Press pass

[ilovelanegan]

2 hours ago, eatingglitter said:

Yes 100%! I realise I may have sounded glib beforehand, but yes, you are working for sure.

There's nothing quite like rocking up with a festival with a bunch of expensive kit when it's muddy, a list of people you need to try and catch and interview that suddenly aren't anywhere to be found,  all the while trying to take photos and to "experience" it while also formulating what you're writing about/how it'll read etc. One festival I was covering for about three outlets at once, different levels, different mediums and different content requirements (and I had my toddler and a 5 year old with me, thank f**k for my husband and mates!!!)

Also, the amount of people who randomly contact you in the run up to any festival asking if you can "get them a free ticket". My sister did this to me last year for a festival that was literally £30 for the day she wanted to go to.

I did love covering festivals, but I'm definitely glad to be going as a punter now rather than press!

It can be a... lot. Luckily for me my deadlines were post-fest so I was able to make notes (sober when required) but still delve into the festival proper. I also leave the sprogs at home with my other half otherwise it would be not be remotely an option!

[Neil]

upgrade to a punter's ticket is definitely the way to do it, cos that way you're sure of going all the way  from ticket day, if you wait for the press office to come thru with a ticket for you, you'll be waiting forever. i always told efestivals staff that if they wanted to go to any particular festival, they should buy a ticket cos you can never guarantee that a press office will come thru for you. several times i  contacted  big_name_promoters to plead the case for a press pass when the press office wasn't forthcoming.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

1 hour ago, Neil said:

several times i  contacted  big_name_promoters to plead the case for a press pass when the press office wasn't forthcoming.

I take it that this tactic worked, more often than not?

[Neil]

2 hours ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I take it that this tactic worked, more often than not?

mostly, but it helped that efests bad a good reputation, and they valued the publicity. strangest one was when i had big _promoter contact me to say we wouldn't get passes because we'd not published a particular story that the press office had sent out. after some checking and an offer for his techies to audit my systems (including the double-mail system so that mails couldn't go missing.), it turned out they hadn't sent the story out the  next year that festival had a different agency doing their press. that big_promoter  made pretty clear over several contacts that he didn't feel his festivals got fair treatment from efestivals, mostly it was his paranoia.(if you think you might know who big_promoter  might be, think harder cos in the uk music biz there's quite a few festival promoters who could fit that label!).

[stereodista]

7 hours ago, Neil said:

they're also shambolic and chaotic (impossible to communicate with), and very different to most festival press operations.

The latter part of this post I do agree with, but they’ve always been very understanding in my experience. 

[eatingglitter]

6 hours ago, Neil said:

mostly, but it helped that efests bad a good reputation, and they valued the publicity. strangest one was when i had big _promoter contact me to say we wouldn't get passes because we'd not published a particular story that the press office had sent out. 

I had one once that refused me press access (which was fine and I would have paid to go, but I would have had to stump for a very expensive water-based crossing out of my own pocket), but then proceeded to demand I post every single item and detail from their press releases, chase me for exposure and then tried to get me to put up free banner ads... I was a bit like, errrr no. 

[Neil]

2 hours ago, eatingglitter said:

I had one once that refused me press access (which was fine and I would have paid to go, but I would have had to stump for a very expensive water-based crossing out of my own pocket), but then proceeded to demand I post every single item and detail from their press releases, chase me for exposure and then tried to get me to put up free banner ads... I was a bit like, errrr no. 

bestival were always chilled with me.

[Neil]

7 hours ago, stereodista said:

The latter part of this post I do agree with, but they’ve always been very understanding in my experience. 

yeah, i used to tell the old press team (lovely geezers) they were shambolic, doesn't seem to have got any better with the new guy.

[stereodista]

1 hour ago, Neil said:

yeah, i used to tell the old press team (lovely geezers) they were shambolic, doesn't seem to have got any better with the new guy.

I quite like it to be totally honest. Makes sense to me!