Third Coast Creative

What Third Coast Creative does

Third Coast Creative is a Houston-based production company founded in 2009 by Deborah Stavis (CEO) and Monte Stavis. The company selectively identifies and funds the development and production of new theatrical works, working with writers, musicians, performers, and directors across the United States. Its core product portfolio consists of original musical productions (The Extraordinary Ordinary, Ella Minnow Pea, LMNOP), an album (Sorta Love Songs), short films, and corporate edutainment modules covering financial topics. Productions have been staged at Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre (Connecticut), TUTS Underground (Houston), Farmers Alley Theatre (Michigan), and Off-Broadway venues in New York, with notable industry recognition including a Drama Desk nomination, the Jonathan Larson Award, and the Burton Lane Award.

The company operates on a project-based model in which founders supply capital and the firm partners with established regional theaters for co-production, development, and licensing arrangements. Distribution channels include direct partnerships with theater companies and venue operators for productions, e-commerce/retail for album sales, film festival circuit for short films, and direct sales to corporate clients for custom entertainment and edutainment licensing. There is no technology platform, no proprietary software, and no digital product layer; the offering is fundamentally live and recorded creative content.

Commercially, Third Coast Creative is a micro-enterprise with 1-10 employees, privately held and founder-owned with no institutional capital. Revenue is not disclosed. Its business model derives income from production ownership stakes, co-production participation, licensing of corporate edutainment modules, and physical album sales, with pricing quote-based and tailored to project scope. The company's strategic positioning relies on selective project selection, a small content library, and longstanding creative relationships with award-winning composers and Broadway-level talent rather than on scale, technology, or distribution moats.

Name

Third Coast Creative

Legal name

Third Coast Creative

Website

https://thirdcoastcreative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Third Coast Creative is a Houston-based, founder-owned theatrical production company that selectively funds and develops original musicals and corporate entertainment, partnering with regional theaters and licensing edutainment modules to corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theatrical Production Services

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (71119), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Producers & Production Teams (MPAIAHAB), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Theatrical production
• Musical development
• Corporate entertainment
• Edutainment licensing
• Independent film production

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Theatrical Production Development and Co-Production: Identifies and funds both the development and ultimate production of new theatrical works. Generates revenue through production ownership stakes, co-production arrangements with theaters, and potentially Broadway/Off-Broadway box office participation.
2. Album Production and Sales: Co-produced the album Sorta Love Songs with Sh-K-Boom Productions. Revenue from album sales through retail channels like Amazon.
3. Short Film Production: Produced short films including music videos and documentaries. Revenue through film festival selections and distribution.
4. Corporate Edutainment: Creates customized corporate entertainment events including cabaret performances and sketch comedy tailored to client needs. Offers a library of turn-key edutainment modules for corporations to license and implement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Third Coast Creative is a Houston-based production company that selectively identifies and funds the development and production of new theatrical works, partnering with writers, musicians, performers, and directors. The company also creates customized corporate entertainment events, including cabaret performances, sketch comedy, and turn-key edutainment modules that can be licensed by corporations.

Product overview

Third Coast Creative is a Houston-based production company that develops and produces new works for stage and screen, including musical theatre productions and corporate entertainment. The core product portfolio includes musical productions (LMNOP, Ella Minnow Pea, The Extraordinary Ordinary), a music album (Sorta Love Songs CD), short films, and corporate edutainment modules. The company identifies and funds talented writers, musicians, performers, and directors, providing opportunities to showcase their work through theatrical productions and corporate entertainment events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LMNOP, A New Muzical: A musical based on the novel Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn, about letters falling from a monument and government censorship.
• The Extraordinary Ordinary
• Third Coast Creative: Edutainment

Products and services

• LMNOP, A New Muzical A new musical based on Mark Dunn's novel Ella Minnow Pea, in which letters begin to fall from a town monument and government officials ban them one by one, and a teenage girl rallies the community to fight for freedom of speech. Music by Paul Loesel, book and lyrics by Scott Burkell. Produced for regional and Off-Broadway audiences.
• The Extraordinary Ordinary A musical comedy following a year in the life of six friends in Manhattan exploring choices, identity, and the meaning of family. Book and lyrics by Scott Burkell, music by Paul Loesel. Produced Off-Broadway in New York and at regional theaters.
• Sorta Love Songs CD A musical revue CD featuring thirteen original scores by Paul Loesel (composer) and Scott Burkell (lyricist), performed by seventeen top Broadway performers. Includes sincere ballads and comedic character turns. Available for retail purchase.
• Third Coast Creative: Edutainment Turn-key corporate entertainment and educational modules covering topics like investing, retirement savings, and financial advisory services. Modules are available for corporate licensing and implementation, including the Bronze Telly Award-winning short film collage The Greenbacks.
• Corporate Entertainment Events Customized corporate entertainment events including cabaret-style performances and sketch comedy tailored to the particular needs of client companies. Pricing is quote-based and scoped per engagement.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TUTS UndergroundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2014Produced LMNOP at TUTS Underground venue in Houston (April 7-19, 2014). Local Houston production bringing the musical to the company's home city.
• Goodspeed MusicalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2013Produced LMNOP at Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre from July 25 to August 18, 2013. This was a major developmental production with Broadway aspirations for the musical.
• Matt Schicker / Show Shepherd ConsultingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2013Show shepherd consultant for LMNOP at Goodspeed Musicals Summer 2013. Has shepherded more than 40 musicals and plays since 2002 as producer and consultant.
• Dreamlight Theatre CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal development partner for The Extraordinary Ordinary Off-Broadway production in Fall 2010. Dreamlight Theatre Company, led by Artistic Director Chip Klose and Executive Producer Dean A. Carpenter, originally developed and produced the musical in New York City.
• Farmers Alley TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced The Extraordinary Ordinary in Kalamazoo, Michigan in Fall 2011. This production was a Drama Desk nominated production, bringing the musical from New York to Michigan.
• Breaking Bread TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for Ella Minnow Pea developmental lab in 2012. Breaking Bread Theatre, co-directed by Joe Calarco, conducted the developmental lab with Third Coast Creative. Joe Calarco also directed LMNOP.
• Lorelle MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-produced the sizzle reel for LMNOP, A New Muzical performed at The Goodspeed. Partnered on marketing video showcasing the musical.
• Sh-K-Boom ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the Sorta Love Songs album with producer Dominick Amendum. Album recorded at MSR Studios in New York and released on Sh-K-Boom Records label.
• Joy Dewing / Dave Clemmons CastingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLeading casting agency in New York City for over a decade. Cast The Extraordinary Ordinary and other productions. Recent projects include Broadway productions starring James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave, and Hugh Jackman.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Sh-K-Boom / Ghostlight Records: Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight is an independent Broadway/Off-Broadway cast album label and producer that co-produced the Sorta Love Songs album with Third Coast Creative and operates in the same niche musical-theatre recorded-music ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Vineyard Theatre: Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway producer that develops new plays and musicals through staged readings and full productions, mirroring Third Coast Creative's small-team, selective development approach to new theatrical works.
• Ars Nova: Ars Nova is a small NYC non-profit focused on developing and producing new musicals and plays by emerging artists, with a similar small-team, selective project model and Broadway-aspiration pipeline.
• Primary Stages: Primary Stages is an Off-Broadway producer dedicated to developing and producing new plays, with a similar small-shop, project-driven model and emphasis on emerging writers.
• Goodspeed Musicals: Goodspeed Musicals operates the Norma Terris Theatre as a developmental pipeline for new musicals toward Broadway and is a direct producing/development partner of Third Coast Creative on LMNOP; the business model of funding early-stage musicals is closely aligned.
• Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: Rattlestick develops new work by individual playwrights in an Off-Off/Off-Broadway context, sharing Third Coast's selective, artist-driven model of producing new theatrical content on a small scale.
• New York Theatre Workshop: NYTW is known for developing new work (e.g., Rent, Hadestown) through a similar workshop-to-production pipeline that Third Coast Creative uses for LMNOP and The Extraordinary Ordinary, with similar capital and headcount constraints.

Broad incumbents

• Manhattan Theatre Club: MTC develops and produces new plays and musicals at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and Stage I, with a developmental pipeline that parallels Third Coast's workshop-to-production approach at significantly greater scale.
• Roundabout Theatre Company: Roundabout is a major Broadway and Off-Broadway producer with a Broadway-aspiring new works program, comparable in mission (developing and producing new musicals) but materially larger in scale and budget.
• Second Stage Theater: Second Stage produces new plays and musicals Off-Broadway with Broadway ambitions, overlapping with Third Coast's developmental-to-Broadway model but at significantly larger scale and with institutional funding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ThirdCoastCreative
• Xx.com/ThirdCoastCreat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/third-coast-creative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Third Coast Creative