How will the Festival be funded?

Without an ounce of crypto, that’s for sure.

The Festival of Podcasts has a lofty goal. In addition to the usual labor involved in organizing an online event, the FoP has a few other items on the budget. Namely:

• Transcribers to process the panels.
• A webmaster to keep track of relevant data and post every panel as a podcast episode once edited.
• Honorariums for every speaker.

I, Gavin Gaddis, acting as primary organizer of this event, will do my best to contribute financially to this goal. Cards on the table: I work a full time job that pays a whopping $16 an hour and I’m moving a few weeks after the FoP takes place. What I can set aside from my tax refund isn’t going to cut it.

That’s where the wonderful people of the podcasting community can help. In lieu of charging an admission fee that could lock out those who arguably would benefit the most from advice and fellowship, the FoP will be a free event to anyone with an internet connection.

I fully recognize that itself is a hurdle to entry but there’s not much that can be done. My hope is the recorded (and transcribed) audio of panels posted after the fact will be more accessible for those whose connections aren’t suitable for live video.

Those who could buy a ticket to an event like FoP will be able to pledge to its Patreon page. With the funds raised there I (and the handful of kind folks who’ve offered to pitch in their labor) can organize the event and pay everyone who deserves to be paid.

The Festival will also be offering sponsorships for any organizations/companies/people* who wish to support the Festival’s mission. In exchange I can offer things like on-screen representation during panels. Or perhaps a sponsored Discord channel, if they feel like getting weird with it.

*I would consider the event an unmitigated success if we ended up having a graphic on the Twitch main stage that read “The Festival of Podcast Main Stage: Brought to You By Fred.“

Pledge to the FoP on Patreon.