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#1
2nd February 2007, 02:00 PM
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Sponsorship and business: February
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.
__________________
Around here. 
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#3
2nd February 2007, 03:53 PM
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It's interesting. Thanks for letting us know.... I'm still at the point of dealing with producers, not too much client but just starting to. One producer can lead to many sponsors, but when it's time to go it's time to go. They always complain about money, and meanwhile you start figuring the price of flowers and food for the event and you wonder why they pick on you...!
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#4
2nd February 2007, 04:54 PM
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Rei
I think you will find many difficulties going direct to the brands. It is really difficult to even find the relevant person to speak to and these people generally want an "all-in-one" solution. You are just too small for most of these people to be dealing with directly. There are loads of people out there that can do video for them. Don't bite the hands that feed you too quickly. Production companies, ad agencies, etc are the go betweens to the bigger brands they often do many other things as well for them as a whole package. BTW how long was your pitch? You said people worked out not even half way through. Keep it short and snappy. In a few minutes I imagine you can get all your major points across - then you can expand on what you have initially mentioned. Offer them new ideas, promotional activities. Give them options of things you can do. What can you do that is unique? Mention the string of other corps/brands/events that you work with. Show your proven track record in this field. Oh and don?t worry too much because if you get too big Chavez will shut you down and ?nationalize? you. 
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"Sin / Cosine are the humble bricks with which one can build cathedrals, as long as there is enough patience and imagination!" Navis [ASD]
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#5
2nd February 2007, 09:17 PM
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Rovastar
Yes, I am small, but I have been doing all the events for Diageo last year under different producers. The problem is that I get the call too late and my offer is: Let make a package for all your events and you just send me... I mean... sponsor me like if I was a athlete. I want to be sponsored that way but we fall into the technical side. Diago has many problems with their videos any way, productions companies here are good but their shows are not so. Production companies wants to keep everything low profile and charge huge amounts for an spining logo and loads of equipment they don't use. I remember last year, that event I was involved where "I was on the flyer"... well, the production company was charging for a video distribuitor, a matrix switcher 8x8 the same amount of a VJ with their entire set up. And yes, I do not want to look agresive when talking directly to sponsors. many productions companies are nervous about me because I am maniging the most difficult task of the event very well (videos). My big analogy is that Venezuela once has the best airline in the world called Viasa, it was the firs airline with hot meals in the world! and we had 2 747. The same employees devastated the airlines and it was sold to Iberia who teared apart and kept the routes. What am I doing to avoid that? I can tell you via email but not in the forums :s Regarding Chavez... Oh God... now Chgavez is giving away free light bulbs in the getos because they save energy. he buy those light bulbs from Cuba and Cuba buy them from China, that is another way to give money to Cube. But the light bulbs are getting installed by Chavez people, they do not give it to you, they come to your house, come inside with a permit in hand and install them in your own room. Then when they left they write down an inventory of your place: tvs, computers, etc. So they can come tomorrow with another "order" to ask you for your appliances. Chavez nationalized the main phone company and the stuck market came down 15% in one day. On my side, the dollar is now more expensive. From january to february my services duplicate in price but not in value. The Erick Morillo concert was 1.500.000 Bolivars, today that is $300!!!!! back then was $2.500. So... to be agresive... I am trying not to =( Still, knoing about Jamaica make me feel better.
__________________
Around here.
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#7
2nd February 2007, 10:57 PM
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if there's one dude i'd like to hear has made a lot of money from VJ'ing it's you.... and WHEN you do .... tell us all how haha
__________________
http://www.myspace.com/visualintent
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#8
4th February 2007, 06:36 AM
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Quote:
do not market yourself as a VJ who can do everything the production companies do. market yourself as a production company. find out everything that the production companies have. 1: personal contacts they have drinks with casually and in business 2: a pro, simple website outlining what u do and what u have done. not "you" as in 'vj Rei', but what you company has done. in fact do not even tell them that you are the dude who puts together the shows or whatever. they do not need to know that. 3: pro, simple business card 4: ? 5: ? 6: funky business space to meet clients in. might be rentable per-meeting, so you do not need to have to rent it all the time. 7: classy address for mail to be sent to. you could always just get the address of the coolest area in the best suburb in the city. eg 15a ____ Street, ____ Suburb then put a redirection order in at the post office and all mail will be redirected straight to your real address. just an idea, might not be worth implementing. 8: a range of services... video for events .. hmm there must be some 'industry term' for that. always use the term. if you do sponsor visualz at events too, make that a seperate thing, just call it branding or 'event presence'. if you find that cool lighting and sound company who is small yet talented and willing 2 work with u, then make that another service you provide. you know what the big brands need, but they need to see you can do a variety of related services. i left 4 and 5 with question marks as i am sure there are things that i do not know about that a production company has, that a vj does not. another idea to seem like a production company is the get a female friend to pretend to be your secretary amd call up each major brand company that you want to approach, to make each individual meeting. this way it seems like you have a secretary. another thing: make sure they feel like you are interested in finding out what their needs are... if they feel that, then will be more willing to work with you. if they feel like you want to tell them what you can do, they will be cautious. of course, if you ask them what their needs are, the response might be, "Why does this company need to ask? they should already know." confidence is good, but the real confidence in your abilities should show in terms of: the important thing is them; their needs, the company's direction... all these things you have researched first, and then display interest in during the interview. your great ideas for developing content to promote thier brand is valuable of course, and i wonder if they would expect you to keep that for a 2nd meeting. roles in production companies/design agencies: designers, producers, technical directors and creative directors. then there is the director, and the CEO. if you get through to them, i guess they would be interested in what capacity are you approaching them? the 'producers' in australian design agencies handle the clients and get more clients. the director chooses the technical and creative directors. the CEO is like a big producer i guess. are you offering them (1) technical services event lighting, PA, video (b) creative services relevant video content creation, logo animation, music video for a pop star, cross-media branding; print::web::video (c) performance services realtime video/animation mixing at events, interactive installations at venues, list of DJ's or stock audio production media
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#9
5th February 2007, 01:41 PM
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I have some interesting documents here... nyar nyar nyarrrrrr....
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