“Artists have a lot more freedom if they’re not worrying about money when taking on a project.”

David Maurice Sharp’s unique background allows him to relate to his audience both as an artist and as a financial professional.  He danced with the Mimi Garrard Dance Theatre from 1993 to 2001, as well as with other companies including Lucinda Childs, Blondell Cummings, Sean Curran, Rachel Lampert, Heidi Latsky, Lonne Moretton, and Anna Sokolow. His choreography has been performed at such venues as Lincoln Center, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, NYC Fringe Festival, La Mama, Soho Rep, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and HERE; and his video work, Shadow Dance, received a Silver Award from the Dance on Camera Festival.

Currently, as a financial professional, David works for Kroll as a Director of Solicitation in their New York office, specializing in US and international restructurings, particularly those that involve public securities. He is an industry expert in both domestic and international corporate restructurings, as well as for Rights Offerings and Subscriptions, and authored several articles in industry publications such as the Daily Bankruptcy Review and FinancierWorld.com.  In addition, he frequently gave Continuing Legal Education presentations on key industry topics for law firms both in the United States and in London.

David was a founding member and initiated the formation of the Thriving Artists Investment Club, a limited partnership established by a small group of artist/friends to educate one another about investing and personal portfolio management.  Through that, he also gained greater insight into how the artist can best be educated about their finances and investing.  For more than a decade, David has been teaching investment workshops at HB Studio, an acting conservatory in New York City. This has provided him with the invaluable opportunity to hone his ideas for educating artists in regard to their finances, and to enjoy the success experienced by those who have implemented the ideas and techniques that he promotes. He currently also teaches regularly for Entertainment Community Fund.

In October 2014, David was named a “money hero” for his work in educating artists about their finances by Money magazine. He is the author of The Thriving Artist: Saving and Investing for Performers, Artists, and the Stage & Film Industries and a contributing author to A Life in Dance: A Practical Guide.

Named One of UpJourney’s “19 Best Investing Books for Beginners”

Introducing children to financial literacy at an early age can start them on a path that will serve them well throughout their lives. A Bell for Maury’s Bicycle is an age-appropriate and fun introduction to some basic financial concepts for young readers and soon-to-be-readers. Follow along as Maury learns the value of buying something he wants, has the patience to wait for it, and finds clever ways to save for his goal.

The Thriving Artist Basics of Investing Workshop

Learn the elements of a sound financial plan, including assessing your comfort level with risk, the basics of different types of investments, and ideas for creating a portfolio with limited and varying income.

The Thriving Artist Later-Life Resources Workshop

This seminar explores the pieces that comprise our later-life financial resources, including individual retirement accounts, social security income and Union pensions.

The Thriving Artist Four Part Workshop Series

Incorporating financial mindfulness into our lives can be especially tough for artists.  This four course series examines the full spectrum of establishing a solid financial well-being plan.  Beginning with ways to overcome the ‘feast or famine’ mentality, savvy ways to become a saver and building an emergency cash stash, we then progress to building a well-balanced portfolio of other assets.  Understanding the role that bonds and stocks play, we see how they can add instant diversification through mutual funds and ETFs. The course proceeds through building later-life resources, protecting the assets you’ve worked so hard to build and tackling debt.  Finally, we will explore investing strategies to ensure that you keep moving towards your financial goals in a steady and efficient manner

A Sharper Edge: Hone Your Investing Skills

These targeted classes strengthen and hone your understanding of specific financial areas to help you determine how they may fit into your financial well-being plan. Limited to a maximum registration of ten participants to ensure focused attention.

Customized The Thriving Artist Workshops

Workshops can be customized to fit the needs of your organization. For example, a workshop can be presented to your employees to help educate them about your 403(b) or 401(k) retirement plan.

Previous engagements have included:  HB Studio, Entertainment Community Fund, The Actors Studio at Pace University, Girls Write Now, The SAG-AFTRA Foundation, NextGen Performers/SAG-AFTRA, Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts St. Louis, Capital One 360 Cafe, MusiCares Foundation, Association of Teaching Artists, Actor CEO and The Cambridge Public Library.

Contact

Fill out the form below to contact david maurice sharp, TO REGISTER FOR AN A SHARPER EDGE Class OR TO BE ADDED TO HIS MONTHLY EMAIL CHECK IN