Broadway Baby
BROADWAY BABY
By Russell Miller
with Judith A. Proffer
New children’s book celebrating the excitement of musical theatre launches via IPG and Meteor 17 Books, April, 2023.
As Theatre Dreams of Its Next Opening Night,
A New Children’s Book Celebrates the Excitement of Musicals and the Spirit of the Theatre Community
www.broadwaybabybook.com
BROADWAY BABY celebrates the importance of theatre and creativity; encourages children and Broadway lovers of all ages to create and be whatever you want to be, whoever you are, wherever you are; and reminds readers that even the loftiest of dreams can come true.
West End and Broadway operator and producer Russell Miller (Guys & Dolls, Blood Brothers, Paramour, On The Town) and Meteor 17 Vice Chair, Judith A. Proffer – a former newspaper publisher (LA Weekly, Sun Community Newspapers), author (When We Stayed Home, I Hope You Dance), and award-winning boutique book publisher (Brandi Carlile’s Caroline, Graham Nash’s Our House) – worked closely with Miller on all aspects of creating BROADWAY BABY. the Theatre Artists Fund.
“We’re all Broadway babies at heart,” said Broadway Cares Executive Director Tom Viola.
BROADWAY BABY charms with a whimsical love letter to Broadway. Artfully illustrated by the award-winning Yoko Matsuoka, this cheeky little Broadway Baby dreams of becoming a Broadway star. Those dreams take us on a truly theatrical journey from his crib to the playground to the heart of New York City, with nods to many elements that make live theatre so special.
“BROADWAY BABY was born of necessity,” said Miller. “I felt there was a real need to create something authentically theatrical that would resonate with theatre lovers and children of all ages, something unique and sincere that serves as a special VIP co-invitation to join our magical world of theater-land.”
Co-author Judith A. Proffer was “honored and delighted” to help bring the book to life.
Multi-award winning art director and graphic designer Hugh Syme brings his entertainment-centric brilliance to the book’s design. Syme’s work has been featured in a wide range of disciplines and by clients ranging from music (Aerosmith, RUSH, The David Geffen Company, Celine Dion, Capitol, Warner Bros, Atlantic, Virgin Music) to brand agencies (Saatchi & Saatchi, Young & Rubicam, Chiat Day) to movie studios (Universal, Paramount Pictures).
Miller has teamed with Spencer Proffer and Meteor 17 to bring BROADWAY BABY and its extensions, including toys, animation, and merchandise, to life on multiple platforms. Proffer will oversee and negotiate all the extensions. Broadway Baby celebrates the importance of theatre and creativity. It encourages children and Broadway lovers of all ages to create and be whatever you want to be, whoever you are, wherever you are, and reminds the readers that even the loftiest of dreams can come true. The book celebrates the importance of theatre and creativity - Inclusive and accessible.
The inspiration for the book came when Miller went searching for a gift for his Tony Award-winning producing partner’s newborn daughter, Olivia. With nothing suitably theatre centric available, he carefully crafted this truly theatrical book as the go-to for theatre fans and performers alike.
“BROADWAY BABY was born of necessity. I felt there was a real need to create something authentically theatrical that would resonate with theatre lovers and children of all ages, something unique, sincere and accessible that serves as a special VIP invitation to join our magical world of theatreland.” - Russell Miller
https://broadwaydirect.com/bookfilters-october-2020-pick-of-the-month/
Okay, Broadway was shut down. That did not stop us from dreaming about attending a Broadway show. And guess what? It doesn’t stop kids from dreaming about becoming a Broadway star. In fact, bedroom and backyard theatricals may be more popular than ever! In that spirit, Broadway operator and producer Russell Miller joined forces with Judith A. Proffer and illustrator Yoko Matsuoka to create the new picture book “Broadway Baby.” It celebrates the stars of tomorrow, the kids. Like our protagonist who says, “I dream about Broadway, stage left and stage right. The music, the dancing, my opening night!” Best of all, a portion of proceeds go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and a limited edition version is available exclusively at Playbill.
The book was the #1 best selling literary work via Playbill in their store over the holiday season. In 2023, it will go wide to tens of thousands of retail outlets around the world via M17’s deal with leading indy book distributor and publisher, IPG Books.
https://www.ipgbook.com/ipg-launches-ipg-publishing-with-meteor-17-partnership--news-340.phpAnimation and assorted merchandise items ranging from toys, apparel, dolls and more are part of the plan.
Concurrently, Spencer, Russell & the M17 team are in active development to produce an animated special for home viewing.
For the Broadway Baby Theme song, multiple music stars with a love and history of performing on the Broadway Stage are our top candidates to compose and perform the Broadway Baby theme song (i.e. Sara Barielles, Josh Groban, Jennifer Hudson, etc.
Russell oversaw an all star virtual reading of the book with a roster of Broadway stars as well as West End stars who participated. They included three-time Grammy Award winner Gloria Estefan (On Your Feet!), Tony winner Santino Fontana (Tootsie), Tony Award nominee Caitlin Kinnunen (The Prom), Telly Leung (Aladdin), Ruby Lewis (Paramour), Kevin Massey (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), two-time Tony nominee Laura Osnes (Cinderella), Adam Pascal (Rent), Ann Sanders (Dear Evan Hansen), Nik Walker (Ain’t Too Proud), Astrid van Wieren (Come from Away), Grammy Award nominee Kara Lindsey (Newsies), and three-time Emmy Award winner Kevin Spirtas (Days of Our Lives; Dear Evan Hansen). https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2021/02/18/all-star-virtual-reading-of-broadway-baby-childrens-book-on-sunday/ADDITIONAL solid press breaks which highlight the magic and support from the stage community include:
New York Amsterdam News: http://www.amnewscurtainraiser.com/2020/10/broadway-baby-new-stage-centric.html
DC Metro Theater Arts’ look at new theater-related books: https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2020/10/23/book-releases-for-theater-lovers-of-all-ages/