In these challenging times any kind of good news is welcome. I recently received outstanding updates from three separate crowdfunding campaigns I have supported. I’ve backed nearly thirty such crowdsourced funding campaigns over the years, and some have worked-out better than others.
Campaigns supporting the development of technology products can be dicey for a variety of reasons. I’ve had much better luck with crowdfunding campaigns for the arts, with media such as TV and movies, documentaries, and books.
Star Trek: Voyager Documentary
I watched the first episode of Star Trek: Voyager “live” back on January 16, 1995. Or maybe I recorded it on a VHS tape, since DVRs and streaming didn’t exist yet. Not every episode was great, but I generally liked the Voyager branch of the Star Trek family tree.
I’d already seen several Star Trek documentaries produced by 455 Films, so when I heard they were launching a crowdfunding campaign to fund one about Voyager I signed-up.
The campaign for The Star Trek: Voyager Documentary was astonishingly successful. It raised US $1.2 million, breaking the crowdfunding record for a documentary.
A Buttered Cat
Amy Jo Johnson is a musician, actor, and director. I have supported some of her film projects through crowdfunding, so when she put-out the word about this book project, I wanted to find out more.
The Year of the Buttered Cat was written by Susan Haas and Lexi Haas. It raises awareness and supports research into untreated newborn jaundice & kernicterus based on the personal experience of Lexi and her family.
The Gold Standard seal from the Junior Library Guild demonstrates that the book is appropriate for youth. Amy Jo’s note on the back cover told me it would be a good bet for adults too:
Lexi’s story is deeply touching, laugh out loud funny, and wonderfully inspiring! Can’t wait for her next book!
The other back-cover endorsement was from author Jennifer Pastiloff:
The best book of the year.
OK, I was sold. The campaign offered an eBook as well as the physical book, so when the campaign completed successfully I was able to read the eBook right away. The signed hardcover book and the nifty quote cards that followed made it even more special. There’s just nothing like physical books.
Omega 1
For some projects, I provide more than money and promotion on social media. In my IMDB profile you can see that I did some voiceover work on Blade of Honor. It was extra special to find my voice in the background of a scene with Richard Hatch, though we never actually met.
Mark Edward Lewis produced Blade of Honor, so when he began work on his next project I was curious. That project was Omega 1 – The Hacker Wars, a comic book and motion comic TV pilot.
Dystopian science fiction doesn’t always appeal to me, but Mark’s enthusiasm convinced me to back it – and even become part of it. In these two latest Omega 1 episodes I provide the voice of an animated character. The latest update was that casting is complete and production continues. I look forward to seeing, and hearing, the finished episodes.
What About You?
Have you ever participated in a crowdfunding campaign or other crowdsourcing effort? Share it below in the comments.
