Pittsburgh Lesbian & Gay Film Society Press Information

OUR ORGANIZATION

PLGFS MISSION STATEMENT

The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society is to celebrate LGBT culture and foster appreciation and visibility through film media.

A New Direction

In 2006 the Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival officially changed their name to the Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society (PLGFS) in an effort to demonstrate their commitment to expand their direction. As the 5th oldest LGBT Film Festival in the world we are committed to our mission by not only showing films in October during our festival but also have a year round presence. With a new, enthusiastic board we are making the Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society an important LBGT resource and becoming an active and driving force in the arts community of Pittsburgh. During the 2007 festival we will be expanding our programming and outreach efforts. We will work on programming quality films and holding events that will help drive Pittsburgh to the forefront of LGBT Festivals.

The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society is committed to providing an exceptional level of value for the Pittsburgh community. We have successfully established a standard of excellence that is reflected not only in the quality of films presented each year but also in the professionalism of the production of Film Society events.

We are a very energized organization and continue to keep our eyes focused on making the Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society an important LBGT resource and to be an active participant and driving force in the arts community of Pittsburgh. We will continue our outreach efforts with community groups and local colleges to show that as a community we can work together to achieve great results. With these great results we will drive Pittsburgh to the forefront of LGBT Festivals.

This year we will continue to focus on positioning ourselves for the future and broadening our audience range by holding activities that are fun to attend, attract a wider audience and provide a sense of community. Our survey results from last year's festival show that people are interested in us not only showing films but also providing some activity afterwards that provide people the opportunity to socialize. To meet this need we will plan to secure more after movie locations to socialize, have more "meet and greets" and more panel discussions. We will also work with other organizations in order to bring organizations together and hold joint activities. We found this to work well during last year's festival and we want to continue good active working relationships all year round.

Celebrating 26 years of LGBT Filmmaking!

Now in our 26th year, the Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (PILGFF) is an annual celebration of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered writers, directors, actors and their work. Each year in October, hundreds of movie-goers from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and the surrounding areas are treated to ten days of high quality entertainment, including feature films, shorts, and videos from the hottest national and international LGBT filmmakers of our time.

BUSINESS CASE FOR SPONSORING A LGBT EVENT
Why sponsor an event that is directed specifically towards gays and lesbians? Copernicus Marketing publishes and an e-magazine every few months regarding various marketing topics. Here is a quote from their July/August 2004 issue regarding the LGBT market:

“While a small group relative to the total population, the gay male market - estimated by some experts to be worth $500 billion - and the lesbian market - which has sustained the Subaru brand among others - are hardly anything to poo-poo or to lump into general consumer marketing efforts. More than a decade ago, the Wall Street Journal proclaimed the gay and lesbian community "a dream market." Members of this market likely have unique needs, attitudes, and brand preferences from the general consumer market, and meeting their unique needs could represent significant profit potential for companies. Unfortunately, removing the mass mentality for marketing has proven easier said that done. ”

OUR DEMOGRAPHICS

PLGFS's core demographic is urban gay men and lesbians between the ages of 25 and 60, living in the city of Pittsburgh and the surrounding Allegheny County suburbs. On average, most of our film festival attendees identify themselves as gay or lesbian, and make, on average, $50,000 of total household income.

In addition, a growing number of individuals that attend our events identify themselves as heterosexuals.

Patron Demographics:

Email Distribution Lists:
3500 Active Email Addresses
Average Number of Email blasts per year:

Gender

Attendance:

Year                        Number of Programs                          Attendance
1997                                        21                                            1982
1998                                        15                                            1436
1999                                        16                                            1550
2000                                        24                                            1949
2001                                        24                                            1639
2002                                        16                                            1650
2003                                        21                                            1849
2004                                        18                                            1693
2005                                        19                                            1704
2006                                        27                                            1991

OUR PURPOSE

The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society has been organized for educational and charitable purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Its primary goal is to provide opportunities for the LGBT culture to come together and celebrate the community at large.

PENNSYLVANIA STATE REGISTRATION

The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt fine arts organization registered with the Pennsylvania Commission of Charitable Organizations. A copy of the official registration and financial information can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 1-800-732-0999, or by visiting http://www.dos.state.pa.us/. Registration does not imply endorsement.

WEBSITE

The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society Corporation maintains a website that is used to provide information on our events as well as provides information and links to funding Sponsors and Foundations. We also have a very active email distribution lists. We use e-mail blasts to advertise all of our events as well as other events that may be of interest to our patrons.