The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) announced a new partnership with the Outdoor Film Festival and Tour earlier this year. During its annual business conference March 18-21 in Springfield, MO, POMA will showcase submissions in the Whitetail Short Film category.
“Outdoor filmmakers, whether specializing in TV or short form, will find the POMA annual business conference to be a great opportunity for learning more about the industry and for networking with other professional filmmakers,” said Tom Opre, POMA president and a 26-year veteran filmmaker.
POMA is embracing videographers and filmmakers by offering educational tracks at its meeting that include tips from the media folks at Bass Pro Shops, and details about risk management and production insurance. Other business opportunities include extensive networking, a product showcase, POMA Camps/Shooting Day, a fun-filled auction and the Outdoor Film Festival.
The Outdoor Film Festival consists of three series, each showcasing films related to a national wildlife conservation group.
Wild Sheep Wild Sheep Foundation Reno, NV January
Western Big Game Mule Deer Foundation (WHCE) SLC, UT February
Whitetails POMA Business Conference Springfield, MO March
FINALS POMA Business Conference Springfield, MO March
Awards at each Festival include: Top Ten Awards; Conservation Award; Boone and Crockett Club Award; Pope and Young Club Award; POMA “Best of Festival” Award; POMA “Rookie Award” and GoPro Award. The Festival is open to both professional and amateur submissions.
Winners of the Festival will be shown in HD on a 22-foot screen at all 60 Sportsman Warehouse stores and at special events such as archery tournaments and conservation banquets. In its tour, the Outdoor Film Festival uses a mobile screen that can be set up almost anywhere. This tailgate-style event is free to the public. See www.outdoorfilmtour.com for dates and locations.
“By attending POMA’s conference an outdoor TV producer or filmmaker could learn how to save thousands of dollars by attending our risk management/production insurance seminar led by Don Pickard, from Tom Pickard & Co., Inc.,” Opre added. “Don is an avid hunter and FFL holder who writes production insurance policies specifically for the outdoor television business.”
The Mission of the Outdoor Film Festival is to grow wildlife conservation by supporting and recognizing filmmakers. Creating an environment to showcase the best films in the industry at a grass root community event is electrifying. Today there is a new era of film equipment and technology revolutionizing the ability to make quality film with a simple budget. The more filmmakers taking a camera into the field the more adventures and experiences that can be shared with others. The Outdoor Film Festival has strategically aligned itself with the leading authorities in conservation to reach the largest audience thus making the largest impact for conservation. The ultimate measure of conservation success is the continuation of hunting. To help grow the tradition of hunting, the Outdoor Film Festival and Tour seeks to distribute this new wave of Outdoors short films surfacing off the Internet and give them more recognition and exposure.
