Hi folks,

I'm intending to independently produce and direct a production of Kooman and Dimond's "Homemade Fusion." There are obviously a lot of expenses to doing this, particularly in New York, so I am running an IndieGoGo campaign to help raise $5000 to help cover expenses such as rehearsal and performance space, royalties, etc. I won't be putting the exact link in here for online privacy reasons, but if you would like it, I would be more than willing to give you the link to the IndieGoGo site with more information about the campaign, what I'm trying to do and how you can help.

Thanks,
Jordan/UniquePerspective

Question as a producer who is fascinated by this phenomenon of Kickstarter/IndieGoGo/etc. fundraising campaigns, and their questionable legality: do you have any intent of paying back the people who contribute to the production from the sales and profits of the resulting show, based on the records of who contributed and how much, or is this pretty much asking for a free hand-out?

I know some people on MdN will probably think it unfair that I apply professional standards to a small-scale fundraising campaign; however, seeing as this is starting to be the wave of the future among many in the industry (even if they're only a rung above this type of production), it's worth asking.

I don't pretend to speak for Jordan, however I think in situations such as his he is asking for donations in order to bring an artistic vision to life.

It would be a completely different situation if this was for a theatre/production company looking to produce a show as a financially viable venture. In which a company may seek "investors" in a production rather than simply asking for donations from those willing to give from their hearts.

I like to equate it to donation campaigns of National Public Radio or Television. They request donations and receive them from those that wish to see their programming continue and improve in quality. Donations are never given with the intent of receiving any sort of financial return on investment. Granted there are often tax implication in terms of write-off depending on the size of the donated amount, however the intent of the donation is for the furthering of the art rather than any sort of personal gain.

Also let's be honest...how often to shows , indepently produced or otherwise, ever break even? Much less turn any sort of profit?

Will there be those that abuse the giving hearts of others? Of course. However one must trust in those that want nothing more than to preserve and further their art. The only way the arts are going to continue to flourish in this country is through generous donations.

Patch has the right idea here.

Wording stuff like this has never been my strong suit, but in brief, I do not intend this show to be the commercial model where people are directly investing into the show's revenue. In fact, I will have to read the site policy a bit better, but if I read it right, the site can not allow marketing to go the route you've described. You can however create non monetary rewards. As for me specifically, this is intended to be a non-profit show, even if I wanted to do the commercial style of investment I believe that would require a lot more legal negotiating and language that I don't have, and regardless, this show is not for making money, but to create a piece of theatre that my peers in the theatre world, the audience and the creators of the show will be proud of.

I asked a question; I got an answer; I'm satisfied. Thank you!