There has been tons of talk of celebrities using crowd funding to
raise money for their projects…and from the indie film world, a lot
of it has been negative.
Here is their point. Millionaires don’t need to raise money and take opportunities
away from people who don’t have the means.
Last time I checked, it’s a free country….so why should anyone get mad at someone leveraging
their status, income to bring about a project he/she is passionate about. They worked hard
to build their brand, their list of fans, etc….so why can’t they reap the benefits? I have several
friends that are in the indie film industry and if they just read that statement, they’re probably
cussing me out right now.
But check out the story below….Sly Stallone…raising money…but before you judge…look
at what he offers people who invest….pretty cool stuff….so that brings me also to the point
that no matter what you have…you still have resources….if someone can’t donate money to your
project…if they’re an expert at something, maybe offer that….just a thought…check it out!
Sylvester Stallone, John Herzfeld reach $250,000 Kickstarter goal for ‘Reach Me’
By Jeff Sneider
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – “Reach Me” star Sylvester Stallone, director John Herzfeld and producer Cassian Elweshave successfully reached their Kickstarter goal of raising an additional $250,000 to finish the independent movie, TheWrap has learned.
The trio were left scrambling for funds when one of the film’s backers fell out of the project and turned to Kickstarter for help.
“Reach Me” boasts a star-studded ensemble for anindependent film, with Stallone joined by HBO veterans Thomas Jane (“Hung”), Kevin Connolly (“Entourage”), Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”) and Terry Crews (“The Newsroom”), as well as Kelsey Grammer, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore,Danny Trejo and rapper Nelly.
Elwes and Rebekah Chaney produced the movie, which follows a group of characters who are brought together by a self-help book written by an anonymous author.
The “Reach Me” campaign started August 20 and had 30 days to meet its $250,000 goal before September 19.
Interestingly, the film has needed only 251 backers to raise $264,339, which breaks down to an average contribution of $1,053.
Brett Ratner was one of the celebrities who donated to the film, though Stallone may have needed a few superheroes to save the campaign. Recent contributors this past week include Grammer and Jane’s past characters Hank “Beast” McCoy and Frank “The Punisher” Castle, as well as aliases Peter “Spider-Man” Parker, Charles “Professor” Xavier, Scott “Cyclops” Summers, Bruce “The Hulk” Banner, Eddie “Venom” Brock and Steve “Captain America” Rogers.
Kickstarter contributors were offered script coverage from Herzfeld for a donation of $1500, a sparring session with former MMA champ Urijah Faber for $2000 and a song of their choosing included in the film for $10,000.
Stallone is the latest celebrity to launch a successful Kickstarter campaign, following Zach Braff, Spike Lee and “Veronica Mars” creator Rob Thomas, all of whom used Kickstarter to fund movies that the studio system turned its collective back on.