OpenProducer’s Media and Arts Pilot provides indie media and arts orgs with training, mentorship and technical assistance while growing the organizational capacity to sustain over time.
Sustainability
- Enable and enhance original content creation.
- Grow revenue via fundraising, sponsorships, partnerships, and related services.
- Identify new models for content distribution and licensing.
- Increase audience engagement.
Training
- Training, mentorship and technical assistance to help strengthen organizational capacities as well as diversify revenue streams.
- Provide community members real-world learning opportunities to produce, engineer, host, write, interview, and create the media.
Process
Once enrolled, OpenProducer and partners would do the following:
- Set Up an onboarding meeting to discuss specific goals and needs.
- Continuing research into best practices in revenue development.
- Series of in-person and virtual courses, workshops, hackathons, and other training opportunities for staff and volunteers.
- Create toolkits and share best practices to help achieve long-term sustainability.
- Enroll in quarterly fundraising events.
Pricing
Organizations meeting our criteria can participate by paying for two months of platform support or making a one time donation for an equivalent amount:
- For organizations with gross revenue under $100,000 a year, the cost is $500.
- For those with gross revenue between $100,000 and $250,000 a year, the price is $1000.
- Organizations with gross revenues above $250,000 a year will be charged $1,500.
Criteria
The criteria for participation includes the following:
- Articulated Business Approach: You should be able to clearly articulate your business approach for the development and growth of your site.
- Original Content Production: Your site should primarily produce original content and not solely rely on aggregating content from other sources.
- Financial Viability: Your site should demonstrate one of the following:
- A proven track record of serving your intended audience and a budget that convincingly forecasts 12 months of sustained operation.
- A well-defined launch plan that outlines how you intend to serve your target market, along with funding commitments sufficient to operate for at least 12 months.
Additionally, applicants are required to make their staff available to participate in the pilot.
We will give consideration to sites that have shown both editorial and financial success in their respective markets, sites whose models may offer insights applicable to other organizations, and sites that have faced significant technical challenges while implementing their strategies.