Hey y'all. I was just wondering, how you get your sponsors. It seems that some of the skilled modders in here have an easy time finding sponsors (naturally), but sometimes, new people are able to find sponsors aswell. What does it take to get a sponsor really? Was hoping some of you had some inside knowledge on this one Greets - IK
You basically answered your own question. Several demonstrations of excellent design and fabrication skills (also known as mods) and you can snag some sponsors fairly easily. Do really good and they'll be knocking on your door instead of vice-versa. Just work hard and do quality work, and someday you too can get sponsored.
It's luck really. Good modders can easily show their work and get some free stuff. New modders have to show a very planned out and detailed description of what they want to do. I personally think that many of the "new modders" that have cropped recently with their "sponsors" are lieing.
*sigh* This question has been answered a hundred times but it always bears one more. Sponsors are not something you "get" per se. They're things you earn. The best way to obtain sponsors is by modding, and then over time you will build up a portfolio worthy of getting some "help." If you are truly new to the modding world, here are a few tips: 1) Don't go ask companies to sponsor you right off - it makes all modders look bad. Sponsorship is a business, not a hand out and it needs to be treated as such. As any good business, it requires a track-record of performance and some benefit that the sponsor will get out of helping you. 2) Have a plan, and hopefully part of that plan completed - Any company worth its salt will balk at the idea of sending stuff without an idea or any illustration of commitment to your mod. Show them that you have designed it, show them how you need their parts to finish it, and show them that you're already in the process of the mod...preferably far enough along that they can see you'll actually finish it. 3) Start locally - The best sponsors to start with come from your local shops, because they have the most to gain. Get to know some people in your local stores. Buy stuff from them. Let them know your ideas. Then let them see one or two of your completed projects, or even let them display them for a time to show off their products. 3.5) Get established - Show these people that you can show this mod off to more than just your friends by being part of the LAN scene, a contributing and active member of a modding forum like ours, etc. 4) Know your limits - Sadly, places like the bit-tech front page AREN'T easy to get to. They require carefully planned and dedicated mods that most people casually tinkering with are not going to aspire to. So make sure you're up front with how much press or coverage your mod will REALLY receive. If its place is going to be between your mates houses and a couple LANs, say that. Otherwise, you risk alienating your sponsor when you can't deliver, and that hurts you and the rest of the modding community. Above all, FINISH THE MOD. Remember, these people are offering a business benefit for a business service - you are essentially receiving kit, however small, with the expectation you will advertise whose it is and where you acquired it from. If you don't finish it, nobody will ever see this project and they get nothing while you got something. Remember, sponsorship is not a right, and it should only be actively sought if you are a more serious modder with something to offer back to these companies. Otherwise, you need to consider winning a contest or two, or buying the parts for your first few mods outright. Companies that make fans and sleeving and such exist for a reason, it's because casual modders are supposed to be buying this stuff. And if you ever wonder how much you need to spend to win a contest, remember that: a) most mods are independent of the kit inside of them, so you don't even need a computer to work on a case; and, b) you can see from our Project Log Updates some of the inventive things people have done on a shoestring budget, and still come up with first class worklogs. Good luck, and I hope this helps ~Brett (aka the guy who handles the modding content here on Bit)
Fantastic answers Da Dego. Yeah, as it's been said, getting sponsored is certainly no easy task, you have to really mod hard and show your devotion and dedication to the art. I worked really hard and got sponsored after just a few years of modding, the last 18 months or so being the most intense, with me modding nearly every single day. It's become my main passion and hobby and my sponsors know that.
