Guest Post: Baking Entrepreneur Crowdfunds Success
I have loved to bake for years, got it from my mom. The idea began to form about doing it as a business. Then one day driving down the street I was looking for this cafe and I heard the words….they need cakes. I said to myself…really….my cakes ummmmm…why not? So I began to sell cakes and cupcakes. I wanted to get my pastries out and more available to the community. When I would go to a coffee shop my desire began to grow with ideas and I could see my creations sitting there on a pedestal for someone to purchase. I would purchase a pastry and try it out and that would give me further inspiration. But also reality began to set in when I began to put all of the legal things in place to establish a food business. Crowdfunding is an awesome concept. I had not had the need for it so when my son mentioned it some time ago in conversation about a film project it went right over my head. I wanted the business but did not know how to launch it without loads of debt. I saw RocketHub on a business blog as I was exploring business ideas and the light bulb came on. Now I have been able to talk about it and expose it to many people who were also unaware of this kind of funding concept. They say…crowd what? Some get it right away. But others that do not quite understand the process have just given me money. I try to get to them to do it on the RocketHub site. I feel it is important for what I get on this project to go through the project site so I just do it for them and put there name on it. A lot of my supporters have responded quite well and your encouragement to do a video helped the words and vision of what I wanted to do become something tangible that they could become a part of. Just do it. It has opened up a whole new thing for me to explore. I now am looking for projects to fund. I did not want to look back and say I wish I could have done something with my passion for baking. I got the awesome opportunity to help a friend who had recently finished film school and wanted projects. She did our video and is looking at doing a crowdfunding project. There is a sense of responsibility that comes with it. Do what you say you are going to do with the funds. People are trusting me to keep my word and are helping me do something that I care about. I like that, and the rewards are fun to do for me. I get to give them something I love. Now that’s cool. - Clarice Green, Baker and Entrepreneur
- January 27, 2012
Montreal-based Ghetto Pony Masters Crowdfunding
Ghetto Pony is nearly done mixing their second full-length album. It’s 16 songs and a handful of interludes. An hour’s worth of tidal synth waves, lightning bass bolts, six-string cyclones, and break-beat landslides. This sound storm has been brewing for a quite some time now. Recording and mixing has proven to be a drawn-out process for Ghetto Pony. Choosing, or defaulting to D.I.Y. methods, it’s been years of trial and error. The truth is Ghetto Pony has always had trouble asking for favours. At first it was foolish horse pride that kept them from getting others involved. But as this beast matures, it’s apparent we need support to make it to the finish line. They had me at “Ghetto Pony” - but that was one of the best RocketHub project introduction paragraphs I’ve read in a long time. So I decided to connect with Peter Jarecki, the leader of Ghetto Pony’s crowdfunding project, to learn more about this Montreal-based trio. I’m in a Montreal band called Ghetto Pony. I’ve been mixing our second album for years now and after having labored over it for so long I want to get it mastered professionally. Even though today’s technology provides a lot in the way of the home studio, it is still highly recommended that the mastering process be done by an experienced engineer. I found out about crowdfunding through a friend of mine who I was talking to about mastering. She made me realize that Ghetto Pony will need a fair amount of money to get it done right. After she showed me a few crowdfunding pages I felt inspired to start one because I saw that my band could potentially pull it off. I’m glad you found us. What has your experience been as a crowdfunding pioneer in the world of new music in Montreal and beyond - how are your supporters responding? The word I would use to describe the overall feeling I have for our crowdfunding experience is fun. It’s really fun and encouraging to see capital congregate around a project you feel passionate about. Some of our contributions came from people I would of never expected and that’s testament of how far gratitude and reciprocity can take you. Crowdfunding is also proving to be a great way to promote our band in general. Once Ghetto Pony’s second album is done, there is already a bunch of people who have pre-ordered it. I love the look and feel of your project - any advice for others looking to crowdfund a similar project? One of the best things about crowdfunding is that you can come up with unique rewards for your contributors. So take some time to really think about what your fan base would like to receive in return for their funds. Post links to pictures of your prizes, or feature them in your video. Also think about what somebody who doesn’t know anything about your project would have to read, see, or hear to feel really good about contributing. And of course follow the indispensable advice that the crowdfunding site sends you upon launching your project. A big thanks to Peter and Ghetto Pony. Check out their music - it’s very good - and grab a copy of the new album. -Vlad
- January 25, 2012
Be Almost Famous Stories Selected!
We’re excited to announce the chosen submission for the Be Almost Famous LaunchPad Opportunity on RocketHub. Gleb Osatinski and his film project, Pisces of an Unconscious Mind, will have the opportunity to work with a top publicist, Arien Rozelle. Arien has landed clients in The New York Times, Thrilllist, and Good Magazine. At the close of 2010, she was named one of “New York’s Top PR Firms and People: The Most Influential and Connected” by Marketing Company Sparkah.com. Gleb’s unique personal story, quirky and innovative short film, and massive vote-getting prowess convinced the judges and the RocketHub team that his story should be amplified. Special thanks to our judges Lonny Knapp of AOL’s Spinner.com, Octavio Blanco of CNNMoney, and Jacob Shwirtz of MTV. We were all astounded by the quality and passion of many of the submissions - so Arien was gracious enough to provide two extra publicity consultation sessions for two finalists: Lloyd Godson and his fascinating underwater research initiative. “The aim of the project is to establish a globally unique underwater research, education and outreach facility in the Vinkeveense Plassen, a freshwater lake area in The Netherlands.” Nicole Ballivian and her internationally relevant feature film. “Sleeping on Stones will be a feature film, to be shot in the West Bank city of Hebron. It will be the first dramatic feature film of Hebron and it is both a Palestinian and an American story.” Congratulations to Gleb for the publicity support he’ll receive from Arien and to the finalists, Lloyd and Nicole, for the promo strategies they’ll gain! -The RocketHub Team
- January 23, 2012
Guest Post: Doing Good in Jamaica
The catalyst for this project actually happened years ago when I was in high school. There was just something about traveling to do mission/work trips that called to me back then and it followed me into adulthood … my faith is really at the heart of everything I do and what I want most for my life is to be of service. I love traveling, meeting people from other cultures, and being of help wherever and whenever I can be. I am inspired by people of all walks in faith and enjoy experiencing anything that has to do with spirituality. I am currently working on a master’s degree in divinity and the chaplain at my seminary sent an email around a couple months ago describing the trip to Jamaica. I knew immediately that I wanted to go … this is the type of thing I have always dreamed of doing and it was finally presenting itself to me. But it’s a tough financial time and after sitting down with my husband, we figured it wasn’t going to happen this year … maybe another time. Then a friend, knowing my disappointment, insisted the chance wasn’t going to pass by and reminded me of a friend’s recent RocketHub campaign. “You should do it, too,” she said, excitedly. And the next day I jumped on RocketHub and started to put things together. In the midst of my excitement, I’m nervous, too, but I love the Eleanor Roosevelt quote, “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer richer experiences.” The whole RocketHub experience has been a lot of fun, both as a Fueler and as a fund-raiser. I was introduced to the concept of RocketHub when a good friend and musician set up a RocketHub campaign to fuel his EP recording. Helping fund the project, watching as he reached his goal, getting updates and videos of the whole recording process all made me feel like I had really made a difference. With starting my own RocketHub project, I have been blown away by the generosity of my Fuelers … friends I haven’t seen in years, and some I haven’t even met, have fueled my trip and have helped spread the word about Outreach Jamaica. Setting the site up was fun and got me revved up to give crowdfunding a whirl — any uncertainty I had was quickly replaced with excitement as support rolled in. I’ve received many fond well-wishes and some folks said that they are living vicariously through me as I get ready to go on this trip and do the work that lies ahead in Jamaica. I am so glad I gave RocketHub a try. First, I must say that I have an amazing and supportive circle of friends and family who are really coming through for me on this project. Secondly, a social networking site like Facebook is extremely helpful. I took RocketHub’s advice and started with an email sent out to about 20 of those who I thought would be the ones most likely to be interested in my trip and who would probably start the ball rolling with donations. Once I had a couple of Fuelers in my corner, my next step was to announce the idea on Facebook along with a link to my RocketHub page. Then it turned into one big virtual party! Facebook also gives me a venue for publicly thanking those who fueled my trip and is a place to keep interest up through little updates about what percentages I had reached. I’d say don’t be afraid to show your excitement about your project, do lots of upbeat and fun updates, keep it light, and be sure to express your gratitude. - Melissa Miller, Writer and Do-Gooder
- January 20, 2012
Comic Book Creativity Flourishes with Zegas
Zegas is a comic book series that I, Michel Fiffe, launched last year in an effort to fully realize the kind of thing I’ve always wanted to create: a full color one-man anthology comic, serializing a main feature while having room to cultivate additional content. Zegas #1 was hand stamped, signed, and numbered with a limited print run. This venture into self-publishing was and continues to be an exciting way to present the comics I want to make. Michel Fiffe is the artist and innovator behind the Zegas series. As MTV described it: “Zegas tells the story of Boston and Emily Zegas, a brother and sister who are quite literally lost in a void-like world. Michel Fiffe’s surreal and delicate art and humane dialogue creates a unique and breathtaking environment to tell a deceptively simple story of an optimistic young woman and her nihilistic but sensitive brother.” Michel recently launched a great RocketHub campaign to fund “Zegas Issue Number Two” so I wanted to learn more. I’m a cartoonist who’s always wanted to make his own comic books, physical and pulpy comics with the room to create all sorts of stories. I always believed that the intimate nature of printed matter really informs the reading experience of comics, which is already a complex juggling act of visual narratives. With my series, Zegas, I want to push the strengths of a story told on paper, and how a unique experience like that can be an essential, beautiful thing. I love the intricate and quirky world you have created. What has your experience been as a crowdfunding pioneer in the world of innovative comics and animation in Brooklyn - how are your supporters responding? It’s been overwhelming in the best possible way. Self-publishing can seem daunting at first, but it is such a necessary step to making sure that people see your work the way you intended them to. RocketHub has been more than instrumental in helping me move forward, as have the many friends who have come forth to support this campaign. Word of mouth has been wonderful as well, as many new readers and those curious about the comic have taken a bold step in supporting this project. What advice do you have for others looking to crowdfund a similar project? Don’t hesitate to try it out, especially if you’re not good at waiting for somebody’s approval or permission. It’s no longer enough to just sit back and create, you have to now push your vision and convince the world that it’s a vision worth taking note of. It’s a lot of work but the payoff can be incredible. Thank you Michel for your creativity and cool project. Support Zegas and grab artwork and other beautiful rewards, here. -Vlad
- January 19, 2012
RocketHub Partners with Big Vision Empty Wallet
We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Big Vision Empty Wallet. BVEW is an international networking organization dedicated to bringing together artists and innovators and helping them collaborate, create, and showcase their work. BVEW members are up-and-coming artists and seasoned pros who work in independent film, theatre, visual arts, music, new media, and other fun stuff. Big Vision is led by the creative team of Alex Cirillo and Dani Faith Leonard - whose collective support and passion is evident in BVEW’s rapid growth and awesome community. And any organization that invokes Mr. Miyagi’s wisdom must be cool. To get the ball rolling, RocketHub has joined Canon, Boston College, and other sweet sponsors in supporting BVEW’s National Film Pitch Competition - with the grand prize valued at over $100,000. So be sure to check that out. Stay tuned for more good BVEW things to come - including live events and BVEW-sponsored crowdfunding projects. - The RocketHub Team
- January 17, 2012
Be Part Of Alex Berger’s Second Album
Alex Berger is an award-winning British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His RocketHub campaign has captured trans-Atlantic attention and support from music makers and music lovers. I quickly caught up with Alex to learn a bit about his inspiration and process. While recording my first album in New York a couple years ago (‘Snow Globe’ - partially crowd-funded), I was out enjoying live music and meeting incredible songwriters most nights in the Lower East Side. The scene there is very open and nurturing and I began to reach out and co-write a little. All of a sudden the idea for my next record seemed obvious; I should make an album of songs co-written with my favourite songwriters. Crowdfunding has a well-established foundation in the US now but is still new to the UK - especially to the music scene. However, there is a growing desire for real, unprocessed music. There’s an army of independent artists ready to deliver this who are now armed with entrepreneurial skills & online tools. The stage is set for crowdfunding to take off. Personally, as long as people have been made aware up front that this is not charity, but a simple exchange of funds for rewards, they’ve been incredibly receptive. I hope that this is just the beginning. With a few days left, your campaign has a good deal of steam and is ending quite strongly. Any advice for others looking to crowdfund a similar project? Haha, let’s see how my campaign ends before I start offering advice! I would say that the best thing is to research as much as you can what worked/didn’t work for other artists’ projects and shape your campaign accordingly. Thank you for your music and your passion. Check out Alex and his music, here. -Vlad Photos by Alexander David and Deborah Lopez
- January 16, 2012
Guest Post: Self-Publishing Success from Australia
The inspiration for my project was a culmination of a few curiosities that I encountered as I grew up… and that I just couldn’t let go of. Some of these were: Mind over matter: learning about one part of Aboriginal culture, “the pointing of the bones,” where according to their beliefs they will die if the bones are pointed at them; Unexplained connections: having the experience on a number of occasions when you randomly think of someone and then they suddenly call you or you bump into them on the street; Hearing of stories about twins feeling each other’s pain across the globe; and, Paranormal activity: in France I experienced being haunted, which at the time defied my reality. I was in search of an answer to these experiences and couldn’t find one readily. So I took it on myself to research and find them. Over four years of hard work I discovered a profound answer in the world of quantum physics. Answering those curious questions, and simplifying the world of quantum physics for the lay person is all in “Is Your Fork in Tune? The Search for Resonance.” RocketHub is such a fantastic platform for a person to catalyse their self-publishing dreams. When I first heard about the concept of crowdfunding I thought it was a fantastic resource to help me leap forward in my creative pursuit. I researched a lot of crowdsourcing websites, which at this point in time is limited in Australia. RocketHub was the most popular one on the web that actually allowed anyone, including us Aussie’s, to blossom with our projects. My supporters that have been a part of my journey from the beginning following me on my Facebook page, reading my blog, as well as friends and family have been absolutely so generous and are all constantly bugging me for the final copy! RocketHub has provided the platform where they can pre-order a copy whilst supporting my journey to be the best I possibly can be and for that I am truly grateful! The first thing I did was read all the information provided by RocketHub - you give a lot of information on your website to get started and that helped a lot! The biggest thing that I noticed was that you shouldn’t expect a magical influx of support straight away. Even though you may have a lot of interested followers you still need to make them aware of RocketHub and direct them to the site. Giving them A LOT of value for their contribution helps as well. I am giving away a free copy of the first chapter of my book to anyone who pre-orders a copy through RocketHub. So not only are they getting a book that they were going to buy anyway, they can start reading the first chapter before it’s published. They are also supporting the cause to raise global awareness of people’s ability to realise their true potential from reading the book. My advice for anyone looking to fund their book via RocketHub is to do as much as you can and spread the word to everyone! Here is some of the things I have done: • Linked the offers on my Facebook page as well as my author page; • Post links on my blog; • Created a web page for my book which has a link to RocketHub; • Emailed friends and family; • Created a video and put it on YouTube; • Ask other successful RocketHub entrepreneurs to see what they did to help; • Write articles and give them to popular relevant blogs; and, • As a recommendation from Vlad, hold parties or a social event to help raise awareness. Good Luck on your RocketHub venture – enjoy the journey as it is a fun learning ride! - Hayley Weatherburn, Author
- January 13, 2012
Building the Hoover Dam Collective
The Hoover Dam Collective produces performances which feature music, dance, film, theater, and visual art. The RocketHub team loves seeing the intricate and media-rich Hoover Dam offerings - and we’ve raved about their talent in the past. So it’s super cool to host the Hoover Dam Collective crowdfunding project. The Hoover Dam Collective is a group of young artists based in Brooklyn, NY who are particularly interested in making work that crosses the boundaries of traditional art disciplines. The Collective was founded in 2009 by a group of dynamic individuals from the world renowned art conservatories at the State University of New York at Purchase College. The HDC produces performances in and around New York City which feature collaboration between music, dance, film, theater, and visual art. We intend for our shows to create an accessible and intimate atmosphere in order to expose our art to new audiences and break down the barriers between spectator and performer. We hope to cultivate local talent and give artists the chance to learn through collaboration, while also providing exposure opportunities. What has your experience been as a crowdfunding pioneer in the world of indie art in NYC - how are your supporters responding? The Hoover Dam Collective has existed for about a year and a half, and we have yet to conduct a formal fundraiser. The fact that we have survived this long without a source of funding is testament to what a supportive and generous community we have created. A year and a half into it’s existence, the HDC has developed into something bigger than any of us could have ever imagined. Especially in the last 6 months, we have really begun to see the potential of the Collective, and we feel that, in order to see our greater visions for the HDC realized, we need to raise some funds. It is our hope that the Collective can become a safe place for artists to share their work, be part of a community, and gain exposure to work in other disciplines. One of the greatest things about the Hoover Dam Collective is our ability to make art flourish in untraditional environments. For example, our third show ever (and to this day, one of our favorites!) took place in an abandoned room behind a bodega in Bushwick. We feel that the HDC is characterized by a sort of scrappy, “make-it-work” mentality, and that this has contributed vastly to our success thus far. We want to take high-quality art down off of a platform and make it more comfortable and accessible. However, we have realized that, in order to make our shows available to a broader audience, we need to investigate the possibilities of new venues. We hope that this fundraiser will give us the ability to afford to produce shows in bigger, more centrally-located spaces, so as to be able to share what we do with more people. It is also incredibly important to us to be able to pay the talented people who perform with and lend their services to us. We hope that this fundraiser will help us compensate those who have tirelessly and consistently shared their work with us without any expectation of payment. We also hope to be able to hire artists who are further along in their careers to perform alongside those who are just starting out in order to broaden perspectives and continue conversation. Additionally, we just want to get the word out about the Hoover Dam Collective. We all believe so strongly in what we are doing, and want to involve as many people as possible. We feel that the motivation behind this campaign is a strong sense of generosity- we believe in art as an incredibly powerful tool for creating community, and we want to share this community. How can someone replicate your organization and success? What have you learned? As a group of people who have little to no experience fundraising, this campaign has been an interesting journey thus far. We have really cultivated our ability to reach out and to communicate why this project is so important. It was interesting to sit down as a group and talk about the value of the Collective, a conversation that later turned into much of the interview footage used in our video. I think that anyone who has been to one of our shows has a pretty solid idea of WHY the HDC is so valuable and unique, and all of the members have an innate sense of the importance of what we are doing. However, many of the people to whom we are reaching out have never been to a show, and perhaps don’t even really understand what it is that we do. The trick was to figure out the best way to communicate this to potential donors. Conducting a fundraising campaign really forced us to examine ourselves and clarify what our goals are, and how we can market that to the public in a way that makes sense. It also made us take a deep look at the expanse of our community, and how far our network can possibly reach. The vast majority of the people who come out to our shows are under the age of 30. However, most of these young folks aren’t financially stable and settled enough to donate a significant amount of money. The campaign is helping us to reach out to a different generation of audience members and fans, which is really valuable: it has been one of our primary goals in the last six months to expand and include audiences of other generations. Personally, I was surprised by how many people I barely knew immediately jumped at the chance to participate in the fundraiser, while it took people who were closer to me (like my parents!) a longer time to warm up to the idea. I think the disparity lives in the personal experience potential donors may or may not have had with the Collective. Almost all of our initial donations were from people who had attended HDC shows and had discovered something relevant or meaningful. Something else that was difficult (and still is!) was to communicate to donors that we don’t just want them to give us money, we want them to be a part of what we have created. A crowdfunding campaign is so ideally suited to what the Hoover Dam Collective is trying to accomplish, because the point is to include as many people as possible, which is really what we aim to do with the shows we produce. Our advice would be to think of the campaign not just as a fundraiser, but also as a means of sharing your project with the public, and increasing awareness. In the end, perhaps meeting your goal isn’t necessarily the most valuable thing. For us, the Rockethub campaign has served, most importantly, as an opportunity to self reflect and rediscover why we do what we do. Thank you for being a part of the RocketHub community and for the sweet project. Join The Collective here and support their Fractured Atlas sponsored project. -Vlad
- January 11, 2012
Finding the Best Vineyards, Finding the Best Wines
Working through the organization called The American Grand Cru Society, we are about to embark on a campaign to classify the best in class vineyards across the USA. This endeavor has been a large part of my life over the past 5 years, spending plenty of time and resources to do the required early stage research and development. Now we have reached the moment in time to encourage some fresh oxygen, new players, and cultivate a community of wine lovers to help in taking this effort to the next level. Those are the words of Gregoire M. Poirier, the Founder of The American Grand Cru Society and the leader behind an innovative, wine-oriented, crowdfunding project on RocketHub. I spoke to Greg about his inspiration and long-time love for wine. The inspiration was to execute a personal passion that has purpose, for wine consumers and the many smaller wine artisans. Think about it, we are going to be creating great recognition for Americas best vineyards and working with those who work with the vineyard and the wines made from them, pretty cool right? Consumers will have open access to learn and follow that trail if they so choose! The experience has been helpful in refining my message and the response pretty positive so far but we have a ways to go still. Lots of support from individual consumers, a couple of vineyard owners, a retailer, an importer….really a divers slice of the wine consumers and wine industry ecosystem so far. Greg’s passion and dedication is clear. His project has garnered much support. Check it out, here. -Vlad
- January 9, 2012
