Brown Paper Tickets has some really fantastic decades-long relationships with event organizers. For example, we’ve partnered with the Phoenix Film Festival for more than 13 years now! Today we sat down with Jason Carney, Executive Director of the Phoenix Film Foundation to pick his brain about the Phoenix Film Festival.

Briefly describe your business.

JC: We produce the Phoenix Film Festival each April along with lots of movie goodness sprinkled throughout the year.

Describe your culture in 5 adjectives.

JC: Fun, quality, organized, cool, professional.

What gets you excited about your work?

JC: It’s easily the opportunity to bring films to audiences that they may not see anywhere else. And more specifically when the filmmaker is in the house. It’s a great energy.

What types of events are important to your business?

JC: Events that bring artists and film lovers together. There’s such a sense of community that develops when you bring folks together that have such a passion for film events.

How many years have you been using Brown Paper Tickets?

JC: We’re coming on 13 years with Brown Paper Tickets.  I’m a little hazy on how it all came together. I’m pretty sure we can blame Sten. Other than roller derby there wasn’t really anyone in town using BPT but once we started it was awesome to see lots of other organizations start using it. Every year new ticket companies pop up and contact us but we profess our love of Brown Paper Tickets and tell them to move on.

What advice do you have to businesses in your industry when it comes to events?

JC: Be organized and prepared for your artists and audiences. They are why your business exists, so you owe it to them.

What do you love about your local community?

JC: How much they trust us to bring them quality films. We have folks that show up at our event without really knowing what they’re seeing. It shows me that they’re confident in what we do.

What was the most memorable/wackiest/funniest/most successful (you can pick!) event you have put on?

JC: The most recent was a screening we did at this year’s Phoenix Film Festival. We were screening a great documentary about guide dogs called “Pick of the Litter”. When I showed up at the theatre at 8am there were about 25 guide dogs waiting (with people of course) just outside. It was the ultimate shock of adorableness to my system. Super fun!

Are you a movie buff, or interested in screening or attending films? We can help with that. Remember that Brown Paper Tickets offers 24/7 Event Specialist Assistance, as well as a dedicated Promo team to help with your social media and marketing efforts.