WYO Film Festival Marketing Campaign

Founded in 2018 in Sheridan, Wyoming, the WYO Film Festival has grown into one of the state’s leading venues for independent film. Designed as an intimate and accessible experience, the festival creates meaningful connections between filmmakers and audiences through four days of screenings, conversations, and community engagement.

By 2021, however, the live events landscape had shifted dramatically. The pandemic changed viewing habits and reduced enthusiasm for in-person gatherings. As a result, the festival faced a critical challenge coming out of the pandemic: reminding audiences why the communal experience of cinema still mattered.

Outside Voice has partnered with the WYO Film Festival since its inception, supporting marketing, advertising, and communications efforts each year. To address audience fatigue, we developed the “Festival You’ve Been Training For” campaign. Rather than relying on traditional event promotion, we leaned into humor and relatability. The campaign framed the return to theaters as the natural reward for everyone’s pandemic-era movie marathons.

We then built an integrated marketing initiative that reached audiences across multiple channels. We produced print ads and posters for local and regional outlets. Meanwhile, targeted social media advertising, email campaigns, and strategic partnerships helped drive ticket sales. In addition, we created videos and graphics that amplified the campaign’s tone and encouraged audiences to rediscover the joy of watching films together.

• Creative Director: Breton Shepherd
• Cinematography & Editing: Jeffrey Shanor
• Original Music: Colin Stroup
• Design Work: Anthony Bradley, Goodnight Studios
• Photographers: Mandy Warner, Krista Filchner, Breton Shepherd