What we do

Strengthening cultural ecosystems
through practice, strategy, and research.

Practice

Producing live events, supporting artistic practice, and strengthening cultural participation in communities.

Strategy

Helping organizations strengthen participation, improve discoverability, and build lasting audience relationships.

Research

Exploring the conditions that help cultural participation, connection, and community vitality thrive.

Our approach

Practice shapes our research. Research sharpens our strategy. Strategy, in turn, influences how we approach cultural participation, presentation, and community engagement.

Together, these three pillars help us better understand the conditions that allow cultural life to thrive.

We see arts and culture as an interconnected web of artists, audiences, presenters, grassroots organizers, municipalities, festivals, community spaces, and everyday acts of participation.

Strong cultural ecosystems are built through relationships, visibility, experimentation, and opportunities for people to gather, create, and connect.

We work with organizations, artists, and communities that care about strengthening cultural participation, connection, and resilience over the long term.

Whether you’re exploring audience development, event discoverability, touring, cultural vitality, or new ways of engaging communities through arts and culture, we’d love to hear from you.

Grassroots participation and professional presentation are not separate worlds. They support and strengthen one another.

We believe communities become more resilient, connected, and creatively vital when people have meaningful opportunities to participate in cultural life. Through presenting concerts, producing events, collaborating with artists, participating in artistic creation, and helping cultivate informal cultural spaces, we stay connected to the lived realities of audience behaviour, artistic practice, and community cultural life. 

The insights we gain through practice help shape our research, strategy, and long-term thinking around participation, discoverability, touring, and cultural vitality. We engage with cultural ecosystems from within — observing patterns, building relationships, testing ideas, and learning through direct experience.

Our activities include: 

  • Hosting acoustic jams, open mics, songwriter circles, workshops, and community-rooted cultural gatherings
  • Presenting concerts and live events in intimate venues, community spaces, breweries, and regional settings
  • Curating artists and programming concert series and seasonal cultural events
  • Producing grassroots festivals and participatory cultural experiences
  • Supporting artist development, audience-building, and regional touring opportunities
  • Helping organizations improve event visibility, audience connection, and discoverability
  • Providing live event production and technical support
  • Collaborating with presenters, municipalities, artists, and community organizations
  • Developing projects that strengthen participation, visibility, and connection to cultural life
  • Exploring new models for regional cultural infrastructure, touring, and community cultural vitality

Strategy work requires clarity and courage. Effective strategy is not only analytical. It is emotional, relational, and operational. We seek to understand not only what an organization wants to become, but what it is truly willing to change in order to get there. 

We are especially interested in helping organizations:

  • strengthen audience relationships and participation
  • improve event discoverability and audience clarity
  • align programming, communications, and organizational identity
  • build sustainable habits of engagement over time
  • develop new revenue streams and organizational resilience
  • clarify what makes their work distinct and who it is truly for
  • strengthen community connection and cultural relevance
  • navigate change in ways that respect organizational capacity and human realities

We're not interested in trendy tactics. We focus on helping organizations identify the leverage points most likely to create meaningful long-term impact. 

Strategy consulting services:

Audience Development & Discoverability

  • Event Discoverability Audits
  • Audience participation strategy
  • Event promotion and discoverability support
  • Audience experience and engagement analysis

Organizational Strategy & Positioning

  • Strategic planning support
  • Organizational positioning and messaging
  • Communications strategy
  • Audience alignment and participation analysis

Revenue & Resilience

  • Revenue diversification strategy
  • Sponsorship and partnership strategy
  • Membership and subscription strategy
  • Grant-writing and funding support

Facilitation & Training

  • Workshops and sector training
  • Facilitation and strategic conversations
  • Community engagement strategy
  • Community consultation and participatory planning

Cultural experiences strengthen belonging, empathy, participation, identity, tourism, economic resilience, and social connection. They help people feel seen, connected, challenged, and part of something larger than themselves. 

Research helps make these patterns visible. 

We are particularly drawn to work that helps communities, organizations, and sector leaders:

  • better understand their cultural ecosystems
  • strengthen participation and cultural connection
  • identify opportunities for collaboration and growth
  • support advocacy and long-term planning
  • explore new models for touring, discoverability, and cultural infrastructure
  • design pilot projects and community-rooted initiatives

We are interested in research that helps people ask better questions, see systems more clearly, and make more informed decisions about the future of cultural life in their communities.

Services include:

Cultural Vitality & Ecosystem Research

  • Cultural Vitality Audits
  • Ecosystem mapping and cultural landscape analysis
  • Community cultural participation research
  • Regional cultural infrastructure analysis

Consultation & Facilitation

  • Stakeholder consultations
  • Facilitated discussions and community engagement
  • Participatory planning support
  • Sector listening and synthesis

Discoverability & Audience Research

  • Audience behaviour and participation analysis
  • Discoverability and visibility research
  • Event and cultural listing analysis
  • Cultural participation pathway mapping

Touring & Regional Development

  • Touring ecosystem and feasibility research
  • Regional collaboration and network development
  • Pilot project and partnership design
  • Applied research support for cultural initiatives

Book a free discovery call 

Need a strategic plan, a fresh perspective, or hands-on support? We're here to help you find the right path forward.

Let’s start with a conversation. Book a free discovery call, and we’ll explore how to grow your audience, strengthen support, and move forward with clarity, purpose, and impact.

Testimonials
Briana was a real godsend during a difficult time. She stepped in calmly and took the reins of our marketing department. Thanks to her, we moved from crisis to exceeding our targets, significantly growing our customer base and improving our processes for the future. I can’t say enough good things about Briana—if you get the chance to work with her, count yourself lucky."
Andrew Chandler, Executive Director
Chester Playhouse, Nova Scotia
Jasmine Colomby
I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for this project, The Heart of Riverdale, and myself. You have been so patient, flexible, reliable and a powerhouse of knowledge. I am grateful to have had you to work with on this.
Jasmine Colomby, Digital Strategy Implementation Coordinator
The Heart of Riverdale Community Centre, Yukon
Inga Petri
Briana brings uncommon skill and expertise to a wide range of marketing and digital assignments. She's sharp, always current, an empathetic coach and trainer, and a creative solver of her clients' marketing problems. Best of all she is a pleasure to work with.
Inga Petri
Strategic Moves Consulting, Whitehorse
Music producer Joel Schwartz
As a small business owner, I felt completely overwhelmed by the possible avenues where my business could go. As a coach, Briana was able to not only act as a sounding board for me, but also as a trusted advisor. Briana has a gentle and empathetic approach, but one that is also data-driven, so I can feel confident in the decisions that I am making in my business.
Joel Schwartz
Music Producer, Toronto
Hudson Day 2021
Kudos to Troubadours and Vagabonds Productions for their excellent work on Hudson Day. From populating Main Road with wonderful musicians to branding the event through digital media, you managed to create a beautiful atmosphere in town that lasted all afternoon. You were a big part of the success of Hudson Day 2021.
Glen Robinson
Festival Organizer, Hudson
FAQ

Troubadours & Vagabonds Productions is based in the Greater Montreal area. We work remotely with clients across Canada and in local community projects in and around Hudson, Quebec.

We acknowledge that we live on unceded Indigenous land. The Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Nation is recognized as the traditional custodian of the lands and waters of Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), which has long served as a place for many First Nations to live, meet and exchange. We also wish to recognize the strong ties that unite the Anishinaabe Nation to this territory, which is known by these people as Mooniyang (in Anishinaabemowin). Today, the Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang lands are home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other people. We respect the continued connections to the past, present and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community and beyond. 

Let's start with a conversation to understand your goals, challenges, and resources. Whether it’s a one-time audit, a strategy plan, or ongoing support, we’ll recommend the best option to fit your needs and budget. Book a free discovery call to get started.

Our focus is on measurable growth. Whether it’s increased website traffic, stronger engagement, or higher ticket sales, we work with you to set clear goals and track progress with regular performance reports so you can see the impact of our work.

We’ll adapt to your capacity. For strategy plans and retainers, we start with regular check-ins to align priorities and gather input. From there, we handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on your mission.

Our retainer packages focus on overall audience growth through digital strategy, SEO, ads, and engagement. We can include promotion for select key events as part of your plan or offer it as an add-on service. Let’s discuss your needs during your discovery call.

Absolutely. Our packages provide a framework, but we tailor the specifics to align with your goals, capacity, and budget. Every organization is different, and we’re here to meet you where you are.

Pricing varies based on the scope of the engagement. 

  • Audits and Strategy Plans are one-time services, billed upfront.
  • Retainers are billed monthly and can be adjusted based on your needs.

Yes, we are able to offer training on a variety of topics. Feel free to book a consultation call and we can discuss your needs.

Many grant programs are available to offset project costs for Canadian arts organizations. Artists, cultural workers, and arts organizations can apply for funding for digital strategy and implementation through Canada Council programs. Other grant programs may also be applicable. If you need help with your application we are available to support you in writing your grant.

Practice-led cultural strategy and research focused on participation, community connection, and cultural vitality.

About Us

Troubadours & Vagabonds works at the intersection of strategy, systems, and lived experience — combining consulting and advisory work with hands-on arts presentation and community cultural programming.
FUNDED BY
Canada Council for the Arts logo