The Tank Museum in Dorset is running a year-long paid filmmaker internship thanks to the online subscription platform Patreon, which connects artists and creators with people who can financially support their work.
Open to graduates from the degree course at Arts University Bournemouth, the position is intended to provide a development opportunity for a local filmmaker, as well as feeding the growing demand for the museum’s digital content.
The museum opened the Patreon account in order to make its content production more sustainable, raising $19,000 (around £14,500) from subscribers in its first year. It currently has 257 patrons, who pay a monthly fee in exchange for perks such as exclusive video content and the chance to take part in monthly Q&As with the museum’s curator.
The internship is a means of rewarding the museum’s patrons – and attracting more subscribers – by boosting its digital video output.
The museum has attracted a global following for its videos, with more than 120,000 people subscribing to its Youtube channel and 1.8 million channel views. Just a quarter of its Youtube followers are based in the UK.
“Video is the most engaging way for us to share our stories to a contemporary audience,” said Nik Wyness, the head of marketing and engagement at the Tank Museum. “We've proved it can be done in-house by a museum with limited resources. We have built up an impressive following so we know we do it well.
“The most interesting part is that we are engaging an audience on Youtube that is on average far younger and more international than those that visit. This is really important - we know we are cultivating future visitors with a reach we could only dream of a decade ago when our only access to this audience was through the traditional media.”
Chloe Shipley, the first intern to be appointed to the post, said: “To have an opportunity like this straight out of university is fantastic and I can’t wait to get started.”
Shipley’s work will support several current series on the museum’s Youtube channel, including Tank Chat videos and The Matilda Diaries, as well as mini-documentaries and collaborations with other youtubers.
In addition to generating income, the Tank Museum’s online presence has helped to considerably increase its visitor figures and Friends membership, as well as widening its visitor demographic.
Open to graduates from the degree course at Arts University Bournemouth, the position is intended to provide a development opportunity for a local filmmaker, as well as feeding the growing demand for the museum’s digital content.
The museum opened the Patreon account in order to make its content production more sustainable, raising $19,000 (around £14,500) from subscribers in its first year. It currently has 257 patrons, who pay a monthly fee in exchange for perks such as exclusive video content and the chance to take part in monthly Q&As with the museum’s curator.
The internship is a means of rewarding the museum’s patrons – and attracting more subscribers – by boosting its digital video output.
The museum has attracted a global following for its videos, with more than 120,000 people subscribing to its Youtube channel and 1.8 million channel views. Just a quarter of its Youtube followers are based in the UK.
“Video is the most engaging way for us to share our stories to a contemporary audience,” said Nik Wyness, the head of marketing and engagement at the Tank Museum. “We've proved it can be done in-house by a museum with limited resources. We have built up an impressive following so we know we do it well.
“The most interesting part is that we are engaging an audience on Youtube that is on average far younger and more international than those that visit. This is really important - we know we are cultivating future visitors with a reach we could only dream of a decade ago when our only access to this audience was through the traditional media.”
Chloe Shipley, the first intern to be appointed to the post, said: “To have an opportunity like this straight out of university is fantastic and I can’t wait to get started.”
Shipley’s work will support several current series on the museum’s Youtube channel, including Tank Chat videos and The Matilda Diaries, as well as mini-documentaries and collaborations with other youtubers.
In addition to generating income, the Tank Museum’s online presence has helped to considerably increase its visitor figures and Friends membership, as well as widening its visitor demographic.
Around 17% of visitors to the museum’s Tankfest 2018 festival were international, travelling from 56 countries, which it attributes primarily to the impact of organic social media.
