Jay Martin, Festival Director of Mansfield Town Film Festival, visited BFI Fitzrovia in London as part of the ICO Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy Course, with the support of our bursaries designed to help programmers learn from and be a part of the wider community of film programmers.
In a new blog post, Jay reflects on their participation in the ICO Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy Course.
"Taking part in this course has directly strengthened my ability to secure future funding and sponsorship for Mansfield Town Film Festival, particularly as we look to expand our programme and introduce new strands such as VR and immersive cinema."
ICO Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy Course:
This course is designed to equip attendees with the tools to begin a journey of attracting new sources of funding from the commercial sector. Attendees leave the course with a draft sponsorship deck, tailored to their organisation’s scale and capacity. Participants also have the opportunity to form connections with other BFI FAN members who share the same goals for securing new funding.
Blog Written by Jay Martin
At the start of December I spent a full day at the BFI in Fitzrovia as part of the Independent Cinema Office’s Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy course. It was an invaluable opportunity to step back from day-to-day delivery and think more strategically about how film festivals like Mansfield Town Film Festival can build sustainable futures.
Over the past month, the course has brought together film festival directors, exhibitors and cultural producers from across the UK, creating a space to openly share challenges around funding, partnerships and long-term growth. Hearing from speakers connected to major festivals such as TIFF and Sheffield Doc/Fest was particularly insightful. They spoke candidly about how sponsorship works at scale, how long relationships take to build, and the importance of aligning values rather than simply chasing money.
The Fitzrovia session was focused on practical application. Each participant was tasked with developing and delivering a pitch for a potential sponsor, using everything we had learned throughout the course. For me, this meant developing a real-world sponsorship proposal for Mansfield Town Film Festival, rooted in the festival’s working-class values and regional identity.
I chose to frame my pitch around a potential partnership with Trent Barton, one of the East Midlands’ largest transport providers. The idea explored how, for over a century, working-class audiences have travelled by bus to cinemas to experience new worlds on screen, and how that shared cultural history could be reimagined for a contemporary film festival. Developing this pitch pushed me to think more clearly about audience data, impact measurement, and how to articulate cultural value in a way that resonates with commercial partners without compromising artistic integrity.
One of the most valuable aspects of the day was learning alongside other festivals and organisations, including Cardiff Animation Festival, Brighton Rocks, Carmarthen Bay Film Festival and many others. Hearing how different festivals approach sponsorship, audience development and partnerships reinforced that there is no single model for success, but that clarity of purpose and strong storytelling are essential.
The visit also provided valuable networking opportunities, allowing for informal conversations about collaboration, shared values and future partnerships across the sector. These peer connections are often just as important as the formal training, especially for festivals operating outside major cities.
Taking part in this course has directly strengthened my ability to secure future funding and sponsorship for Mansfield Town Film Festival, particularly as we look to expand our programme and introduce new strands such as VR and immersive cinema. The knowledge gained will feed into long-term sustainability planning, helping ensure the festival continues to grow while remaining rooted in its community.
I’m hugely grateful to Film Hub Midlands for supporting my attendance and to the Independent Cinema Office and BFI for delivering such a thoughtful, practical programme. The experience has already had a tangible impact on how I approach sponsorship and partnerships moving forward.
Inspired to get involved with more development opportunities? Independent Cinema Office has opened REACH: Strategic Audience Development webinars.
Hear from expert speakers on three core areas: Memberships for independent cinemas, Building and retaining new audiences and Using the right social media platform for you.