By Ines Hofmann Kanna
Production Manager, ITVS

An ITVS Production Manager offers insight on crowdfunding for potential public television broadcasts.

 ”I worried about asking friends and family for donations,” says Alicia Dwyer, director of the ITVS-funded documentary Xmas Without China. “But I came to feel most excited about our crowdfunding as I realized that we do have a base of supporters who want to connect with our creative process, and many folks seemed to enjoy being a part of supporting us during production, however small [...] their contribution.”

Many filmmakers have done as Alicia has. They have turned to the not-so-new-anymore phenomenon of finding funds in a large crowd of people — smaller amounts of money rather than large checks from just a few sponsors.  Alicia’s team successfully raised over $15,000 in the allotted time frame and used it to keep their production going.  As grant money and (corporate) sponsorships are harder to secure, this grassroots-level approach has helped many other producers get started, keep afloat, or even finish their films.  ITVS appreciates this resourcefulness of independent filmmakers working today. Continue reading →