Executive,Associate, and Co-Producers Wanted
an update on 'LAPU ONE: AN AMERICAN BACKSLIDER IN THE PHILIPPINES'
Crowdfunding is a much maligned but growing industry. When it comes to raising money for motion pictures, I’ve heard people say, “If you have to crowdfund, your movie will most likely not be made.” On the other hand, there are notable exceptions to the rule like the Mahal Empire, a production company in Las Vegas, that has raised millions by crowdfunding.
The Mahal Empire has been successful in getting many of their movies, like Bus Party to Hell and Devil’s Knight on Tubi, Plex, Amazon and a number of streaming channels. There are YouTube videos where they talk about their crowdfunding campaigns. It appears to be a combination of private equity companies and crowdfunding.
There is a company called WeFunder that came into existence around 2013, a result of lawsuits that eventually allowed regular people to invest in startups with minimal investment. It advertises that it’s purpose is to ‘fix capitalism’ by bringing private equity investment to the masses. The catch is you, as the founder, have to raise the first $50,000. Once that is raised, WeFunder can take over the campaign and raise the remaining funds with their connections. They claimed to have helped startups raise over $650 million purely through crowdfunding.
It is tantalizing to consider the possibility of raising funds: if 100 people pledge $100 that would be $10,000. If I could get 500 pledging $100 that would be $50,000. 900 people pledging $100 would definitely reach my goal of $90,000. Possibility is not probability, though. It’s a numbers game, so the more people who see the GoFundMe the more who might give to the campaign.
I do have people telling me to go to AI and get this project done on the cheap. Yeah, it’ll look great on YouTube but it’ll reach very few people compared to streaming channels. And I have seen cheapo AI productions on TUBI and quickly tuned out. I want realism, and I figure that’s what most of the audience wants. This movie needs to be shot in the Philippines and not in an American apartment via zoom. This is not poverty porn. People need to be fairly compensated and not exploited. It needs, and deserves, proper financing.
What are people getting for their money? That is a fair question. Successful businesses that begin with WeFunder can reap profits from the start up business it helped give birth to. Kickstarter and Indiegogo do allow for perks, but their campaigns have specific beginning and ending dates. I see my campaign as being on-going until the project is complete.
GoFundMe allows for extended campaigns, but only allows for non-monetary perks when it comes to creative projects. Non-monetary perks would be: for a certain level of pledges you could get a screen credit as ‘executive producer’. A lesser amount would give you an ‘associate producer’ credit, and so on. No DVDs or T-shirts.
I attempted non-monetary awards on GoFundMe and found my campaign put on ‘pause’. It didn’t take long for GoFundMe to reverse this decision and reinstate the campaign. They sent me an email saying I am allowed to offer non-monetary perks, but I’m afraid to put that on the actual GoFundPage. The bots scare me too much!
Here are the non-monetary perks, and I will honor them:
$30,000 or higher: You will get an Executive Producer credit.
$10,000-$20,000: An ‘producer’ credit
$5000 or more: associate producer credit
$1000 to $5000: co-producer credit
Below $1000: Special thanks.
If you pledge anything in the above amounts, let me know. You will get the stated credit on the screen! Everybody will receive a credit regardless of the amount they contribute. Plus, everybody will receive updates on the status of this production.
This can be a welcome jolt to the senses when you see your name on a program broadcasted on a national channel. I found that out when I pledged a certain amount to Valerie, a documentary about Valerie Perrine.
It had been years since that donation, but when I saw my name I became immediately excited and started plugging it on my social media pages.
LAPU ONE: AN AMERICAN BACKSLIDER IN THE PHILIPPINES is an important project. As the world seems hell bent on turning it’s back on democracy, free expression, and ultimately free thought, it’s important to shine a light on activists who are fighting for the rights to think, explore, and educate people in ways to improve their life, and the lives of others in their community.
So, for the love freedom, please take a moment and visit my GoFundMe and make a pledge to get this movie made and streaming on as many channels as possible. While we have freedom of speech, let’s put our money where our mouth is.
Make your pledge today!
Read more about the project by clicking:
http://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-science-and-health-education-to-the-philippines