On December 1, 2013 by

Muscle Shoals

  • Ticket_Outreach-Summary_cover

Ticket Outreach Program

The filmmakers of Muscle Shoals approached Greg and his colleague Rogue Edwards to create an audience building program modeled on the success of their work for Chasing Ice. The program they created covered 533 screenings in 32 theaters to support the movie’s release and critically acclaimed run from Oscar® eligibility through its Grammy nomination for best soundtrack.

MS Billy Reid promo
Greg and Rogue identified and contacted organizers of 1,033 local and regional groups offering access to a limited number of tickets to see the film on its premiere weekend. Group organizers vetted the program then offered these tickets to their exclusive lists of members and fans. They asked each of 11,477 ticket recipients to pay it forward by promoting the film in advance to help fill theaters for each city’s opening weekend.

The team received hundreds of glowing reviews from all quarters: musicians, journalists, educators, theater staff, friends, family, filmmakers, and people from all spheres who benefitted from these tickets. The message created an estimated 37 million potential impressions on social media plus multiple touch-points for the tens of thousands who actively attended screenings and interacted with the program.

Unsolicited Testimonials from the Filmmakers

“You guys brought it every day. You are the real deal with authentic passion which is so rare and key for big time success.” – Freddy Camalier, Director

“Thanks for the great work guys!!!” – Stephen Badger, Producer

… Plus more praise for the program from audiences and theaters.

Program Highlights

  • Muscle Shoals finished its tour at #175 among the top documentaries of all time (topping Morgan Spurlock, Dust to Glory, and 2012 Oscar winner Undefeated)
  • Outreach seeded incremental ticket sales: Ticket program funds represented less than 18% of the total box office gross (for every outreach ticket, more than four tickets sold to additional viewers)
  • Message was received: 7,569 total emails delivered with a 72.1% open rate (4 to 6 times industry average)
  • People engaged: 4,946 email addresses registered for the program with 50% opting in for updates (well above industry averages)
  • Outreach created audience demand: 84% of theaters held over (of those, the average run was 3.38 weeks)

Samples of Extended Outreach (via web and social media)

2013 Muscle Shoals Ticket Outreach Markets

  • Ann Arbor, MI (Michigan Theater) Encore shows
  • Asheville, NC (Carolina Asheville 14) Held over
  • Atlanta, GA (Midtown Art Cinema) Held over: 3 weeks total
  • Austin, TX (Violet Crown Cinema) Held over
  • Berkeley, CA (Shattuck Cinemas) Held over: 6 weeks total
  • Birmingham, AL (The Edge 12) Held over: 8 weeks total
  • Cambridge, MA (Kendall Square Cinema) Held over: 3 weeks total
  • Charleston, SC (Terrace Theatre) Held over
  • Corvallis, OR (Darkside Cinema) Held over
  • Dallas, TX (Texas Theatre) Encore show
  • Denver, CO (Chez Artiste) Held over: 5 weeks total
  • Encino, CA (Town Center 5) Held over: 3 weeks total
  • Fort Wayne, IN (Cinema Center) Held over: 3 weeks total
  • Ft. Worth, TX (The Modern)
  • Jacksonville, FL (Sun-Ray Cinema)
  • Kansas City, MO (Tivoli Cinemas) Held over: 2.5 weeks total
  • Minneapolis, MN (Lagoon Cinema) Held over: 4 weeks total
  • Modesto, CA (The State Theatre)
  • Nashville, TN (Belcourt Theatre) Held over: 5 weeks total
  • New York City, NY (IFC Center) Held over: 4 weeks total
  • New York City, NY (Symphony Space) Encore shows
  • Park City, UT (P.C. Film Series/Santy Auditorium)
  • Pasadena, CA (Playhouse 7 Cinemas) Held over: 3 weeks total
  • Portland, OR (Hollywood Theatre) Held over
  • Richmond, VA (Criterion Cinemas at Movieland) Held over
  • San Francisco, CA (Opera Plaza Cinema) Held over: 4 weeks total
  • Santa Fe, NM (The Screen) Held over: 3 weeks total
  • Santa Monica, CA (Laemmle’s Monica Film Center) Held over
  • Seattle, WA (Harvard Exit Theatre & the Varsity) Held over: 5 weeks total
  • Washington, D.C. (West End Cinema) Held over: 4 weeks total
  • West Los Angeles, CA (Nuart)
  • West Newton, MA (W. Newton Cinema) Held over

Greg is continuing this work, evolving each new program to adapt to changing viewer habits, the increasingly fragmented entertainment landscape, and the outreach goals of each new film he partners with. Please contact Greg to put him to work for your film.

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