Kickstarter Helps Creative Ideas Become Reality

Typically, a small-time inventor looking to get his or her product made and into the market would need a second mortgage and a hefty bank loan.

Likewise, an independent film maker might need years of saving, and countless hours begging his artist friends for financial support, all in order to enable the editing and production of his or her pet film project. But with Kickstarter, an on-line fund-raising platform, breathing life (and money) into good but dormant ideas is suddenly much easier.

Kickstarter focuses on "creative projects" in need of financial support, meaning you won't find a laundry mat soliciting money to open up a second location. Istead you'll find artists, film-makers, musicians, inventors, and anyone else with a good idea and a creative bent.

Kickstarter helps these creative-types sell their good ideas to the interested public, using videos and prose to pursuade online viewers that their project warrants funding. In return for various sized donations, the solicitor rewards participating funders with prizes (goods, services, valuable experiences, etc.), the extensiveness of each prize package corresponding to the level of donation.

One interesting component of Kickstarter is that no money changes hands unless the project becomes fully funded. This keeps the pressure off project starters, who are never faced with the expectation that they follow through on their idea with only half the money they were hoping to earn. The project starters determine how much money they want to raise, and how long they want to take to do it.

One local film-maker set her bar fairly low. Although local Arlingtonian Ishu Krishna needs $100,000 to produce her film Arrange to Settle, she set her Kickstarter goal at roughly $2,500, just enough to buy liability insurance for the filming process. The film, based on a screenplay Krishna wrote for her MFA thesis at American University, is set throughout the Metro region, and promises to employ local small businesses for all facets of the filming and production process. Krishna should now be able to afford insurance, as she has successfully secured over $3,000 using Kickstarter.

Another local project is being organized by the Jane Franklin Dance company. They are asking art enthusiasts to pledge financial support in order to put on a performance art project, combining dance and music, called "Take a Deep Breath." Support will assist the dance company in covering various costs, such as dancer stipends and the purchase and use of multi-media equipment. Among other prizes, funders will be rewarded with tickets to one of the potential showings at the Arlington Arts Center.

Thanks to Kickstater and a raised sum of nearly $5,000, another local project has already come to life. Solar Crepes, a year-old food cart venture, operates near the intersection of 9th Street and N. Stuart in Ballston, serving both savory and sweet crepes to hungry pedestrians. And with the help of their Kickstarter funding, owners and operators of Solar Crepes, Danna Andrews and Camille Dierksheide, were able to adorn the top of the food cart with two large solar panels. The solar panels produce a small but environmentally friendly portion of power.

"I heard about it from my neighbor," says Diersheide, "he's an inventor." She adds that it was a great tool, a fun experience, and easy to use. Making the video, which helps explain the project to potential financiers, was a particularly exciting experience explains Andrews and Dierkshire. A pledge of $500 earned one generous donor a crepe named in his or her honor, but that special crepe has yet to be added to the menu.

So whether your band has an album that needs producing or you just want to power your food cart with a carbon neutral energy source, if you're short on cash but big on ideas, Kickstarter is a fantastic tool. Arlingtonians that want to see their neighbor's creative ideas become a reality can check the Kickstarter website today for currently underfunded but worthy projects.