For the last year or so, I've been becoming a sort of crowdfunding (and specifically Kickstarter) expert, consulting and making videos for clients who are trying to raise funds for various projects.  If you've followed me during that time you've probably seen me stumping for dollars for these various projects - a microbrewery, an organic chicken-raising collective, a couple days of carless streets in Tucson... all these things became realities thanks in part to the platform called Kickstarter, and thanks in part to my know-how in using it and social media.

Now I'm using that platform to raise funding for a project that I'm actually involved in myself: a documentary that I'm directing about homelessness, and specifically about the challenges of being homeless in Tucson, Arizona.  Check out the Kickstarter video by pressing play below:

My collaborators and I are experienced filmmakers; for years we've all been involved in enough low-budget or no-budget projects to know that it costs a certain minimum amount of money to do a film properly, in such a way that people will notice it, and watch it and respect it and recommend it to others.  This minimum amount is usually much higher than people not in the business expect, but much lower than the numbers thrown around in Hollywood circles.  You can make films cheaply, but you do need something, and the professionals who work on even low-budget films need to eat, and pay rent, and maintain their equipment.

So this is a project we're trying to do right, in a way that doesn't exploit any of the crew, that takes into account all the hidden costs and fees and possible problems that always come up.  This is not something we'll throw together and beg volunteers to work on for free.  Instead, we're counting on the assistance of the community  of people (including YOU) who care about the issue of homelessness, and/or who care about me and my colleagues making a fair wage.  If our confidence in this community is misplaced, the film won't get made, which will be sad.

So please consider making a pledge - and remember - especially if you haven't used Kickstarter before - when you become a backer, you're only agreeing to pay later, after the deadline comes and we've reached our dollar goal.  If we don't get to that goal, your card won't be charged, and we won't get a dime.   Kickstarter is all or nothing, because many creative projects,like this one, can't be done right unless a certain minimum of resources is available - and it's a way to get fans to vote with their dollars.  So raise your hand and your pocketbook and let me know you believe in my talent as a director, and that you want to see a film that examines the daily life of people without a home, that breaks apart the typical notions others have about those people, and lets them tell their stories.

Thank you.