Beyond Kickstarter: Using WeFunder to Build Investor-Driven Indie Films

Mark Elias is a Los Angeles-based writer, actor, and independent filmmaker focused on grounded, commercial indie films with bold concepts and strong character work. He is the producer of We Could Be Heroes, a comedy-crime heist rooted in gaming culture. Mark is currently raising the film through WeFunder, allowing the public to invest and follow the project’s real-time journey from campaign to production. His work blends entrepreneurial execution with story-driven filmmaking, with a mission to build audience-first entertainment that can break out commercially.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 1:14

What happens when filmmakers stop asking for donations and start inviting audiences to become investors? Today's episode gives you a front row look.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

From the Hard Productions helps independent filmmakers understand not just how to make great films, but how to fund them intelligently and sustainably in today's rapidly evolving landscape. One of the biggest shifts we're seeing right now is filmmakers stepping into the role of entrepreneur, learning how to invite audiences not just to watch their films, but to participate in bringing them to life. Today's guest is a great example of that shift. I'm delighted to welcome Mark Elias, a Los Angeles-based writer, actor, and independent filmmaker whose work focuses on grounded commercial indie films and with bold concepts and strong character work. Mark is the producer of We Could Be Heroes, a comedy crime heist rooted in gaming culture. And he's currently raising funds for the film through We Funder, an equity crowdfunding platform that allows the public to invest in independent projects and follow their journey from campaign to production. What we find exciting about Mark's approach is that he's not just raising money, he's building an audience-first ecosystem around his film, blending storytelling, business strategy, and transparency in a way more filmmakers need to understand. And Carol, you've been recommending WeFunder to filmmakers lately, haven't you?

SPEAKER_02 3:20

Yes, I have, Claire, because I really think it's an important platform for filmmakers to understand, and especially those interested in equity crowdfunding. Thank you, Mark, for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Thank you both for having me on the show today.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Good. Well, uh, we want to start with what made you choose WeFunder and equity crowdfunding instead of Kickstarter or traditional investors.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

Well, I had the first two films I made, I used Kickstarter and Indiegogo, and they are strictly donation-based. And we raised a decent amount, well, a decent amount, depending, I guess, on what you think a decent amount is. They were both both budgets were about$50,000. Um, and so for this one, I think with Wii Funder, I liked the idea that people weren't just donating, they were actually investing. Um, I think you you know, like with Kickstarter, once the campaign ends, the relationship kind of ends too. But with Wii Funder, investors stay connected to the film's journey, and there's a bigger incentive to be involved. And you get, I think, people that are looking at it from a different scope. Um, I think also traditional investors be are just harder and harder to access if you're not already sort of in that system. So the thing about Wii Funder that I really liked was it lets you open the door to people who believe in the story and they want to be a part of it financially and creatively. So, you know, I think once you are able to tap into an audience, it's a great way to get them there. And the platform itself is sort of um, I think for a lack of a better term, like it legitimizes you if you just reaching out to people online. A lot of times they might be like, This is fake, you know. But with you know, WeFunder, you have a platform, they can go, they can check it out, and you outline all the perks and stuff similar to the Kickstarters, but again, it's equity-based, so it's a different kind of participation on their end.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

Well, tell us how you positioned your film. Could we be heroes? So people didn't just don't just want to watch the film, but they want to invest in it.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

Yeah, so I think what's really helped and worked so far, I think for me, is I try to treat it less like a movie pitch and more like a startup. Um, We Could Be Heroes is kind of this, it's a commercial uh sort of a crime, a comedy crime story about this gamer girl whose console is mysteriously stolen. So it has these like commercial hooks to it. It has like a huge worldwide audience in the gaming community. It's fast, it's witty, it's irreverent. Um for an indie film, it's like really, I think, just very unique and has a youthful voice to it. And that really helps for me to get an idea of who would be not just the audience, but who would be a backer for it. So I have an idea of what my audience looks like, and treating it like a startup, I'm basically not even just saying here's the story, but you're able to focus on who the audience is, you why it's commercially viable, and you know, we have the gamer angle, and it's exciting and fast and irreverent, and then what the budget strategy is is another kind of angle that you have to take, I think, from a business standpoint, and then how investors participate in the upside. So I think at the end of the day, you treat it like a startup. People want to invest when they feel like there's a real plan, not just a script and a filmmaker's dream, because I don't want to say it's naive, but I think to the outside world and people that are looking at it, they might see that as naive. But when you approach it with a business plan and a startup mentality, that's a language that a lot of investors speak and understand. And I think that they connect with that, and you're starting from a strong ground zero whenever you get on a call with them.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

Well, so in other words, uh, what did you need to have in place before launching? Like, did you have a deck or a lookbook or a pitch video? Had did you put your team together? Did you have your lawyer attached? Things like that. Share that information, please.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Well, at the very minimum, I mean, the first thing that you need with WeFunder is you need 50 grand uh and a uh what's called a lead investor. So you get somebody, and they don't have to be the person putting in the 50 grand, but generally it's the easiest if you get one person to put in 50 and they'll say, I'm the lead investor, and they it's a cool title, nothing really is attached to that except that they would disperse information. So if you have, let's say you have 5,000 people to back the project, your lead investor is the one that sort of disperses information to those 5,000 people, um, you know, unless unless you're not keeping them updated. So generally you need that$50,000 to get started. But beyond that, there's a couple things that I think are really helpful, and there's different reasons for each one. I think you you need a strong pitch deck, you just have to have that because that's the basis and the backbone for everything. And if you ask me, that pitch deck has to align with the branding of the film. It has to align with the branding of the film that you have on the WeFunder page. You're probably gonna want a website, and that website needs to align with the branding that's in the pitch deck. So, like from a 30,000-foot view, you need the branding, which has to be obviously in line with the script and the vibe of the film. But the pitch deck is what people are gonna be able to download online. The pitch deck is what I can send to investors outside of WeFunder. In some cases, they say, like, I don't necessarily want to do WeFunder because of the 7% that they take. And then I have subscription agreements with the LLC. So there's it's it's it's their choice, but the pitch deck is always your selling point. Um, and then you know, that also I learned that you know, you build a business plan because people are like, you need a business plan, nobody reads a business plan. They're 30 pages long, nobody reads it. They want a pitch deck that says, what is the movie, what's it about, what are the terms, what is the timeline, what's the when do I start seeing my money back, and like what's the distribution plan? Uh, and then piggybacking off of that, you need uh you need a clear financial structure. You need to be able to say, This is these are the terms, this is how the waterfall money works, this is how you know, basically also a budget. Like, you need to be able to say, like, this is where all the money's gonna go because they're gonna want to see that you're not just looking for money and don't know what you're doing with it. Um, you need a legal entity, so you need an LLC because the Wii Funder is tied to that. Um, most likely, if you don't have one already, you're going to need a teaser or a pitch video that's specific to Wii Funder because you want to get people excited about it in a way that you guide them through the steps of how to donate versus just like here's a cool teaser of the movie that I want to make that's in my head. Uh and then I think the last thing, and this always depends on the film and the filmmaker themselves, but a basic team around the project really helps. I you can never count on other people to do the fundraising for you because it just seems like that's just not gonna work. It's always about your hustle, especially if you're the person who write it, it writes it and you're producing it. But I have two or three producers that I lean on that I go for advice when I get on a call, you know, because people find you through the WeFunder and then you get pitched all kinds of stuff, and you need to vet what is actually here and who's just trying to piggyback off of somebody else's project and make some money so that team can be helpful in more ways than one. Hopefully, they help with the outreach too. Um, I don't think you need everything locked before you launch, but you really need enough to show it's not just an idea, it's a project that's actually moving forward. It goes back to treating it like a business. You got to put your business hat on and think like this needs to be something I need to sustain through the production and beyond to stay connected with my investors. So for me, I think that you really need a strong pitch deck, a clear financial structure, you need your legal entity, um, you need the pitch video, and definitely don't just do it once, work on it, and then a basic team around the project that you know are gonna help and support in different ways that maybe are your weaknesses.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Okay, so you talked about how important the pitch deck was, plus branding. Can you just hired a branding company? Tell us who that is and why. What do you think they're going to do for you?

SPEAKER_00 12:35

So I one thing that, and this is kind of a long journey. We, my team and I basically uh we've decided that I think you get pitched so many things where there's a company that can do something, and then you know, they're like, but we want upfront fee, like there's an upfront fee to go do this, and then for me, the their biggest sign, warning sign from here on out is like if a company comes to you and says they can do something, but they need money up front, I generally become very skeptical, and that's where you can lean on a lawyer or somebody, like one of my investors is very business and financial minded, and I go to him and he's like, This does not check out. So I would just say, like, as a general flag across anything, when somebody comes, when there's a company that finds out that you have money and are raising money, they will always if they why if they try and get money up front, I think that you either tell them they're not getting paid up front, and then you they usually get mad about that, and then you're like, that's grounds to walk because it's not or or it should be tied to performance. You have to you have to feel it out for yourself. But that's one of the biggest lessons I've learned in this so far. Um, the company that I am working with now is called Branded Streams, and I had a great conversation with them from the start. They're super upfront and transparent, and just getting on a Zoom and talking to somebody and seeing their face and feeling out whether or not this is somebody that you essentially, in business terms, want to get in bed with for the duration of a project. Um, they were very upfront about like what it is they do. They take the script, um, they basically put it through a process where it's like, here are the different scenes in the movie where there is potential for branding, and then it breaks down each one, what's happening in the scene and what the opportunity is. So I so far it's very early on in the process with them. I just signed on with them a week ago Thursday, but they've already started putting the pieces in motion where they will go to the brands, they will go to the companies that they have access to and say, like, here's a movie, this actor so-and-so is involved with it. It's it's got this gaming angle, it's super fast and witty and fun, and it's commercial, it's you know, you know, there's if a gaming company gets tied to an esports company gets tied to it, there's tons of eyeballs involved in that. Like we're I've talked to three or four global esports companies, and if we're able to partner with them and we release in conjunction with them, we're tied to their marketing. They're all the eyeballs that they have, the audience that they have gets access to, you know, maybe like a premier to the trailer of the movie, and and it just opens up a lot of opportunity for us. So the branding, there's it in this case, there's a strong opportunity for branding. I wouldn't say that there's always that. If you're making, you know, I and I love and I'm writing right now with like a slow-paced indie drama that's like a slice of life, and there's probably a lot less sort of uh excitement or like opportunity for like some really bang bang product placement. Whereas the you know, there's that for this. This opportunity has this film has that opportunity in a big way. So I felt I felt like that was a leap that this thing needed to take.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

Um this is marvelous. So this branding company is reading your script and looking for places like in the kitchen when someone opened a cabinet. What's in the cabinet, right? That's branding, something that's simple, or a car drives up and the the DP captures the insignia of the manufacturer of the car. So they're working for you, uh, identifying areas of branding in your script. So then will they go direct to the car company or the product placement people and ask for them to uh support your film?

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Yeah, so like I can tell you right now, like there's one scene in the movie where the our our heroes go to like save the day, and the getaway driver uh is sitting in his car uh and he's and and and and they're calling him like SOS, come ready to get pick us up, but he's sitting there eating a burger and fries and completely misses the fact that they're calling for help um in kind of this just you know comedic nothing can go right kind of way. And I and I told them like that's like prime real estate. You have to think of it from like the brand's perspective, like that's like literally featured on screen in the scene, the guy is doing nothing but eating your hamburger, like McDonald's or whoever Burger King, any of them, Carl Jr., if you want that, that's like prime real estate in the movie. So, from their perspective, there's value in that. So they'll go to those fast food companies. Um, or you know, in the scenes where they're gaming in the cool gaming layer that these characters have, there's opportunity for like whatever brand that wants to be aligned with snacks or energy drinks want us to be aligned with gamers. Those are opportunities there to be seen organically in this film, and they go to those companies and say, Hey, here's here's this project. There's already funding involved, they have this actor involved, and then they'll come back and say, Either, you know, these this company is willing to give you like food for the set, or like they'll they'll back X amount of money for this opportunity in your movie. So there's levels to, and we're very early on in this process, and the company is fairly new, but this is they've been transparent with the communication about how they work so far, so we'll see how it goes.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

But yeah, great. That sounds wonderful. Now tell us how how did you build momentum early in the campaign and what converted best emails, social posting, press, partnerships, or just direct outreach?

SPEAKER_00 18:50

Oh boy. Um I think for me, direct outreach by far is the most important thing. Like email and personal messages converted much better than general social posts. I think you post socially uh share general messages to like raise awareness, but then to close the deals. For me, it's always like direct outreach and follow-up. I think kind of the biggest lesson, I think, for me at the end of the day is like people invest because of relationships, not just content. So like your content can be cool and it's fun, and like maybe you hope to go viral with like some fun videos, but people get excited about it and they like retweet it or something, or they're like, I liked your video, and you're like, that's cool, but that doesn't like that doesn't liking my video like doesn't get convert. So it's really about direct outreach, it's relationships, it's just like going to the person. I I'm not a big phone call person, maybe it's like a generational thing, but like it's been email, personal messages, um, hitting somebody up on social media and following up. So I would say like social media helps with the visibility, but the real conversions closed most of the investments, probably all of the investments were just conversations.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

Because people give money to people, not to films, Mark. That's the point. So your personal connection to the film, your um confidence when they talk to you and your determination uh is is contagious, and that makes them cross the barrier of trust and likability and say, yes, here's your money. But what surprised you the most once the campaign went public?

SPEAKER_00 20:48

Once the campaign went public, I think what surprised me the most was I think it's just how much consistency matters. Like you can't, I think I think filmmakers just think, oh, I'll just launch a campaign and like it'll be live and people will see it. And I think that's an error that I saw even with the first two when I did Kickstarter and Indiegogo, is you can't just launch and put it out there and then hope like a crowd shows up. Um, I think the consistency means consistent messaging. I think it's a daily process where you do updates, outreach, follow-ups, you try new angles, you do new content. It's I I think honestly, it's more like running a small startup than running a film campaign because you're doing the same thing a small startup would do, and you have to frame it in your mind that way. Like there's a lot of little lies. I think you tell yourself a thousand little lies throughout the process. And for this, for me, it was definitely like look, this is it can be fun. You need to like come up with new angles, and maybe it's like a little snippet of like interview with a cast member, or I started doing what I think is effective is like little testimonials from investors, doesn't matter how big of an investor they are, or like how early they backed it, it's like, hey, why did you oh, like, here's a quote from this person that backed it, and those kind of things I think you get more mileage out of. So the biggest things that surprised me were probably the consistency and you're forced to kind of come up with new and creative ways, and that surprised me too because I think when I started out, I thought it was like you just do A, B, and C and then you repeat it. And no, A, B, and C is your launching pad. You expand to D, E, and F, and you keep maybe A and C, and B doesn't really help, and maybe you let that go, and that's fine, but you kind of like it has to evolve. I think it has to evolve as it goes, unless you have one huge person that just tweets about it once, and then you get a million people to put in money. Like, that's I just don't have that, right? Like, I don't and I don't have a rich uncle or anything. So for me, it's really like really grassroots. Like you get out there and you spread the message and find different ways, and you just keep you know, every dollar in is a one less dollar. That needs to get in.

SPEAKER_02 23:13

Um that's fabulous. I think having uh testimonies from investors is brilliant because who doesn't want to be an investor in a film? A lot of us do, but we're afraid. Will this film make money? Am I going to lose? Who are you? And do I trust you? All of that. Um, I think that's a brilliant move. So congratulations. That's unique. But let me ask you, if you were starting this raise again today, what would you do differently?

SPEAKER_00 23:49

Oh, God, how much time do you have? This podcast just turned into an eight-hour session. Uh no, um, yeah, I I hope you guys packed a lunch for this. Uh I think it's okay. So it really, if it was to start again, I think for me that I would start audience building earlier, you're like earlier. I mean like like months earlier. There's always there's always a tendency to procrastinate when you have something in front of you that you're fearful and it's the unknown. So you have to give yourself a timeline, in my opinion. So I say build an audience earlier, months earlier, but give it a deadline. I'm building an audience for three to four months before I take this out there. And by that I mean like build a stronger email list in advance, lock in more as many partnerships as you can before launch, schedule more content and updates ahead of time. If you're gonna be building out, it's a double-edged sword. If you're gonna be building out Twitter, Instagram, or whatever, you need to be consistent so it's not somebody goes to it and there's five posts and two people liked it. You need to build out that audience with like organic content from the start. I I would almost rather choose one angle and just put all the energy into that. So when you are tweeting something, it then comes from an organic place, and then also, oh, here's this other thing that's part of my online presence or my brand, and then people are gravitate towards that. But it when it's all said and done, momentum at the launch is literally everything. If you build an audience earlier of those three months or however long you're gonna give yourself, that is a huge launch pad that springboards you into the beginning of what is hopefully a successful campaign.

SPEAKER_02 25:38

Well done. Well, that's what they're calling now a creator content. You're building, you build your audience, then you create for your audience. So would that mean that you might want to continue uh with some similar films for this audience? Is that right?

SPEAKER_00 26:01

Yeah, and I think uh well for me, I started as an actor, so for me, it's always like the brand that's me, and then I very I think just very early defined, like I'm going to make movies that I think have some intrinsic value, and they speak to somebody out there, like regardless of what it is. I think my characters always tend to be outsiders, the people that are on the outside looking in and finding acceptance through a story. If that's the first one was an LGBTQ drama, the second one was a science fiction love story, this is a crime comedy, but there's always something in there that's like a personal message. So for me, it's always gonna be along that those lines. And so that's like the long-term thing that I think I'm building out, is just you're always gonna get, no matter what the film is, this audience hopefully is gonna be a repeat audience, and what they're gonna get from me is going to be a quality as far as production, high production quality, well-told story made for a fraction of what a studio budget would be. And they're gonna be like, I was a part of that, they're gonna be excited to see the next thing because if they like it or hate the genre, it's gonna be a well-received film and it's gonna be a well-executed film and a good story.

SPEAKER_02 27:26

Right. Okay, so now tell us what does a great weekly investor update look like, and this also leads to why consistency is so important, and so it tell us this great and weekly investor update.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

I think uh it's I think it's consistency again. I will look what I I think consistency builds trust. So you have somebody that came in on week one, and now you're on week like 65. I don't know, well, you're six months in, and they're likely to double down on what they have because they're getting weekly updates. So it almost is less about I mean, this it might sound bad, but it's less about the content and more about being consistent. So it's short, it's positive, it's specific. It's something like a new milestone, a new partner. Uh, a testimonial is always easy because if you get one person in, they're excited and they're willing to give you a quote, uh, a behind-the-scenes look at the process, which can be so loose. Like, here's me and my co-writer meeting at Starbucks to go over notes, uh, you know, and it's like a picture. Or it depends how, you know, obviously professional you want to take it. But I think you just don't think like, oh no, I don't have anything to update. It's all it's short, positive, specific. It's this thing that this new angle that we're taking. We're like, I'm working with the brand partnership company, is like part, you know, that's we signed the deal last Thursday night at like 11 p.m. I signed it and returned to them. So let's let's roll on that. So it's really the consistency this builds trust. So it even if the news is small, regular updates remind people the project is alive, the project is moving forward, they stay excited, they stay invested, they want to see it do well. So it I at first I was like, oh, I have to do a weekly update, and now it's like, dude, it's you know, this is what I've been doing this week. I literally spend hours a day, every day, chomping of the bit. So there's always something to invest to update people. But I just go every Wednesday, it's in my calendar. Every Wednesday, do an update, just let them know what's going on, let them know where we're headed.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Good. I think that's really important. Now, what would you say to filmmakers who feel intimidated or are really resistant to fundraising? Because I deal with a lot of those daily, Mark, and they all say, Oh, I just can't raise money, they they have blocked themselves.

SPEAKER_00 29:56

Yeah, I uh it's gosh. I feel like can't is the wrong word. I think that when you're honest about it, it's won't because nobody everybody can, nobody wants to. The number of people that live in LA that are writers, directors, actors that are dying, all they want to do is sit and talk about how much they want work, but they won't go do the hard work to do it. I think I think, yeah. I also think like filmmakers probably are I I've seen it time and time again, in my opinion, with people I've talked to, where they're just intimidated by it because maybe it's like the numbers seems so large, and like that what if you fail, and it's kind of like like at some point you realize if you don't advocate for your film, no one else will. If you don't advocate for your career, no one else will. So you kind of have to frame it like fundraising isn't about begging, and that's really hard to remember. But if you frame it in your mind, it's like one of those thousand lies you tell yourself. It's about inviting people into something you believe in, and that's not a lie, that's true. I believe in this thing, you're invited to come and participate and be on board. If somebody the the other big thing to remember, I feel like is what I do is up to me. I reach out to you and say, I'm doing this thing. Will you participate? We're trying to hit this number today. What that person's reaction, if they curse you out or they yell at you, or they're rude to you, that's on them. Their response to your ask is on them. That's not your fault, that's them reacting in their own way. It has nothing to do with you. So if you're attacked by somebody, you have to remember. I think that was a big fear at first. It's like, what if you kind of what if somebody like says something to me and it's like that's that's on them, right? There's there's many people out there that are willing to be excited and happy for you and say yes that they're artists say no. You just have to find them. Um, I think that, and then I think the more I talk to people, you know, they would say, like, oh, that's so hard. It's like so much rejection. And they just say it's so hard, I could never do it, like what you had just said. And I kind of realized at some point, and I do think this is really super important. It's like the hardest part is saying yes to myself. Deciding to fundraise for the film is the hardest decision. After you say, I'm going to do this, every other decision is not as hard. Every no will eventually lead to a yes. And again, like I've made the hardest decision. I said yes to this journey. So to me, the hardest part is the hardest decision you have is just saying yes to the project. Because once you say yes, then you're gonna go, I'm gonna make this movie no matter how much I raise. And then you hit a milestone, and maybe you hit your goal, and maybe you don't. And then you go, well, now that this is our budget, I can make it with this, and we shift these things, and you are just saying yes to the journey, and it's always about adjusting, it's never about no, I failed. It's always just you have to advocate for your film and for yourself, and you have to create your career in the way you want to create art.

SPEAKER_02 33:13

Brilliant! And I think that the energy in the word inviting is a heck of a lot better than asking for money. A lot of people because you're having a lot of fun making a film. You want to join me and you'll be part of this film. I think that's it. Uh, moving from the ask to the invite.

SPEAKER_00 33:37

Uh oh big, it's huge.

SPEAKER_02 33:39

Yeah, it's huge, right? So, what's next for Could We Be Heroes? The film, once the raise is complete. What's next?

SPEAKER_00 33:48

So, for us, I think we'll have a short ramp up with pre-production. Um, but we'll be moving in. There's a couple things, is like we are gonna we have to lock the rest of the raise, we'll move into production pretty quickly. We're gonna finalize the rest of our cast. And then I think at that point we're gonna lock in our distribution strategy. We have a sales agent already on board, but there's also distribution companies that are looking at it. So I want that to be locked in. Um, I'm not afraid to go to camera without distribution because I know the end goal is gonna be a bigger value than what the budget is. Like this is gonna end up looking like a lot more than what the budget actually is. Um, and then locking in the corporate partners. So I think production, finalizing cast, locking locking in distribution, locking in the corporate partners. To me, I think those are the very next things. Um really the goal for me is to take the momentum that we've built with these investors and turn it into momentum for the actual release. So the audience is already there when the film comes out. They're along for the ride, they know it's in post. It's again the weekly updates, like they're aware, they're excited for it. When it comes out, you've already got that audience there, plus whatever audience that you built before you even launched. Um, and then obviously it's making the film look amazing, going into post and then aligning with whatever branding companies you have out there to try and do some sort of a release. There, there's so much more opportunity than there used to be that you have to think outside the box. Like for me, I'm like, what if we don't have a distribution company that tends to want to rip off filmmakers? What if you do go too directly to acquisitions with a streamer? What if you have a brand partner that really believes in the project and not only backs it with money, but you say, well, what if we release like ours is a gaming thing. So, like, what if we debut our trailer on Twitch? Or what's like you how do you access your audience and double down on the people that do believe in you? Like, what's the opportunity there? So I think that's like a really long-winded answer, but yeah, once the raise is complete, we're gonna, you know, go into production, lock the cast, lock distribution, lock corporate partners.

SPEAKER_02 36:10

Okay, so tell us uh at this moment, how far are you along with how much time is left in your race and how close are you to your to your number?

SPEAKER_00 36:26

Uh we have our race ends April 30th. So we've got space little less than three months left. Um, we're about$220,000 away from our actual raise. Our stretch goal was already posted on there, so um, the stretch goal is amazing, obviously, but we really are about 220k away from being complete and going into production as best we can with it, um, and then get through post. So, yeah, we've got three less than three months and 220k to go.

SPEAKER_02 37:06

And so then after that, you still have to raise money for post.

SPEAKER_00 37:10

Well, we have post a couple post deals that are not locked, but that are in place that are gonna help um get us through. So that number we will we shouldn't have to raise money for post unless something catastrophic happens. Um, and you know, something always does. But no, I think with the with the number that we're raising right now, that'll get us through production through post, and then um we'll reassess once we hit the festival circuit. Um and see, you know, if there's probably additional fees that might have to come up for uh whatever the distribution deal might be, or you know, there's always there's always something, but that number should keep us whole through through the rest of the way.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

Okay. Well, just uh one last question. Do you see equity crowdfunding as a one-time strategy, or do you see it as part of a long-term slate model?

SPEAKER_00 38:10

Um this is yeah, so okay, I I see it as part of a long-term model, but only if you commit to it, in my opinion. If you build trust with investors on one project, I think that they're more likely to come back for the next one. And they're excited about the journey, they tend to invest in you, the person, as much as the project. And I think over time you're not just raising money, like you're building a community that supports what hopefully is a whole slate of films. I'm very like upfront and transparent about that from the start. Is this isn't one thing. I'm building like a scope of projects. I've got a pipeline of a couple other things I'm working on. And I think that that for higher level investors, I think that that's like important to them that they're not just doing like a one and done thing. You know, if you have smaller people in like a community or an audience that don't care, they just think this is fun and they want to see it, and that's great. But for me, I think also if you look at it like it's more than just a one-time thing, there's a lot of prosperity you can have, especially once you get through the process once and it's less daunting.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

Absolutely. Well, good luck with your film. We could be heroes. We all want to know how things work out, so you have to keep us involved too.

SPEAKER_00 39:37

I'm happy to.

SPEAKER_02 39:39

Okay. So thank you because this has been truly valuable information. Um, what I intend for filmmakers to hear is that funding your film doesn't have to follow a single traditional path. Platforms like WeFunder are opening doors for filmmakers who are willing to think strategically and communicate clearly and build genuine relationships with their audiences. This is the new concept, the creative content. Creating content for your audience. So, to our listeners, if you're exploring new ways to finance your film, whether through crowdfunding, equity grants, or community-based funding, education is your most powerful tool. And it from the Heart Production, our mission is to help filmmakers make informed decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and to build sustainable careers during this unusual time in the film world because you want to be in the film industry. This is what you love. You were born to do this, so you really need to join us weekly on our podcasts and read all of the classes, the free information we have on our website, because they're there to keep you learning and building your audience and moving your films forward one smart step at a time. Because we believe that you are the magic. Hollywood needs you. You're the creators. Thanks for joining us.