By John Hounihan
Startups have been around as long as businesses have. In every industry, innovation and new ideas are cultivated and tested in the form of young, up and coming business.
In the digital age, this process is easier than ever before. Access to resources is at an all-time high, and the creative sector is no different than any other. One incredible and unique example of this world is the emergence of crowdfunding websites. Taking the middle man of capital investors out of the equation, crowdfunding gives startups a chance to get their resources from their most important stakeholders – their consumers. Last week in the MSLCE Digital Television course, students heard from an expert in crowdfunding. Julie Keck comes from film and TV-specific crowdfunding site Seed and Spark. She spoke about how her company gives a leg up to filmmakers and boasts a much higher success rate than the larger names Kickstarter and IndieGogo. Why? She cites a passion for content.
“When you get consumers who are interested in content together with top notch producers, the ball is sure to get rolling,” she said.
Keck guided us through the many stages of crowdfunding and provided several tips and tricks for making success a possibility (and a couple tips for when things don’t go as well as planned). The number one piece of advice from Julie that resonated is to make sure to communicate with your funders and not “disappear” halfway through or after the funding process. In a world where creator-consumer channels are easier than ever, it is important to listen on both sides of the aisle.
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