AFFORDABLE FESTIVAL PUBLICITY IS A PLEASURE

Sirmai Arts Marketing – long-standing Australian specialist ‘indie’ arts publicity specialists – have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the performing arts with great value discount PR packages for short-run festival seasons, such as Sydney Fringe and Comedy festivals.

The highly visible, widely respected company’s slogan “Publicity Plus” well describes Sirmai’s promotional support for clients across all media. It is also well known for its uniquely hands-on knowledge and experience in both the media AND the performing arts.

Publicity, after all, is a kind of ‘match-making’ between the artist and the media. Principal Geoff Sirmai has a 20-year background as a nationally known multi-media journalist, editor, reporter and presenter as well as a life-long professional performing arts profile. His media network is both comprehensive and close – based as it is on regular, warm relationships with hundreds of journalists, editors and arts reviewers.

For a number of years he has offered special PR packages for festival clients who may only have a short run of performances in small venues and whose budgets naturally might not extend to normal industry fees – or even Sirmai’s already heavily discounted ‘indie’ and ‘community’ rates.

“While it’s true that it’s the same amount of work covering all possible bases for each client,” says Geoff, “we recognise that festival participants – often self-funded or crowd-funded – can’t normally compete with the big companies for media profile or ‘bums on seats’.

“But it’s a vicious cycle: without professional publicity, there’s little hope of getting their heads above the crowd or being ‘heard above the noise’ – especially in busy festivals and an already highly competitive arts scene. That makes it difficult to grow and prosper.

Sirmai says it’s his business taking the hard work and specialist knowledge of PR off the hands of already stretched indie artists and producers, leaving them free to get on with the other demanding aspects of their own business: that’s show business!

“We want to make sure every ambitious, talented company has an equal shot at making a splash: it’s our mission – and our pleasure – to help make that happen.”