Brown Lane Studio Launches Equity Crowdfunding Campaign on CrowdBoarders.com, One of the World’s First Social Investing Networks

The venture capital  raised will be used to carry out the company’s growing expansion plans to meet the rising demands for the firm’s creative services

By Robert Hoskins

Dallas, Texas – CrowdBoarders announced that Brown Lane Studios has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign to sell five-percent of its equity shares to raise $300,00 to fund future expansion.  J. Michael Brown is the sole owner of the futuristic studio that offers the Dallas creative community an exciting eco-system of private studios, commercial studios, media services and events of all kinds social networking mixers and parties “under one roof.”  The company has seen rapid growth over the past two years.

Brown Lane Studios has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign to sell five-percent of its equity shares to raise $300,00 to fund future expansion

The equity crowdfunding offering consists of nine different levels of public investment ranging from $20-$5,000. The venture capital  raised will be used to carry out the company’s continuing expansion plans to meet the rising demands for the firm’s creative services.

Please visit https://crowdboarders.com/brown-lane-studios to view the equity crowdfunding campaign’s financial details.

Similar to rewards-based crowdfunding campaigns, early J. Michael Brown investors will receive complimentary studios services dependent on their investment level in addition to their equity shares.

CrowdBoarders.com is a next-generation social investing network which connects investors with a stream of crowdfunding investment opportunities that are now open to accredited investors and more than 20 million non-accredited investors who reside in Texas.

The Brown Lane Studios is located at 1499 Regal Row, Suite 505 Dallas, TX 75204-2431.  Investors are invited to visit the studio for a free tour. Please call (214) 771-7395 for more information.

# # #

(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR

---

Mr. Hoskins is a seasoned marketing veteran with a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses as well as Fortune 500 corporations launch successful marketing communications campaigns to gain market traction for a wide variety of products and services.

Hoskins is one of the crowdfunding industry’s foremost crowdfunding advocates and has amassed a huge social media following that is dedicated to supporting donation-, rewards- and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns. Due to the overwhelming demand from the general public for crowdfunding information, he empowers entrepreneurs with some of the internet’s most affordable ($20) online crowdfunding training classes, which provide insight to startups around the world on a 24 x 7 basis.

Hoskins adamantly believes that the crowdfunding industry will empower everyone in the United States to rediscover the possibility of living the American dream with a little hard work, a great business idea and the dedication to researching, planning and launching a well-thought-out crowdfunding campaign. He consults on a regular basis with crowdfunding campaign managers as well as crowdfunding sites, portals and platforms to deliver successful crowdfunding marketing campaigns.

---

Advertisement

New Reality TV Crowdfunding Platform Allows Talk Shows and Reality TV Programs to Fund Their Programming

New CrowdedReality.com crowdfunding platform gives reality TV and talk show producers a chance to crowdfund their passion for programming

By Robert Hoskins

Reno, Nevada – CrowdedReality.com, created by award winning producer Adryenn Ashley, is a new crowdfunding site that allows programming creators three ways to crowdfund their shows through a system designed to reveal the reach of new shows, and to incite competition for the opportunity to sponsor or air each show. 

Dog Rescue Club App and Reality TV Show

Traditionally television programming has been kept under lock and key, with many too many gatekeepers along the way, which prevents truly independent television from ever flourishing. That’s about to change and be completely reinvented.  Independent films, reality TV shows and other types of entertainment can now raise money directly from fans to support the production of their programming concepts. 

As Ashley explains, “Over the past year we have developed relationships with over 200 brands and in discussing sponsorship needs and wants, one topic kept repeating – they wanted to know, to quantify, the social reach potential. For every new show, that’s always going to be just a best guess. Until now.” With algorithmic triggers that alert pre-screened and “vetted” sponsors, the site interacts with and introduces show-specific sponsors even before the funding cycle is complete.

Using a factor called Social Currency, tied to proprietary back end tools, CrowdedReality.com can calculate the reach and value to a sponsor and the demographic most interested in a show. This feature encourages sponsors to take action and secure their position with the show to leverage the social currency the show has built and gives potential sponsors the certainty they are looking for when choosing where to invest their marketing dollars, while leaving creative control in the hands of the show creators.

Less than a week old, CrowdedReality.com has already attracted shows from all over the country and across . The Dog Rescue Club, The Sifu: Kung Fu Redemption and The Fab Lab have all jumped on board to be the first to leverage the platform. Even veteran Reality TV star Justine Tranchita from Game of Pawns is using to launch his new spin off show, “The Branson Family”.

With a keen eye for bringing shows to life that would otherwise be shelved, CrowdedReality.com is ripe to become the foremost destination for niche content discovery.

“I wanted to create a show that will truly honor the shift in our consciousness and our desire for all things good. To do that I needed to bring across guests and products in a conversational format that bridges the New Mainstream into the Existing Mainstream. I couldn’t do that if I didn’t have creative control of the show,” say Lisa Marie, Co-Creator of Wake Up! “Here I can prove to the most conservative sponsor the viability of both the show and audience through Social Currency.”

Crowdedreality.com is indeed an evidence of the times. Social voting until now has been interruptive, or a picture within a picture for TV. An after thought. A thirty minute reel after a show runs. “We are putting the value Social Currency front and center. This is the new power in entertainment. CrowdedReality.com both helps protect the creator with their creation, giving direct access – and helps protect a sponsor or distributor with their pre-valuation of a show, reducing risk.”

And from veteran Radio and TV Crowdfunding Expert Mike Hayes, “This changes everything! CrowdedReality.com is a smart, innovative funding model that finally has found that magic in leveraging real social campaigning. Unique to this model created by the media marvel Adryenn Ashley – people are able to create social campaigns that not only support the show, bring visitors, and donors – but they add a critical piece of voting with their Social Currency – CrowdedReality.com removes the historic blocks to funding.”

And industry leaders have noticed. Across the pond in the UK, Carlo Cocuzzi, UK Business Growth Strategist was the first to suggest a UK version of the site, “CrowdedReality.com is an absolute game changer.”

# # #

Predictions for the Top 15 Crowdfunding Trends that Will Emerge During 2015

New Developments Expected from the SEC, Texas Crowdfunding Portals, Crowdfunding Service Providers, State Banks, Corporate Crowdfunders, Non-Profits and Secondary Trading Markets

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas – Front Page PR predicts the top 15 crowdfunding trends that will emerge by the end of 2015 for the United States crowdfunding industry:

1. The SEC will do the right thing and surprise the U.S. by introducing rewritten Title III crowdfunding regulations formulated to appease both Wall Street and entrepreneurs.
2. Texas Incubators/Accelerators will add equity crowdfunding portals to their investment models to earn extra revenue, improve deal flow and tap 20 million unaccredited investors.
3. There will be a rising tide of third-party crowdfunding service providers needed to produce Private Placement Memorandums (PPMs) and necessary disclosure documentation.
4. State banks will seize the opportunity to create new revenue streams by setting up crowdfunding equity escrow services that larger banks will probably ignore.
5. Advertising, PR and social media firms will improve the success rate of million dollar crowdfunding campaigns to more than a 50% success rate regardless of crowdfunding site.
6. Major corporations like Sony will begin to launch substantial crowdfunding campaigns to test the market demand for their company’s latest and greatest high-tech, clean-tech, bio-tech, fin-tech and film/music products and services
7. Major corporations will follow IBM’s example by opening their own intranet crowdfunding platforms to allow employees to fast track innovative products and services by using crowdfunding campaigns to override political and corporate management roadblocks.
8. Major publishing houses will follow Reddit’s and YouTube’s example by launching their own crowdfunding platforms to harness mature electronic commerce & marketing capabilities.
9. Real Estate will lead the marketplace in offering attractive equity crowdfunding deal flow.
10. Texas will become one of the largest equity crowdfunding markets in the United States.
11. More than 50% of U.S. states will approve crowdfunding exemptions by the end of 2015.
12. By Q4 2015 a secondary market will begin to emerge for trading equity crowdfunding shares.
13. Crowdfunding investing will cause private equity investors and venture capitalists to lose their ability to take advantage of startups/entrepreneurs who will find it much easier to raise venture capital funding.
14. Non-profit fundraising organizations will move their entire fundraising operations to a pure online donation-based crowdfunding platform to substantially streamline their organizations and reduce their operating expenses.
15. As in many early growth industries, large players like GoFundMe, IndieGoGo and Kickstarter will begin buying up smaller sites to increase market share and expand their global presence.

# # #

Contact:
Robert Hoskins
Front Page PR
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR
@FrontPage_PR
@Crowdfunding_TX

Front Page PR Targets New Texas Crowdfunding Portals and Private Placement Issuers with Advertising, Marketing and PR Consulting Services

Offers Texas Crowdfunding Portals (TCPs), Texas Equity Private Placement Issuers & Texas Investors Guidance on the Best Strategies to Launch and Market Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns in Texas

By Robert Hoskins

Austin, Texas – Today a new Texas Crowdfunding Exemption Rule goes into effect that will give the state yet another financial tool to encourage more people with creative ideas to start new businesses in Texas. For the first time in 80 years, businesses will be able to sell equity shares in their business to more than 20 million unaccredited investors who live in Texas via new online Texas crowdfunding portals using general solicitation.

Front Page PR is one of the leading Crowdfunding PR firms in America

“Already armed with a zero income tax, low overall tax burden, sensible regulations and low housing costs, Texas is now armed with an even more powerful financial tool, Equity Crowdfunding,” said Robert Hoskins, Front Page PR’s Crowdfunding Director. “This new small business financing tool will be the key to helping businesses, entrepreneurs, and new startups in Texas raise venture capital by selling equity shares in their companies to Texas residents.”

Similar to the way that powerful and exclusive Silicon Valley venture capital firms built their wealth during the 1990s by betting on high-tech startups, every legal resident in Texas can now legally become a micro venture capitalist by investing up to $5,000 per deal in local Texas startups and existing businesses. As crowdfunded deals begin to go public, the wealth and economic development that will be created in Texas will be hard to match.

Texas offer investors a wide variety of industries to choose from including application development, software, mobile apps, communications, information technology, high-tech gadgets, video games, aerospace, aviation, bio-tech, life sciences, clean-tech, energy, oil & gas, real estate, film, entertainment, music and many other promising industries.

Already home to 1.7 million small businesses, gaining access to a market of 20+ million new potential investors combined with the SEC’s legalization of general solicitation will make Texas the best and easiest place in America to start a new business and raise venture capital.

And the seeds for a bumper crop of new Texas Crowdfunding Portals are already being planted. SeedInvest.com/Texas, TexasCrowdfunding.com, TexasEquityShares.com are already in the various stages of building their new crowdfunding portals and filing their applications with the Texas State Securities Board, but soon they will be harvesting their first round of Texas crowdfunded startups.

“SeedInvest has worked primarily with angel, venture capital and other accredited investors to match them up with startups in Texas such as Virtuix, based out of Houston,” said Marc Nathan, SeedInvest’s Managing Director of Texas. “But the Texas crowdfunding exemption will allow us to reach a much wider audience of unaccredited investors.”

“There are many great companies that connect technology startups with sophisticated investors, but we’re focused on working with businesses that want to build and grow with support from investors in their own backyard,” said Amy Forsyth, Texas Crowdfunding’s CEO. “To accomplish this goal we’re taking a different approach than most and plan to focus on featuring local small businesses and early-stage companies that are often overlooked, undervalued and under capitalized.”

“Our crowdfunding portal will be seeking high-tech crowdfunding equity issuers that are focused on Internet technologies, e-commerce, smartphone apps, digital properties and platforms, Software as a Service (SasS), etc.,” said Dusty Brogdon, Texas Equity Shares’ CEO. “We are seeking to serve mid-tier crowdfunding equity issuers with a minimum project value of $200,000+ with a long-term goal of taking the business public within two years.”

“Texas is about to see a dramatic surge in demand for Texas crowdfunding portals, equity private placement issuers and investors. Front Page PR is ready to help these companies bring their products and services to the Texas marketplace,” Hoskins continued. “Armed with the right community outreach programs needed to educate entrepreneurs and investors on the new crowdfunding rules, the possibilities for small business formation and growth in Texas will be limitless.”

Front Page PR provides a portfolio of crowdfunding marketing communications services, which will be instrumental in bringing these new crowdfunding portals to life and helping them launch successful crowdfunding campaigns for their fundraising campaign managers, including:

• Crowdfunding portal selection
• Crowdfunding deal structure
• Crowdfunding disclosure documents
• Crowdfunding profiles and pitch videos
• Community outreach strategies
• Advertising campaigns
• Email marketing campaigns
• PR/media relations campaigns
• Investor education programs

# # #

 

New Crowdfunding Research Firm Wants to Shine Light on Best Practices for Shooting the Perfect Indiegogo/Kickstarter Crowdfunding Pitch Video

In their new research study, Understanding the Effectiveness of the Pitch Video:  A Crowdfunding Research Study, the team plans to measure the effectiveness of crowdfunding pitch videos and their impact on online fundraising

 By Robert Hoskins

Sydney Australia – What type of pitch video helps crowdfunding campaigns achieve success or lead to their failure? That’s what the folks at DigitalMindWorx want to research and document.  In their new research study, Understanding the Effectiveness of the Pitch Video:  A Crowdfunding Research Study,  the team plans to measure the effectiveness of crowdfunding pitch videos and their impact on online fundraising. Conducted by Jess Milne, a Masters student at the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney, the upcoming research study will use an online survey to collect quantitative data that will help inform future creators on how to how to make a compelling pitch video based on past Kickstarter and Indiegogo success/failure rates.

Understanding the effectiveness of the pitch video: A Crowdfunding Research Study

“There is very little research in the crowdfunding arena,” said Jess Milne Masters, a film student. “The pitch video is the most persuasive tool available to crowdfunders I think more research insights are required to help crowdfunders make better and more effective videos.”

According to some sources,  such as the Indiegogo Playbook, including a video with a crowdfunding campaign to demo the product and explain the project can increase fundraising by 115%.

Kickstarter, another popular crowdfunding platform, reported that campaigns with a pitch video succeed at a much higher rate than others (50% vs 30%).

Last, but not least, MWPDigitaMmedia, a professional video production company, reports that projects that have a good crowdfunding pitch video are 85% more likely to achieve their fundraising goal.

“The aim of our research is to relate how the pitch video in a crowdfunding campaign can incite affective and emotional responses in the viewer and ultimately influence the decision to pledge to the campaign,” Masters continued.

With an estimated 49,000 launched projects in 2013 on Kickstarter alone, this research has the opportunity to make a big impact for entrepreneurs and creative types. After data has been collected the unbiased conclusions will be released in a guidebook for filmmakers and other individuals who want to lean how to create a compelling crowdfunding pitch video.

As an incentive all participants of the study will have the chance to win a 200 iTunes voucher after completing the research survey. Click here to participate in the Crowdfunding Pitch Video Research Study, which will be open to all participants until October 1, 2014.

# # #

 

 

Investors Provide $1 Million Investment to Shore Up Seed&Spark, a Crowdfunding Platform that Funds and Distributes Independent Films

The investment in documentary and narrative films gives a huge boost to women due to the fact that within the entrepreneurship film space, 58% of all films successfully funded on Seed&Spark are led or co-led by women

By Robert Hoskins

Los Angeles, California — Seed&Spark closed an important round of $1 million in seed venture capital to expand its operations. In addition to the cash infusion, two seasoned film and entertainment executives will join the crowdfunding platform’s board of directors.  Julie Parker Benello (co-founder of Chicken & Egg Pictures and Gamechanger Films) and producer and Veritas Prep founder Chad Troutwine (Oscar-winning Undefeated, Freakonomics, Print the Legend) will join the board later this month.

Seed&Spark is building a truly independent filmmaking community where filmmakers and audiences come together for crowd-funding, production, and streaming distribution

Earlier this year, Parker Benello, along with Chicken & Egg Pictures co-founder Wendy Ettinger, launched Gamechanger films with Dan Cogan and Geralyn Dreyfous of Impact Partners to “shift the gender disparity in the film marketplace.” Parker Benello’s commitment to women in film both in documentaries and narrative films now extends to entrepreneurship in the film space. 58% of film projects successfully funded on Seed&Spark are led or co-led by women, a statistic Seed&Spark founder and CEO Emily Best attributes to the fact that women are so marginalized in the film industry they’re willing to take a risk on newer platforms. “It could also be that our company leadership is almost entirely women.”

Says Parker Benello, “I am excited to join Seed & Spark as an advisor, given the company’s interest in promoting women directors, both documentary and narrative, on their innovative crowdfunding and streaming platform. I look forward to working with the team to help build out the company while furthering the work of many filmmakers supported by Chicken & Egg Pictures and invested in by Gamechanger Films.”

“We are honored to add two incredibly experienced film producers to our board who are deeply invested in the social impact of the films they make,” says Seed&Spark founder and CEO Emily Best. “What’s more exciting is that we have been able to communicate our company’s mission as an impact investment. We are deeply committed to building tools to give access to a greater diversity of creators—tools we believe can help creators make a sustainable living from their craft.”

“We’re not taking the approach of building this company with money. We wanted to engage the community and grow organically only on the strength of what the community finds valuable about what we’re offering. It means we’ve been able to get a long way with a tiny fraction of the money our competitors have raised. It also means that more of our resources can get poured back into the community because we don’t have so much to pay back,” says Best. “We also hope that we can demonstrate to filmmakers that the strength of this community is more powerful than money. And we can build a sustainable business this way – together!”

Says Troutwine, who most recently produced Print the Legend, which was nabbed by Netflix Originals at SXSW, “There is an exciting new frontier in distribution, one that can more greatly benefit both creators and audiences. Seed&Spark’s founding team of filmmakers understands they’re working for the audience.”

The lead in this round is the Wadsworth Family investment fund Manitou Ventures. Other investors include producer and philanthropist Abigail Disney, Catapult Film Fun co-founder Lisa Kleiner-Chanoff, Emmy-winning producer and Spacestation Founder Matthew Mills, Mitro founder Vijay Pandurangan, and angel investor Deborah Meijer among others.

Having just announced a distribution partnership with American Express, Seed&Spark plans to pursue more distribution partnerships, “to put truly independent content in front of the widest possible audiences and make sure the creators benefit,” says Best.

Seed&Spark is a truly independent film community where filmmakers and audiences join forces to fund, promote and watch the best new independent films. As a selective crowdfunding platform and curated streaming service, Seed&Spark is an online destination for engaged audiences to get involved in exceptional projects at all stages. Seed&Spark’s film specific crowdfunding tool – the “WishList” – allows supporters to buy or loan specific items to a production. Every time an audience member supports a project, they earn rewards points called “Sparks” which they can spend to watch films on the streaming platform. Supporting films gives audiences greater access to watch them.

# # #

Crowdfunding Takes Center Stage at SxSW Event in Austin, Texas beginning March 7, 2014

Crowdfunding Experts Converge at SxSW to Highlight the Significant Advancements in Title II & III SEC Regulations for Entrepreneurs and Startups in the High-Tech, Bio-Tech, Clean-Tech, Real Estate, Film, Music, Non-Profits, Science Research and Healthcare Industries

SXSW Interactive March 7-11 Austin 2014 Crowdfunding Seminars and Presentations

By Robert Hoskins

Our recommended list of Crowdfunding Presentations to attend during the South by Southwest event in Austin, Texas during the SXSW Interactive session from March 7th through March 11th, 2014.  Click here to register.

The “Real” Crowdfunding Investment

Friday, March 7
12:30PM – 1:30PM

• Chris Tyrrell, Chairman, CrowdFund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates
• Jessica Randazza, CMO, Offer Board

Chris Tyrell and Jessica Randaza will be speaking about the widely anticipated Title III crowdfunding rules that were approved unanimously by the SEC and successfully completely the 90-day public comment period.  Now the entire United States is waiting to see what changes, if any, the SEC will make to the previously approved rules.  The new regulations will add approximately 229 million new unaccredited investors to the pool of potential investors that will soon be able to make investments in startups and existing businesses seeking venture capital in return for an attractive return-on-investment (ROI). Read more…

Ethics & Future of Crowdfunding for Communities

Friday, March 7
12:30PM – 1:30PM

• David Neff, Digital Strategy, PwC Advisory
•  Miriam Kagan, Sr Principal, Kimbia Inc

David Neff and Miriam Kagan will cover crowdfunding models that range from self-starting “fund my trip” models to a more established national community foundation-led model that raised over $20 million in one day. Next they will cover crowdfunding industry growth, and the ethical questions that have surrounded old school “fundraising” by non-profits for many years.  How much money actually goes to the beneficiaries and where does the rest end up?   Session participants will led through an exercise that will allow the group to see the necessary requirements to build a thorough Crowdfunding Bill of Rights. Read more…

Make It Rain: The New Healthcare Funding Landscape

Friday, March 7
5:00PM – 6:00PM

• Andrew Farquharson, Managing Director, VentureHealth
• Breanna DiGiammarino, Education Vertical Lead, Indiegogo
• Halle Tecco, CEO, Rock Health

Digital Health is a growing market for crowdfunding dollars, with relatively few prolific angel and venture investors, entrepreneurs are getting creative about ways to find alternative venture capital. This healthcare crowdfunding presentation will examine the funding options available for various healthcare entrepreneurs at any stage. Read more…

The Original Gangsters of Crowdfunding

Saturday, March 8
12:30PM – 1:30PM

• Katherine Woo, Chief Product Officer, KIVA.org
• Katie Bisbee, Chief Marketing Officer, DonorsChoose.org
• Kevin Conroy, Chief Product Officer, GlobalGiving.org
• Paull Young, Director of Digital, charity:water

This panel discussion will feature four social good crowdfunding platforms that are focused on donation-based crowdfunding missions to improve the world for social good.  These platforms allow the privileged to make tax deductible donations to those who are not lucky enough to have nutritious food, clean water, bathrooms with flushing toilets or weatherproofed housing.  It will humble you to learn what conditions many third world country people actually live with little hope for help from the outside world.  With your help, these organizations can help you help them change the lives of many and get a tax deduction for helping. Whether you attend this panel discussion or not, please make at $25 donation to one or all four of the organizations. Read more…

The Indie Science Revolution

Saturday, March 8
3:30PM – 4:30PM

• Cindy Wu, Co-Founder, Microryza
• Daniel Grushkin, Journalist
• Ethan Perlstein, CEO, Perlstein Lab

An increasing number of brave researchers are venturing out from the ivory towers of academia to pursue their own independent research. This new culture of indie science attracts investigators with the freedom to develop their ideas without the confines of politics and bureaucracy often found in academic departments.  Read more…

DIY PR for Crowdfunded / Kickstarter Projects

Sunday, March 9
11:00AM – 1:30PM

• Connie Zheng, Account Supervisor, North Of Nine Communications

This two and a half hour long workshop, designed for DIY crowdfunders, will go over some PR best practices, strategies and tactics on how to create interest for crowdfunded projects based on conversations with individuals who’ve run successful Kickstarter campaigns and their interaction with reporters. It will cover planning & strategy, timing, pitch writing, story angles, social media, approaching reporters, how to avoid “dead zone” during a campaign, and more. Read more…

Crowdfunding Global Entrepreneurship

Sunday, March 9
11:00AM – 12:00PM

• Jason Best, Principal, Crowdfund Capital Advisors
• Sherwood (Woodie) Neiss, Principal, Crowdfund Capital Advisors

Jason Best will address the outstanding opportunity for Crowdfunding that exists in emerging markets that have been cut off from international venture capital markets.  He will examine how giving third world countries access to billions of dollars of capital has the ability to challenge the United States’ ability to stay competitive in the global market place. Read more…

FutureHood: Crowdfunding Innovators in Real Estate

Sunday, March 9
5:00PM – 6:00PM

• Neil Dipaola, President, Forefund Capital

Neil Dipaola will focus on how risk capital has brought about significant change to the high technology industry for more than a generation. He will differentiate the opportunities that exist outside of the risky young 20-something millenials’ visionary gadgets. Even though high-tech gadgets generate many front page news stories, Neil will encourage attendees to take a close look at the real estate industry, which is much more established and offers more traditional and proven investment opportunities. Read more…

The New Era of Investor Relations

Monday, March 10
11:00AM – 12:00PM

• Douglas Ellenoff, Partner & Owner, Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
• Judd Hollas, CEO, EquityNet LLC
• Judy Robinett, Angel Investor & VC Board Member

In 2013, the ban on general solicitation of accredited investors was lifted, causing the largest change to securities laws in decades. While everyone from startups to hedge funds will enjoy new liberties to begin marketing equity investment deals through advertising, marketing and PR campaigns, it’s critical that the new rules are followed to the letter in order to eliminate the chance for an exemption rescission. Read more…

Viral Crowdfunding: Story, Team & Gamification

Monday, March 10
12:45PM – 1:00PM

• Matthew Bishop, CEO, iGiveMore Inc.

Matthew Bishop will address harnessing viral marketing to achieve a successful crowdfunding campaign. He asks, “So you want to raise money online and go viral?” Mr. Bishop’s SxSW crowdfunding presentation will help nonprofits, artists, and entrepreneurs learn how to create crowdfunding a project.  His subject matters will include how a tell a  story, manage a team and leverage game playing lessons that will help develop a viral buzz that may make or break the success fundraising campaigns. Read more….

How Crowdfunding Killed Hollywood

Tuesday, March 11
9:30AM – 10:30AM

• Adam Carolla, President, Carolla Digital
• Bill Zanker, President, FundAnything

Adam Carolla and Bill Zanker provide in inside look at how crowdfunding platforms like FundAnything are turning Hollywood upside down by completely changing the way movies are financed and produced. Like many entrepreneurs in Hollywood, Adam decided to circumvent the system by teaming up with Bill Zanker’s FundAnything and ended up raising $1.5 million that allowed him to create one the most downloaded podcast series in history.  Attendees will learn from Adam’s personal insights on how to use the right rewards to achieve the best results and why taping into your own crowd of social media contacts can deliver serious dividends. Read more…

Crowdfunding Real Change for Girls & Women

Tuesday, March 11
11:00AM – 12:00PM

• Maz Kessler, Founder & Creative Director, Catapult Systems

Maz Kessler’s presentation will focus building a world of equality for all girls and women. Due to the fact that less than 7% of fundraising donations go to girls and women’s causes combined with the alarming news that one-in-four of women organizations that work on these issues are in danger of closing, Catapult.com was founded to keep the funding rolling in.

The group’s mission is to work on the battle front to fight for the rights and the respect for girls and women around the world. And to date, Catapult has achieved incredible results by raising millions of dollars through its nonprofit partners, which are growing rapidly throughout the world. Read more…

Funded in Austin

Tuesday, March 11
12:30PM – 1:30PM

• Cotter Cunningham, CEO, RetailMeNot Inc
• Josh Kerr, CEO, Written

Funded in Austin features Founder/CEO’s of three technology startups who have pursued and secured investment in their entrepreneurial ventures – one from crowdfunding, one from angel funding, and one from venture capital – totaling more than $302 million in funding. Read more…

Crowdfunding Industry Rolls Out the Red Carpet to Hollywood and Indies with First Crowdfunding Film Festival in California

Crowdfunding Film Festival Set to Roll Out the Red Carpet to Hollywood and Independent Filmmakers to Promote Revolutionary New Public Equity Crowdfunding Finance Tool

By Robert Hoskins

The First Annual International CrowdFunding Film Festival will be held October 2-6, 2013 in San Francisco. The film fest will bring together artists, filmmakers, entertainment and video game creators to showcase their craft, network and  raise money through the new crowdfunding finance tool. The film festival has plans to collaborate with film schools in New York, London and Paris.

Crowdfunding Film Festival Set to Roll Out the Red Carpet to Hollywood and Independent Filmmakers to Promote Revolutionary New Public Equity Crowdfunding Finance Tool

Film students from universities all around the country are increasingly looking to crowdfunding to find backing for their projects. With over countless films successfully funded through crowdfunding portals such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, Hollywood is now paying close attention to all this movement.

Director/Writer Rob Thomas has raised over $5.7 million for his movie “Veronica Mars” while Zach Braff’s feature “Wish I Was Here” has raised $2.6 million in donations. San Francisco State Student Sterling Cook keen on exploring crowdfunding of finance for production projects.

“I see in these directors, writers, and cinematographers, the same core passion for innovation. They are not only artists but more importantly, entrepreneurs – they are seeking to touch the world and make a difference through their films. We know of their struggle to find financial backing and I believe crowdfunding will be the answer,” stated the ICFFF’s organizer Sydney Armani.

A film production involves collaboration between dozens of creative groups and getting all the individual pieces to fit together is similar to managing a business. Crowdfunding is changing the production landscape and the movie industry is currently experiencing a real game changer

Ted Hope, advocate of America’s Independent Cinema Movement and Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society, provides deeper insight into the current state of the film industry in his blog post “Why I Left New York for the San Francisco Film Festival.”

He said, “Our entertainment economy and the art it supports, was built upon the concepts of scarcity and control, but today’s reality is one of super-abundance and access – the exact opposite. To survive and flourish, today’s artists/entrepreneurs–and those who support them–must all embrace practices that extend beyond the core skills of development, production, and post-production of their art and reach beyond the attention and practice of marketing and distribution.” The meaning behind Hope’s words echoes the exact spirit and foundation that is the core of Silicon Valley’s passion for entrepreneurship and reflects the same spirit represented by the film festival.

# # #

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

I would like to set up a Crowdfunding Consultation call to learn more about the Crowdfunding process

Submit

Δ

Related articles:

• Crowdfunding Doc ‘Kickstarted’ Starts Crowdfunding
• New FilmFunder Crowdfunding Website Targets Hollywood Film & Entertainment Professionals
• What’s The Latest On Zach Braff’s Kickstarter Controversy?
• Call for Papers: New Media & Society special issue on crowdfunding
• Crowdfunding News for Filmmakers
• Crowdfunding helps community projects bridge cash shortfall
• From Slated.com: “The new ‘soft’ money” for making indie movies
• The Pitch Season 2, Episode Seven: Seed&Spark – Funding for Films
• Zach Braff Kickstarter Project Gets Gap Financing
• Zach Braff Kickstarter controversy deepens after financier bolsters budget

New Crowdfunding Platform Launches to Help Save 3,000 Movie Theaters from Going Out of Business as Hollywood Converts to Digital and Completely Eliminates 35-millimeter Film Distribution

By Robert Hoskins

A new crowdfunding platform, SaveOurCommunityTheaters.org, has launched to help rural movie theaters make the migration from analog to digital media. In a move that is expected to save billions in distribution costs for movie studios, by the end of 2013 Hollywood plans to to stop distributing movies on 35-millimeter film and convert entirely to digital movie distribution.

This conversion will save billions for studios, which will no longer need to deliver cumbersome film.  Most movie theaters in large cities have already converted to digital media, but more than 3,000 throughout rural America have not made the change due the cost of installing new digital movie equipment.

SaveOurCommunityTheaters.org Allows Movie Theaters Nationwide to Crowdfund their Transformation from 35 millimeter to digital

“The problem,” said SaveOurCommunityTheaters.org spokesperson Scott Wilson , “is that over 3,000 cinemas across the United States are in real danger of closing. They simply don’t have the extra $50,000-$80,000 per theater needed to make the conversion.”

Michael Hurley , owner of the Colonial Theater in Belfast, Maine estimates that 20% of all theaters in North America could be lost.

SaveOurCommunityTheaters.org believes this loss is unacceptable, said Wilson. “We are harnessing our social media Circlefunding(SM)  technology to make sure community theaters are here to stay.”

Community theaters are fundamentally important to the health and wellbeing of communities. Often these theaters have been around for generations and are part of the fabric of the town. They provide history, a meeting place, and employment, said Wilson.

SaveOurCommunityTheaters.org has fundraising project ideas, web assistance, promotional suggestions and utilizes next generation fundraising technology – Circlefunding – to assist small town theaters.

Unlike many other Crowdfunding sites, which promote a variety of projects, SaveOurCommunityTheaters.org focuses entirely on community theaters.

Related articles

• Committee Formed To Save El Dorado’s Star-Vu Drive-In
• New FilmFunder Crowdfunding Website Targets Hollywood Film & Entertainment Professionals
• Three key technologies drive evolution in movie theater industry
• Film Jobs Decline As Digital Distribution Gains Foothold
• Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre To Convert Into Third Largest IMAX Theater in North America
• Kickstarter campaign pays off for North KC theater
• Dubuque’s Mindframe Theater Seeks Help with Digital Switch
• Highland Movie Theater To Use Social Media To Buy Projector
• Effort under way to save Peterborough movie theater
• Fort Collins’ Holiday Twin Drive-in reopens with digital projectors

New FilmFunder Crowdfunding Website Targets Hollywood Film & Entertainment Professionals

By Robert Hoskins

FilmFunder, created by active film producers, Jude Tucker and Stephen Fiske, is one of the first crowdfunding platforms geared specifically towards film professionals. The crowdfunding phenomenon has quickly taken on a prominent role in the vast landscape of film production and finance. Already this year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has lauded two crowdfunded projects with filmmaking’s highest honor.

FilmFunder Crowdfunding Platform Targets Hollywood and Film Professionals

In addition, the “Veronica Mars” movie, based on the popular TV series, rose over $2 million dollars in just twelve hours on Kickstarter. Now, FilmFunder enters the scene to bring crowdfunding to professional educated investment in motion pictures to get the entertainment industry back to work for good.

Currently, the prerequisites for listing a project on a crowdfunding platform, such as Kickstarter, are minimal. As a consequence, the market has become crowded with projects of all types and quality seeking financing.

FilmFunder entered the crowdfunding space because motion picture investment is a prime target for crowdsourcing due to each film’s startup-like structure and relatively short exit period, typically 12-18 months. However, the number of motion pictures seeking funding in any given year is greater than the typical number of startups in other industries. Therefore, it’s to be expected that motion picture crowdfunding be fraught with overcrowding and unsuccessful campaigns.

FilmFunder brings to life the vision of a carefully curated crowdsourcing platform that would focus only on the most developed film projects. FilmFunder’s goal is to create a symbiotic relationship between investors and producers, allowing a higher project success rate and recurring participation by investors.

“Producers have been unsure of many crowdfunding platforms due to the ‘closed door’ nature of the film development industry,” said Jude Tucker, feature film producer and creator of FilmFunder. “We worked hard to create a platform that preserves the traditional fundraising methods, but streamlines the process for the future of motion picture finance.”

Each project is seen only by investors or investment firms, not by all members of the platform. This gives all producers a safe place to conduct business and get their projects into production, creating much needed jobs in the film industry. Additionally, producers often incur the costs of generating sales estimates or legal documentation during the fundraising process. FilmFunder can assist by providing forms and tools that producers can use as a starting point in creating these documents, allowing more time for creativity.

In another new crowdfunding advance, FilmFunder also mandates that each project supply certain documentation to enable investors to make educated decisions about their investments. Each project will include a significant amount of due diligence material so that potential investors can make their investment decision without a long due diligence process. The platform also includes a rights tracking tool to assist in accurate reporting and distribution of revenue to each investor involved with a FilmFunder project. Finally, all projects submitted through FilmFunder will be issued a completion bond and insurance to provide additional investor protection.

Investing in a film should be simple. FilmFunder automates the process to allowing for quick and painless investment transactions. To maintain a high level of quality, all project applications will be carefully reviewed and vetted by a team of two pre-qualified, bond-approved line producers, or “FilmFunder Ambassadors.”

Starting on April 16th, FilmFunder is accepting the first project applications from motion picture producers. In early May, accredited investors will be permitted to browse and review projects for investment. Once the SEC fully activates crowdfunding, FilmFunder projects will be open for investment to all individuals.

Related articles

• Five Tips on How to Get Great Publicity for Crowdfunding PR Campaigns in Media Outlets Everywhere
• AlumniFunder Launches Crowdfunding Platform Where Alumni Can Back Student Entrepreneurs
• Equity crowdfunding: When your players become actual investors
• WeFunder (YC W13) launches to bring crowdfunding startups to the masses
• Ignite Intent launches Crowdfunding platform for startups and college projects
• Motion Pictures & Television Grad Temi Ojo Makes Waves on the Film Festival Circuit
• The Crowdfunding Press Center Examines Australian Equity Crowdfunding Platform ASSOB
• Crowdfunding Gathers Business Mentors, Financial Advisors and Investors in India
• Crowdfunding Expected to Drive Alternative Financing Market to More than $150 Billion by End of Year 2015
• SoMoLend Crowdfunding Community Outreach Program Enlightens Small Businesses and Investors Nationwide on Crowdfunding Best Practices

Want to generate news for your Crowdfunding PR campaign?  Select one of the following categories and post your press release:  Business , Cities, Communities, Crowdfunding Platforms, Education, Film, Music, Entertainment, Games, Videos, Social Good, Solar, Renewable Energy, Software, Hardware, and Technology Gadgets.   Don’t see your category listed? Tell us to add it and we will.

Both Crowdfunding platform owners and Crowdfunding campaign managers and PR staff can post their news and press releases into these free discussion forums to promote maximum social media exposure.