Meet Linda “Mac” and Russ Perlich | Founders of Act One”

We had the good fortune of connecting with Linda “Mac” and Russ Perlich and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Linda “Mac” and Russ, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The launch of Act One came from passions and relationships. My husband and I both grew up with teacher moms who impressed upon us the importance of education. We became involved with Teach for America when we moved from Tucson to Phoenix in 2004, working with underserved Title One schools in Phoenix. Concurrently we acquired the publishing company, ON Media, which publishes the programs for all performing arts groups in Phoenix and Tucson. In this capacity we were exposed to the inequity of arts experiences offerred to students in Title One schools. The wealthy districts sent students to performing arts’ rehearsla/ matinees, the Title One schools did not. A vivid memory is when we brought an entire Title One middle school, 800 students, to see the performance of “Henry the 8th” at a Phoenix theatre. We funded the buses, bought the tickets and supplied study guides for the students and teachers. In talking with the students after the performance, not one student had EVER been to any arts performance. it was that moment when we realized a need existed, and we had the relationships with the schools through Teach for America and the relationships with the arts groups through ON Media…….it all came together.. On a napkin in a coffee shop twelve years ago we came up with the name, Act One, and the adventure began!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We were raised in homes with teacher mothers who valued the importance of a well rounded education. Russ embarked on his professional career by starting his own company. I followed in my mother’s footsteps, teaching nursing at the University of Arizona. Upon moving to Phoenix in 2004, we became involved with Teach for America, seeing firsthand the inequities of public education.. Owning the publishing company for the arts’ programs, we became involved with the arts of the state. It became apparent that the students in the Title One schools of the state were denied experiencing the arts through field trips. We worked with the Title One schools we had gotten to know and the arts groups for which we publish to come together, with a goal of bringing students to experience the arts.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I grew up in Phoenix, moving there at the age of 4 from Pennsylvania. I lived there until going away to college, and spending the next 30 years in Tucson.. In 2004, my husband and I moved from Tucson to Phoenix, and marveled at how it had grown and evolved from a city to a thriving metropolis. There are still the charming sites to see such as the Desert Botanical Garden, the old downtown of Scottsdale, the plethora of arts experiences such as the Heard Museum, the Musical Instrument Museum and the performing arts of the Pheonx valley. It is a blast, except in the middle of summer…..Delicious restaurants abound, but it is the visual and performing arts that make the valley so special.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This was a joint effort, my husband and I embarked on this adventure together. We both came from the for-profit world, and launched naively into creating a new, innovative nonprofit organization together. I dedicate my shoutout to my husband, Russ.

Website: www.act1az.org

Instagram: @act1az

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/act1az

Twitter: https://twitter.com/act1az/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Act1AZ/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@actonearizona9362