Modding Hitchhiker's guide to Mod Sponsorship

[Tim S]

http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2007..._sponsorship/1

Our forums are packed with great mods and occasionally you see some with big name sponsors. It ends up being the biggest question - "How do I get my mod sponsored?" We take some time to explain what catches the attention of both ourselves and corporate sponsors.

[mrb_no1]

nice article brett...sounds like you've experienced modders stitching you up from that last page, i hope they didnt tarnish your reputation too much. I'd always admired the guys who make the best mods, like the creative and Yuugou mods, things like i think nice, these guys aren't just modders, these people are artists (unlike that orange case with a window from modshop.net that imo is a weaker mod). Still nice article and an interesting read

peace

[Almightyrastus]

Great article, it is something that I always wonder about everytime I see one of the great mods with a load of logos plastered over the final page of the article about it.
I can personally testify to the benifits of helping out a local shop, admitadly the help I have given my local one has been in the form of word of mouth to people asking my advice on things rather than producing a worthy mod or the like but I now get a pretty good discount on just about anything I buy for myself from there.

[asphinx]

Excellent article! As a quite new member to Bit-tech.net this site is growing to be THE site I visit many times a day, just to see if there's anything new to read. This article answered many questions I have had lingering in my mind and also made my modding fingers itch all over, now if I could just come up with an original idea.

[Da Dego]

I would have to say that it's probably the most frequently asked question that I personally get - "Hey, my mod is started, can I get a sponsor? How?"

And mrb_no1, yeah, we've had a couple bad experiences in the past. It's a shame, really, because as you said - the guys who are doing the big work like Yuugou and X-Fi and WMD are artists, and I've had to fight to get kit for mods of that calibre simply because someone else skated on a deal or said they were associated with our site simply because they put a worklog up in the forums...and the companies never bothered to check. That's changed a lot now, but to me it's damage control, and that's never a good change.

Anyhow, I hope that this will help point the way for some people. It just feels like a lot of people think sponsorship is some divine right of modders, and others think that all you can ask for are $200 parts. I personally view sponsorship as the choice where your hobby becomes almost a side business - you start modding to deadlines and put a lot of creative pressure on yourself to finish up a worthy project or successor to your last project. You have to be willing to do that before it should come up.

Most importantly, I think people forget that there are local shops that NEED and WANT your business and your attention. I personally would much rather help out these stores - particularly material suppliers rather than just hardware stuff - and take that opportunity to also further the mainstream presence of modding. After all, are we in it for the mods, or just the free kit?

[The_Beast]

You just can't ask for a sponsorship without a good start on a project or a previous project to show your skills

[[WP@]WOLVERINE]

Very nice article! Nothing that i didnt know before since i have been dealing with sponsors for a few years now but still a great intro for thoose that wants to explore the possibilities. It takes hard work and dedication to get to the level when sponsoring is available but the benefits can be really nice especially if your an unemployed nut like me

[Mankz]

very nice article brett.

[ady1989]

Good article! One thing I don't quite agree with is ACRyan. I'm quite glad I never had to do business with them. About two months ago I was one of the winners for their HIFX Evolution contest. I was supposed to receive a pocket sized HD as well as a backup battery. After the contest was over I could not get a hold of them anymore. In fact, none of the three winners could. It's like they completely ignored our e-mails. I doubt I will ever see my prize (which I actually needed by the way, that's why I joined their contest). I had to go and buy another hard drive. Just thought you should know.

[Yemerich]

I have always liked Bit-tech.net because it treats modding as a "serious hobby". And i really hope that casemods sell like a truly piece of art some day. That looks like it is starting to happen. I can mention the "nakamura" project from Green Sabbath. Not because of the profit, but it would be really great to live just by casemodding. Although i wouldn'tcomplain about selling a mod for a very high price...

But it's hard to begin with something soooo diferent that some ppl doesn't even count as work. Although it's a hobby it demands lots of dedication. And this article is good because of this: it puts you back on your feet! U want a sponsor? Good! Now you need to walk in the rocky road. The natural selection will say if u are good enough. By good i meant dedicated, creative and commited to your work.

I check bit-tech's foruns in a daily basis just to see some of the most briliant ideas in general design (not only in casemodding design). And every time i start a new mod, i check all the mods i can. I always refer to macro black (the reason i am into modding), orac3, hypercube 2, and some other acrilyc designs as acrilyc is my favoured material. And as a big fan of bit-tech i really hope to be someday winner of "mod of the month". That would be a really good thing to me.

Thats it! I am glad to be part of the comunity!

[Koradhil]

Great article! Now I can finally just refer to an article when I get an email or PM about sponsorship again (and yes, I do get those more often than you'd think..).
The only thing I don't agree upon is the limitation to post your log at only one or two forums. My logs run at multiple sites (5), of which 2 are english and the others are dutch. Also sponsors sometimes ask you to keep a log at their own forums, so sticking to only one or two sometimes isn't even an option. I prefer to reach an audience as wide as possible, and I try to give a different twist to each of the logs, even though the updates are identical (copied or translated from the original at Bit-Tech ). Apart from keeping a log, I think actually going to tradeshows and meet your (future) sponsors in person is the very best way to get and keep sponsors. Tradeshows to me are great, because I love to show off my latest work to a big audience, while the sponsor has a unique eyecatcher on display.

[gigik]

thanks for a great article, it really kicked me to send email to big local hw shop (where i spent a lot of many during years) with offer to show off my case there (custom plexi build) and maybe i'll recive something as reward :-) better than dust-catcher at my room

[Da Dego]

Originally Posted by Koradhil

The only thing I don't agree upon is the limitation to post your log at only one or two forums. My logs run at multiple sites (5), of which 2 are english and the others are dutch. Also sponsors sometimes ask you to keep a log at their own forums, so sticking to only one or two sometimes isn't even an option. I prefer to reach an audience as wide as possible, and I try to give a different twist to each of the logs, even though the updates are identical (copied or translated from the original at Bit-Tech ). Apart from keeping a log, I think actually going to tradeshows and meet your (future) sponsors in person is the very best way to get and keep sponsors. Tradeshows to me are great, because I love to show off my latest work to a big audience, while the sponsor has a unique eyecatcher on display.

I agree with you that this isn't a hard and fast rule, but language is a big part of that. Three of your logs are on a different language site, for instance - so you're kind of straddling...I would say you only have 2 sites, one being bit-tech, that I'd worry about because we are an English language site.

Honestly, though, one of the first questions that *I* would ask you is where else your logs are (and I know some other sites do likewise), and it would weigh on whether *I* should go out there to get you sponsorship if you're not really a dedicated member here. It's time I have to spend (a lot of time, actually) while your log could end up getting other people page views - at the end of the day, it's a business decision.

By being a very active member of a small number of communities instead of being a hum-drum member 10+ sites getting the same updates, you make US feel like there's a reason to dedicate time to you. After all, you've dedicated your time to us. Make sense?

[B3CK]

Excellent article.
I have been visiting this site at least 10 times a week for years. I started out with an itchy dremel due reading about how someone built a pc out of a child's potty training seat, and sold it for art many years ago. I am guilty of starting a mod that I never finished. And every since I started that mod I was interested in how others got the cool kit of the day through sponsorship. While reading this, I realized I never gave the local shops a second thought. Now I work for a local shop, and I can see how doing a class for local modders can improve our business; or even discounts to modders can bring in even more revenue. With my store it is a very mom & pop type shop, and couldn't afford to shell the expensive kit. However, a discount could be very plausible, and I know in my heart that anyone that mentions bit-tech before I do, will always get all I am able to give. Maybe now I might post up log of how our first class goes, how to improve it, etc..
Again, thank you for the great article.

[Mino]

Excellent article, and useful!
As Koradhil even I receive some mail or pm asking the same, so some times ago I wrote near the same article in italian, on our website. Yes, it's a serius hobby, and if you get sponsorized you MUST take it seriously, they give you hw but they want something back, aka show their logos or products.
Actually i have my worklog in English and in Italian, in different sites, not to obtain the maximum hits but to have lots of different opinion and ideas, I'm really happy to post in different forums, and I've meet lots of modder that helped me with lost of suggestion.
I understand the Da Dego post, if you want the maximum hits possible I agree but you can only want to have tons of suggestion from around the globe...

[Tech-Daddy]

Brett -

You speak the truth sir. Written like one who has been around the block a few times. Sponsorship can be helpful, and can be of great assistance when building a mod. The one word of caution that I would impress upon the up and coming, is
"If you do have a serious and valid sponsor, be sure that you have clearly defined expectations from them. Be sure your understanding of their sponsorship is *their* understanding of their sponsorship. It may be as simple as a logo that is watermarked on the pics featuring their product. It may be that they want special pics featuring their product for exclusive use on their site. It may be that you have to do 2-3 times the photo work to accommodate their requests. As Brett said, it becomes less about art and more about business when you pursue sponsorship, and you have to be willing to listen to what their stipulations are.

Treat those relationships well, and you can make some extraordinary contacts within the industry. But you *must* be professional because *nothing* is for free.

Mod on , y'all!
-=TD

[mayhem]

Thank you for such a informative and experanced peace. I enjoyed reading it and it allso opend my eyes up.

[DAE_JA_VOO]

Originally Posted by Koradhil

The only thing I don't agree upon is the limitation to post your log at only one or two forums.

Yeah, i'm with you on that. I have a handful of sponsors myself and they seem to like the idea of having my projects on a few forums. In fact, one of my sponsors actually asked me to get my logs out of more forums.

[I-E-D]

Very nice guide, one of the page titles gave a nice idea...