Hello everybody, welcome back to the ThreeWeeks eWeekly.
Ladies and gentlemen, actors and directors, comedians and conjurers, producers and promoters, venue managers and publicists, designers, stage managers, technicians, critics, editors and presenters, this, right now, is Week –4 of the Edinburgh Festival 2008. Shall we all scream in unison – get all the stress-induced tension out into the open air in one go ? Got your rail tickets booked yet? Got a flat to say in? Flyers at the printer yet? Signed off your press releases? Designed your set? Written your show? For those of you that have been officially waiting for the first edition of the ThreeWeeks eWeekly to arrive before panicking about the upcoming Festival, well now is time to panic. And doubly so, because we're starting these weekly bulletins a little later this year than in the past. But no, the point of the ThreeWeeks eWeekly is not, repeat not, to increase the pressure as the largest festival on the planet approaches, rather to let you know that there are literally thousands of other people around the world also panicking about just how quickly July has come around again (it's tomorrow, by the way), and to confirm that being in panic mode come Week -4 is entirely normal. In fact if you're not panicking, well, that's not normal, and you should probably panic about that. Who are we? What is the eWeekly? For those of you who do not know anything about ThreeWeeks or the ThreeWeeks eWeekly, well, we are the biggest reviewer at the biggest arts festival on the planet, and the only media to publish in print seven days a week throughout August. You'll find out more about what ThreeWeeks is about by clicking here, and more about what we have planned for 2008 by clicking here. The eWeekly is our free weekly e-bulletin for people performing, producing, promoting, publicising or reviewing at the Edinburgh Festival this year, or anyone looking for an insider guide to the biggest arts festival on the planet. It will land in your inbox each Monday between now and the Fringe providing a lowdown on what is happening elsewhere in the world of the Edinburgh Festival, plus some useful tips, advice and insider information to make sure you all know everything you need to know about the Fringe. Subscribe + Unsubscribe You might have colleagues who also want to receive all this, and if you do tell them to email edinburghsubscribe@threeweeks.co.uk and we'll add them to our mailing list. Alternatively you might not want to hear from us ever again – if so just scroll down to the bottom and click on the 'safe unsubscribe' button. Hello regular readers If you're a long term eWeekly receiver, well, hello there, hope you're well, trust you had a great year, blimey you're looking healthy, is that a new haircut, it really suits you etc etc etc. If you're a former receiver of ThreeWeeks e-nonsense who is not doing the Festival this year – well, feel free to continue to receive our eWeekly and eDaily bulletins, so you can enjoy the Edinburgh thing from afar. Alternatively you too might want to find that 'safe unsubscribe' button and take yourself off the list. This week in the eWeekly As is traditional, this first eWeekly is all about us. And it includes our rate card – which I know some of you have been asking for. Plus there are details of how to get reviewed by ThreeWeeks and this year's Quick Quiz questions – the questionnaire interview you should all take part in. From next week we'll start writing about you, as our coverage of Festival 2008 begins. So, find out how to get involved with ThreeWeeks this week, then see you here in your inbox next Monday to find out more about Edinburgh Festival 2008, the biggest arts festival on this damn planet. Join us at the CMU Social tomorrow night - for FREE! Finally, before we go this week, ThreeWeeks' sister title CMU now stages a monthly music-based networking and showcase night in London, the CMU Social, at 229, a club right next to Great Portland Street tube station. The July edition is tomorrow, 1 Jul, from 7-11pm. Chris will be there, so why not come and say hello, pass us a press release for your show, and enjoy some brilliant music from two very fine bands - Maths Class and Vessels. Entry is free for ThreeWeeks readers - just email your name and the names of any guests to social@cmumusicnetwork.co.uk - more details at www.cmusocial.co.uk. Speak soon |
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ThreeWeeks is the biggest reviewer at the world's biggest arts festival - and as such tens of thousands of festival-goers rely on us as their guide to the Festival every day in August. By advertising in ThreeWeeks you can reach these ticket buyers just as they decide what shows to see - making it one of the most effective marketing methods at the Festival.
Not only that, but ThreeWeeks is also read by 10,000s of Edinburgh locals every day - and this year will see ThreeWeeks double its distribution in local bars, cafes and shops around Edinburgh, helping you market your shows to a valuable audience of Edinburgh-based ticket buyers.
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Advertising is available in all ThreeWeeks media, so that's...
The Preview edition: a full-colour tabloid-sized newspaper published in late July and distributed all over Edinburgh, this is the first of our weekly editions, and sees the ThreeWeeks editors - some the most experienced Edinburgh Festival journalists - provide their tips to the Festival ahead.
The Weekly edition: a full-colour tabloid-sized newspaper published weekly during August, on 5, 12 and 19 Aug, distributed across Edinburgh, and packed with reviews, interviews and previews.
The Daily edition: a double-sided A3 sheet, black and white, published daily at midnight from 1-22 Aug, and featuring the very latest reviews, plus, new for 2008, festival news, show tips and weather update.
The eDaily: the daily e-bulletin published by email and read by 10,000s of festival fans - both those in Edinburgh, and those elsewhere planning their trip to the Festival city. Banner and text ads available.
Website: one of the most accessed websites at the Edinburgh Festival, packed with the latest news, reviews and features from across all the festivals, plus podcast downloads. Average daily readership in August - 15,000.
Call the ThreeWeeks ad booking team now on 020 7099 9050
Or email ads@unlimitedmedia.co.uk
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How to book
The rate card for advertising in all ThreeWeeks media is given below.
Packages incorporating all media are also available, call 020 7099 9050 or email ads@unlimitedmedia.co.uk to discuss.
To book, simply email the following to ads@unlimitedmedia.co.uk:
1. Tell us which of our media you want to advertise in (Preview Edition, Main Edition, Daily Edition, eDaily, Website).
2. Tell us what size or kind of ad you want to book.
3. Tell us on what dates you want your ads to appear.
We will email back a booking form for you to confirm and return, and then your ads are booked.
Artwork can then be supplied by email as JPEGs, PDFs or TIFs, and payment can be made by cheque, BACS or credit card (via PayPal) as you prefer.
It's that simple.
Call the ThreeWeeks ad booking team now on 020 7099 9050
Or email ads@unlimitedmedia.co.uk
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| PREVIEW & WEEKLY EDITION (full-colour tabloid-sized newspaper, 40K weekly, prices per edition) | ||
| Full page [FP] | 270mm across / 365 mm high | £1000 |
| Half page [HP] | 270mm across / 162mm high | £600 |
| Quarter page [QP] | 158mm across / 162mm high | £450 |
| Sixth page [SP] | 105mm across / 162mm high | £260 |
| Base page strip [BSP] | 270mm across / 52mm high | £260 |
| Twelfth page [TP] | 105mm across / 80mm high | £160 |
| Classified box [CB] | 50mm across / 55mm high | £45 |
| Preview edition published late Jul, weekly editions on 5 Aug (wk1), 12 Aug (wk 2), 19 Aug (wk3) | ||
| SPECIAL BUDGET PACKAGE - JUST £99 FOR AN AD IN PREVIEW & ALL THREE WEEKLY EDITIONS | ||
A full colour classified box in four editions of ThreeWeeks. |
£99 | |
| DAILY EDITION (black and white A3 reviews sheet, 5K daily, prices per edition) | ||
| Front page box | 88mm across / 60mm up | £90 |
| Front page classified box | 50mm across / 55mm high | £45 |
| Back page strip | 275mm across / 35mm up | £150 |
| Daily edition published daily just before midnight from 1-22 Aug, seven days a week | ||
| eDAILY (daily text e-bulletin, 25K distribution daily, prices per edition) | ||
| Top banner (598 pixels across, 80 pixels high) | £45 | |
| Reviews section banner (598 pixels across, 80 pixels high) | £25 | |
| Text ad (60 words) | £15 | |
| eDaily edition published daily from 1-25 Aug, seven days a week | ||
| WEBSITE | ||
| Top page banner long - on rotation for whole festival (670 pixels across, 39 high) | £250 | |
| Top page banner short - on rotation for whole festival (260 pixels across, 39 high) | £150 | |
| Box banner - on rotation for whole festival (260 pixels across, 143 pixels high) | £350 | |
| Banner ads will display on rotation from 28 Jul - 25 Aug unless otherwise arranged | ||
Call the ThreeWeeks ad booking team now on 020 7099 9050
Or email ads@unlimitedmedia.co.uk
This is a guide to how to get coverage for your show in ThreeWeeks.
Getting reviewed
Everyone registered with the Fringe Society by mid-July goes onto the ThreeWeeks review list - so that's everyone (well, nearly). From that list, our Editors then schedule our reviewers to see as many shows as possible - whether or not we see your show is essentially a logistical decision.
You therefore don't need to call or email - if you're in the Fringe Programme (or registered with the Fringe Society by mid-July) then you're on our list, and we'll try our best to get someone along to see your show (although we can't guarantee anything!).
If you are not registered with the Fringe Society by mid-July, or at all, this does not matter, email your info to editor@threeweeks.co.uk making sure you put 'not in programme' in the subject line.
We book tickets direct with the venue or Fringe Press Office - once we've reviewed your show we will get in touch if we need any photos or further information.
Once we have seen your show, we try to get reviews published as quickly as we can.
All reviews will appear in our eDaily and will ultimately be posted on our website. They are also likely to appear in our daily or weekly printed edition, or possibly both. Generally reviews appear in print first, and then electronically, so if it appears in the eDaily first the chances are it will not appear in a printed edition. We do try to get as many reviews as we possibly can in print, but some will only appear in the eDaily and online (it is mainly shows with short runs that miss out on print reviews).
Be warned - we do get a backlog quite quickly. We try our very best to get your reviews published as soon as we possibly can (normally 4-8 days after we have seen the show), but the sheer scale of the ThreeWeeks operation, which is achieved on minimal resources relying primarily on a volunteer team, means that some reviews will get delayed. We do try our best to get everything through the system as quickly as possible, and in a logical order, but please do bear with us if there are delays.
We do endeavour to ensure that every show that we see does get a review published - although there will be a few shows that we do see which never actually get reviewed (there will also be shows where we have booked a ticket but for some unforseeable reason our reviewer doesn't make it on the day). We do everything we can to ensure we see every show we book tickets for, and that every show we see gets reviewed but, inevitably, given the scale of the operation, sometimes shows are missed or reviews not published. Again, please bear with us on this - and rest assured we do everything we can to try and ensure the vast majority of shows we see do get a published review (obviously we aim for 100%!).
How to get a feature
This is where the press release comes in. We start planning our features and interviews in early July, so get your press information in early. You can email them to editor@threeweeks.co.uk (we prefer email, if only because it is more eco-friendly - you can mail press packs to ThreeWeeks, UnLimited Media, Floor 3 Unicorn House, 221-222 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6PJ - but if you can email it in there really is no need). You should get an email back confirming receipt of your email.
THE VERY IMPORTANT BIT: When emailing make sure you include the name of your show in the subject line, and if you are promoting more than one show send a separate email for each one. There's more chance we will read it if the actual release is included in the main body of the email as text - ie don't use attachments, even if it does make the press release look nicer, we're less likely to read it!
When putting together your press pack, remember that less is more - be as concise as possible. We don't need detailed storylines or long biogs - just tell us the basics about the play, the playwright (if a new play), the cast and the company, a quick precis of the plot and a list of what you think makes the show interesting.
Don't spend lots of money sending us (or even emailing us) expensive pictures - we don't need any pictures at this stage - we will ask for them if and when we need them. To this end it is useful if once you're in Edinburgh, someone is able to email us print quality pictures at short notice (ie make sure someone has pictures on a disk with them at all times - there are plenty of internet cafes in central Edinburgh). And make sure you put all your listings and contact info clearly on the press release.
As for how we choose features - well, that's hard to say. Tell us what you think is interesting about your show and it might just grab our attention. We like running articles on themes that might cover a number of shows (eg underground shows, magic shows, open air shows) so it might be worth suggesting a theme that covers your show and pointing us in the direction of other shows that might also fit the bill.
ThreeWeeks News
We are always interested in your news stories as and when they break. These may feature in our eDaily, or we might develop them into features for the main newspaper. Email news stories to news@threeweeks.co.uk
The Quick Quiz is the easiest way to get coverage at the Edinburgh Festival.
We will feature answers to the Quiz in our Preview Edition, in the eWeekly and eDaily, and in our printed Daily Edition.
To be in with a chance of getting featured email the answers to the following questions plus a photo and your listing info to quickquiz@threeweeks.co.uk. The cleverer / funnier / foolisher (?) the answers the better!
1. What is your 2008 show all about?
2. Why should we come and see it?
3. If your show was an olympic sport, what would it be and why?
4. What are you most looking forward to about this year's Festival?
5. What are you least looking forward to about this year's Festival?
6. What advice would you have for someone trying to navigate the Fringe?
7. What advice would you have for someone trying to survive the Fringe?
8. Describe your show in three words
Email your answers plus a photo and your listing info to quickquiz@threeweeks.co.uk. The cleverer / funnier / foolisher (?) the answers the better!
ThreeWeeks is the flagship media at the Edinburgh and Brighton Festivals. Its mission is to provide as comprehensive coverage as is humanly possible of both these festivals, in particular reviewing those shows not getting media coverage elsewhere.
We launched ThreeWeeks in Edinburgh in 1996 because at that time the Edinburgh Festival was growingly hugely each year, but at the same time media coverage was, if anything, decreasing. That meant that many strands at the Festival - and especially the new, alternative and grassroots performers and companies which, as far as we could see, were what made the Edinburgh Festival so exciting in the first place - were not getting the coverage they deserved.
From year one ThreeWeeks aimed to cover as many aspects of the Festival as possible, from the big names at the big venues through to the real grass roots shows not covered elsewhere. Over a decade later we continue to operate to that ethos, getting even closer to achieving it by reviewing over 1500 shows each Edinburgh Festival - nearly all of them - and hundreds more than our closest competitors. This coverage is made available to Festival-goers through a plethora of different ThreeWeeks media, some online, some in print, details of which are given below.
Behind all of this is a unique student training programme, offering students and aspiring journalists an unrivalled opportunity to hone their skills, showcase their work, learn from media professionals and see the Edinburgh Festival in a totally unique way. Over 100 students will take part in the ThreeWeeks programme this year.
Since 2006 ThreeWeeks has also covered the Brighton Festival in May.
ThreeWeeks is owned, published and loved by UnLimited Media, a Shoreditch based media and marketing company. It is edited by Chris Cooke and Caro Moses, who also run UnLimited Media. UnLimited doesn't make any money out of the ThreeWeeks enterprise, we do it because we get a buzz in discovering and championing cultural innovation, and the best places we've found to do that are Edinburgh in August and Brighton in May.
If you want more information on ThreeWeeks, or you want to get involved or support the project in some way, or you are a journalist looking for info or comment on any aspect of the Brighton or Edinburgh festivals (we know it all!) email chris@unlimitedmedia.co.uk
ThreeWeeks will return to the Edinburgh Festival for the 13th consecutive year this August, and will once again be the biggest reviewer at the biggest festival. Look out for all this coverage...
THE PREVIEW EDITION
Our preview of it all, available in print across Edinburgh and online from late July.
THE WEEKLY EDITION
Our free review and feature packed newspaper, available in print across Edinburgh on 5, 12 and 19 Aug.
THE DAILY EDITION
A daily helping of reviews, available in print at midnight from 1 - 22 Aug.
THE eDAILY
The most reviews of all, plus news and gossip, available for free by email daily from 1-25 Aug.
WEBSITE & PODCASTS
Updated daily from late July at www.threeweeks.co.uk.
EDITORS' AWARDS
The fourth annual ThreeWeeks Editors' Awards will be presented on Sunday 24 Aug at The Lodge.
We are recruiting for the following four jobs to work on the ThreeWeeks full-time team during August 2008, from Monday 28 July to Tuesday 27 August. All Edinburgh based.
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
To drive our van, and make sure our papers get to our 75 plus distribution points around Edinburgh, and keep our distribution racks nice and tidy. Approx 40 hours a week for four weeks, £1000 fee.
WEB MANAGER
To manage the ThreeWeeks websites and podcasts, including entering lots of content into a CMS, and coordinating our student podcast team. Some Photoshop, CMS and/or sound editing experience an advantage though not essential. Fee approx £500.
REVIEWS COORDINATOR
To manage our team of six student sub-editors and 100 student reviewers, liaise with press offices and PRs, run the massive ThreeWeeks review database and support the Editors. Good organisational and people skills a must, database skills an advantage. Fee approx £750.
LOGISTICS MANAGER
To support the publishers and editors, run the ThreeWeeks Edinburgh office and support the Distribution Manager with the task of getting the newspapers out there. Fee approx £500
To apply for any of these jobs, or for more information about them, email a CV or questions to recruitment@unlimitedmedia.co.uk.
Applications to join the student review team at the Edinburgh Festival 2008 are now closed. However, we are still recruiting for student members of our Production and Admin & Liaison teams. These are voluntary roles, but offer unrivalled experience for anyone considering a career in the media. Full details at www.collegemedianetwork.co.uk
In addition to all our own activity, ThreeWeeks will also be supporting the all-new World Festival Network hub which launch at the Fringe this year. Hosted at the Roman Eagle Lodge, right at the top of the Royal Mile next to the Edinburgh International Festival's Hub building, this will be a brand new industry hub for everyone involved in the Fringe - which most probably includes you.
The World Festival Network hub at the Lodge will be the place in Edinburgh to network and learn about new opportunities. With a programme of TV shows, seminars, talks, workshops and receptions, it will be full of venue and festival managers, arts professionals, the media, promoters and theatre companies throughout August.
The World Festival Network is the nerve centre of all things festival, bringing together all who are involved in creating cultural festivals around the world. At the heart of it all is a new website which will become the first port of call for all festival information, from what's on, to who's who, to what they're about and more. The WFN website will go live soon.
Meanwhile, the Lodge and WFN are still taking bookings for August 08. If you want to hold events, receptions, workshops or talks at The Lodge please contact Holly on info@worldfestivalnet.com for more information.
Your feedback is always welcomed - email editor@threeweeks.co.uk to get in touch.
Send press and show information to editor@threeweeks.co.uk.