Storytellers and documentarians have been an important part of the Burning Man culture since its beginning. The images and videos that come out of Black Rock City have helped extend the impact of Burning Man far beyond the playa. As we continue to nurture a nonprofit with global ambitions, the story of Burning Man is growing beyond an annual event in the desert and into a worldwide network of Regional Events and civic programs like Burning Man Arts and Burners Without Borders.
General Press Information
For an overview about the history of Burning Man, this year’s event, and the staff behind the organization, please see our Virtual Press Kit.
If you are looking to arrange an interview, request a speaker from Burning Man Project, or include Burning Man in a book or other publication, please email press@burningman.org with your request.
Decommodification and Image Use
Burning Man Project has a unique set of media and image-use policies guided primarily by our principle of Decommodification. While self-expression is highly encouraged, Burning Man Project does have an important set of policies surrounding media use. Burning Man images, video, and audio cannot be used in a commercial manner or to promote any products, brands, or services. Read more about our media policy here.
Burning Man Project does not maintain a portfolio of “stock” or PR images. If you are working on a noncommercial article or presentation about Burning Man and are looking for high-quality images, you can browse through a wealth of beautiful photos on the Burning Man Gallery. If you would like to use images located in the Gallery, you will need to do the following:
- Email the photographer of each image you would like to use and obtain permission to use the image in your publication.
- Email a copy of the photographer’s permission and a link to the image to press@burningman.org, along with a description of the intended outlet.
Once you receive written approval of the image use from Burning Man, you will then be able to include the images in your publication.
Media and Press Projects in Black Rock City
Are you interested in completing a photo or video project in Black Rock City? Are you a member of the press looking to cover the event? You can find more info in our Press & Media in BRC section.
Writing Books About Burning Man
Publishing a book about Burning Man or one that uses images from Black Rock City requires a process of proposal, review, and approval. Legally, Burning Man Project is required to grant book publishers (or anyone, for that matter) a license to use Burning Man in a product for sale. This is how we prevent things like “Burning Man Beer” or “Burning Man Bikes” from being sold. While books are also products that could be sold, we consider a well thought-out and crafted book to be both an artistic project as well as an opportunity for education and the sharing of Burning Man culture. That being said, we only approve a small handful of book projects each year (if that).
The first step is in a book project is to complete a Book Project Proposal.
If your book is to include images from Black Rock City, you will need to make sure that the photographer (even if it is you) has registered as professional media and been approved for commercial distribution of images. If the photographer is not registered, you can do that here.
Once the book project is submitted it will be reviewed by the Burning Man Project Communications team and someone will be in touch with you shortly.
News Archive
The press sure do love talking about Burning Man! You can read through the full history of press and news articles about Burning Man and Black Rock City in our Burning Man Media Archive.