Sponsorship and business: February

[vjrei]

Ok. The year is starting and I have been VJing for 5 years now.

Last December an sponsor came to me to discuss a few events. He came with the idea of asking me for all my rates to create a fixed price for the entire year for X amounts of events. That way he could send me two big payments at once and that was it. He ask me prices for small, mid size and big events configurations... only my equipment, no proyectors, plasma leds or anything. Just my powerbooks, my team of elfos and that is it.

So I started to offer the same package to every single sponsor and production company:

Diageo: they manae Smirnoff (Smirnoff Experience), Whine and Spirits, JW and a few others. I made a few evets for them last year but trough production companies. Production companies just do not like to pay and they keep 75% of the entire budged just for them.

Regional: The second biggets beer company in Venezuela but their offices are not in Caracas so is a bit complicated to meet with them. They were the one offering me the deal. Still I haven't being able to finally meet with them because they have to travel to Caracas for that and they do it each 3 weeks or so.

Those have been the mayor sponsor and there is where I can sell my package of events.

On the othet hand I am crossing the river because I just contecated Pepsi. Pepsi is a brand under the unbrella of Polar, and Polar is the direct adversary of Regional. Despite they work with other production companies, is an entire different world even we are all in the same city. They do not know of my existance basically.

The cons is that productions companies do not like me going directly to the sponsors. First they won't be able to charge on top of my rates. But second... because today I am offering visuals and tomorrow sound and lighting... that meant potentially I could take the entire show off their hands something that I am not interested actually. Visuals are complex enough and my band of trolls and elfos can not get organize by themself during a show yet.

So... yesterday I had a meeting with the production company that produce basically everything for Diageo. I have been working for them during the lat year here and there and they ahve been complaining about my rates. They had an event in december and they hired one of those VJ wannabe that charges a joke. Of corse the show was lame but the only ones affected are the sponsor and me.

I started to show my presentation and less than half of it the key people left the room. Once you start to explain the value of your work they cover their ears, they rather.

What do I have to do? I have to go to the source now, to the sponsor directly and jump them. Sponsors are the only one who cares about their presence in public, production companies not so and that is only part of getting to know the nature of each.

The good thing is that there are many events around and many big production companies who lack of a serious, develop, and professional video department.

I am glad I have the reel that I have at least and I can offer something serious to the market, the rest still moving the butt big time.