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Off The Leash was born in July 2007 and is now well recognised across the Top End as the what’s on guide to arts, culture and entertainment.
Off The Leash – where did it come from?
The publication grew from public and arts sector demand for a printed one stop guide to what’s on.
To ensure the ongoing success and usefulness of Off The Leash, Top End Arts Marketing monitors by talking regularly with our members, advertisers and regular listers. We also run yearly focus groups with our readers and potential readers to ensure the publication is working for them and enquire about whether anything is missing.
Basic Off The Leash facts
Off The Leash is printed monthly with 11 editions per year (there is a joint December/January edition). A square format, 20x20cm, each edition is at least 24 pages in full colour and contains:
• Comprehensive event listings across the categories of music, performing arts, visual arts, movies, books & writing, festivals, workshops and communities.
• A double page cover story.
• Other stories and profiles as space allows.
• Paid advertising. download ad booking form
• Paid festival and event programs.
• A daily events calendar.
Please go to the bottom of this page to view back issues of Off The Leash.
Print Run and Distribution
15,000 copies of each edition are distributed across the Top End.
A street distribution occurs across Darwin, suburbs and Palmerston and copies are bundled up and posted to key outlets at remote and regional centres across the whole of the Top End including Katherine, Pine Creek, Timber Creek, Nhulunbuy, Alyangula, Daily River, Batchelor, Adelaide River, Elliot, Jabiru and may others.
Each month 5,000 copies are letter box dropped to different households across Darwin and Palmerston so that across the year each household receives 2 copies of the publication.
Where does the content come from?
The content for Off The Leash is drawn primarily from core arts organisations, however we receive submissions from a very wide range of people and strongly encourage relevant submissions from the broader arts community including;
• Cultural groups and festival
• Heritage organisations such as the National Trust
• Pubs and clubs
• Venues
• Councils
• Schools
• Individual artists
• Community groups
For detailed information about Off The Leash you can download information kit here or continue reading below for an overview.
Listing in Off The Leash – it’s FREE!
It’s absolutely FREE to list your arts, cultural or arts related entertainment event.
How do I get my event listed?
To list get your event listed in Off The Leash you need to submit your event online at www.topendarts.com.au. If you have an image for your event you can submit that online too.
If you’re a member of Top End Arts Marketing you should go to www.topendarts.com.au and login before you submit your event.
If you’re not a member, click here to go to the submission form.
It pays to take time, write your listing well and get a good image as each month one listing per genre is chosen as the spotlight listing. This listing sits at the front of its section and usually receives a longer write up, a larger image and lots more exposure.
Should I be a member of Top End Arts Marketing?
If you regularly hold arts related events we recommend that you become a member of Top End Arts Marketing. It’s free and you’ll be able to submit your information more efficiently online and you’ll also get reminder emails about important details and opportunities to promote your event.
What happens with my listing? Will it be published anywhere else?
When you submit your event online it will go into holding for the Communications Officer, Kate Riedel to approve. Usually this will happen on the day it was submitted. Once approved, the listing will go live and be there for you to edit and change at will.
The best thing about online submission is that it’s a one point submit for publications, including www.topendarts.com.au event listings, Off The Leash, our ebulletin, the NT News (exhibitions only) and select local tourism publications.
What are the deadlines?
The Off The Leash deadline is the first day of the month prior to the edition.
For example, the deadline for the October edition of Off The Leash is 1st of September.
However, to make sure you maximise the benefits of listing with Top End Arts Marketing we request that you upload your event information as soon as possible – even if it’s 6 months or a year out from your event.
Remember that you can edit your listing so you can put up the ‘bare bones’ information well in advance and pad out the information as the date draws nearer.
The earlier we get the information, the more useful it is. We often get requests for media for event information 3-6 months out and if your event is online, we can pass on the details and you might just get yourself some additional free coverage.
Low resolution pdfs of Off The Leash can be found below:
Advertising in Off The Leash
Advertising in Off The Leash is an affordable way to standout from the crowd as the rates are well below other commercial advertising options. 2008 ads start at just $140 and there are a variety of ad sizes and placements available.
One of the major benefits of advertising in Off The Leash is that it gives you direct access to our regular readers who are active, social people who are good at networking and are often the seed that germinates that ever important word of mouth.
For a full summary of advertising rates and sizes along with information about special discounts download the info pack.
Sounds good, so how do I book an ad?
To book an ad download the booking form here and fax it back to Top End Arts Marketing on 8924 4035.
The deadline to book advertising is always the 1st day of the month prior to the edition. For example if you want an ad in the August edition, you must have it booked by 1st July.
Programs
Is your festival budget too small to pay for designing, printing and distributing your program? Do you need to reach a new audience?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, Off The Leash has a solution.
You can have your program printed in 15,000 copies of Off The Leash for a fraction of the cost of designing, printing and distributing 15,000 independent copies of your program. And best of all, Off The Leash already has a guaranteed readership base so you know you’re information will get out there.
The costs of program inclusion is worked out on a case by case basis and depends on the number of pages you will take up and what level of design and support you require.
Please contact Top End Arts Marketing on 8924 4418 at least 3 months prior to your event if you are interested in placing a program into Off The Leash.
Cover Stories (and other stories)
Each month a cover story is chosen to receive an image on the front cover and a two page write up at the front of Off The Leash.
If you think you’ve got an event or idea that’s worthy of winning the cover story please talk to us about it at least 2 months out from the edition you’d like the story to appear in.
Want to download one of the stories printed in OTL?
JUNE 08
Botanica Erotica
Dadang Christanto
Tracey
JULY 08
From Parap to Paris
There was a girl
Walking with Spirits
Yidaki Master
AUGUST 08
Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair
Kimberly Ink
Liberty
Lyrical Leah
Manuk Gapu
Ta Teut Amarasi
SEPTEMBER 08
7 Deadly Australian Sins
Dogs life a fine art
One Man Percussion Orchestra
Sarah Pirrie
This land belongs to the goanna
OCTOBER 08
Ochre
The Aviators
Keep in mind that
We need to look good: A cover story needs good images to accompany the story and go on the front cover. We can organise a photos shoot but you’ll need to provide a great photo opportunity and you’ll needed to supply a selection high resolution, good quality images for use alongside the story.
We need to sound good and tell a story: the cover story has to give our readers something to sink their teeth into. It should be an engaging human interest story, maybe something that gives a behind the scenes look at your next production, provides insight into some of your key artists or raises an issue that celebrates or exposes key arts industry issues.
Sometimes we’ll also run smaller stories in Off The Leash, particularly in the quieter months so it’s always worth talking to us if you have a story brainwave.
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