Back in November 2017 I made very loud, public declarations that I would not be crowdfunding again for a good long time. In July 2018, in the final week of crowdfunding for yet another project, I am not sorry I caved. Sam and Pat means the world to me and the fact that we not only hit our initial (albeit relatively small) goal in 15 hours but have also over the course of the campaign suckered 35 people into helping us out is blowing my gourd.
Reasons why I believe in this project:
- It’s simple and accessible. Discussions of mental health can often be heavy, but that doesn’t show the full spectrum of what living with mental illness looks like. I love that our show is small and simple and weird but still genuine and authentic.
- My team is passionate and vulnerable when promoting it. It’s no secret that I miss Brains like a lost limb, but even when everyone was at their peak excitement for that show, our promotional efforts were more “we’re having a good time” than “we believe in this 100%.” This time, though, my team Went There with our promo videos, talking honestly about their experiences in therapy, their lives with depression, and I could not be more proud. They aren’t just on board because we’re all friends who like making things together. They’re on board because this is literally us. This is our experience. This is what we wish more people understood about us.
- We’ve made a literal positive social impact. Not only have we gotten tons of enthusiastic feedback from the asexual community, thrilled that we’re making content featuring prominent ace characters, but at least one person has reached out to let us know that they’ve decided to pursue therapy again in part because of our show. I’m still beside myself knowing that email is in my inbox forever.
- It’s so weird. And getting weirder. We’ve got 140 plastic easter eggs and a pack of fake mustaches on our props list for season 2. My character doesn’t obey the laws of continuity. Chris’s character might have a hostage. There’s a flashback in season one where I eat a full box of cereal with a giant wooden spoon while dramatic violin/piano music drones in the background. What’s not to love??
We’ve got a week left in crowdfunding, and though we’ve met our goal, it’s a pretty paltry one when you consider that for 2 episodes of another show I crowdfunded for/produced we raised $11,000 more. We’re making 9 episodes of Sam and Pat, plus 9 episodes of a companion podcast. No one is getting paid- we do this because we love it and we believe in it. Do you want to be part of the magic and also get a weird perk in return? Click here. There are price ranges for all. And if you’ve already joined up, thank you. Seriously. Thank you for believing in us and this show and what we’re trying to do.
