By Paul Bryant Birdwell | paul@roaringforkagency.com | 415 730-4854
A Premier Cultural Sponsorship Opportunity in Southwest Florida
The Roaring Fork Agency - www.roaringforkagency.com - is pleased to introduce corporate sponsorship opportunities for the Fort Myers Film Festival - www.fortmyersfilmfestival.com, one of Southwest Florida's most celebrated cultural events and one of the Gulf Coast's most dynamic independent film festivals.
The Fort Myers Film Festival brings together filmmakers, film lovers, artists, creative professionals, community leaders, media, students, and culturally engaged audiences for five days of screenings, red carpet events, filmmaker conversations, VIP receptions, panel discussions, awards, and community programming.
Now in its 16th year, the Festival has grown into a signature arts and culture event for Fort Myers and the broader Southwest Florida region. Produced under the leadership of Founder and Film Curator Eric Raddatz, the Fort Myers Film Festival has become a highly visible platform for independent cinema, creative storytelling, community engagement, and cultural sponsorship. The Festival was awarded the Lee County Visitors & Convention Bureau and Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Chrysalis award, and its reputation among filmmakers and audiences continues to grow every year.
For companies looking to build visibility in Fort Myers, Lee County, Cape Coral, Sanibel, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, and the greater Southwest Florida market, the Fort Myers Film Festival offers a powerful and authentic sponsorship opportunity.
This is more than a logo on a banner. It is a chance for brands to be part of a creative, high-energy, multi-day cultural experience that connects directly with an influential audience.
What Is the Fort Myers Film Festival?
The Fort Myers Film Festival is a nonprofit, juried independent film festival held annually in Fort Myers, Florida.
The Festival showcases dozens of official film selections from independent filmmakers around the world, including feature films, documentaries, short films, student films, and international selections. Over the course of five days, audiences experience cinema in a highly personal and interactive way, with filmmaker Q&A sessions, panel discussions, workshops, VIP experiences, red carpet moments, and community screenings — all with the red carpet style, swagger, artistic edge, and intellectualism the Festival is known for.
The Festival takes place across multiple important Southwest Florida venues, including the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center — the beautifully restored 1933 neoclassical landmark in downtown Fort Myers — along with BIG ARTS, IMAG, the Alliance for the Arts, the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium, and other partner venues throughout the greater Fort Myers region.
That multi-venue footprint gives sponsors exposure across the city and throughout the cultural community.
The Festival's mission is to celebrate the art of cinema, elevate independent filmmakers, and bring the transformative power of film to the Southwest Florida community. Beyond Festival week, the Festival's T.G.I.M. (Thank God It's Monday) screening series runs the first Monday of every month in season at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, giving sponsors year-round engagement with the region's film and arts community.
Why the Fort Myers Film Festival Is a Strong Sponsorship Platform
The best sponsorship opportunities are built around three things: audience, authenticity, and activation.
The Fort Myers Film Festival delivers all three.
The audience is highly attractive for sponsors. Festival attendees include arts and culture enthusiasts, film lovers, creative professionals, entrepreneurs, business leaders, civic leaders, students, educators, media professionals, seasonal residents, and year-round Southwest Florida residents. The Festival has reached tens of thousands in Southwest Florida through print advertising, online advertising, e-mail blasts, social media, storefront windows, postcards, billboards, radio, editorial coverage, and television — with media coverage on NBC2, ABC7, The News-Press, Florida Weekly, Gulf & Main, Happenings Magazine, Pulse Magazine, Naples Illustrated, WinkTV, Gulf Coast Times, Naples Daily News, Cape Coral Breeze, Florida Travel Magazine, and AAA Living.
The authenticity comes from the Festival itself. The Fort Myers Film Festival is not a one-day event or a generic advertising platform. It is a 16-year cultural institution with deep roots in the community, a growing reputation among filmmakers, and a strong relationship with the Southwest Florida arts scene.
The activation opportunities are broad and valuable. Sponsors can be seen on the red carpet, in printed programs, on-screen before screenings, in digital and social media, at VIP receptions, at film programs, at awards ceremonies, at filmmaker events, and across multiple venues during Festival week — plus year-round at T.G.I.M.
For a company trying to reach Southwest Florida's most culturally engaged audience, this creates a much richer experience than traditional advertising.
Available Sponsorship Opportunities for the Fort Myers Film Festival
Roaring Fork Agency is representing the Fort Myers Film Festival's official sponsorship program — a nine-level ladder that gives companies a wide range of entry points, from full Festival naming rights to accessible community-level sponsorships. Every level can be tailored to meet a sponsor's specific needs.
Title Sponsor — $200,000
The Title Sponsor is the premier sponsorship position for the Fort Myers Film Festival — full Festival naming rights, with the event known as "The [Your Company] Fort Myers Film Festival" and your company as the exclusive title sponsor for the year.
Title Sponsor benefits include:
Full-page centerpiece color spread in the program guide, company logo on the guide cover, and full-page color ad on the back page
A letter from your President as Title Sponsor inside the program guide, plus a half-page company profile with photo or logo
:30 promotional spot before all Festival screenings (or a 5-minute short film on your company), plus :30 spots at all prescreenings and T.G.I.M.
Logo on the Festival trailer and on-screen at theaters before all screenings
Logo on downtown Fort Myers window presentations, all posters, banners, billboards, and 5,000 program guides, postcards, and fliers
Logo on the Festival website home page with reciprocal link, all Festival invitations, and all tweets, updates, and email blasts
Logo in all print, television, and radio advertising, inclusion in all press releases, and a dedicated release announcing your company as Title Sponsor
Red carpet photo and interview opportunities with your CEO offering opening remarks at the opening gala and/or closing awards ceremony
VIP bottle treatment for 200 guests at the afterparty, 200 invitations to opening night and the awards ceremony, preferred seating, dinner with the stars of the films, and year-round banner placement
(20) Festival t-shirts and (10) Festival posters
For the right company, this is a true market-positioning opportunity — your brand at the center of one of Southwest Florida's most visible cultural events.
Presenting Sponsor — $50,000
The Presenting Sponsor level positions the event as "The Fort Myers Film Festival presented by [Your Corporation]."
Presenting Sponsor benefits include prominent recognition in Festival marketing materials, award presenter status at the awards ceremony, a full-page color ad in the program guide with logo on the back page, :30 promotional spots before all screenings and at T.G.I.M., on-screen logo at theaters, product sampling in filmmaker and celebrity welcome bags, downtown window presentations, product placement and sampling at select events, logo on the website with reciprocal link, logo on all posters, banners, billboards, program guides, postcards, fliers, and invitations, logo and mention in all print, TV, and radio advertising, inclusion in all press releases, red carpet photo and interview opportunities, VIP bottle treatment for 100 guests at the afterparty, 100 invitations to opening night and the awards ceremony, preferred seating, and (10) Festival t-shirts.
Opening Night Sponsor — $24,000
The Opening Night Sponsor owns the Festival's high-profile launch — recognized in major Festival marketing as "The Fort Myers Film Festival's Opening Night Gala brought to you by [Your Corporation]."
Benefits include a director's dinner with the directors and actors of your choice, two full-page color ads in the program guide, inclusion on the Festival trailer and theater screens before all screenings, signage at the opening night party, product placement and sampling at select events, logo on the website with reciprocal link, logo placement on select posters, banners, billboards, program guides, postcards, and fliers, logo on at least 20 social media posts and email blasts, inclusion in all press releases, red carpet photo opportunities, up to 100 tickets to films, events, parties, and afterparties, 50 VIP invitations to opening night and the awards ceremony, preferred seating, and (10) Festival t-shirts.
Award Sponsor — $12,000
The Award Sponsor is recognized in major Festival marketing as the sponsor of the Fort Myers Film Festival awards ceremony — presenting the awards that honor the Festival's outstanding filmmakers.
Benefits include a full-page color ad in the program guide, inclusion on the Festival trailer and theater screens, prominent recognition in select marketing materials, downtown window presentations, product placement and sampling at Festival events, logo on the website with reciprocal link, logo on select posters, banners, billboards, program guides, postcards, and fliers, logo on at least 10 social media posts and email blasts, video promo, awards presented to winners by your company, red carpet photo opportunities, tickets to films, events, parties, and afterparties, 25 VIP invitations to opening night and the awards ceremony, preferred seating, sponsorship mention and two tickets to all prescreenings and T.G.I.M., and (10) Festival t-shirts.
Cineast Sponsorship — $7,000
The Cineast Sponsorship is built for companies that want strong, stylish visibility across the full Festival.
Benefits include a 3/4-page color ad in the program guide, logo in the guide, inclusion on the Festival trailer and theater screens before all screenings, product placement and sampling at select events, logo on the website with reciprocal link, logo on select posters, banners, billboards, program guides, postcards, and fliers, logo on social media with link to your site, red carpet photo opportunities, tickets to films, events, parties, and afterparties, 10 VIP invitations to opening night and/or the awards ceremony, preferred seating, sponsorship mention at all prescreenings and T.G.I.M., and (10) Festival t-shirts.
Party / Venue Sponsor — $5,000
The Party Sponsor level lets your company own the Festival experience at the venue of your choice — recognized in major Festival marketing as sponsoring that venue of the Fort Myers Film Festival.
Benefits include a half-page color ad in the program guide, an 8x9 poster inside your chosen venue or a :30 commercial before films at that venue, inclusion on the Festival trailer and theater screens, logo in the program guide, downtown window presentations, logo on the website with reciprocal link, logo on select posters, banners, billboards, program guides, postcards, and fliers, logo on social media and email blasts, inclusion in the press release announcing all films, 10 guests at the afterparty at a TBD location where you are named the party sponsor, 4 invitations to opening night and/or the awards ceremony, preferred seating, sponsorship mention and two tickets to all prescreenings and T.G.I.M., and (10) Festival t-shirts.
Supporting Sponsorship — $3,000
The Supporting Sponsorship gives community-minded companies meaningful Festival-wide visibility.
Benefits include a quarter-page color ad in the program guide, inclusion on the Festival trailer and theater screens, logo in the program guide, downtown window presentations, logo on the website with reciprocal link, logo on select posters, banners, billboards, program guides, postcards, and fliers, logo on social media and email blasts, inclusion in the press release announcing all films, red carpet photo opportunities, 2 invitations to opening night and/or the awards ceremony, preferred seating, sponsorship mention and two tickets to all prescreenings and T.G.I.M., and (10) Festival t-shirts.
Business Sponsorship — $2,000
The Business Sponsorship is a smart, accessible way for local businesses to stand with the Festival.
Benefits include logo or name recognition in the program guide, logo on social media with link to your site, downtown window presentations, name recognition on the Festival trailer or theater slide show before all screenings, name recognition in select marketing materials, website recognition with reciprocal link, logo on select posters, banners, billboards, program guides, postcards, and fliers, networking opportunities with patrons, filmmakers, media, and film industry representatives, sponsorship mention and two tickets to all prescreenings and T.G.I.M., and (2) Festival t-shirts.
One (Monday) Night Stand Sponsorship — $1,000
The One (Monday) Night Stand Sponsorship connects your brand with a single evening of T.G.I.M. at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center — the Festival's popular monthly indie film night hosted by Eric Raddatz.
Benefits include logo or name recognition at one evening of T.G.I.M., logo on social media with link to your site, website recognition with reciprocal link, networking opportunities with patrons, filmmakers, media, and film industry representatives, and two tickets to all prescreenings and T.G.I.M.
Advertising Opportunities with the Fort Myers Film Festival
Beyond the sponsorship ladder, the Festival offers a full menu of advertising options that can stand alone or be combined with any sponsorship level.
Program Guide Advertising — 5,000 guides into the hands of Festival attendees:
Full page back cover (8.5" x 11") — $3,500
Full page inside (8.5" x 11") — $3,000
Half page inside (8.5" x 5.5") — $2,500
Quarter page inside (4.25" x 5.5") — $1,500
Website and Email Advertising — www.fortmyersfilmfestival.com:
Rectangle banner ad — $5,000 / year
Square ad (down left) — $1,000 / year
Sponsor Page partnerships — $1,000
On-Screen Commercial Advertising:
:30 commercial before films at the Festival — $5,000 per day per venue
SWFL Fresh Press Podcast:
Company mention on the SWFL Fresh Press Podcast with Eric Raddatz on Spotify — $200 per mention — the coolest film, arts, and entertainment podcast in Southwest Florida, with filmmaker, celebrity, and artist guests
Additional options include brochure and event advertising, signage, filmmaker sponsorships, and postcards.
Sponsor Categories Roaring Fork Agency Will Be Pursuing
Roaring Fork Agency will pursue sponsors across a curated set of categories with strong relevance to Southwest Florida and the Fort Myers Film Festival audience.
Key sponsor categories include healthcare and medical services, financial services and banking, automotive, food and beverage, restaurants, hospitality, tourism, real estate, home services, arts, media, entertainment, legal services, professional services, technology, education, and national brands with a meaningful Fort Myers or Southwest Florida presence.
Potential sponsor targets may include regional healthcare systems, banks, credit unions, auto dealers, hotels, resorts, restaurants, beverage companies, real estate developers, homebuilders, universities, law firms, insurance companies, media outlets, technology firms, and national brands with local operations or community investment priorities.
The ideal sponsor is a company that wants to reach an influential audience while supporting arts, culture, independent film, creative talent, and the growth of Southwest Florida’s cultural economy.
Why This Opportunity Matters for Sponsors
The Fort Myers Film Festival offers a sponsorship platform that is both local and elevated.
It is local because it is deeply rooted in Fort Myers and Southwest Florida.
It is elevated because it connects sponsors with film, creativity, VIP events, red carpet experiences, awards, media, filmmakers, and the cultural leadership of the region.
That combination is rare.
Many sponsorship opportunities offer audience impressions. The Fort Myers Film Festival offers something more valuable: an experience.
Sponsors are not just seen. They are part of the story.
They can welcome guests, present awards, support filmmakers, host receptions, appear on screen, participate in red carpet moments, align with film programs, and help strengthen one of Southwest Florida’s signature cultural events.
For companies that care about visibility, brand reputation, community engagement, arts and culture, hospitality, tourism, economic development, and creative storytelling, the Fort Myers Film Festival is one of the most compelling sponsorship opportunities in the region.
Why Roaring Fork Agency
Roaring Fork Agency was founded by Paul Bryant Birdwell and has more than 25 years of experience in sponsorship sales, brand partnerships, experiential marketing, nonprofit partnerships, cultural sponsorship, sports sponsorship, motorsports, hospitality, travel, real estate, media properties, and entertainment.
Over the last 25 years, Roaring Fork Agency has sold more than $100 million in sponsorship for events, nonprofits, media properties, and venues, working with many of America’s largest and most recognized companies.
RFA’s experience across cultural festivals, arts events, media properties, nonprofit organizations, hospitality, entertainment, food and beverage, automotive, financial services, technology, and community sponsorship makes the Agency uniquely positioned to help the Fort Myers Film Festival grow its corporate partnership platform.
For the 2026 Fort Myers Film Festival, RFA sees a strong opportunity to build a sustainable sponsorship program that can generate meaningful revenue, expand corporate relationships, and elevate the Festival’s brand throughout Southwest Florida and beyond.
A Smart Cultural Sponsorship Play for 2026
The Fort Myers Film Festival sits at the intersection of film, art, culture, tourism, hospitality, community, and creativity.
That makes it a smart sponsorship opportunity for companies that want to do more than advertise.
It gives sponsors the ability to support independent filmmakers, celebrate storytelling, engage a sophisticated audience, participate in VIP experiences, and build goodwill in one of Florida’s most attractive growth markets.
As Southwest Florida continues to grow, cultural institutions like the Fort Myers Film Festival will play an increasingly important role in shaping the region’s identity, energy, and quality of life.
For companies looking to be part of that story, the 2026 Fort Myers Film Festival offers a meaningful, visible, and highly engaging sponsorship platform.
Roaring Fork Agency looks forward to working with the Fort Myers Film Festival and Executive Director Eric Raddatz to build a strong sponsorship program for 2026 and beyond.
Companies interested in sponsorship, premium partnerships, naming rights, or customized brand activation opportunities with the Fort Myers Film Festival may contact Roaring Fork Agency to learn more.
Roaring Fork Agency specializes in sponsorship strategy, brand activation, and commercial partnership development. If you're ready to think differently about how your brand shows up in sport and entertainment, we'd love to talk.
Fort Myers Film Festival - www.fortmyersfilmfestival.com
Roaring Fork Agency - www.roaringforkagency.com
If you have any questions about event sponsorship or venue naming rights contact Paul Birdwell at the Roaring Fork Agency:
415 730 - 4854
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Twitter - @RoaringForkAgcy