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Feb 04, 2013

How To Treat Your Patrons

Andy Baio pointed to this article about how to raise $10k to make a film, written by an indie filmmaker in 2007. (2 years before Kickstarter.)

The advice for how to treat investors is actually how I’d suggest you should treat all your patrons, or fans, or whatever you want to call them:

Don’t abandon them while you dive into production. Keep them informed of your progress and give them an opportunity to share in the few moments of glamour and excitement that are part and parcel of the process. They should be invited to the set to watch production, and if extras are needed, they should be asked if they’d like to take part. If you’re sending out updates in the form of a newsletter to the cast and crew during postproduction, the investors should be added to the snail-mail and e-mail lists. All the investors should certainly be invited to preview screenings, and they should be given a place of honor at the premiere. In short, you should involve them in the process so that they can get something out of it other than a profit (if even that).

Filed under: show your work