Financing / Crowdfunding

Never thought of tracking down a funding producer. I just posted about this being a writer wanting to secure a grant. Thank you for helping me pivot!

Ricardo would you have a lead on how to find a fundraising producer who specializes in media?

I have found a producer who will be helping me with the finding funds as well as getting a fiscal sponsor in order to qualify for some of the grants that I am looking to apply to.

Wow Jessica that’s excellent? Were you able to find them through here? Or did you just pitch to them thru your network?

Vonti, if in the USA, check your state's arts & culture department and look up a list of filmmakers in your state. Also look in Facebook groups. You will need to have a solid pitch and be upfront about the role your are trying to fill. Good luck!

In an ideal world, I would find collaborators before I started, but this film came out of nowhere and ballooned by into something so much bigger than I expected very fast. I was not under any illusion that it would be simple. I have a very personal film and script which I’m treating as a learning exercise and training ground for future projects. Next time around, I’m not going to do it all, and I was let down by a few people in this process, which meant I took on production duties to ensure it stayed on track. I am lucky to have a crew that is helping on the sidelines. Not to mention tons of help with my editor who contributed lots of time, but next time around a 2-3 production team is something I’ll explore. Great advice. Thanks!

I've been there and completely understand.

Had a bit of a boost this past week, I posted a personal email to a curated personal list - probably about 60-90ppl and I had a nice response from friends I had not been in contact with for a while, but unexpectedly after a few, very welcome, donations, a couple of random strangers contributed, taking me to 20% funded. This, followed by a massive Indiegogo-driven contribution last night for the highest tier perk, takes us to 55% funded. It's a lot of constant hard work daily to keep this moving and feel, fluid. Feeling blessed and a little relieved, I think most of my principal shoot, locations and camera could be covered moving ahead.

All the best, Ketan Majmudar! Learning as you go is one way to do it, and by setting a modest goal (which I hope you reach) you've allowed yourself what other crowdfunding filmmakers who have delusions of grandeur and set exorbitant goals for their first campaigns do not.

Thank you John T. Trigonis. I appreciate your feedback and comment. If I were to go down this road again, I would probably also ask for less and work on a deeper level with the campaign prep and launch. I'm hoping we can get a little further in this campaign. I actually budgeted for promo material beyond post-production, including some festival submissions, so currently, we are in a good place. So many great resources to learn from today. Wishing everyone the best on their current goals/projects too.

What David said.

That is solid advice, thank you! Yes, drawing the right attention to a project is quite often about finding someone who is not only in the right place but shares similar ideals. I’ve talked to a few other people about this, and they say that often going to a mutual source of promotion / funding has mixed results, as they could potentially lack the vital personal interest in the projects subject matter.

High praise for David! He's a veritable knowledge database/information whisperer for the creator community. LOVE your generosity of spirit. Rekindles my faith in humanity.

Hey there Rory Percival! I recommend picking up a copy of my book CROWDFUNDING FOR FILMMAKERS (and/or Googling my name and "crowdfunding film" for some free writings I've done on the subject and podcast I've been interviewed on) and put everything it says to do to practice.

Here's a link to my book on Amazon (http://goo.gl/xZmls4), to my TED talk (http://goo.gl/HkTSxe), and to my Film Courage video cover the "6 Big Mistakes" (http://goo.gl/TEIhMB).

Can't really "discuss" since consulting is how I make my living, but I hope that helps get you started on the Path!

Well that was time well spent...thank you David!

If you're raising a couple grand, William Joseph Hill, then yes, digital incentives (alone) can be fine. But if you're looking to raise $5K or more, you need some physical rewards and/or experiential incentives to get folks chipping in larger amounts of money that will get you to your target quicker.

Paulina Lagudi You've completely misunderstood me somehow maybe i was not clear enough. The 30k - 50k was the amount i'm thinking of raising through the campaign. I was asking the best way to determine how much to raise for my project. Its the amount I'm looking to raise not spend. I never mentioned anything about spending or cost.

Read RB"s book on crowdsourcing. Not joking. He's offering the audiobook free at the moment.

Eva Neide yes let's chat!! would love to learn from you. Ethan Frome I apologize. I totally misunderstood you.

Matt Bailey, where do I find RB's book?

Hey there Ethan Frome! (Real name? Loved the book by Edith Wharton as a kid!) Feel free to pick up a copy of my book CROWDFUNDING FOR FILMMAKERS (which RB's book cites plenty in his couple chapters on crowdfunding) and put everything it says to practice: http://goo.gl/xZmls4 My book covers all of your questions and more.

As for raising $30K+, my one recommendation I can make –– and this comes from literally ten years in the crowdfunding for film industry, with five of those working at Indiegogo on their mid- to top-tier campaigns –– is that your goal should be set lower for your first campaign.

Now, if you absolutely NEED to raise that amount, then I suggest you start with RB's book to learn how to build and audience for your film first, then graduate to my book for the tips, tactics, and strategies that make crowdfunding for film work so well.

Grants are limited. You're basically asking the people competing with you to help you win out over them.

And grants that pay unknown writers to write what they want-- that's a stipend fellowship, not a grant.

That being said, the Gov gives grants, Corporations give grants, Foundations give grants, and you got the internet and a phone.

Good luck!

Didn’t understand that first part. Competing with me? Grant writers are there to teach. No? Thanks for the info though. Got some great answers in this lounge to get me started. Working 2-3 jobs has me burnt out. Would be nice to follow my dream.

Hey Vonti- I get it--I'm in the same boat, work a few jobs and the writing/filmmaking time is squeezed in between it all. The only solution I've figured out so far is to do a page a day, more on weekends and plan in your head at work--sorry boss...

Amy what I’m trying to figure out is what’s wrong with getting a grant? This whole section is about securing financing for a film. Do writers not deserve adequate time to actually write content? So we need to be mentally drained from work and try to write in between? We literally create the content to film. I’d like to put my best forward. Not a rush job.

I literally just posted about looking for a grant writer. Check grants for writers or whatever you are looking for. I found over 10 sites listing the companies that have them. Did the writer teach you how to write your own grant? What was their pricing to package you out?

I have a grant writer...I just need links to sites that have a list of those available for entertainment. I didn't ask him if he would teach me and I'm not looking to learn how to write them. My hands are busy working and developing my projects. Like writing scripts, grant writing is a specialty and if you want good results, instead of trying to wear too many hats, it's good to find someone who is solid at that job. The pricing depends on the what and the how many grants I am planning on having him write. I'll keep you posted.

I’ll inbox you the list of grants I found specifically for media. I wish more people in entertainment felt that way of trying to wear many hats. I’d rather be great at just screenwriting. Than listing myself as a writer, director, producer, editor, animator...and just be mediocre at each. Thanks for the advice

i appreciate you and i agree. What i have learned from being in the industry is a lot of folks let their egos dictate their work flow. Writing and developing your material is very time consuming. it’s smarter to not wear yourself out trying to wear other hats. be strong at one first. when you have meetings and folks are looking at what you are doing and judging you want to be your best. opportunities don’t come around every day. you will do well.