The Undergrads movie Kickstarter ended its fundraising period on November 8. It had reached $145,266 CAD, more than $30,000 over its goal of $115,000. The crowdfunding campaign ran for 45 days. Offering rewards that included shooting scripts, t-shirts for the various institutes of higher learning featured in the show, and even a chance to voice a character in the upcoming production.
From the 1,256 backers who helped make this possible, even the highest tier rewards got some love. 48 backers paid $500 to have their likeness used as a background character in the film. Nine devoted fans paid $1,000 to attend a private screening of the film, followed by an after-party with Pete Williams and the crew in Toronto (I wish I were one of those 9!). Two backers are the envy of all other Undergrads fans for having contributed $7,500 for the privilege of having their voice AND likeness used in the film for a character that gets to interact with the gang onscreen!
The success of this campaign means big things for the Undergrads movie. Of course, you can’t make a feature-length film for $115,000, even an animated one. The Kickstarter was to raise funds for the first round of pre-production. Also to prove to potential investors that there is a committed and passionate fan-base that wants to see this project happen and are willing to show up with their wallets to help. The show of support that Williams and his team received from fans will go a long way to seeing this dream become a reality. Williams has teamed up with Brain Power Studio. This production company led by former Undergrads producer Beth Stevenson, so you know that everyone working on the project are as dedicated as the hundreds of fans who helped out. There are also so many more who are waiting to support by watching the movie when it gets released.
