Samantha Masunaga is a business reporter for the Los Angeles Times, with a focus on Hollywood studios.
Indie filmmakers have had a tough last few years. They’ve faced a softer market at festivals like Sundance, where all-night bidding wars or at least the hope of a distribution deal after a premiere have become few and far between.
That, in turn, has made it tough to get financing to make more films, as private equity has shied away. As the industry shifts, that has left a gap for alternative sources of funding, including crowdfunding. I spoke with Taylor K. Shaw-Omachonu, film lead at Kickstarter, to learn more about why some filmmakers are turning to crowdfunding and the company’s expansion into distribution. Though crowdfunding campaigns are typically ways for filmmakers to raise money for their projects, it can also allow them to build an audience and prove there’s a market for their work — a key aspect, particularly for indie films. “It’s an opportunity to say, ‘I know who my audience is, and I have a direct relationship with them,’” Shaw-Omachonu said. “And that is the future.” Kickstarter itself has also branched out beyond funding. The company now has a partnership with streaming service Tubi, where users can watch dozens of films that got funding through Kickstarter. There’s no guarantee that all Kickstarter-backed films will get a distribution deal with Tubi, but it’s a potential option, Shaw-Omachonu said. Crowdfunding isn’t the silver bullet to the financing woes of the film business. But it can make sense for some films, like 2024’s “The Apprentice,” which struggled to find a distributor after legal threats from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Producers turned to Kickstarter to raise money for the film’s marketing and release. “What I always say to filmmakers is work the traditional system, if you can get millions of dollars that way, amazing,” Shaw-Omachonu said. “Also leveraging, connecting with your audience, running a Kickstarter campaign — it is a tool that you can put in your toolbox of how you get your slate made.”
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