An interview about our ride with Tiny Dancer featuring behind the scenes footage from our screening event.
Video shot and edited by Dan Wantz
Special thanks to our sponsors Medea Vodka, KIND Snacks, Dance Magazine, Canvas People, MyPublisher, and Sansha.
To learn more about this project please go to
theindependentcollective.com/join
Help us make this film happen!
indiegogo.com/finishingtinydancer
Such an amazing dance company. Check out and support Douglas Dunn and Dancers as they take on their new project.
The Manning Crowd
This week, we are on vacation so I wanted to repost this awesome rundown of the current state of crowdfunding from NYFA’s blog:
Crowd-Funding
One of the fastest-growing markets in arts support is crowd-funding. Websites like Kickstarter, ArtistShare, and Emphas.is, help artists and entrepreneurs raise money for projects by soliciting donations directly from their fans. Though still in its infancy, crowd-funding has produced two distinct models for the platform, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.
The first, and most popular, model of crowd-funding is the general-use website for all types of projects. General crowd-funding platforms, such as Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and Invested.in, are open to just about everyone and projects range from independent films to 3D printers. While these sites tend to be the most well-known and established forms of crowd-funding, the quantity and diversity of projects can make it difficult for someone browsing the site to happen upon your fundraising campaign and decide to invest. Of course, these high-traffic sites also have the benefit of occasionally going viral.
Kickstarter, an all-or-nothing fundraising platform, allows artists and entrepreneurs to raise money for specific projects. Like many of the crowd funding sites, Kickstarter encourages members to offer rewards to participants who donate at various levels.
IndieGoGo, a similar fundraising platform, allows all types of projects from all over the world (Kickstarter is US only). Also, IndieGoGo allows users to keep donations they receive even if they don’t reach their fundraising goal (the catch being that Indiegogo takes a bigger cut of those donations).
Recently, new crowd-funding websites have narrowed their focus to appeal to smaller communities with shared interests. For example, the Japanese site Green Girl specializes in promoting female artists and entrepreneurs; Emphas.is is dedicated solely to photojournalism projects; Ideame (launching soon) aims to help Latinos realize their projects through community funding. Appealing to a smaller group with shared interests allows greater potential for creating and fostering an active online community.
Another benefit of boutique crowd-funding sites is that they can offer users services that apply directly to their community or field. For example, Green Girl regularly features project creators on its Facebook page and curates a quarterly digital magazine with articles on their artists. Emphas.is gives media organizations added incentive to invest in exciting projects by offering first publication rights for funding at least 50% of a project’s budget. These small features strive towards the foundation of a community centered on funding and engaging with community-related projects. It will be interesting to see how these specialized organizations evolve in the coming years.
Of course, creating a compelling project proposal isn’t the end of fundraising; that’s where the work really begins. Once artists have their campaign underway, they need to engage as many dedicated fans as possible. One of the easiest ways to do this is through social networking sites. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ are all excellent resources for organizing a network of donors, while Twitter serves as a way to provide committed funders with information and project updates. Often, the success or failure of a campaign will depend on how well an artist has cultivated and engaged his audience. Networking, collaborating, and connecting are often essential for laying the groundwork for fundraising.
We are fundraising for the film Tiny Dancer. By donating at www.theindependentcollective.com you become a member of TIC and help us achieve our goal of raising the film’s budget. Spreading the word, “following” and “liking” are free. And we like you too.
