Craft Brewery Focuses on Community with Regular Movie Series
Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham, Washington has a love of great beers, great films and their local community. Keep reading to learn how they combined all three of their passions with a Bill Murray themed movie series.
Boundary Bay, a craft brewery in Bellingham, Washington, focuses on more than just award-winning handcrafted beers. Visit their website and you’ll find a phrase displayed all across the site: When you choose Boundary, you choose community. And it shows. Their event calendar is jam-packed with live music performances, trivia nights, fundraisers, special dining opportunities and more. The brewery’s Facebook page dives deeper in their mission, saying: We believe strongly in the local economy and in keeping our community vibrant and healthy… We support over 100 non-profits every year and work with local organizations to celebrate and strengthen this unique community we are a part of.”
But just because they’ve had success creating award-winning beers and events since 1995 hasn’t stopped them from always finding new ways to entertain and engage their beloved community. The latest addition to their full events calendar? A year-long Bill Murray movie series!
“When I was thinking about a movie series to start in our winter venue, Bill Murray was a no brainer!” shared Jenny Schmidt, Boundary Bay's communications director. Dubbed “A Year of Bill Murray,” the brewery has already shown retro classics like a camp-themed showing of “Meatballs” to celebrate summer, “Space Jam” to mark the start of March Madness and “Groundhog Day” on – you guessed it – Groundhog Day. In addition to the screening, the events include Bill Murray trivia, free popcorn, giveaways and other Murray-themed activities. And to make the event extra special, the brewery created a beer in honor of the event, which they serve during every screening.
“It's a rare person out there who doesn't love at least one Bill Murray movie, and it's easy for us to get a different crowd at each movie, as well as a few diehard fans that come to them all!” Jenny Schmidt, Communications Director
When asked why the series has been such a success, Jenny shared, “I think Bill Murray is such a well-loved character by so many, it was easy to get people excited about a film series with him at the center of attention. It's a rare person out there who doesn't love at least one Bill Murray movie, and it's easy for us to get a different crowd at each movie, as well as a few diehard fans that come to them all!”
In terms of promotion, Boundary Bay is no stranger to creative and consistent advertising. And picking a series focused on a famous actor with recognizable quotes, photos and movie titles made it easy for them to create great marketing for this new event. “Starting with those elements, we are able to make some marketing assets that are easy to use in social media, as well as in print,” Jenny shared. “I would say our most successful marketing methods come through via Facebook posts as well as Instagram stories.”
For breweries, restaurants or other venues looking to start a series of their own, Jenny advises taking a universal approach to content selection. “Be sure to choose a movie series that appeals to a wide audience! When you are a venue that is not well-known exclusively for movies, it can be hard to grow attendance. Selecting a genre or character that a large population can be excited about will get you started in the right direction.”
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