Author: dumsumla

new kickstarter reward: digital download for donors $5 or more

Posted on by dumsumla

I’ve been thinking a lot about some of you. You know who you are: potential supporters who haven’t pledged to NY_Hearts: LES on Kickstarter yet. I finally realized many of might pitch in if you had something worth pitching in for. Tons of you aren’t in NYC, and there aren’t any incentives for you to donate. Mostly, the current rewards are for those of you living within the tri-state area. And I don’t want only New Yorkers to hear this story. I want it to spread far and wide.  So I have a deal for you:

Anyone who donates $5.00 or more. Gets a free audio download of the story. That includes everyone who’s already donated. The audio will be released in July, along with the launch of the NYC experience. And it’s exclusive only to Kickstarter donors.

As of today, NY_Hearts: LES isn’t just for New Yorkers. We’re going global, folks. So, if you want to be in on the exclusive story, pledge $5 or more and you’re in. And to sweeten the pot, I’ll include a portfolio of images from the experience you can only get if you take the actual tour. Think of it as liner notes for an audio story.

I’m very excited about this project. It is a transmedia story I’m releasing over many months, and the LES love story is only the first part. Those who have read the script are calling it sexy, dark, funny and multi-layered. Only $5, and you can be the first to delve into NY_Hearts.

DONATE ON KICKSTARTER HERE

 

always look on the bright side of life

Posted on by dumsumla

There’s a lot going on right now. Between NY_Hearts: LES, applications for residencies, and, of course, keeping up with my wife and friends, life’s racing pretty fast. This one cheered me up and brought me back to the now.

Hope you have a grand day!

fat shaming and stealing: tosh.0 style

Posted on by dumsumla

I want to let you know about Daniel Tosh’s theft of Substantia Jones‘ photograph that features my friend Janie Martinez. Below, is the original, fantastic photo, used with permission from Ms. Jones. If you need to see the vitriol currently being spewed out onto it at the Tosh.0 website, go here. (The page has been removed.)

Over and over, fat people are the butt of jokes, and it must stop. To add insult to injury, Comedy Central and Tosh.0 are using Substantia’s photo illegally. Substantia is a professional photographer who features professional models and every day folk celebrating their beauty and life.

To have Mr. Tosh or anyone steal these photographs for the explicit use of mean, snarky jibes continues a cycle of bullying culture. We wonder why people, especially women, have body image issues, yet the fat shaming entertainment industry encourages this belittling of people. It perpetuates a myth that one cannot be beautiful at any size, and it encourages trolls and bullies to believe what they write is actually funny. It’s not. It’s angry, spiteful and hurtful.

You can do something about this illegal, immoral activity. Please contact comedy central to protest Daniel Tosh’s theft of intellectual property:

Phone: (212) 767-8600
Fax: (212) 767-8592
Email: mail@comedycentral.com

It may not seem like a big deal in this day and age where we right click on photos and share them like toys in a sandbox, but Comedy Central and Daniel Tosh make money off stolen images like this. Reach out, stand up for artists, and help renounce sizeism.

___________

UPDATE

Lindy West at Jezebel reports the post has been removed from the Tosh.0 blog. Thanks to all who wrote or called in. Kick ass.

Jezebel article by Lindy West

where’s the dough go? to a heckofa show called ny_hearts: les.

Posted on by dumsumla

Inspired by Amanda Palmer’s blog today about where the hell all the money she’s raising on her Kickstarter will go ($801,825 as of this writing), I thought I’d break down my own NY_Hearts: LES budget and share where my campaign for $5000 will go.

THE BUDGET

$2100 covers production expenses. I’m paying actors, a sound engineer, and an associate producer. It’s a shoestring budget, and because the theater space is the Lower East Side I don’t have the overhead of theater rental, which would typically add another $15,000 to the budget.

$2878 is goes to hiring a press agent and printing. You may ask, “Why isn’t this line a round number?” It’s because I must cover the payout to businesses of goods and services for each journalist or reviewer who takes the journey. The press ticket is free, but I still have to pay for food and classes for any person – including press.

Finally, Kickstarter takes 5% of the total raised. In reality, I must raise about $5500 to cover all my expenses. Obviously, Kickstarter is a make it or lose it situation, so if I don’t reach my $5000 goal, I don’t get anything, which means I’ll be footing the bill for most of it and I will end up doing my own press hustling. It would be great to not have to personally take on the financial burden or hustle of garnering press so I can spend time creating the best experience possible.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

Some have asked what you get for the experience, and I think it’s a great deal. Participants get a yoga class, a drink from a bar, a special from a coffee shop, an item from a retail store, and a meal at a restaurant. They also get what I think is a sexy and provocative story that kicks off an 18 month transmedia narrative. It costs less than dinner and a show, and you get so much more with NY_Hearts: LES.

THE BIG PICTURE

In comparison to what Amanda’s raised my goal is meager, but it all goes somewhere and I don’t see much back. The monies from ticket sales in July go straight back into the project, which is an 18 month endeavor, including the NY_Hearts neighborhood experiences, a web series and another live experience for the winter of 2013-14. In addition to those three tent pole productions (which really feel more like seven productions once all five of the neighborhood experiences are complete) I’m including morsels of story through visual art, music, and social media platforms to color and shade the narrative.

Right now, I’m at $800 of my $5000 goal. I have 22 days left. Please, consider pledging. You can get 30% off tickets if you’re an early bird donor at $40, and if you pledge only $25, I’ll integrate a sentence about someone you love or loved into the NY_Hearts: LES experience.

Thanks tons, and hope you can pledge your support today:

NY_Hearts: LES KICKSTARTER

NY-HEARTS.COM

ny_hearts: les kickstarter

Posted on by dumsumla

Creating a new piece of work is challenging. You work endless hours writing, planning, and raising money. The first two tasks are daunting enough, but then you ask people for support — whether you request they pay money to see the project or solicit donations for financing — you ask friends, colleagues and strangers to believe in your work and invest time and money into it.

It’s been a while since I’ve invited people to support my work, but now I’m reaching out again. I’m proud of the creation, and I’m just about ready to share it.

Now, I’m in the final phase. I’ve launched the Kickstarter campaign for my transmedia theatrical project, NY_Hearts: LES, which opens in The Brick Theater’s Game Play Festival in July 2012. I’m partnering with local small businesses to offer an immersive experience in which the audience gets to see, feel, taste and smell the same things the characters did in the story.

Contribute $25 and submit a sentence about someone you love or loved, and I’ll integrate it into the story. You can also get 30% off the regular price if you pledge $40 for limited early donation discount tickets. Once this deal is gone, you can still reserve regular priced tickets through Kickstarter.

Thanks to all who have supported me throughout the years. This is a big new chapter in my career, and I hope you’ll not only contribute now but also come to check out NY_Hearts: LES this summer. After all, the most important part of creating work is sharing it with others.

DONATE ON KICKSTARTER