Rhizomes

What Rhizomes does

Rhizome Consulting LLC, operating under the Rhizomes brand, is a Miami-headquartered performing arts consulting firm founded in 2019 by Kristopher W. McDowell (Founding Partner) and Glauco Araujo (Creative Director / Head of Public Relations). The company delivers a broad portfolio of professional services — strategic management, mentorship and professional development, public relations and brand elevation, narrative-driven event design, on-site event management, contracting and negotiation, venue and vendor sourcing, hotel room block management, budgeting for tours and events, and income diversification consulting — to individual artists, performing arts organizations (dance companies, theaters, orchestras), cultural institutions (museums, foundations, arts councils), entertainment resorts, boutique brands, hospitality operators, and celebrities. The firm's value proposition rests on the founders' combined 25+ years of industry relationships and credentials, including McDowell's prior tenure as CEO of KMP Artists for 13 years (overseeing Asia Pacific expansion and producing 1,200+ performances) and Araujo's film and television credits on Spielberg's West Side Story and Netflix's Manifest, alongside Broadway production investments in Grey House and Goodnight Oscar.

Name

Rhizomes

Legal name

Rhizome Consulting LLC

Website

https://www.rhizomearts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rhizome Consulting LLC is a Miami-based performing arts consulting firm providing strategic management, mentorship, public relations, event design, and contracting services to artists, cultural institutions, entertainment resorts, boutique brands, and celebrities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Consulting Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (711410), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

A&R / Artist Development Services (MPAIAGAL)

Keywords

• Arts consulting services
• Strategic management consulting
• Event design production
• Performing arts advisory
• Artist career management

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

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. Strategic Management Services: Ongoing strategic management for artists, institutions, and cultural enterprises including career strategy, institutional advisory, and cross-sector partnership development.
2. Mentorship & Professional Development: Tailored mentorship, market intelligence, and curated access programs for artists, leaders, and institutions. Includes coaching sessions on global arts market analysis, international touring, and revenue diversification.
3. Event Design & Production: High-impact event design services including narrative-driven environments, immersive experiences, and on-site event management for cultural events, premieres, and corporate gatherings.
4. Contracting & Negotiation Services: Strategic contracting and negotiation services for artist contracts, production agreements, institutional partnerships, sponsorship deals, and international transactions.
5. Program Fees: Fee-based mentorship and coaching sessions offered through the programs section, including individual session bookings at $125.00 per session for services such as Global Arts Market Analysis and Strategic Advisory.
6. Public Relations & Brand Elevation: PR services for performing arts organizations, entertainment resorts, boutique brands, hospitality industry, and celebrities including branding services and cross-industry partnerships.
7. Budgeting for Tours & Events: Financial architecture services including budget design, forecasting, resource allocation strategy, touring financial planning, and revenue/ROI alignment.
8. Income Diversification Consulting: Revenue architecture design for artists and cultural creators including market expansion, asset development, partnership strategy, and sustainability planning.
9. Venue & Vendor Sourcing: Strategic venue identification and vendor curation services with access to global and local networks for cultural institutions and event productions.
10. Hotel Room Block Management: Accommodation sourcing, room block structuring, contract negotiation, and guest experience coordination for events and touring productions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rhizome is a global arts consulting firm that provides strategic management, mentorship, public relations, event design and production, contracting, venue and vendor sourcing, budgeting, and income diversification services to performing arts organizations, individual artists, and cultural institutions. The firm also runs community programs such as Honey Pot, Crossing Bridges, and the Artists Connectivity Series, and sells individual coaching/mentorship sessions at $125 per session.

Product overview

Rhizome Arts Consulting is a global performing arts consulting firm that operates as a platform-plus-services model, offering strategic management for artists and institutions alongside a portfolio of specialized service modules including event design, public relations, contracting, venue/vendor sourcing, budgeting, and income diversification. The firm also runs programs including Honey Pot, Crossing Bridges, and Media, along with individual coaching/mentorship sessions. The core services are delivered through its principal consultants Kristopher McDowell (Founding Partner) and Glauco Araujo (Creative Director), supported by a network of creative partners including Renegade Performance Group, André M. Zachery, ANIKAYA, Wendy Jehlen, Temporal Taal Collective, Guy Story, Aaron Larget-Caplan, Con Fuego, and Azimuth Duo. The company is headquartered in Miami, FL and was established in 2018.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Management – Artists and Institutions Strategic management services for artists, institutions, and cultural organizations that align creative vision with sustainable growth, operational clarity, and long-term impact; connects creative ambition with clear direction, sustainable growth, and market positioning.
• Mentorship & Professional Development Highly tailored mentorship, market intelligence, and curated access for artists, leaders, and institutions seeking career advancement and positioning at the highest levels. Includes coaching on global arts market analysis, international touring, and revenue diversification.
• Public Relations & Brand Elevation Public relations and branding services for performing arts organizations, entertainment resorts, boutique brands, hospitality industry, and celebrities to generate buzz, credibility, and trust.
• Event Designs for Maximum Impact High-impact event design creating narrative-driven environments using a proprietary Storytelling Art Immersive framework integrating spatial narrative, temporal architecture, and participant design.
• Contracting & Negotiation Strategic contracting and negotiation services treating agreements as architecture—aligning vision, expectations, and risk before execution for artist contracts, production agreements, institutional partnerships, and cross-sector deals.
• On-Site Event Management High-level on-site management for complex events ensuring production, talent, and stakeholder experience coordination with precision in real time.
• Venue & Vendor Sourcing Selective venue and vendor sourcing aligning space, talent, and production partners with event intent through strategy-led curation process, with access to global and local networks for cultural institutions and event productions.
• Hotel Room Block Management Strategic hotel room block management as part of experience architecture—aligning accommodation with location, audience profile, and program intent for events and touring productions.
• Budgeting for Tours & Events Financial architecture services for creative work at scale including budget design, forecasting, resource allocation, touring planning, cost control, and ROI alignment.
• Income Diversification for Artists Revenue strategy design helping artists develop diversified income streams across platforms, markets, and formats for financial stability and long-term viability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced over 1,200 performances in North America
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ping Pong Productions (PPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPing Pong Productions is the leading non-profit cultural-exchange organization whose mission is to bring China and the world together through the performing arts. Since its founding, PPP has brought more than 500 performances, master classes, discussions, residencies and symposia to audiences worldwide. This partnership enables Rhizome to offer cultural exchange programming and expand access to Asian and global performing arts markets.
• Renegade Performance GroupminorOthersBrooklyn-based dance company creating innovative artistic projects grounded in Black and African Diaspora. Led by André M. Zachery, the company has been presented domestically and internationally with support from multiple residencies and commissions.
• André M. ZacheryminorOthersChicago-bred, Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist, scholar and technologist with MFA in Performance & Interactive Media Arts from CUNY/Brooklyn College. 2016 NYFA Gregory Millard Fellow in Choreography and 2019 Jerome Hill Foundation Fellow in Choreography.
• ANIKAYAminorOthersCreative partner featured on Rhizome Creatives & Companies page, representing interdisciplinary performing arts.
• Wendy JehlenminorOthersInternational performing artist with Bachelor's from Brown University and Master's from Harvard Divinity School. Fulbright Scholar and Arts Envoy of the US Dept of State, engaging in Dance Diplomacy globally.
• Temporal Taal CollectiveminorOthersEnsemble led by bansuri and saxophone virtuoso Anjan Shah, renowned tabla artist Nabin Shrestha, bassist Amy Shook, and guitarist Jonathan Epley, fusing Indian classical music, jazz improvisation, and global instrumentation.
• Guy StoryminorOthersSongwriter and guitarist with 30-year technology industry background including roles at Bell Laboratories, Amazon, and as founding CTO at Audible. Leads Storytown band and hosts Stories from Storytown event series.
• Aaron Larget-CaplanminorOthersInternational recording and touring guitarist with over 1,000 concerts across four continents, 12 albums with 13+ million streams. Faculty at New England Conservatory and Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
• ¡Con Fuego!minorOthersFlamenco ensemble founded by Aaron Larget-Caplan fusing classical Spanish music and flamenco dance and song. Performs as trio with La Conja and Stephen Marotto.
• Azimuth DuominorOthersMusical duo performed by cellist Stephen Marotto and guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan, traversing cultures and continents through Spanish, tango, and American repertoire.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• KMP Artists: Artist management and consulting firm where Rhizome founder Kristopher McDowell served as CEO for 13 years. KMP is the most direct comparable given shared service lines (artist management, touring, strategic advisory) and overlapping client base in performing arts.
• IMG Artists: Global leader in artist management and performing arts consulting representing classical musicians, dancers, and conductors. Directly comparable in artist representation, touring, and strategic management offerings serving performing arts institutions and individual artists.
• Opus 3 Artists: Performing arts management and touring agency representing classical, jazz, world music, and dance artists. Comparable in artist representation, career strategy, and institutional touring support — a direct boutique competitor in the same talent segment.
• Askonas Holt: Boutique performing arts management firm representing conductors, soloists, directors, and instrumentalists across classical music and opera. Overlaps with Rhizome's strategic management, career development, and international touring services for high-profile artists.
• Columbia Artists Management: Long-established classical music and performing arts management agency representing conductors, singers, instrumentalists, and dance companies. Comparable in artist management, institutional advisory, and international touring services.
• Concert Artists Guild: Non-profit artist management organization supporting classical musicians with career development, touring, and strategic guidance. Comparable in mission-driven artist development and management services serving emerging and mid-career performers.
• Primo Artists: Performing arts management firm representing classical musicians, conductors, and ensembles with career management, touring, and institutional booking services. Direct boutique competitor in artist representation and consulting.
• Kirshbaum Demler & Associates: Classical music artist management firm representing conductors, soloists, and chamber ensembles. Comparable in artist representation, career strategy, and touring support within the same performing arts management niche.

Broad incumbents

• WME (William Morris Endeavor): One of the world's largest talent agencies with a performing arts division. Represents artists across music, theater, and dance and bundles representation with strategic and brand advisory — comparable at the broad-incumbent level rather than as a niche specialist.
• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): Global entertainment and sports talent agency with deep performing arts representation. Comparable as a broad incumbent that offers artist management, brand elevation, and strategic advisory services across multiple verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rhizome-arts-consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Rhizomes