Kickstarter's Year in Review

Kickstarter's Year in Review,

For more information, visit: The Year in Kickstarter 2013


So Crowd-funding isn't a fad.  It has shown to be an undeniable tool by and for the people...The People.

In the context of cinema it's hard to know what that truly means.  Many of us have grown up assuming the right of the rich and distant to descend upon our lives like ancient gods and have their way over reality, commerce, art, policy and culture.  The people have always had a place but haven't always been able to recognize it so clearly.

I'm impressed with what a simple idea can do and change.  Likewise I believe filmmakers have a great responsibility to promote progressive thought and to ally themselves with such mediums to help redistribute the world's wealth in the most honest way possible: by virtuous effort and innovation.

Often I've heard older generations lament what the current one isn't up to.  The lack of activism, the lack of oversight, the lack of self-regard, too much individualism, not enough romance, not enough consideration, etc.  We're spoiled.  That's what I've heard.  And by looking at the state of the world,  it's not hard to observe.

During WWII, the civil rights movement, the beatnick era, there are all these modern accounts of heightened intelligence and philosophical exchange; events we still reference today as if that was the only history that ever happened.  Now in America's great recession I wonder if people will look back and see what we were doing during the early 2000s with any awe.

But Kickstarter is the stamp of democracy absent of government.  It's a choice reflected by technology and the spiritual and cultural demands of the age absent of racial, religious, and perhaps political significance.  It's a global tool that merits autonomous leadership and encourages outreach, discussion, and passion across all boundaries.

I believe there's more to come.  It gives me hope.  My fellow filmmakers: I know that launching your request can be scary and intense.  Your faith in people and the value of your own inspiration will be tested.  Value the option, the process and the adventure without which existence is pure machine.  There are no other options but to let the world see you.  So open up and let see you.  And when we do, honor that process with everything you can to make that moment matter.  The information and the tools are out there.  We've always just needed you.

Let's get what we came for,
C. M. Sanchez III