTIES FOR ALL
AND IT'S NOT JUST MUSIC
Mentoring Summits.
Family Office Forums.
Faith & Creativity Gatherings.
Civic Leadership Conversations.
Nonprofit Storytelling Initiatives.
Workforce Development Collaborations.
Cross-Sector Innovation Labs.
Each one becomes:
A live experience.
A professional production.
A collection of content assets.
A larger community asset.
A relationship-building asset.
A future opportunity.
WHY THE AUDIENCE
COMES FIRST
Most cultural projects begin with a building.
Then they try to find an audience.
Then they try to find donors.
Then they try to build momentum.
We are reversing that process.
We build the audience first.
Because audience creates trust.
Trust attracts donors.
Donors fund opportunity.
Opportunity creates momentum.
Momentum accelerates the mission.
At the end of Phase Zero, the most valuable asset we will have created is not a building.
It is a community that already believes.
THE CHALLENGE
Before major investment occurs, we still need answers.
Who are the anchor donors?
What partnerships are possible?
What programming resonates most deeply?
What sponsorship opportunities exist?
How do we build sustained community participation?
How do we create momentum that compounds?
THE GUIDE: PHASE ZERO
This is the purpose of Phase Zero.
Not to manage a building.
Not to run a venue yet.
But to build the conditions for success.
Audience, Donor relationships, Partnerships,
Programming prototypes, Sponsors, Community ownership,
Momentum.
Before construction.
THE ROLE
My role is not to tell the community what the CAP should become.
My role is to help the community discover it.
By cultivating audience.
By developing donor relationships.
By strengthening partnerships.
By producing collaborations.
By attracting sponsors.
By creating momentum.
And by transforming interest into community ownership.
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DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND MOMENTUM
PHASE ZERO DELIVERABLES
At the conclusion of three years, CAP will possess assets that most cultural institutions spend decades trying to build.
A Cultivated Audience
A growing community that follows, supports, participates in, and advocates for the CAP.
Anchor Donor Relationships
A pipeline of philanthropic leaders, family offices, foundations, and catalytic believers.
Programming Prototypes
Real-world collaborations that reveal what resonates most strongly with the community.
A Partnership Ecosystem
Strong relationships across Baylor, churches, nonprofits, artists, civic institutions, businesses, and community leaders.
Sponsorship & Revenue Pathways
Early sponsor relationships and revenue opportunities connected to content, programming, and community engagement.
Community Ownership
A growing sense that CAP belongs to the people of Waco.
Interest Media Library
A growing collection of social-first content, cultural storytelling, artist collaborations, interviews, and community conversations that builds audience, strengthens participation, and creates future sponsorship, advertising, and distribution opportunities.
IMAGINE
10 YEARS
FROM NOW
Imagine a Baylor graduate deciding to stay because artistic opportunity exists here.
Imagine hearing a song on a Hollywood movie, a song written together by a national artist and a local Waco song writer, reimagined and collaborated on with all Waco artists!
Imagine a donor seeing their investment strengthen an entire creative ecosystem.
Imagine audience engaged with Waco-created culture, art, and performance locally and around the world.
Imagine artists, churches, businesses, educators, and civic leaders creating together.
Imagine a city known not only for what it built...
but for the people it connected.
100 years from now, people will remember the opportunities CAP created, the artists it supported, the students it inspired, the mentors it connected, the stories it preserved, and the community it strengthened. Through audience, partnerships, donor relationships, creative works, and a growing library of cultural assets, CAP has the opportunity to become an institution that compounds in value over time. If we succeed, the building will be the beautiful visible expression of something much larger: a city that chose to invest in its identity, its people, and its future.
A LEGACY THAT CONTINUES TO CREATE VALUE
