Michael Lucas in Russia
Photo: Lucas Ent
Three LGBT Projects That Need Your Money
By: Chris Jenkins/Special for TRT—
Making a pledge to a Kickstarter film or series is like making a pledge to public television. You’re not an investor and you won’t get a piece of the profits. You’re simply helping the recipient to present the kind of material you’d like to see.
“Making a show is hard work!” says Madison Singer of The 3 Bits, a gay web series that is currently seeking funding. “Especially one like ours that is single-handedly combating the mainstream destruction of everything weird and wonderful.” [pullquote]Kickstarter collects no money from donors until the pledge reaches its target amount. If it doesn’t reach that amount by the fundraising drive’s scheduled end date, donors keep their money and the drive is canceled.[/pullquote]
Singer’s goal is $50,000, which she says will pay for the next nine episodes of the series. “To achieve the high quality look of the show, we hire talented actors and rent professional equipment. It will take three weeks to shoot the next nine episodes,” she says.
Just as public television hands out DVDs or a tote bag to donors based on the size of their contribution, Kickstarter offers its own incentives. Items range from tee shirts to toenails.
Where Kickstarter and public television drives differ – and this is where it gets interesting – Kickstarter collects no money from donors until the pledge reaches its target amount. If it doesn’t reach that amount by the fundraising drive’s scheduled end date, donors keep their money and the drive is canceled.
Here are three LGBT projects seeking funding and worth consideration:
The Three Bits
Photo: The3Bits.com
Goal: $50,000
Rewards Offered: Pillow cases, Actor’s underwear and toenails
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1352833174/the-3-bits
Max Freeman and Margaret Singer’s queer web series, The 3 Bits, follows the antics of a trio of Brooklyn siblings—art-school twink Henry (Cole Escola), drug dealer–turned-gardener Roman (Singer) and Park Slope mommy blogger Madison (Erin Markey). It’s developed a rabid cult following, thanks to its mix of noirish drama, cheeky comedy and general shamelessness.
The Campaign of Evil: Russia and Gay Propaganda
Goal: $70,000
Rewards Offered: Producer credit, Dinner with Michael Lucas
www.kickstarter.com/projects/lucasdocumentaries/the-campaign-of-evil-russia-and-gay-propaganda
As most of the world moves forward toward gay equality, Russia is seemingly heading backward. Violent attacks against Russian gays, and people suspected of being so, are more and more common. Videos of young gay people being taunted and tortured have been widely distributed on the internet. Legendary porn mogul Michael Lucas documents gay life in modern Russia today, giving the world a first-hand look of what it is like to be a member of the gay community in his former homeland.
Evil Rising
Goal: $3,000
Rewards Offered: Set visit, premiere tickets
www.kickstarter.com/projects/378524910/evil-rising-a-post-gay-dark-fantasy?ref=search
At the heart of the film is a story about love and loss, a lesson on giving in to evil and the consequences that come along with it. It centers around a young man who is bounced from group home to group home until he is old enough to take care of himself. The instability he experiences heads him to grow cynical of the world until he meets Daniel, a man who represents safety, love, justice, and all good things about the world. But then Daniel dies and Samuel is presented with a unique opportunity to bring him back to life.
