Festival Press Pass Information

Festival Media Credentials
Press passes are given to official members of the media who wish to cover the National Storytelling Festival. Press passes will not be issued to individuals conducting research on storytelling. If you wish to cover the festival, contact Carla Papy at (423) 913-8209 or carla@storytellingcenter.net.

Festival Media Guidelines
We welcome members of America's news media to the National Storytelling Festival. Check-in takes place at Festival Headquarters, located in the log cabin on Main Street in downtown Jonesborough (across the street from Main Street Café.)

The National Storytelling Festival is an annual celebration of the oral tradition, and people who attend this special event cherish the opportunity to share in this observance.

Much of the festival's success is due to a determined effort by festival planners to maintain that important intimacy between the teller and listener throughout the weekend.

As a result, there is a festival policy that prohibits recording, filming, and photography in the programming tents by all persons other than the media.

We ask that you comply with the following guidelines, which have been put into place to assist you, as well as to protect the integrity of this event:

• Your nametag is your identification. For media privileges, wear it at all times on festival grounds, along with the "swatch" of material.

• College Street Tent and Creekside Tent are the only two performance tents in which you may take photos or videotape. Recording, filming, and photography are PROHIBITED in all other performance tents.

• Be as inconspicuous as possible as you do your job. Your presence should not interfere with either the telling or the listening. Be careful not to block anyone's view at any time. NO FLASH OR AUXILIARY LIGHTING IS ALLOWED.

Recording, filming, and photography is, of course, encouraged on the festival grounds. In addition, our featured storytellers would probably be most helpful in telling a tale for reporters or posing for pictures for photographers.

Tom Raymond is our official festival photographer and he has graciously offered a variety of images for download to the media (see photo downloads.) If you are in need of a photo of a specific teller or have any questions for Tom, please feel free to contact him at (423) 928-2700 or tom@freshairphoto.com