News Blast for A Helluva Camp!

NEWS RELEASE Contact: Maureen Futtner
For Release: December 1, 2009 (415) 637-3280

MINI-CONFERENCES BOLSTER CREATIVE AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
“A Helluva Camp” provides training for nonprofit rebels and indie filmmakers

San Francisco, CA - As the economy faces a ‘jobless recovery,’ creative entrepreneurs are emerging in all sectors and industries. While gumption counts for a lot, entrepreneurs still require hard skills and information to successfully launch an enterprise. Fundraising expert and author Holly Million helps big thinkers translate their vision into practical plans with A Helluva Camp, day-long mini-conferences presented by Million’s Golden Poppy Productions. The series of workshops is designed to provide filmmakers, nonprofit idealists and other social-change agents with a solid knowledgebase and up-to-the minute information. A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers takes place on Jan. 23, 2010; A Helluva Camp for Nonprofit Rebels is on Jan. 30, 2010; and A Helluva Camp on Film Production from Idea to Internet is offered on April 24, 2010. All workshops are at the Ninth Street Independent Film Center, 145 Ninth Street, San Francisco. Registration ranges from $125 to $250 with discounts for early registration. Registration includes breakfast, lunch and Peet’s coffee and teas. For more information visit www.goldenpoppy.com or call 415-902-0558.

Million developed A Helluva Camp to equip today’s change-agents with the tools necessary to transform the broken-down systems in today’s world. The series also aims to foster the “can-do” spirit emerging amid the economic shake-up. “The rewards go to the person willing to make her own opportunities, not wait for opportunity to pull up in a limo,” says Million. “If you’re a motivated, creative individual, you’ll seize this moment to start your own venture, launch your own creative project and make your own job.”

With topics such as “Caviar PR on a Baked-Bean Budget” and “How to Ask People For Money,” A Helluva Camp provides thorough and compelling content with a fired-up attitude. Million is committed to presenting relevant information in a fun and accessible format. The mini-conferences feature instructors who are not only working professionals, but also entrepreneurs in their own right.

Tom Lin, a veteran of the online advertising world for such corporations as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo, participated in Million’s recent workshop on Web 2.0 tools for film fundraising. “I'm very familiar with Web 2.0 and, as a filmmaker, I've attended classes that speak to these tools, but none of them successfully brought it all together until I participated in Holly's workshop,” notes Lin. “Hers was the best I've ever attended. Thanks, Holly!"

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ABOUT A HELLUVA CAMP (TM)
A Helluva CampTM is sponsored by Golden Poppy Productions, LLC, Ninth Street Media Center, A Million Images, GuruTube.net, Women's Film Institute, New Documentary Editing

— A Helluva Camp (TM) for Indie Filmmakers— January 23, 2010
This camp is designed for new filmmakers and people switching to the film field and presents info on fundraising, marketing, the latest technology, distribution, and much more.

— A Helluva Camp (TM) for Nonprofit Rebels — January 30, 2010
This camp is designed for people who are starting new nonprofits or who want to change the ways of existing nonprofits and presents info on fundraising, PR, the latest technology, board development, and much more.

— A Helluva CampTM on Film Production from Idea to Internet — April 24, 2010
This camp is geared to somewhat more experienced filmmakers who want information on shooting, capturing, editing, and uploading footage to the Internet to take advantage of new, affordable ways to get their media into the world.

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Funder Feature: Cinereach

Hey, filmmakers! How often do you hear about new film-specific funding opportunities? Not often these days.

Well here is a relatively new funding opportunity you need to check out. And it comes in three flavors: Cinereach Grants & Awards, The Reach Film Fellowship, and Cinereach Productions.

Cinereach is now accepting letters of inquiry and sample work for their winter grant cycle. The deadline is December 1, 2009, and they will request full proposals from select projects in January. Each year Cinereach grants over $500,000 to well-crafted feature films that depict underrepresented perspectives, resonate across international boundaries, and spark dialogue. Grants usually range from $5,000 – $50,000 and are awarded to films at any stage.

Cinereach was created in 2006 by young filmmakers, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs to champion vital stories, artfully told. The young nonprofit facilitates the creation of films that challenge, excite, innovate, offer new perspectives and inspire action. Cinereach has awarded well over $2.5 million in grants and achievement awards to more than 40 feature films.

Recent Cinereach funding recipients include October Country, a new documentary by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, which won Best American Documentary at Silverdocs and Entre Nos a fiction film by Paola Mendoza and Gloria La Morte, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

For more information, visit the Cinereach website. And good luck! Let me know how it goes.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Lightning photo by Mark Coldren)

A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers Jan. 23, 2010

Register Now for A Helluva Camp™ for Indie Filmmakers

This camp is for indie filmmakers who want new ideas and new ways to succeed in an increasingly competitive world.

We spend one full day covering topics that aren’t covered in most film schools, and our instructors are working filmmakers or real-life movers and shakers in their fields of expertise.

This is a fantastic opportunity to network with other filmmakers and experts in many fields. You don’t want to miss this one!

And compared to what other camps and conferences are charging these days, A Helluva Camp is a real bargain!

Date:
Saturday, January 23, 2010

Cost:
$125 by December 31, 2009
$145 between January 1, 2010 to January 22, 2010
$165 at the door

Location:
Ninth Street Media Center
145 Ninth Street (at Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94103

Breakfast and Lunch included! Featuring Peet’s Coffees and Teas!
Register Now!
Email confirmation will be sent to you.

For more information about the line-up or to sign up for this unique indie film camp, visit Golden Poppy Productions, LLC.

Sponsored by:
Golden Poppy Productions, LLC
Holly Million, Fundraising Consultant
A Million Images, LLC
Ninth Street Media and Arts Center
The Women's Film Institute
GuruTube.net

Free Fundraising Webinar!

I'm presenting a free film fundraising webinar through the Women's Film Institute, the presenters of the San Francisco Women's Film Festival. Here is what they had to say about the presentation in their latest e-newsletter:

Free Webinar on How to Ask People for Money

This webinar is FREE and demonstrates how to develop relationships with individual donors and ask them to make a financial contribution to your film. Learn how to fundraise fearlessly and make a successful ask. We'll discuss how to identify donor prospects and cultivate them, what tools you need to do this kind of fundraising and how to go face to face to ask for money. Webinar will be held on Dec. 3, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Space is limited and RSVP by emailing: sfwomensfilmfestival@gmail.com

About Holly Million:

Holly is a consultant, author, and filmmaker with nearly two decades' worth of experience in fundraising. In addition to securing funding for "A Story of Healing," which won a 1997 Academy Award, Million has raised money for documentary and dramatic films that have aired on PBS, HBO, and other broadcast outlets. She is the author of "Fear-Free Fundraising: How to Ask People for Money," available on Amazon.com. She is writing a new book, "A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising" to be published in 2010.

She is the founder of Golden Poppy Productions, LLC, the presenters of A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers on 1/23/2010 and for Nonprofit Rebels on 1/30/2010 in San Francisco, CA.

Fore more information on A Helluva Camp or to register visit:

http://www.goldenpoppy.com

Show Your Donors Some Love

So you’re drafting a fundraising prospect list for your indie film? Looks like it’s shaping up to be the most extensive list of individual donor prospects known to mankind. Good job!

Your list covers your personal connections (everyone from Uncle Ernie to your former Econ 101 professor), people your personal connections can introduce you to who care about the same issues your film covers, and known suspects in the community who just love film. You have really done your homework and you even know how much you plan to ask each one of these prospects for.

So what’s the problem? Well, I’ll bet you know what you want from them. But do you have any clue what they want from you?

That’s right. You know you want their money. But what do these fine people get for giving their cash to you and your film? Stumped? Here are a few tried and true ways to both entice as well as reward your individual donors, along with a few totally off-the-wall tips to demonstrate that the sky really is the limit when it comes to thanking your donors.

Tip One: Credit Where Credit Is Due
Some people would love to see their name on the big screen, even if it’s tucked somewhere far down the list past where you thank the caterer and your accountant. In exchange for people’s financial support, promise to include them in your film’s credits. Want to make things really interesting? Offer different levels of credits for different sized gifts. Somebody wants to be the executive producer? Or assistant to Mr. Waters? They’re going to have to pay.

Tip Two: Ask for Their Opinions
There’s an old saying that goes, “If you want money, ask for advice, and if you want advice, ask for money.” It’s surprising, but very few filmmakers think to ask people on their lists for ideas, information, and advice. Do you need a location? Do you need a graphic designer? Do you want feedback on your screenplay? The more you ask people for ideas, the more they will feel connected to your film. And when people feel connected to something, it increases their willingness to put some skin in the game.

Tip Three: Put Them on an Advisory Board
I secured a gift of $5,000 from an individual who was an artist who was passionate about women’s issues for a short narrative film I was making that focused on these issues. Although most short narratives don’t need the support of an advisory board, I created one anyway, seeing how it would both attach known names to my project and reward the people who cared most about my film. I invited my major donor to join this advisory board, and she was surprised — and pleased — by the invitation.

Tip Four: Put Them in the Film
Oh, my God! Did I really just write that? Am I out of my mind? Quite possibly. At least where some potential donors are concerned. I don’t recommend putting just anyone in your film. And I’m not talking about putting them in a speaking role if they can’t act their way out of a paper bag. But is there some scene in your film where you need a bunch of extras? Can they blend into the background somehow? If you have a really big potential donor or investor, this may be the ticket to get them to write that check.

Tip Five: Did I Mention the Tax Write-Off/Investment Potential?
If you’re making a non-commercial film that is fiscally sponsored, then you can offer your individual donors a tax write-off for their contributions to your film. You get their money, and they get to take a tax-deduction for making that gift. If you’re making a commercial film, then be prepared to talk about the potential return on investment. How is the investor going to make back her money? What are the risks involved? What are the potential payoffs?

Tip Six: Invite Them to Your World Premiere at Festival X
There is that special category of donors who just love the concept of making a film. They are probably themselves closeted filmmakers, but they won’t or can’t make the leap into making a film of their own. However, you’re a filmmaker. By inviting this potential donor to become part of the film scene by coming with you to a festival would start them swooning. You don’t know which festival you may get into, but for some people, it won’t matter one bit.

Tip Seven: Tell Other People How Great Your Donors Are
Whenever you host an event, thank the people who have shown their support. When you put up your website, list those who helped you get where you are today. Proclaim publicly that these folks are your heroes, and they will bask in the glow of your appreciation.

Tip Eight: Show How Your Film Has Changed the World
For donors who give to your film because of its subject matter, knowing that the film went on to great things will make them feel good. Did your documentary about food safety change national policy on food safety? Did your expose of corporate malfeasance bring the bad guys to justice? Show that impact, and those donors will see your film as the greatest thing their money has ever produced.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(heart photo by Peter Kratochvil)

Web 2.0 Tools for Film Fundraising Class Rocked!

I taught a three-hour class called "Web 2.0 Tools for Film Fundraising" last night through the San Francisco Film Society. That's a picture of me with most of the class attendees. Thanks to Vance Snyder for taking the picture!

This class focused on what Web 2.0 is all about, what specific tools are out there, and how to put them to work in support of your indie film fundraising. We covered everything from blogs to wikis to social networking to folksonomies and explored the inner workings of popular sites and tools such as Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Vertical Response.

I created a class document that I emailed to all the students after the class that contained hotlinks to all of the dozens and dozens of sites I shared during the class. What a deal!

I'll be offering the class again in coming months, so either stay tuned on this blog, or sign up using the form on the right-hand side of the blog to receive email announcements.

For two hot examples of how indie films are doing exciting, bold, and brilliant things with Web 2.0, check out the website of low-budget fright phenomenon Paranormal Activity and the site of polar opposite The Yes Men Fix Everything. You will be amazed at what Web 2.0 can do for your film.

If you are interested in learning more about connecting your film to the Internet, consider signing up for A Helluva Camp on Film Production from Idea to Internet, taking place on April 24, 2010. For more information or to register, visit Golden Poppy Productions, LLC.

Put the Web to work for you!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

A Helluva Camp Featured Presenter — Richard Levien

Editor and filmmaker Richard Levien is presenting at two different camps I am organizing in 2010. Richard will present on "A Low-Budget, Kick-Ass Trailer" at A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers which is taking place in San Francisco on Saturday, January 23, 2009. He will also be part of the four-person team of experts presenting at A Helluva Camp on Film Production from Idea to Internet on Saturday, January 30, 2009.

For more information about both camps or to register, visit Golden Poppy Productions.

Richard has a PhD in theoretical physics from Princeton University, but has found his real passion in film. As a freelance film editor, he co-edited the feature documentary D Tour, which won the Golden Gate award for Best Bay Area documentary at the 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival, and will appear on the PBS series Independent Lens in Fall 2009. He edited and did motion graphics for the short film "On the Assassination of the President" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. He also edited the cult Internet hit Store Wars, which was seen by 5.5 million people in the first 6 weeks of its release.

Levien's first film as a director is Immersion (2009), a short film about a ten-year-old immigrant from Mexico who speaks no English, and struggles to fit in at his new school in the U.S. "Immersion" debuted at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2009. It has also played or will play at the San Francisco International, Seattle International, Sarasota, Palm Springs Shortfest, Mill Valley, Chicago International Children's, Media that Matters, New Zealand International and Brussels International Independent Film Festivals. It won the "No Violence" award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and the Golden Gate award for Best Bay Area short film at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

At the same festival, Levien won the $35,000 San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant, the first in a cycle of grants that will infuse $3 million dollars into narrative feature filmmaking in the Bay Area in the next five years. Levien won for screenwriting and script development of La Migra, the story of an 11-year-old girl whose mother has been taken away by U.S. immigration police. He is working with author Malin Alegria on this project.

Levien was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1968. He enjoys a good cup of tea and follows the (mostly ill) fate of the New Zealand cricket team. He is one of the few New Zealanders who played no part whatsoever in the making of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

For more information about A Helluva Camp or to register, visit www.goldenpoppy.com.

A Helluva Camp Featured Presenter — Rod Minott

I'm organizing A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers on January 23, 2010 in San Francisco. For more information on this and other camps in the series, visit Golden Poppy Productions.

One of our featured presenters at the camp is Rod Minott, who will be presenting on the subject of "Grant Proposals That Don't Suck." We could all benefit from a discussion on that topic!

Rod Minott is the founder of Glisan Media, a San Francisco-based media company that focuses on video-journalism story production as well as consulting services for independent producers interested in producing programs for public television. Rod began his broadcasting career in 1984 as an on-air daily news reporter for the Boise, Idaho CBS station affiliate, KBCI TV2. In 1985 he joined public television as an on-air reporter/producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. Rod has also been a reporter/producer for public television stations KTEH in San Jose, and KCTS in Seattle. From 1994 until 1999, Rod served as the Seattle-based on-air correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. From 2005 until 2007 he worked at the Independent Television Service (ITVS) in San Francisco as Program Manager for the LINCS (Linking Independents and Co-Producing Stations) funding initiative. He also oversaw ITVS’s online digital initiative, “Electric Shadows.” Rod lives in San Francisco. He can be contacted at: phone-(415) 553-5969 email: rodminott@hotmail.com His website is: www.glisanmedia.com

Register now for A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers and gain exciting knowledge from presenters like Rod Minott!

For more information or to register, visit www.goldenpoppy.com.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers x 2!

Hey, filmmakers!

I have launched some special camps to satisfy your jones for real information that's useful and up to date! Plenty of opportunity to network with your peers as well as experts in many avenues of the film field.

To find out more, visit www.goldenpoppy.com. You can also register on the website.

A Helluva Camp™ provides condensed, content-rich, cutting-edge, & fun mini-camps & mini-conferences. Our goal is to give you information & training you can’t find anywhere else about subjects that are exciting, practical, & up to the minute! Our goal is to fire up the can-do person in all of us.

Register now for our upcoming camps!

• A Helluva Camp™ for Indie Filmmakers — January 23, 2010
(Info on fundraising, marketing, the latest technology, distribution, & much more)

• A Helluva Camp™ for Nonprofit Rebels
— January 30, 2010
(Info on fundraising, PR, the latest technology, board development, & much more)

• A Helluva Camp™ on Film Production from Idea to Internet — April 24, 2010
(Info on shooting, capturing, editing, & uploading your footage to the Internet)


* Each camp is one full day.

* Includes breakfast, lunch, & free Peet’s coffee & teas.

* To see the line-up of presenters, find out more details, or to register for any of the three camps, visit www.goldenpoppy.com.

* Or, email holly@goldenpoppy.com for more information.

Writing a Kick-Ass Funding Proposal

You need several things to land a foundation grant for your film. One, a well-edited trailer or work sample. Two, the hutzpah of Attila the Hun. And three, a kick-ass written proposal. Okay, so you have the first two. Is it the written proposal that is baffling you? Well, be baffled no more. Here are all the basic ingredients you need to bake up a tasty grant proposal.

A good proposal begins with good ideas. You have to know what you are trying to create and what success looks like for that creation. With a film, your proposal is only as strong as the ideas, images, and people your film contains. Do you have strong characters that give the audience somebody to identify with or whose story will move them? Are existential truths revealed through your film? Are there ideas, themes, lessons, and morals to give your film shape and life? Have you thought through what the film is about, and is there a driving rationale for what it contains?

A good proposal includes a plan. Who is your film aimed at? How will they see it? How are you going to raise the money to make the film? How long will it take you to make the film? You need to be able to answer these questions with some sophistication. Don’t say your film is aimed at everybody. Nobody believes that. Are you planning to have your film screen in festivals? Put down a really well considered list of festivals with an explanation of why you picked them and what your chances are for getting in. Don’t list the top ten festivals in North America and walk away. That will just look plain lazy. Will you use some creative tactics to help your distribution plan? Then give some juicy details about how that will work and what it will look like.

A good proposal paints a picture. Can a reader envision this film? Can they see the characters and what they’re going through? Can they visualize what’s going to be on the screen? One way to help your readers do this is by using actual quotes from the film. Having the words of real people from the film on the pages of the proposal helps bring it alive. Another way can be to tie current events to what your film will be about. Put in some description of what’s happening in the world and show how your film directly connects with this. A film is visual. Make your written proposal as visual as possible.

A good proposal is convincing. One of the things program officers, board members, and panel reviewers will all do is to decide whether they believe you can accomplish what you say you want to accomplish. You can make your proposal more likely to convince them by doing the following things. One, use affirmative language, not tentative language. Don’t say, “I would like to interview Joe Schmo, expert on the subject,”€ say, “I will interview (or even better, have interviewed) Joe Schmo, and he says X.” Include information about distribution to show you not only have a plan, but you are already taking steps to make it so. Do you want to be on Discovery Channel? Then call up Discovery Channel and talk to a producer. Now you can put that in your proposal. I helped one director I was working with by setting up a meeting with a producer at HBO. She met with him, and he was polite but noncommittal about the whole deal. However, the fact that the conversation had taken place allowed me to write in the proposal, “the director met with producer ‘Mr. X’€ from HBO to discuss the project and share our trailer. HBO sees this project as being a potential fit for their CineMax outlet.”€ All of that is absolutely true.

A good proposal is well written. Well written means engaging. A good proposal has energy, verve, zing! The sentence structure is active. There’s a certain muscular quality to the writing. It is not flabby. Every word on the page must contain valuable information that presents the case for funding. There are no typos or grammatical errors. Yes, I need to say that last line, because some proposals go out in the mail in absolutely awful shape. Proofread! If you’re not good at that, have somebody else do it.

A good proposal includes partners. You are just one person. Wonderful as you are, unless you are Ken Burns, you alone will not be enough to convince the foundations you can pull off your film as proposed. Solution? Surround yourself with an experienced team who enhance your skills and abilities. Find a known filmmaker who has been around the block a few times who can serve as your executive producer. Hire an experienced director of photography and editor. In addition to the crew, how about an advisory board? Ask experts in the field to serve as advisors to your film, and include their bios on the proposal. Last, nonprofit partners are often a big boost to your credibility with foundations that are used to funding nonprofits. They can understand a nonprofit and its programs a helluva lot more than they can understand Joe Q. Filmmaker and his film. Nonprofits can bolster your resources by helping secure interviews with key people, adding advisors to the advisory board, helping to screen and distribute your film to interested audiences, and assisting with joint fundraising efforts that truly benefit both partners.

A good proposal is tailored to the funder. You cannot imagine how many people think applying to foundations is a one-size-fits-all deal. They write one boilerplate proposal and don’t change a word with each submission. That is a formula for failure. Your proposal needs to shift and evolve with each application. That’s why you’re going to all that trouble of poring over the guidelines, sifting through the records, and becoming bosom-buddies with that nerdy program officer. Why would you go through that and then use the same proposal every time? That’s right up there with recycling used underwear! Please, be more civilized.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Photo by Angie Perkins)

Upcoming Film Funding Classes

Obama embraced fundraising like no political candidate before, raising over $750 million in the course of his campaign. That's the real secret to successful fundraising -- embrace it!

Want to become more intimate with the intricacies of fundraising? I'm teaching several film fundraising classes through the San Francisco Film Society throughout the rest of this year. Need to learn how to pitch? Want to find out how the Internet can enhance your film fundraising? I have the straight dope for you.

I'm teaching my long-running, popular class "How to Ask People for Money" on August 29 and September 12. The first session is sold out, but space is still available for the second class. This is an eight-hour-long, hands-on experience that has you learning what goes in to donor prospect identification, cultivation, and direct asks. By the end of the day, you are pitching your film to a live panel of real film experts who give you gentle, constructive feedback to improve your odds the next time you go out to bat!

I'm teaching a reprise of "How to Ask People for Money" on October 17 and again on December 5. I teach a simplified version of the class as a webinar on November 7.

I'm also teaching "Using Interactive Web Tools for Indie Film Fundraising" on October 21. Filmmakers are embracing blogs, tweets and social networking to help cast, market, distribute and raise money for films. Find out how Web 2.0 tools can enhance your donor cultivation and communication.

So there are plenty of class dates to choose from. Register now!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Obama artwork by Petr Kratochvil)

Film Fundraising Client Feature — New Media International

I've just agreed to consult with Sean Ramsay of New Media International, the producer of Victory Day. Victory Day is a feature narrative that tells the story of photojournalist Sam Cassels, who finds himself involved embroiled in a tangled web in Russia that involves sex-traffickers, criminals, and oligarchs. Shot in Russia, the Czech Republic, and Australia, Victory Day won the "Best Political Film" award at the 2009 Action on Film Festival.

I'll be working with Sean to write a fundraising plan to raise up to $100,000 for a 5-city theatrical premiere for the film.

Drawing from his experience as a Reuters photojournalist and war correspondent with over a decade based in the former Soviet Union, Sean wrote the story for Victory Day. It is an expression of the emotional truth of a journalist who wants to change the world. In finding that his proffession is incapable of doing of it, the character is driven to do it by direct war. Sean plays the lead role as firebrand journalist Sam Cassels.

As part of its 5-city premiere, Victory Day will be screening in San Francisco in the late fall of 2009.

Next on The Money Couch: Social-Media Tools for Film Fundraising

Next on my Internet radio show, The Money Couch, I am featuring an interview with filmmaker and marketing and PR expert Maureen Futtner who will talk about How Social Media Can Support Your Film Fundraising. The interview takes place Monday, August 3, at 7 PM PDT. Find us on Talkshoe.com or click the widget on the top right of this blog.

We'll talk about what social-media sites and tools are must-haves and what social-media changes about film fundraising and what it does not.

With 20 years of experience in media and communications, Maureen Futtner is hard-wired to promote good causes and good people.

Maureen has successfully pitched stories to the San Francisco Chronicle, KALW radio, the Examiner, San Francisco Magazine and the Business Times, among other publications. Her work has been reviewed by the Village Voice, New York Newsday and the Boston Phoenix. Maureen has appeared on NBC-Bay Area and ABC7News, and her documentary films have been screened at festivals throughout the country.

Maureen founded the nonprofit theatre company Sleeveless Theatre and was its co-artistic director for 10 years. After receiving her Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Arts from San Francisco State University, Maureen worked as DVD author and project manager at Video Arts, a professional digital film studio. She has served on the boards of the Central Market Community Benefit District and the Jon Sims Center for the Arts. While development and communications director at Urban Solutions, Maureen produced the organization's signature event, the San Francisco Neighborhood Business Awards.

Maureen is a member of Media Alliance, Bay Area Women in Film and Media, the San Francisco Film Society, SPUR, City CarShare, and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. When not seeking out the world's fine stories, Maureen loves to run up the hills of San Francisco, play the guitar and banjo, and spy on California's beautiful birds.

Please join Maureen and me on The Money Couch for an enlightening conversation about social media and film fundraising.

Film Fundraising Client Feature — Gravitas Docufilms

From time to time in this blog, I will shine a spotlight on my indie filmmaker clients.

Because I am producing three documentaries and one feature narrative, my bandwidth for directly raising money for films is pretty much used up. However, I am increasing my direct consulting with indie filmmakers in ways that will equip them with professional tools to use in fundraising and teach them how to present their case to potential funders.

My services include writing a business plan or fundraising plan, writing a proposal or treatment, and teaching filmmakers how to pitch.

I really enjoyed my recent work with Paul Mariano, Kurt Norton, and Barbara Grandvoinet of Gravitas Docufilms. Gravitas is producing a documentary called Lost Forever. Lost Forever asks you to imagine that your favorite movie no longer existed, that it was lost and gone forever. Imagine you could never watch it again,never relive those fond memories. Imagine that future generations would never even know it existed. Lost Forever shows how the National Film Registry is working to protect some of our greatest films and shares some amazing first-hand accounts of how film has touched people or even changed their lives.

I helped Gravitas write a fundraising plan that included a seed-money campaign, write a proposal to use with foundation and individual funders, and trained them how to pitch the film to potential funders.

We not only got a lot of work done together, we had a good time, too!

Thanks, guys!

Your "Friends" Are Virtually Worthless

There’s a lot of buzz swirling around Web 2.0 and how it’s going to change — well, everything. Indie filmmakers, too, are embracing blogs, tweets, and social-networking, experimenting with how these tools can help them cast, market, distribute, and, yes, raise money for their films.. And yet, all the time, filmmakers say things to me like, “I have raised only $250 for my film through my Facebook page. Why aren’t people giving more?”

Why? Because if you don’t use Web 2.0 tools correctly, your “friends” are virtually worthless. So here is some advice about what Web 2.0 changes about fundraising and what it absolutely, positively does not.

Problem: “If We Build It, They Will Come”
There is a common misconception that money is going to pour in from this vast universe of online denizens who now know about you and your film simply because they have stumbled upon you online. Problem is, fundraising depends on relationship, and the virtual world is predicated on anonymity. Unless you take your contacts off Facebook and Twitter and make them flesh-and-blood friends, you can’t expect them to donate to your film in any significant way.
Solution: Find out who among your online friends is really interested in what you’re creating, and start to nurture an off-line relationship with them. I’ve converted numerous people I “know” online into real contacts by first emailing back and forth with them, then talking on the phone, then meeting in person. The cultivation does not stop there, it just goes on and on. After all, what are friends for?

Problem: I’ve Got a Blog/Facebook Page/My Space Page, But Nobody Visits
Yes, I know you have a blog. I’ve visited there. But the last diary you have up was posted in 1978. Your Facebook and My Space pages are pretty much the same. Has anything happened with your film since then? Just asking.
Solution: In order to drive traffic to your website, blog, or social-networking site, you need to give people a reason to go there. If the content is static, there will be no attraction. Ideally, you will post new content at least once a week or even daily. Tweak your social-networking pages to constantly give updates about the latest and greatest on your film. Make it interesting, and people will continually “drop by” to see what’s new.

Problem: You Think You Asked Them, But You Didn’t Really Ask Them
This is a common mistake I see happen everywhere people are trying to raise money, not just in the indie film world and not just online. People put their need out there on the Internet, thinking they have made a request for support, but then all they hear is the deafening roar of crickets.
Solution: You must be more direct. Your Facebook page displays your fundraising goal and a link to “donate now.” Warm. You sent an email appeal out to 10,000 potential supporters asking them to each give $25. Warmer. You hosted an event for 30 people who knew it was a fundraiser where they would be asked to write checks on the spot. Getting Warmer! You picked up the phone and asked 10 friends to each write a check for $100. Getting Hot! You sat down with Uncle Warren and asked him face-to-face for a large lead gift to leverage other donations. Hallelujah! You have learned that, at the end of the day, being direct when you ask is really the key to raising money.

Problem: They’re Just Not That Into You
You’re passionate about your film. But not everybody is passionate enough about it to give to you online. Oh, sure, you will pick up converts, but there are some things you just can’t compete with. After September 11, 2001, I (and millions of others) made online donations to the American Red Cross, the Fire Department of New York, and the New York Police Department without any of these organizations having to ask me for money. Why? Because the need was obvious, urgent, and on a vast scale. Hurricane Katrina, Asian Tsunami, terrorist attack? The word goes out and the online donations come in. Your film can’t compete.
Solution: Don’t assume that your film ranks high on people’s lists. Don’t try to compete online with causes that are in a different league. They can almost exclusively do anonymous, online, and mostly indirect fundraising. You can’t. While Web 2.0 tools can enhance your donor cultivation and communication, when it comes down to actually raising money, you need to be personal, offline, and mostly direct in your approach.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Photo by Petr Kratochvil)

Funder Feature: Sundance Documentary Fund

Hey, documentarians! One advantage you have is an ability to present your film as a "mission-driven, social-benefit project." In other words, your film's gonna change the WORLD! Narrative filmmakers have a harder case to make in that realm (although not impossible, as I've done it before), so most grants go to docs. Here's a marquee grant that all social-message docs should take a look at: The Sundance Documentary Fund.

Back in the day, the Sundance Documentary Fund used to be the Soros Documentary Fund. This is a very competitive grant. You really need to have all of your ducks in a row before you attempt this one. Even better, there are two funds, one for Development, and the other for Work-in-Progress. So if you can snag the Development grant, you know that increases your chances of grabbing the Work-in-Progress grant. Work-in-Progress covers films in production or post-production. Almost nobody funds production anymore, it seems. Which is why they say, "For everything else, there's VISA." But here is a rare exception.

The Development Fund gives grants up to $15,000, and the Work-in-Progress gives grants up to $75,000, although most grants fall in the $20,000 to $50,000 range. There is a checklist of application materials available online. As with most competitive grants, for which hundreds if not thousands of filmmakers are applying, you need to have outstanding ideas that are clearly and compellingly communicated, a solid team, a solid plan, and for the work-in-progress grant, a kick-ass trailer that blows their socks into the next county.

I recommend forming your own "review panel" to read your application and critique it before you send it off. If you want to enlist more public commentary, you can do what filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein did and post your Sundance Documentary Fund application online, on your blog, soliciting input from random strangers. You know what they say about the kindness of strangers.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Photo by Andrea Schafthuizen)

The Victory Lap: It Came From Kuchar

I was talking to my good friend, Jennifer M. Kroot, about the string of film festivals she has been traveling to for the past couple weeks and will continue traveling to for a couple weeks to come. Jennifer is not a big fan of travel in general. But this time, it's different. It's her chance to bask in the afterglow of all the hard work she has done to take her documentary film, It Came From Kuchar, from a little twinkle in her eye to a great, big, feature-length documentary that is totally first rate.

I reminded Jennifer that these festivals are her "victory lap," the payoff for the struggle, the Herculean efforts at fundraising we went through, the long, dark nights and days in the edit suite, and on and on.

We raised nearly $110,000 in grant monies for the film with the rest of the budget coming from individuals. The Creative Work Fund</span> deserves a rousing round of applause for providing the first big grant. I can tell you that the first grant is always crucial to get the fundraising skids greased up. I can also tell you that this was some of the hardest fundraising I have ever done, because when we started foundations were already turning away from film. Luckily, we finished our efforts before the latest economic meltdown.

If you would like to see the fruits of our labors, come see It Came From Kuchar on Sunday, June 21 at 6:30 PM at the Castro Theatre when the film screens in the Frameline LGBT Film Festival. Both Kuchar brothers, George and Mike, will be on hand to receive a lifetime achievement award from Frameline.

Oh, yes, and I'll be there, too, along with my husband, Chris Million, the DP of the film, to answer any questions you may have about that fundraising highway to hell that we survived. Glad to swap war stories anytime!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

Don't Fear the Funder: Film Funding Panel

The San Francisco Film Society's Film Arts Forum is a bimonthly information-sharing, discussion, networking, professional development jamboree. It’s an opportunity for local filmmakers and cineastes to meet one another and talk about their craft. SFFS gets the conversation started with dynamic presentations, topical panels, works-in-progress screenings and trade secrets. Past events have of offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Sundance Film Festival, a debate about online distribution and excerpts from two local documentaries. It’s an entire conference in the span of a few hours.

On Monday, June 15, I'm moderating a panel called "Think Like a Funder" which features film funders who will share what they are looking for in the projects that come cover the transom. The fifth SFFS Film Arts Forum will take you into the decision room of Bay Area–based independent film funders Independent Lens, ITVS International, Global Film Initiative and KQED. This is your chance to ask your questions, press the flesh, and generally overcome any fear of funders. They are real, flesh-and-blood humans, just like you and me!

The event takes place at the Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street in San Francisco.

I will profile each of the featured funders on this blog for those not in the San Francisco Bay Area. I want you to have a shot at the money too!

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

(Cartoon by Fritz Ahlefeldt -- LINK)

The Leading Causes of Film Trailer Failure

Ultimately, it is the sample/trailer that causes a film project to be funded — or rejected. Here are some of the common trailer snafus that can torpedo your funding chances as well as some tips for how you can create a trailer that can “make” them love it.

Problem: The trailer doesn’t match the proposal. It’s a Catch-22. The funder touts how they want to fund films that push the envelope, films that go where no other film has gone before. You know that’s you. You are thinking big. And you write a vivid description of your narrative/documentary/animated film shot in HD and distributed via Twitter. They love you and think you are a genius. Then they see your trailer, you know, the one for the film you haven’t raised any money for. You do your best to simulate your vision in the trailer. You don’t have the camera you want to use. You can’t pay for the animation. Of course the trailer is just a pale imitation of your unfunded vision. Sorry, they don’t get it.
Solution: Under-promise in the proposal and over-deliver in the trailer. Tone down your vision on paper so that it doesn’t sound like something completely unattainable. Then blow their socks off with the best trailer you can muster with limited funds.

Problem: The trailer tries to say too much. Who the hell are all these people? They are saying a lot of things. They’re doing random things. I’m being lectured by a voice-over narrator who is reading a long list of information. I’m watching a blow-by-blow five-minute condensed version of a 90-minute film. Blah. Blah. Blah. There is no meaning.
Solution: Less is more. You can’t tell the whole story of your film in five minutes. Don’t try. You will not succeed. Give them a tasty slice, not the whole freaking cake.

Problem: The trailer fails to hook them in the first 10 seconds. They say they want a 10-minute sample. But it’s the first few seconds to hit their eyeballs that will seal your fate. They’re bushed. They’ve watched umpteen trailers. You’re number 43. If they watch past 43 seconds, you’re doing good. Like a thoroughbred in a high-stakes race, how your project comes out of the gate determines whether you’ve won or lost.
Solution: Lead strong! Forget the wind-up and deliver the pitch. Have the viewer enter the action in progress. Slight disorientation is remarkably focusing.

Problem: The trailer lacks emotional punch. I was sitting on a grant panel a few years back. We’d read hundreds of proposals and watched dozens of samples. Then somebody popped another DVD in the player and BOOM!, we all sat up. The screen was filled with raucous crowds of women in a prison in Colombia. They were cheering on beauty pageant contestants strutting on a walkway. There was color everywhere! Ribbons! Balloons! Guards trying to hold back the screaming women. Everybody on the panel was screaming along with them. When the sample ended, we looked at each other as if to say, “What was that?!” We didn’t get any additional information from the trailer about what the film was about. But we knew we wanted to see the film just because of how the trailer made us FEEL. This was not the case with the majority of trailers we had seen.
Solution: Find the emotional intensity in your project. Collect it from the scattered corners of the film. Gather in a ball. Insert in trailer.

In fundraising solidarity,
Holly Million

The Doctor Is In! One-on-One Consulting

I often get asked if I am available to produce independent films. Right now, my hands are full directly producing three documentaries and one feature narrative. But that doesn't mean I can't help you. I've been consulting one-on-one with independent filmmakers for many years, and I've found a way to support projects that is cost effective and really useful for filmmakers, too.

Currently, I provide four main services: 1) writing a fundraising plan for your film that outlines where the money is coming from and how you will raise it; 2) writing a treatment, proposal, or business plan that can be used to secure grants or present to individual donors or investors; 3) teaching you how to pitch your film in a face-to-face meeting with investors or donors; and 4) providing ongoing coaching and support throughout the making of the film at an affordable cost.

If you think these services would help you launch your film fundraising effort today, send me an email at holly@hollymillion.com. You can visit my fundraising consulting website at HollyMillion.com.

Hope to see you soon!

Upcoming Film Funding Deadlines

Finding foundations that fund film is about as hard as finding a dinosaur egg. Actually, given the economy, it's getting harder to find ANY foundations that are funding anything. Seriously. Thank God there are 70,000 foundations around the country. Somebody must have some money for your film! Okay, here are two dedicated film-loving foundations that you should take a look at.

Pacific Pioneer Fund
August 15 is the next deadline for emerging documentary filmmakers to apply for grants between $1K and $10K. Visit their website for more information. What do they mean by "emerging?' Somebody who has made at least one feature documentary before but who has not been a working filmmaker for more than 10 years. However, there are always exceptions, and this foundation is no exception.

The San Francisco Foundation
The Fund for Artists Matching Commissions has a new deadline of June 19, 2009. Visit their website for more information. The San Francisco Foundation is a relative newcomer to funding films, but their arts program officer is a working filmmaker who deeply appreciates all the struggle that raising money for a film represents, and he has been a true-blue champion of creating funding opportunities for filmmakers. Bravo!

Next on The Money Couch: Events for Indie Films

Coming up Monday, June 8, at 7:00 PM Pacific Time on my Internet radio show, The Money Couch: Indie Film Edition, I'll be interviewing film fundraising and house-party guru Morrie Warshawski. We will be talking about "Successful Fundraising Events for Indie Filmmakers." Sure, you've wanted to raise money through an event, but do you know what it will take to make the event a success? Morrie knows.

Morrie Warshawski is a consultant, facilitator and writer who has spent 30 years specializing in the nonprofit sector. His work is characterized by a commitment to the core values of creativity, thoughtfulness, tolerance and transparency. Warshawski works with nonprofits that are having difficulty achieving their goals. He helps them reach their dreams through strategic planning.

Morrie is also the author of Shaking the Money Tree: How To Get Grants and Donations for Film and Video, 2nd Edition and The Fundraising Houseparty: How to Party with a Purpose and Raise Money for Your Cause - 2nd Edition.

The Money Couch: Film Edition is hosted on Talkshoe.com, the site for live Internet radio. You can also stream past episodes of The Money Couch: Film Edition and The Money Couch: Nonprofit Edition online or download free MP3s of past episodes to listen to on your iPod, PDA, or computer.

Come join us on The Money Couch.

See My Fundraising Videos on GuruTube.net

I'm plugging a new website called GuruTube.net that my friend Michael V. Williams has launched. According to the website, GuruTube is a "new website dedicated to objective, informational videos by widely acknowledged experts in a variety of fields and disciplines." I have two videos on the site, one dedicated to nonprofit emergency fundraising, and the other an overview of the nuts and bolts of what it takes to be successful at indie film fundraising.

Other gurus on the site include David Meerman Scott, a marketing strategist, keynote speaker, seminar leader, and the author of the hit new book World Wide Rave, as well as Paul Gillin, a long-time technology journalist who’s worked almost exclusively online since 1999. He advises marketers and business executives on strategies to optimize their use of social media and online channels to reach buyers cost-effectively. In addition to consulting and writing, he does speaking engagements and seminars. He has a knack for simplifying complex concepts and making technology trends understandable.

Check out GuruTube.net and continue to visit the site as it grows and expands. Now you can get your dose of expert advice in video form.

How to Ask People for Money Webinar

Are you tired of barking up the same old foundation trees for grants for your film? Have you noticed that the well of grant funding has shriveled and dried up? That's why you need to learn how to ask people for money.

Individuals are certainly feeling the pinch of the economy, but unlike institutional funders, individuals have more discretion with how they spend their money, even in bad times, and there are different factors that motivate them to give in good times or bad.

I've been teaching a popular class called "How to Ask People from Money" through the San Francisco Film Society for over a year. Now, I am proud to introduce a webinar version of the class. The webinar takes place Saturday, June 13 from 10 AM to Noon and is hosted on DimDim.com. The webinar is a bargain at $25 per SFFS member and $35 for non-members, and you will leave with greater knowledge and power over your individual donor fundraising than you ever would have imagined.

Asking people for money....it's easier than you think! Come take my webinar. Click this link to register.

Six Degrees of Bringin' Home the Bacon!

Here’s a question I get asked all the time in endless variations. “Holly, there is this guy in town I think might be interested in my film. How do I ask him for money?” In response, without even knowing who Mr. Potential Donor is, let me tell you what I would do.

My first step in planning a major-donor solicitation or “ask” is playing my own version of the well-known game, “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” Legend says actor Kevin Bacon has been in so many films that every other actor is connected to him, somehow, through these films. My personal version of the game is “Six Degrees of Bringing Home the Bacon.” First, I search my brain to figure out who I already know who has a connection to the potential donor. Within my network of friends, family, colleagues, and passing acquaintances, there has got to be somebody who knows him directly or who knows somebody who knows him. I guarantee the same is true for you. Put the word out among your friends, your LinkedIn connections, everyone you meet. For example, a friend wanted to interview Richard Branson for her film and wondered if I knew how to get a hold of him. Flattering. I didn’t, but a few days later, I met another filmmaker who had interviewed Branson and could give me his contact information. That same week, at a party, I also met a woman who turned out to be Branson’s personal assistant! Just like that, my friend was only two degrees away from the bearded billionaire!

Six Degrees of Bringing Home the Bacon is fun and profitable. Try this at home. You'll see.

Tonight on The Money Couch: James David

Joining me on my Internet radio show, The Money Couch: Nonprofit Edition, is PR expert James David. We'll be talking about "How Free Press Makes You a Better Fundraiser." While this is the nonprofit edition of The Money Couch, the tips James shares will be just as applicable to indie filmmakers. The Money Couch "airs" Monday night at 7:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. Click the link to go to Talkshoe.com, the site which hosts The Money Couch in both editions.

James David is the communications manager for Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo Counties. James has had a multifaceted, diverse career in public relations through his clients at agencies and through his work in house. His past clients have included mobile startups such as Microsoft spin-off Zumobi, Web sites such as Digg.com as well as publicly traded consumer technology brands such as Sony Electronics. He has also worked in cause marketing for clients such as the Ford Motor Company and Arianna Huffington's 2000 Shadow Conventions. In terms of in-house experience, he has previously worked as the public relations manager at a publicly-traded social networking company as well as served a communications consultant for Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams' Office of Communications, beefing up their existing team in the weeks before Y2K, staying on with the office to work on city's census awareness campaign.

James is always enthusiastic about public relations and sharing his tips, so I know this will be a great show!

Drink up knowledge at my upcoming classes!

Because knowledge is power, especially in these tough times, check out my upcoming fundraising classes.

For filmmakers, I'm offering my tried and true, highly popular "How to Ask People for Money" class through the San Francisco Film Society again in the next couple of months. First, I'm introducing a new webinar version of the class on June 13 for the low, low price of $35. This is a condensed version for people who want their information like their breakfast drink, in "quick," or even "instant" form so you can chug it and run.

I'm also offering a live version of "How to Ask People for Money," which is known for its action-packed format, on August 29 through SFFS at $200 for non-SFFS members and $180 for SFFS members. I'm developing a new version of this class for the staff and board of nonprofit organizations and will deliver it in webinar form on August 15 and October 3 from 10 AM to noon.

For all your friends working in the nonprofit field, or for yourself if you are curious, I am offering my new class "An Actual Emergency: How to Fundraise in an Economic Meltdown" in webinar form on June 20, August 8, and October 23 from 10 AM to noon Pacific Time all three days. The enrollment fee is a bargain at $35! I'm also teaching a more hands-on, live version of the class on September 12 for a fee of $90 per person.

For more information about the nonprofit classes or the film classes, please email me at holly@hollymillion.com. You can learn more about my fundraising consulting or my classes at hollymillion.com.

The Malcolm X School of Fundraising

I am a graduate and proud alumna of the Malcolm X School of Fundraising. The motto of my alma mater? "Raise the funds by any means necessary." By any means necessary, you say? As in lie? Cheat? Steal? No, silly! It's never necessary to become a lawless madman or madwoman in order to raise funds. However, you do need to play the game to win. And that sometimes means bending the rules, not breaking them. There are some key ways this credo comes into play when an indie filmmaker is applying to foundations for grants.

One prime example is the foundation that insists you have to submit a treatment for a film you have not yet shot. A good example is the National Endowment for the Humanities. How can you describe your film if you have not yet shot it? Tricky, right? Nope. Write it up. Fake it. Write the most brilliant, detailed treatment ever submitted. Is that what’s going to end up on film? Probably not. Does the funder know that? Not! Are they going to insist that you submit a big, shiny, flowery, glorious treatment that gives a shot-by-shot description of what they’re going to see in the final product? Yep. Fake it to make it.

Many foundations now refuse fiscally sponsored projects but allow partnerships where one partner has its own 501c3 status. I had a situation where I wanted to apply for a grant from a foundation that had this rule. And they were pretty damn emphatic about it. We had already established a fiscal sponsorship with another production company that had its own 501c3. To make this proposal legit, we signed a separate agreement creating a partnership solely for the purpose of this one grant. We submitted the application under their 501c3. And we got $60,000. Our partner got the same fee they would have gotten as our fiscal sponsor. If I had played by the rules rather than playing the game to win, I would not have been eligible to apply for that grant.

Are there other such examples? Myriad examples! Your job is to sleuth out the hidden truth behind the written guidelines, the real agenda behind what the website says, the actual facts of what they're looking to fund but can't say because of politics. Become cunning. It's the only way to win the funding game.

For more tips about playing the game to win, visit The Money Couch Internet radio show on Talkshoe.com, or read my Fear-Free Fundraising column on SF360.org.

Reporting From SXSW: Bay Area Well Represented

Chris Million and I have been having a great time at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Here is a short video describing which Bay Area filmmakers and their films are having premieres at the festival.

Howdy, filmmakers! How'd you get those funds?

I'm blogging from the SXSW Film Festival in Austin Texas, where It Came From Kuchar, directed by Jennifer M. Kroot, is premiering tonight at 5 PM. Jennifer called me back in October 2005 to ask me if I would be interested in producing her film. Being familiar with Jennifer's work on her narrative feature, Sirens of the 23rd Century, I said yes. Sirens of the 23rd Century screened at Frameline, Sci-Fi London and Anthology Film Archives. It won Best Narrative Feature at The New Orleans LGBT festival. Jennifer takes on ambitious projects and sees them through to successful completion. I knew her documentary would finish just as strong.

It Came From Kuchar is a hilarious and touching documentary about the legendary, underground filmmaking twins, the Kuchar brothers. As kids in the 1950s, George and Mike Kuchar began making no-budget epics in their Bronx neighborhood starring friends and family with their 8mm camera. In the 1960s the Kuchars became part of Warhol's New York, underground film scene. The Kuchar brother's films have inspired many prominent filmmakers, including John Waters, Buck Henry, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin and Wayne Wang (all interviewed in this film). It Came From Kuchar interweaves the brother's lives, their admirers, a history of underground film and a 'greatest hits' of Kuchar clips into a hilarious and touching stream-of-consciousness tale.

As a producer on the film, I raised a substantial portion of the budget from grants from foundations. The rest of the funds came from individual donors. Getting the grants was a little like going to the dentist for a root canal. I would not like to repeat the experience. Our first big opportunity to get a significant grant came just two weeks after Jennifer hired me, when the deadline for a letter of intent to the Creative Work Fund came due on November 3, 2005. The Creative Work Fund is a special arts fund made possible by a consortium of arts foundations in San Francisco. They fund a different field of art in rotating years. At that time, film was funded every three years. Now, it's every FOUR years. The trick to getting this grant is to have a working relationship between an artist and a nonprofit organization. The problem for us was, we did not have that partnership and the letter was due in two weeks. After barking up the wrong tree, we retrained our focus on the Legion of Graduate Students at the San Francisco Art Institute, the art school where George Kuchar has taught for over 30 years. The students, who love George like their beloved crazy uncle, were all too willing to help! With their involvement, we were able to secure a $35,000 grant for the film. That early money is like yeast! Once we had that grant and the imprimatur of the Creative Work Fund, we entered a different realm of fundraising, where people sat up and listened when we spoke and didn't immediately slam the door in our faces. It was not a picnic from there, but it sure beat the wandering in the wilderness where the grantless walk.

I'll be posting more about our premiere and interviewing Jennifer Kroot, George Kuchar, and others from SXSW.