Hollywood Fringe Sponsor Packet

Dear Supporter of the Arts, Hollywood Fringe is proud to announce a Fringe Festival for Los Angeles: A massive, multidisciplinary arts event in June 2010. The Fringe is an international celebration of emerging arts in all fields: theatre, dance, music, comedy, and more. Fringe Festivals exist throughout the world in cities large and small. Using an open model for registration, anyone can perform or exhibit a work of art. This model is widely successful in fostering audiences, launching careers, and incubating works that have gone on to critical acclaim and popular success. Sponsoring the Fringe exposes your brand to thousands of audience members, artists, and community members. Fringe Festivals are major players in the arts world; companies sponsoring these events are committed to the arts in their communities. Here are just a few reasons to become a sponsor: • • • • •

Build brand goodwill supporting hundreds of events, performances, and exhibitions. Explore experimental marketing outlets with our creative staff. Closely align your brand with the arts world. Gain special event access for you and your organization. Your donation is tax-deductible; The Fringe is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit.

Your support goes a long way towards celebrating the many talented artists in Los Angeles and promoting our city's cultural status to the world. We look forward to working with you as we plan this important event. Kindest Regards,

Ben Hill, Executive Director [email protected]

Kan Mattoo, Development Director [email protected]

6133 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028 | [email protected] | www.HollywoodFringe.org

The Hollywood Fringe Festival Dates:

June 17 - June 27, 2010 (annual)

Ticket Sales:

>15,000 (projected)

Artistic Companies:

>100 (projected)

Number of Performances:

>600 (projected)

Location:

Hollywood, CA

"I'm excited that Hollywood has been selected as the site of Southern California's Fringe Festival, which will bring artists from around the world to share their works in this creative environment," ~ L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti. “I am honored to support the Hollywood Fringe Festival coming to Los Angeles in June 2010. A variety of communities make up Los Angeles’ rich tapestry of cultures and art and I am excited to see the effort and energy underway to promote it. “ ~ Assemblymember Kevin de Leon, 45th Assembly District The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual celebration of the emerging arts. Environments for the Fringe include both traditional and unorthodox venues; fully equipped theatres, street corners, clubs, bars, and places unexpected. Performances are self-produced by local, national, and international arts companies and independent performers. In the spirit of most Fringes, participation is open and uncensored with all box office revenues kept by the artist. In October, the Fringe unveils its creative online presence with features similar to social networking sites like Facebook & Twitter. Artists can network, workshop ideas, secure Fringe venues, and register for the Festival all through the website.

6133 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028 | [email protected] | www.HollywoodFringe.org

Fringe Demographics Patrons of Fringe Festivals include art lovers of all kinds. Based on Minnesota Fringe Festival projections (the largest unjuried Fringe in the country), approximately 40% of the estimated 35,000 patrons were under the age of 35 - an astonishingly high number for arts audiences. A recent Edinburgh Fringe annual report listed 47% of its 2.5 million patrons traveling from out of town to attend the festival (it is the #1 tourist destination in the UK). Based on current tracking, here is a snapshot of the demographic group for The Hollywood Fringe Festival:

Low ticket costs and hard-hitting performances draw younger audiences between the ages of 22 and 35 - especially those who don't normally attend live arts shows. Our Internet initiatives target active users of social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter; these tools tend to appeal to younger users. Large scale arts festivals generally appeal to members of the LGBT community; we are working with community leaders to feature the June 2010 festival as a part of the Pride month festivities. Entertainment industry and community contacts will attend and participate. Artists participating in Fringe Festivals generally include emerging professional artists, amateurs trying out new ideas, and experienced artists seeking new outlets. There is a healthy touring circuit amongst Fringe artists, so many come from outside town, including international destinations.

6133 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028 | [email protected] | www.HollywoodFringe.org

In-Kind Support One of the best ways to support the festival is through donation of products, equipment or services. Given the large scope of the festival, these donations can provide a high-visibility stage for your products or services. These are just a few examples of in-kind donations being sought by the Fringe: •

Discounts to local business establishments driving artists and audience to your place of business – restaurants, bars, clubs, and more

•

Printing Services deeply discounted printing for the Fringe and Fringe artists

•

Fringe Guide Sponsor we seek a major sponsor to pay for our program guide

•

Lighting, Sound and Staging Equipment discounted services for the Fringe and Fringe artists

•

Food and Beverage for sale to festival patrons at numerous locations

•

Artist and Audience Housing free or deeply discounted hotelling for out-of-town artists and audience

•

Spaces for Performances/Exhibition space of all types are needed, especially those provided free of charge to Fringe artists.

•

Legal Services pro bono services for contracts, visas, and general counseling

6133 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028 | [email protected] | www.HollywoodFringe.org

Sponsorship Levels Founder's Circle with your cash or in-kind gift of $15,000 • • •

Principal placement on every invite and publication for Festival 2010 Your logo listed on the website in perpetuity 8 VIP Tickets to every Fringe-run event in 2010

This elite circle of givers will close for membership in June 2010. Join while you can! Gold Circle with your cash or in-kind gift of $10,000 • •

Primary brand placement on website and Fringe Guide (estimated run: 20,000) 6 VIP Tickets to every Fringe-run event in 2010

Silver Circle with your cash or in-kind gift of $5,000 • •

Silver-level brand placement on our website and Fringe Guide (estimated run: 20,000) 4 VIP Tickets to every Fringe-run event in 2010

Bronze Circle with your cash or in-kind gift of $2,500 • •

Bronze-level brand placement on our website and Fringe Guide (estimated run: 20,000) 2 VIP Tickets to every Fringe-run event in 2010

Fringe Friend with your cash or in-kind gift of $500 • •

2 VIP Tickets to every Fringe-run event honorable mention on our website

6133 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028 | [email protected] | www.HollywoodFringe.org

About Fringe Festivals First Fringe Festival:

Edinburgh, Scotland 1947 1.5+ million tickets sold in 2008 $100+ Million to local economy

US Fringe Festivals:

16

World Fringe Festivals:

35

Fringe Festivals exist throughout the world as havens for underground and emerging arts scenes. The concept Fringe Festival was incubated in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1947, eight performance groups appeared uninvited on the "fringes" of the exclusive Edinburgh International Festival. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has since grown into the largest arts festival in the world with hundreds of artists, thousands of performances, and millions of patrons every summer. It annually grosses over $100 million for the local economy and remains the biggest tourist draw in the UK. Fringe Festivals have since sprung up in dozens of cities across the world. Most Fringe Festivals are uncurated and open preferring lotteries, first-come-first-served, and findyour-own venue systems to a formal selection process. This open means of programming fosters the work of both the well-established and the obscure; everyone has the opportunity to participate. Fringe Festivals nourish young visionaries by providing networking opportunities and production experience. They also provide large economic and cultural boosts for their hosting communities.

photos from The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

6133 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028 | [email protected] | www.HollywoodFringe.org

Fringe Activities Reducing barriers to the production of emerging works is the key outcome of the festival. We achieve this through low registration fees, low venue rents, opportunities for short, inexpensive runs, high press exposure through media partnerships, and low ticket prices to encourage mass audience participation. We provide the organizational, promotional, and administrative framework to support the individual producers at the Fringe. Major programs in the Fringe 2010 Festival include: Performances in traditional theatrical venues from local, national, and international artists in Hollywood, CA. Projected venues include The Theatre Asylum, The Blank Theatre, Theatre of Note, the McCadden Theatre, the Paul Gleason Theatre, the Hudson Stage Guild, The Second City, and many more. Artists can bring their own Hollywood venue to the festival. We project 100 artistic companies producing 500 performances in theatrical venues. Outdoor and Atmospheric Events including performances from another 50-100 artists. We are working with the LA City Council on road closures for street performers, vendors, and buskers. Most outdoor performances will be free of charge. Art Exhibitions in our Visual Fringe program to provide painters, sculptors, and other visual artists an opportunity to exhibit their work. Locations will be in lobbies of traditional venues and designated art installation zones. Workshops hosted by local and visiting artists to educate and inform emerging artists across all ages and cultures. Workshops will occur primarily during off-hours in traditional venues associated with the Fringe. Instructors/Artists will sell tickets to their workshops from our website. We are partnering with local organizations that specialize in hosting and organizing workshops. We expect to present approximately 50 workshops during the festival The Fringe Website is a space for project information, artists networking, audience interaction, registration/booking assistance, volunteer information, union information, and much more. It also serves as a social network for the Fringe community and the online ticketing hub. The Fringe Guide is the single printed source for everything Fringe including information on each artist, venue, and performance in the Fringe Festival.

6133 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028 | [email protected] | www.HollywoodFringe.org

Company History The company was founded in January 2005 with a singular mission: Produce new and provocative works by undiscovered artists for benefit of the community. Our inaugural production was The Hatchery Festival in Washington DC. Its mission to introduce new works was widely received as a critical injection of vigor into the community’s literary culture. The playwrights underwent an extensive dramaturgical workshop process to improve their plays, and prepare them for production. In recognition of our efforts towards community betterment, we were awarded a grant from the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities. Our next project focused on the Commedia dell’Arte style of street theatre. We partnered with the Iowa City Jazz Festival and the Iowa City Arts Festival, as well as several local businesses. Utilizing classical methods of bringing theatre to the uninitiated, we sought out non-traditional performance spaces in local neighborhoods. We recently co-produced ARTBASH with Need Theater, an immersive party exploring economic disparity in the 1920s and today. The event was a great success, bringing hundreds of patrons to the A+D Museum on Wilshire to enjoy performances from over 100 artists including dancers, musicians, theater troupes, and more

photos of ARTBASH, December 2009

6133 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028 | [email protected] | www.HollywoodFringe.org