From Jim Gilliam's blog archives
More on online film fundraising

August 22, 2006 10:55 AM

Got a question from a german filmmaker wondering whether the anonymous $100K donor was real or just a tactic. My reply:

Yes, i love your cynicism (i'm exactly the same way), but that $100K commitment was totally real, and totally contingent on us coming up with the $200K. we thought it was going to be 2 other $100k investors (a standard thing, 'i'm in for 100k if you can find two other people to come in too'). and we just couldn't. i always wanted to try the online fundraising thing but i didn't actually think we were ready yet.. i didn't think we could pull it off (and i was the most optimistic!) but we had no choice so we went for it.

i definitely think the large matching contribution helps get people motivated to do it. you have to somehow convince people this can really happen. and that helps a lot.

but i think the most powerful force (based on the emails we're getting from people) is that they just wanted something, anything they could do to change what's happening in america and the world. and this was a unique opportunity.

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More on online film fundraising (08.22.2006)

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Jim Gilliam
Jim Gilliam

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