MicroCineFest 2006 Festival Program Book Advertising Rates:

FULL PAGE 6.75x10" $150

INSIDE FRONT COVER 6.75x10" (first come) $175 sold

INSIDE BACK COVER 6.75x10" (first come) $175 sold

BACK COVER 6.75x10" (first come) $200 sold

HALF PAGE TALL (10x3.3") or LONG (5x6.75") $90

QUARTER PAGE 3.3x5" $50

EIGHTH PAGE/BUSINESS CARD 2.5x3.3" $25

- Deliver your ad & payment to us by Friday, October 20 (The deadline is firm - unlike in previous years, we will not be able to extend the deadline and still go to print on time.).

- All ad sizes are approximate.

- Black & white, camera ready ads only. We can accept hard copy, or files (jpeg or tif preferred).

- Run of at least 1,000 copies, distributed at the festival and various locations around Baltimore. After the festival, additional copies are sent worldwide to filmmakers, sponsors, other festivals, press, and advertisers.

- Program is printed on approx. 7.5 "x 10.75" newspaper stock.

- Make checks payable to MicroCineFest.

- For more info call 410-243-5307 or email us.

MicroCineFest 3700 Beech Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21211

The MicroCineFest SPONSORSHIP Manifesto:

We are frequently approached by businesses interested in sponsoring us.

We rarely end up with any kind of sponsorship.

If your business wants to sponsor MicroCineFest, you need to understand where we're coming from. Since it's inception, MicroCineFest has been mostly self-sufficient; most of our operating budget is raised through our Call for Entries, our Program Book ad sales, and our ticket & merchandise sales. Unless a sponsorship supplies us with something we can't survive without, then we don't exactly need it.

If you think a sponsorship consists of linking your web site to ours and sending us a bunch of your promo material to give away during our festival, then we're not interested. Likewise, if your web business is offering to host films from our festival, then it should be an arrangement between you and the filmmakers, not us. We're busy enough as it is without the hassle of being go-betweens for filmmakers and dotcoms. We get these offers frequently, and though we appreciate the interest, obviously we can survive just fine without them. However, if you can offer us something that we NEED and can't come up with ourselvesÉ that's another story.

We are always interested in improving our festival without changing its integrity. Some of the improvements we would like to make are these:

- Make sure all of our costs are covered ahead of time so that we do not need to rely on the money from ticket sales. That ticket money could then be shared with the participating filmmakers and a worthwhile charity.

- We'd like to be able to cover air fare and hotel accommodations for out-of-town filmmakers & guests during the festival.

- We'd like to pay minimal salaries to select members of our small staff so that those staff members can afford to be more involved throughout the year (hosting more special events, touring "Best Of" programs to other cities, etc). Then, staff members would be able to put more time into the festival & events, therefore making it a better festival. So far, MicroCineFest has existed thanks to volunteers offering free time out of their busy lives. Look what we've accomplished so far! Just imagine what we could accomplish if we were able to put the same kind of time into the festival as we put into our bill-paying day jobs.

So what do we need in order to pull off these improvements? To put it bluntly: MONEY!!! (Unless you are an airline offering to donate plane tickets, or a hotel offering to donate lodging... we could use that too). We're not talking about the nice-gesture, few hundred-dollar donations (*see below if that's what you were thinking about). We're talking about major funding. We're talking about $20,000 for the smallest sponsorship level. That figure would cover all our costs and pay a small salary to one staff member for an entire year. If someone wanted to give MicroCineFest, say, $60,000, then we'd have an exclusive sponsor for a year and not even worry about getting any other sponsors.

But even if we find a sponsor willing to support us THAT much, we won't take funding from just anyone. Look back a few paragraphs and notice that word "Integrity". We have to believe that your business has the same integrity that we pride ourselves in having. Are you community-minded, socially and environmentally responsible, an arts supporter? Does your business represent good over evil? Pass that test and we're ready to talk business. We don't just want your money; we want to be honestly proud to endorse you too.

Here's what you get out of the deal:

- We'll put "Sponsored by [your logo]" on our posters, programs, and other promo materials.

- We'll link our web site to your web site.

- We'll give you a full-page ad in our program book.

- We'll let you hang up banners and give out promo items at any of our events.

- We'll show your promo/trailer/commercial as part of our programs.

- We will essentially do our best to give your company as much exposure to our audiences as we can.

- We'll send you invitations to our events.

- We will give you our thanks.

- (If you're a dotcom whose sponsorship ends up paying our salaries, THEN we'd be happy to be the liaison between you and the filmmakers, because THEN we'd have the time for it).

And just to make it clear, here's what you do NOT get out of the deal: You will not own or control the festival, its staff, or its programming. It will still be ours to run the way it's supposed to be run.

If you've read this far, you're probably not still interested in sponsoring us. In fact, you're probably amazed that we could be so bold and still expect anyone to give us the kind of funding that we're asking for. That's just it, we don't expect it. I'd be surprised if a company with that kind of disposable cash would give a damn about a cool, underground film festival with an attitude like ours. But if I'm wrong, then lucky us... let's talk business.

*Regarding the nice-gesture, few hundred dollar donation: It's not that we DON'T want your money. If you really want to help us out and that's all you can afford, we'll still do business with you, and you'll still get our gratitude. Here are some things you might consider:

- Sponsor a party. Book a nightclub, and cover the cost for the open bar & entertainment. We usually try to have something on opening & closing nights ONLY because we're showing films on the other nights until the wee hours of the morning -- we don't want to divide our audience's attention.

- Sponsor an activity. We don't have screenings in the mornings and early afternoons. That leaves a bunch of out-of-town filmmakers sitting around Baltimore unsure of what to do until films begin later in the afternoon. You could sponsor a breakfast or lunch, bowling or museum trips, a picnic or something for the visiting filmmakers -- the possibilities are limitless.

- Sponsor a particular screening. Fly the filmmaker(s) in for us and put them up somewhere.

- Sponsor an award. Give us a prize to award a winning filmmaker (money, film stock, prepaid lab fees, equipment). There are a handful of awards to choose from, or we could even create one specifically for your sponsorship.

- Sponsor a service. Cover the costs of something we need: rental equipment, space, printing, chairs, etc. Or supply those services yourself, if that's what your business does.

As long as we get all the arrangements with you finalized by the time, we'll include your involvement in our Program Book and on our web site. Imagine this: "The Grand Jury Feature Award, sponsored by [your company]," or "[Your company] presents The MicroCineFest Closing Night Party." Sure, it may not be all the exposure the $20,000 sponsor gets from us, but your sponsorship will have direct benefits to filmmakers and/or the MicroCineFest audience.

back