About Us
Outshine Festivals was founded with community in mind.
The goal of Outshine is to enable arts professionals—performing artists, makers, creators—and small businesses to thrive.
Founded by Emmerich Events owner, Allison Emmerich, Outshine is a direct result of the void created during 2020’s COVID-19 social distancing. Allison felt the need to connect with others. She was missing concerts and craft fairs and theatre and all of the things that make the world a vibrant place. So, she set out to find a way to create human connection while following the pandemic-era rules. From here, Outshine was born.
Several months into its existence, Outshine is already making a positive impact by providing opportunities for artists and small businesses to outshine the current circumstances and make the best of the situation! Outshine has created several festivals including MakerFest, PerformerFest, and WinterFest. These festivals focus on participant promotion and getting community members to realize the rich world of shopping small. Our participants, affectionately called the Outshine Fam, and our community members, whom we refer to as our guests, each take away something from our events. Our guests are happy to support small and independent businesses, and the Outshine Fam is happy to have a platform to show the world what they love to do.
The makers and small businesses that are showcased in the fairgrounds bring a high level of skill and expertise to the festivals. Each festival is curated so that guests and shoppers get to view a wide variety of products, services, and performances.
Outshine continues to be in the business of supporting others. In early October, the Artist Support area went live. This area is aimed at performing artists in need of logistical and technical support.
All participants who have been inducted into the Outshine Fam, continue to have the support of Outshine Festivals. The Outshine Fam consists of makers, performers, and other selected small businesses. Outshine Fam members are periodically featured on our social media and shared in our stories. In addition, the Outshine Fam is entitled to discounts and other perks.
We are committed to keeping our participation fees and ticket prices fair. We look forward to bringing the community the best bang for their buck!
We are always excited to make new friends and collaborate!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram! And, don’t forget to join our email list if you want the most up-to-date information from Outshine Festivals coming right to your inbox!
Feel free to reach out if you’d like to make a meaningful connection at outshinefestivals@gmail.com.
The Team
Allison Emmerich
Allison Emmerich (she/hers) is the founder of Outshine Festivals. She has spent the last decade and a half working in performance and events. She loves working in this industry because of the real-life component of bringing people together. Some of her recent favorite projects include The Barrymore Awards and Youth America Grand Prix's New York Finals Week. She prides herself on being a problem solving professional and people person. In addition to Emmerich Events, Allison runs a small jewelry business with her sister and serves as the SEPA Regional Director and Regional Board Chair for Odyssey of the Mind. She also manages the Glicker-Milstein Theatre of Barnard College and advises Columbia University and Barnard College undergraduate arts clubs and organizations. When she is not working in the field, she can be found training for a half marathon, relaxing on her paddleboard, or snuggling with her cat, Gelly (it sounds like Jelly and is short for Giselle... in case you were wondering).
Allison loves meeting new people and making connections. If you have an idea for a collaboration with Outshine, use the button below to email us!
Maddy Feldman
Maddy Feldman (she/hers) is an arts administration professional in New York City. She is an advocate for free, accessible arts programming and is particularly enthusiastic about Outshine’s work in helping beginning makers and artists find new audiences. As the Administrative Assistant for Outshine Festivals, she is often the one behind the Instagram and Facebook posts as well as the website updates.
Matthew White
Matthew White, aka “Baca” (he/him), is a jack-of-all-trades, composer, and general wild child. He has performed around the Philadelphia area as a singer for decades. You can check out his original compositions on SoundCloud. He is a proud member of the Outshine Team where he works with he participants to build out meaningful booths.