EMS Kickstarter Panel at the Downtown Library
You’ve probably heard of Kickstarter, the world’s most popular platform for crowdfunding projects. EMS member, Mark Danburg-Wyld, first heard of it a couple of years ago, but didn’t back a campaign until a few months back. Here’s what Mark had to say about his experience:
“It was so easy – when I opened the site, on the landing page, there was a campaign from a local artist I enjoy. By chance, the campaign was exactly one $35 pledge short of reaching it’s goal. Well, no-brainer – I backed it. They logged me in via Facebook – no new forms to fill out there. Then took me to Amazon for payment information – again, an entity that already had my information. I went from novice to a backer in about 2 minutes. And, a few weeks later, I got my reward exactly on schedule – which turns out isn’t necessarily common.”
Mark further discovered that Eugene, being a relatively small town, punches above its weight when it comes to successfully funded Kickstarter campaigns. From the town’s first successful campaign (Wanted: Crohn’s End, funded 12/8/2010) through the end of 2013, there have been 90 fully funded campaigns based out of Eugene, which between them have raised over 1.3 million dollars! One blockbuster (Two Guys SpaceVenture) accounted for over half a million pledges alone. Eugene seems to have a better than average funding rate, too – 46% of the Eugene campaigns through the end of 2013 were funded, versus an average for Kickstarter overall of 42%.
Eugene Maker Space decided to invite some of this local talent to share their Kickstarter experiences. On Sunday, March 2, 2014 EMS is hosting a Kickstarter panel discussion at the downtown library, from 10:00 to 11:30. We have five guest speakers who have volunteered to tell their stories. In alphabetical order, they are:
Craig Godwin. Craig is a EMS member, launching his Kickstarter in March of 2014, for Light Dance, a device which synchronizes lights with music for both consumers and professionals.
Garrett Loveall. Garrett’s Kickstarter funded in August of 2013, July Nine provides a cloth bag for grocery shopping (or whatever else) that rolls up into a very tight package for easy transport.
Noelle Dass. Noelle is a local artist, often found at Saturday Market, and online at noelledass.com. Her Kickstarter funded in September of 2012, and produced a line of t-shirts with her whimsical artwork.
Stephanie Widner. Stephanie ran 3 (!) successful Kickstarter campaigns in 2013, each producing a different one of her resin fantasy toys. Her website is Spark Costumes, where she showcases a variety of costumes.
Tim O’Donnell. Tim’s Kickstarter funded in July 2013, and allowed Camerosity Improv to launch a new show, celebrating the technology of the past.
If you are curious about crowdfunding, and want to learn more about particular tips and tricks to running a successful campaign on Kickstarter in particular, this is an event you will want to attend. It promises to be a lively and enlightening discussion. We hope to see you there!
Many special thanks to EMS member, Mark Danburg-Wyld, for organizing this event!!
