I got a surprise the other day when I read the comments section of the MacWorld posting of an article I wrote about Veronica Mars, Kickstarter, and Ultraviolet. The Chief Technology Officer of UltraViolet parent company Rovi chose to respond publicly and call into question my basic journalistic integrity. After the cut, I've included his lengthy response, and my 1300-word shredding of said response, both of which can be found on the original MacWorld post.
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Indie Kickstarter from Malick Producer
My friend Nick Gonda worked as a producer on both of Terrence Malick's most recent movies (The Tree of Life and To the Wonder), and he's lent his support to a new independent production. Co-produced by writer/director Anna Axster and musician/composer Ryan Bingham (Crazy Heart), A Country Called Home has up-and-comer Imogen Poots attached to star. They plan to start shooting in Texas early next year. I'm glad to see more production coming into the state.
In addition to producing movies, Nick Gonda is CEO of entertainment startup Tugg, a company that does on-demand movies in theaters. Kind of like Kickstarter, you set a day, time, and the movie, along with a ticket price, and once your screening hits a threshold of tickets sold, the screening happens. I've used the service more than once (and will again very soon), and had a great experience with it.
Code Monkey Adds Goal, Princess Saves Self, Film at 11
Since posting this update this morning, Greg Pak and Jonathan Coulton's Kickstarter take has leapt from $215k to over $230k. If they hit a quarter million dollars, they will also:
...make a CHILDREN'S BOOK based on Jonathan's awesome song "The Princess Who Saved Herself"! That's right, A WHOLE NEW BOOK, to be delivered digitally to every backer at the $15 level and above! And if we go far enough over the stretch goal, we'll consider the possibility of printing actual physical copies as well.
"The Princess Who Saved Herself" tells the story of a tough, tomboy princess who encounters a scary dragon and creepy witch -- and recruits them to play in her rock band. It's a beautiful, fun, funny song, and with your help, it's going to be a great kids' book. If we make the stretch goal, the whole "Code Monkey Save World" creative team will shift over to work on the children's book once the graphic novel is completed.
Click here to listen to the song: greg-pak.tumblr.com/post/48830950120/the-princess-who-saved-herself-by
Click over to the Kickstarter to see the gorgeous cover art and for more info. I interviewed Greg and Jonathan a couple of weeks ago on Giant Size (subscribe in iTunes). I'm finally pledging in myself tomorrow.
"Torment: Tides of Numenera" Kickstarter Tops $4M in a Month
Reported by Polygon, this is one of the many stories coming out of game development houses being able to connect directly to their fan/customer/demand base. The days of needing a publisher are coming rapidly to a close. Agile, dynamic marketing and engagement are the new keys to the castle.
Bring Ditko Public Service Package #2 Back Into Print
A Kickstarter with a great cause. The comics legend's satirical 1991 work deserves to be made available, and they're already 3/4 of the way there:
The Ditko Public Service Package #2
A 112 page, black-and-white reprintThis is the 2nd edition of this book and a sequel to an earlier book, Ditko Package. As such, it is nearly ready to go. The story and artwork are finished. Most production work is complete. One addition to this book will be the inclusion of the list of backers and our 'thank you'.
If you have seen our earlier work, you know what to expect. The material we publish is unique and one-of-a-kind.
If you are not familiar with the type of material we publish, you can expect to be pleasantly surprised.
Bold (and true) words.